Ischemic Heart Disease

Ischemic heart disease is better known as a description for the reduction of blood flow to the heart. You probably have read in the media that one of the major heart conditions is hardening of the arteries or blocked arteries. This is the lay description of ischemic heart disease, a major health issue throughout most Western countries.

It is a natural process for tiny deposits of plaque to accumulate along our arterial walls. Depending on our individual make up, this can result in a potential problem called arteriosclerosis. In others, no symptoms or problems develop at all. Call it nature’s luck.

Our body attempts to cope with the problem of the build up of plaque by basically 2two mechanisms. One, the arteries can expand to allow the blood flow to continue unimpeded. Two, if the expansion is too rapid or if there is not enough natural elasticity in the arterial walls, a rupture can occur, usually causing death or massive brain or other organ damage.

Watch Out For Fats

The good news about ischemic heart disease is we know the cause and so we can do something about it. The answer is simple and straightforward and easy to implement.

Stop smoking, stop eating foods which are high in fat, and get some regular exercise.

It seems so simple but the fact remains that we in the western world appear to have great difficulty giving up our habits and vices. In some countries there is a marked difference in the incidence of ischemic heart disease. Maybe it’s that we have so much choice and an increased tendency to eat what we want without having to think about the cost or nutritional value, whatever it is, we need to sit up and take a lot more notice to prevent what amounts to an epidemic of ischemic heart disease.

One thing our society has in its favor however is our excellent education system and the plethora of government agencies that continually advise us of the need to change our ways. This same process has lead to vast improvements in lifestyle and we can live with the real expectation that things will change for the better once the message gets through. We have cut back on smoking, we’ve regulated harmful drugs and our health experts continue to find new ways to influence us for the better.

Even the large fats food outlets have modified their menus in the face of this accumulated knowledge. We have new exercise programs in schools, better food offered at schools, and young people are influencing their parents. All of these developments will contribute to a lessening of ischemic heart disease.