Heart

WHAT IS IT?


The heart is basically a pump consisting of four chambers. The pumping is performed by muscle that needs to be fed by oxygen and other nutrients. These nutrients are carried by blood.
Blood is pumped out of the heart into the lung’s circulation, where it picks up oxygen. This oxygen-rich blood then returns to the heart, and is pumped out of the heart to the body, in order to supply the body with oxygen. When the blood has travelled around the body supplying it with oxygen, it then returns to the heart, and the cycle starts all over again!


In a healthy heart, the pump is well supplied with blood, and works efficiently.



TWO common problems with the heart

Heart attack A blockage in the heart's arteries may reduce or completely cut off the blood supply to a portion of the heart. This can cause a blood clot to form and totally stop blood flow in a coronary artery, resulting in a heart attack (also called an acute Myocardial Infarction or Coronary Thrombosis).


Angina is short for “angina pectoris,” which in Latin means “pain of the chest.” More specifically, angina is pain originating from the heart when it doesn’t get enough oxygen, which is caused by poor blood flow.


How to have a healthy heart?

In order to have a healthy heart, a good blood supply to the heart and the ability of the muscle to act as a pump are vital.

Three important ways that you can help this to happen are:-

Exercise:
As a goal, try to have between 3-5 sessions of exercise a week for 20- 30 minutes. This could include any exercise where you work up a sweat or become short of breath (but still able to hold a conversation). Walking is ideal, though a brisk walk, rather than a slow stroll is recommended. Several sessions a week is generally better than one long walk on the weekend.


Diet:

Try to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. This could be:- orange juice for breakfast, with a piece of fruit, some fruit as a mid-morning snack, a salad sandwich, or a piece of fruit with lunch, vegetables for your evening meal, and tinned fruit for dessert. As regards to salt be careful not to add it to your food, try to cut down gradually. Processed foods and ready meals can also contain a lot of salt, therefore it is a good idea to to be aware of this. Another tip is to cook with monounsaturated oils such as olive oil, or better still grill food as much as possible. Have 2 portions of fish a week, especially oily fish such as mackeral which contain fish oils that are very good for your heart. Avoid foods high in fat which increases cholesterol levels.

Stop smoking:

Smoking has a major impact on blocking arteries.
(see our article on smoking for more information)