If I were to ask you what is the number one leading cause of death in the United States, what would you say? Most would say cancer, suicide, car accidents, etc. Here's the kicker- it's heart disease. The number ONE cause of DEATH in the United States! *cue shocked emotions* When thinking about it deeper, it only makes sense. The human heart is the most important organ in the human body - other than the brain. The heart is what pumps blood through our body and also supplies oxygen to the rest of our body (Lewis , 2016). You might be wondering, if the human heart is so important, why do so many people suffer from heart disease?
Millions and millions of people are affected by heart disease each year. To understand the importance of cardiovascular disease, I'm going to get super scientific for a second. Cardiovascular disease happens when plaque is built up on the artery walls, atherosclerosis if you really wanted to know the technical term (American Heart Association, 2016). In literal terms, people eat terrible and don't exercise (just two examples) and suddenly blood can't get through their arteries. That blood then can't reach the rest of the body. It is natural to grow plaque on the artery walls, even you reading this blog has plaque on their artery walls. Sorry, don't mean to scare you. The silver lining is that there are SO many things we can do to improve our heart health!
One of the biggest things we can do to improve our heart health and limit our risk of suffering from heart disease is to EXERCISE? Do you hate that word? Because I do. All jokes aside, living a sedentary life is definitely not a good thing in any area of life. It can lead to obesity, low self-esteem, and most importantly... HEART DISEASE! Exercise can lower cholesterol, make a person lose weight, and will lower blood pressure. All of these things are exceptional ways to prevent heart disease. Trust me when I say you are not alone if you are reading this and dreading the thought of getting on a treadmill - I'm currently tired just writing this - but just knowing how beneficial just 30 minutes of exercise a day can be is worth it.
My passion for this topic stems from my father - a man who suffers from heart disease. At age 5, I watched my dad go through open heart surgery with 7 bypasses. 7!!!! Seem like a lot? It is. For the rest of my life after that, my dad has had several stents put in place and I see the fear in his eyes every time he has to go to the cardiologist. I love my dad, do not get me wrong, but if I can prevent this from happening to other people down the road, it is worth sharing the story. But more on that in later posts :)
Healthy Heart, Happy Life!
Thanks for reading!
References:
American Heart Association. (2016). What is Cardiovascular Disease? Retrieved from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Caregiver/Resources/WhatisCardiovascularDisease/What-is-Cardiovascular-Disease_UCM_301852_Article.jsp#.V-m8eqIrK2w
Lewis, Tanya. (2016) Human Heart, Anatomy, Functions and Facts. LiveScience. Retrieved from
http://www.livescience.com/34655-human-heart.html
I agree with you when you say that heart disease is the number 1 leading cause of death. it is scary to say but things like that is a genetic thing meaning that it runs in the family. do I hate the word exercise? Yes I do hate that word it see so intense. instead of exercise I would rather use work out.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how personal you made this blog! I was able to read the whole blog, because was not just like a paper you were writing for class. I like that you added the personal story about your dad and your dislike for exercise, then you're able to relate to others and that just makes it feel like you're talking to friends. I'm looking forward to seeing what your others blog posts are like!
ReplyDeleteI agree you made this blog personal and it makes the topic way more interesting. Exercising is a scary word. I get tired just from saying the word exercise. However, I understand the importance of exercise and how it can prevent heart disease.
ReplyDeleteYes Alex, I HATE THE WORD EXERCISE! haha. Great post. I love that there is so much information but also your own personal experience with the topic, makes it much easier and more interesting to read. I would love to see possibly the differences in men and women and heart disease in an upcoming post!
ReplyDeleteYour post hit home for me, my grandmother actually past away from heart disease. The background information and your personal experience help with understanding the information. Also exercise is always the first thing thrown out there to get healthy but does it really help is the question. I enjoyed your post and cannot wait to see what you have next.
ReplyDeleteAlex,
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather had heart disease and passed away due to it and my mother just had open heart surgery and is dealing with that still a year and some odd months later.
I like that you kept it real with us, as in, I read this and could invision you giving this discussion to the class. It was filled with great information and something that most of us can relate to.
Thank you for picking a topic that hits home for you and being passionate about the prevention of the disease.
I cannot wait to read your next blog!
Hearing the word exercise makes me want to sit on the couch, eat food, and watch a movie. Absolutely HATE it. Explaining what certain aspects were was very helpful in understanding it more. Great information!
ReplyDeleteI really like this post and they fact you're writing about somethings that close to your heart it makes it more worth the read. I agree exercise gets on the back burner for me but I know how much it can improve my heath and need to start making it a more everyday thing.
ReplyDeleteHeart health is so important and many people just don't realize it. I am excited to read more on this since it is so close to you, I feel like you'll have a lot to say.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post because of how important to you. I 100% agree that exercise is a terrible word, but I know that it is so important for me to stay healthy!
ReplyDeleteHere is my testimony on how I was cured of HIV by Dr Akhigbe,with his natural herbal medicine. on a regular basis in efforts to help others when I could. As you may know, each donation is tested. Well, on July 6th I had a meeting with a Red Cross representative and was told that I had HIV. “What went through your mind when you heard that "Rose" Good question reader! To be honest, I thought my life was over, that I would ever find love, get married, have children or anything normal. Lucky for me I have an amazing support system. My family supported me then I never thought that I was invincible to STD s or pregnancy or anything else parents warn their kids about. I just didn’t think about it. I was in a monogamous relationship and thought that I asked the right questions. We even talked about marriage Scary. During that time I was in college and donated blood on a re as well. who helped me in search of cure through the media.there we saw a good testimony of sister 'Kate' about the good work of Dr Akhigbe natural herbal medicine cure.then I copied his email address and contacted him. A good herbalist doctor with a good heart, he is kind, loving and caring. He replied back to my message and told me what to do. After a week the doctor sent me my herbal medicine and instructed me how to take it.Yes it worked very well, after drinking it I went to the hospital for another test and everything turned negative. What a wonderful testimony I can never forget in my life. Dr Akhigbe is a man who gave me a life to live happily forever so all I want you all to believe and know that cure of HIV is real and herbs is a powerful medicine and it works and heals. Dr Akhigbe also used his herbal medicine to cure diseases like: HERPES, DIABETES, SCABIES, HEPATITIS A/B, STROKE, CANCER, ALS, TUBERCULOSIS, ASTHMA, PENIS ENLARGEMENT, MALARIA, LUPUS, LIVER CIRRHOSIS, DEPRESSION, HIV/AIDS, EPILEPSY, BACTERIAL, DIARRHEA, HEART DISEASES, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, PARKINSON'S, ALZHEIMER, COLD URTICARIA, HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS,INSOMNIA, BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS, SCHIZOPHRENIA, JOINT PAIN, STOMACH PAIN, CHROME DISEASES, CHLAMYDIA, INSOMNIA HEARTBURN, , THYROID, MAR BURG DISEASES, MENINGITIS, ARTHRITIS, BODY WEAK, SMALLPOX, DENGUE, FEVER, CURBS, CHANCRE, AND OTHERS VARIOUS DISEASES/ VIRUS. You are there and you find yourself in any of these situations, kindly contact Dr Akhigbe now to help you get rid of it. Here is his email address:
ReplyDeletedrrealakhigbe@gmail.com or you can write to him on whats app with his phone number: +2349010754824.
My appreciation is to share his testimony for the world to know the good work Dr Akhigbe has done for me and he will do the same for you.