Like any other muscle in our body, the heart needs to be taken care of. Before exercise we stretch and lossen up our muscles to prevent injury to them and although the precuationary measures we take for our heart are different, they are still important. To lower one’s risk of heart disease one should make sure to have low cholesterol and blood pressure, moderate amounts of physical activity, and one should refrain from smoking tobacco or drinking excessively.

The heart muscle is made up of four chambers. AT the bottom are two ventricles, and at the top are two atrials. A heart beat occurs when the heart contracts do to the natural pacemaker, the sinoatrial, that is found in our heart. A glitch in this wiring cuases an irregular heart beat and this is what we term an arrythmia.

Share This

Coronary Artery Disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. It is a disease that involves a narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood, oxygen and other nutrients to the muscle of the heart. It may seem strange if you haven’t studied anatomy and physiology, but even though the heart has blood flowing through it constantly, this blood does not supply oxygen and nutrients to the muscle of the heart.

Within the vascular system there are three main arteries. Each of these branch off into smaller arteries and blood vessels to provide oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle. Those suffering from coronary artery disease can experience a restriction of blood flow through any of these arteries or blood vessels.

Share This