Introduction
Heart health is a critical part of your overall wellness. It’s important to understand cardiology and how it relates to the rest of your body, so you can protect yourself against heart disease and other cardiovascular disorders.
What is Cardiology?
Cardiology is the study of the heart and all its components, including blood vessels, valves and muscle tissue. It’s a branch of internal medicine that focuses on diagnosing and treating diseases related to your heart (cardiovascular).
Cardiologists are doctors who specialize in treating heart disease. Say’s Dr John Strobeck, they can be generalists or subspecialists: general cardiologists treat patients of all ages with any type of cardiovascular illness; subspecialty-trained cardiologists focus on one specific area such as interventional cardiology (interventions) or electrophysiology (heart rhythm disorders).
What is Cardiac Disease?
Cardiac disease is a broad term that covers a range of heart conditions. Cardiac disease can be caused by genetics, lifestyle, and other factors. The following are some of the most common types of cardiac disease:
- Heart failure – A condition in which your heart cannot pump blood as well as it should to meet your body’s needs for oxygen and nutrients
- Arrhythmias – Abnormal rhythms (or beats) in your heartbeat due to an electrical disturbance within the heart muscle or its nervous system connections
Cardiac conditions can also cause chest pain (angina), shortness of breath (dyspnea), palpitations–the feeling that your heart is beating too fast or skipping beats–and dizziness when you stand up suddenly (postural hypotension).
What are the Symptoms of Cardiovascular Disorders?
The symptoms of cardiovascular disorders can vary from person to person, but they often include:
- Heart palpitations (a feeling that your heart is racing or beating too fast)
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness, lightheadedness and fainting spells
- Chest pain
How Can You Protect Your Heart Health?
- Eat a healthy diet. You can eat an unlimited amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes, low-fat or fat-free dairy products and lean meats with no limit on calories.
- Engage in regular physical activity. The best exercise for heart health is walking briskly for 30 minutes most days of the week (or any other aerobic activity that gets you moving). If you want to get even more intense, add strength training exercises like lifting weights or using resistance bands at least twice per week to build up your muscles as well as increase bone density.
- Reduce stress by practicing relaxation techniques such as meditation or deep breathing whenever possible; getting enough sleep every night; participating in activities that make you happy such as spending time with friends/family/significant others who make us laugh – these are all great ways of reducing stress!
Understanding heart health can help you prevent or treat cardiac problems.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and globally. Understanding heart health can help you prevent or treat cardiac problems.
Conclusion
With a better understanding of heart health, you can make smart decisions about your lifestyle and treatment options. By following these tips, you can reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease and other heart-related disorders.
