Everyone knows that the body won’t live without the heart. If the heart doesn’t beat for more than 3 minutes then brain cells begin to die. After 6 minutes other cells in the body begin to die from lack of oxygen that the blood supplies.

The heart is a pump. Just like the pump in the fish tank circulates water delivering oxygen to the water, and thus to the fish, the heart circulates the blood full of oxygen to the cells throughout the body.

On a very simple scale this pump can get clogged, break down or just plain need repair. The more you know and understand how the heart works the better you’ll be able to take care of the pump that keeps your body functioning and working.

Heart disease is a growing problem. People live fast-paced lives in a fast-paced society. They don’t pay attention to their stress levels, nutrition, rest, or exercise needs. Continue reading →

Heart disease kills more people each year than all of the cancers combined. While science may know the causes of some cancers they can only point to most preventative measures that you can take to be sure you don’t experience cancer. Scientists can pinpoint most of the risk factors for heart disease and therefore information on what causes heart disease will help you to decrease your risks.

There are both lifestyle changes, avoidable risks and familial factors that will increase your risks of heart disease. Most family factors, such as a history of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and poor coping methods for stress all have their roots in both behavioral conditions and lifestyle.

For instance, parents who cope poorly with stress often pass those coping mechanisms down to their children through modeling. It is also well documented that children will eat what their parents provide and continue to follow those habits into adulthood. Continue reading →