3 minute read
Heart Health
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By Dr. Asha Bajaj, Resident Since 1986
Let’s have a heart to heart! He died of a broken heart! For many cultures the heart was the seat of the mind; so revered by the Mayans, they offered the heart of the brightest and strongest to their Gods.The Egyptians preserved the heart rather than the brain. As we celebrated Valentine’s Day we celebrated the seat of love and compassion- the primacy of the heart over the mind! Our heart health is a combination of our physical, emotional and mental state.
The heart is an amazing organ. It pumps oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout the body to sustain life. This fist-sized powerhouse beats (expands and contracts) 100,000 times per day, pumping five or six quarts of blood each minute, or about 2,000 gallons per day. The heart also has an electrical system that triggers the muscle to contract, creating a heart rhythm or a heart beat.
As the heart beats, it pumps blood through a system of blood vessels, called the circulatory system. The vessels are elastic, muscular tubes that carry blood to every part of the body. Blood is essential. In addition to carrying fresh oxygen from the lungs and nutrients to the body’s tissues, it also takes the body’s waste products, including carbon dioxide away from the tissues. This is necessary to sustain life and promote the health of all parts of the body.
This vast system of blood vessels -- arteries, veins, and capillaries -- is over 60,000 miles long. That’s long enough to go around the world more than twice!
Your heartbeat is triggered by electrical impulses that travel down a special pathway through the heart.
The impulse starts in a small bundle of specialized cells called the SA node (sinoatrial node), located in the right atrium. This node is known as the heart’s natural pacemaker. The electrical activity spreads through the walls of the atria and causes them to contract.
At rest, a normal heart beats around 50 to 99 times a minute. Exercise, emotions, fever, and some medications can cause your heart to beat faster, sometimes to well over 100 beats per minute
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat that increases the risk of stroke and heart disease. Signs include dizziness, weakness, and fatigue. Treatment involves medication and lifestyle changes, and sometimes procedures such as cardioversion, ablation, pacemakers, or surgery.
Atherosclerosis involves inflammation and buildup of fatty plaques, or atheroma, within vessel walls, which eventually lead to the hardening and narrowing of the arteries. When an atheroma ruptures, a blood clot can form to trigger a heart attack or stroke.
The most common symptom of coronary artery disease may be having no symptoms at all. Some people will experience angina (chest discomfort, often with exertion).
Luckily, the opposite is true as well. Adopting a heart-healthy diet and a healthier lifestyle can improve your health, even if you already have high blood pressure or other forms of heart disease. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is geared toward lowering blood pressure. The TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) program focuses on lowering the bad fat you eat to lower your blood fat and cholesterol levels. As they say, “Genes load the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger!”
Change your lifestyle:
• Reduce daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg), limit to 1,500 mgs
• Stop smoking
• Eat heart healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, lentils, beans and greens.
• Walk 30 minutes a day
• Meditate- Relax: Don’t worry about the small stuff. Mindfulness meditation focused on the heart, slows down the heart rate and also alters the wave pattern of your EKG.
• Lower your trans-fat intake
• Lower your weight so your BMI Body mass index is close to or less than 30
• Control sugar/diabetes
• Control Blood Pressure
• Laugh out loud each day- use creative visualization
• Participate in activities that keep you engaged and are community and service-oriented.
• Don’t worry-Be happy!
Dr. Asha Bajaj, PT/DPT has 30+years experience in a variety of settings including the management and operation of an outpatient private practice in Walnut Creek. Asha has served in Bhutan, India, Vietnam and Malawi, Africa with Health Volunteers Overseas to train and develop their Physical therapy program. Asha has a special interest in Women’s health and did her doctoral project in the area of Bone health and Osteoporosis. Her goal is to promote health and lifelong wellness.
