Cardiovascular Disease – Common Causes, Symptoms, and Possible Solutions

I don’t know about you but I can’t remember a time when more people below the age of 60 are having heart attacks. In fact, just the other day a family friend who was only 53 years young had an unexpected fatal heart attack leaving a wife and two young children behind.

Quite honestly it is difficult to understand why this is happening. After all aren’t those widely advertised statin medications supposed to help us avoid having a heart attack or stroke?

Cardiovascular disease is still the number one cause of death in the United States. When most of us think about cardiovascular disease we think about heart attack or stroke but this dastardly duo are simply the end result of a number of factors, many of which we can control.

If you have a few minutes why don’t we explore a few of these risk factors.

*High cholesterol: Chances are if you haven’t heard about high cholesterol as it relates to heart attack and stroke you have been stranded with Gilligan on a deserted island for the last 30 years.

By some recent estimates 70 percent of heart attack victims also have elevated cholesterol levels. Low good cholesterol levels (HDL) and high bad cholesterol (LDL) are more specifically linked to cardiovascular disease than is total cholesterol. Blood tests designed measure cholesterol levels are the widely available and can be administered in office by most medical professionals.

*High homocysteine levels: So you haven’t heard of these dangerous amino acids? Well, you are not alone. Study after study identify elevated homocysteine levels as a serious threat to cardiovascular health. Homocysteines are produced by the body during the digestion of large amounts of protein. Despite their dangers these troublesome heart and artery wreckers can be neutralized with a diet high in B vitamins. Specialized blood tests are available to measure homocysteine levels.

*Hardening of the arteries: This occurs when vessels that supply the heart muscle lose their elasticity. Atherosclerosis is the most common cause of heart attacks and is generally accompanied by elevated cholesterol levels. Additionally, this condition is not as much about occasional high cholesterol as it is prolonged high cholesterol since it generally takes decades to develop. That said, once atherosclerosis occurs it is very difficult to reverse.

*Being overweight: Those who are overweight may have more to love but you better get on with it because chances are their will be less time for loving. Additionally, those who are overweight tend to develop additional cardiovascular disease risk factors which in turn magnify the already high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Other cardiovascular disease risk factors: Inactivity, high blood pressure, diabetes, blood sugar fluctuations, stress, and smoking.

Cardiovascular disease can have no symptoms, or may send multiple symptoms. Among the long list of symptoms which could be telling you that a serious cardiovascular event is on the way are an irregular heartbeat, swelling around the ankles, profuse sweating, a large abdomen, difficulty breathing, fatigue, dizziness, light-headedness, memory lapses, fainting, sleeplessness, confusion, and chest pain.

What next? If you have noticed one or more of the above symptoms (or just have a bad feeling about your heart health) you should consult your doctor where you can expect a number of tests to be run, and perhaps one of the many cholesterol lowering statin medications to be prescribed. If you are not a big fan of pharmaceuticals ask your doctor about the advantages of all natural side effect free alternatives such cholesterol reduction supplements or individual natural treatments such as red yeast rice.

Rob Hawkins is an enthusiastic consumer advocate for natural health and natural living
with over 10 years experience in the field.
To learn more about cholesterol along with information about safe and effective herbal
and homeopathic cholesterol reduction remedies

Click Here