Heart Attack and Heart Disease and How to Prevent It

Did you know that secondhand smoke is a major cause of heart attack as well as many other causes like not exercising? Due to this over 100,000 people in the United States die from heart attacks each year and about 1 million people in the United States are heart attack survivors. ; Although many people survive from heart attacks many people lose their lives because of heart attacks. Because of the growing number of heart attacks in the United States and to make American hearts stronger there is the month of February dedicated to people that have had heart attacks and help everyone's hearts get stronger.

Each and every year families have to suffer to the loss of loved ones due to the growing number of heart attacks. As many families grieve through the loss of a loved one they learn about the causes of heart attacks like smoking, secondhand smoking, over weight and more. The way a heart attack is formed is Atheroscleroswhich is a gradual process by plaque collections of cholesterol deposited onto the walls of the arteries which causes hardening of the walls and narrowing of the arteries which means that the arteries cannot deliver enough blood to the heart which educes a heart attack.

Those who have a family history of heart attack or heart disease could also have an increased chance of heart attack and or heart disease than those that don't have a history. Some warning signs of heart attacks is chest discomfort, discomfort in other areas in the upper body, shortness of breath, breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea and, lightheadedness. Many people try to ignore the warning signs of a heart attack, but if you ever feel any of these discomforts the American Heart Association strongly encourages you to call 911 eminently. But to reduce your chances of a heart attack you can be active, eat better foods, and avoid tobacco will lower your chances of a heart attack significantly. Some other ways to lower your chance of a heart attack it to have low cholesterol, healthy weight, low blood pressure, reduce stress, and limit alcohol. ; Although there are many ways to lower your chances for having a heart attack there is also surgery.

Heart surgery is mainly for those that have had a heart attack and for those that have an unhealthy heart and need surgery to prevent a heart attack. Surgery also is costly and can cost someone their life. Some of the surgery includes getting a pacemaker put in to monitor the heart and help it beat regularly. After the costly and risky surgery that many who have had a heart attack have had doesn't always work if the person doesn't want to change their eating habits and doesn't want to exercise or do anything to help prevent another heart attack.

Heart attacks claim many lives each and every year and the number continues to grow, but there are ways to lower that number by eating healthier, not smoking, exercise and more. Those that are heart attack survivors and changed their life to lower their risk of another heart attack are a clear example of someone who doesn't want to be a statistic, but a survivor. The American Heart Association encourages everyone to help lower the number and make a healthier America. Would you want to be a survivor or a statistic?

Sources: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4578
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart_disease_heart_attacks