Hi guys,
I will be presenting some information on common chronic diseases and I’ll try and keep it as simple as possible!
Today’s episode is on a chronic disease called cardiovascular disease.
Featured in this piece is my brother Dr. Steven Sisifa who is a Doctor working at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.
Keeping things simple, this is primarily an issue of the heart and the arteries carrying your blood around the body.
So what is it and why is a problem?
There are many risk factors that lead to cardiovascular disease. Some you can control like diet, smoking and other excesses. Others you can’t control like age, sex and ethnicity.
The way I think about cardiovascular disease is that something triggers the breakdown of the artery wall. The result of the arterial wall breakdown is called atherosclerosis.
The build up of this fatty deposit can cause a blood clot and cause serious damage.
A coronary (heart) disease is when the arteries that supply the heart are affected which can cause mild chest pains (angina) to a heart attack and possibly death.
Arterial damage in the body can cause the clot to embolise (detach and move) to the lungs and kill you or cause a stroke (damage to the brain) and possibly kill you. Serious stuff!
If you choose to smoke then you are actively risking your health and bringing these serious risks that can shorten your life. Don’t do it!
A simple strategy to stop this terrible disease is to start monitoring the things you can control like your diet and regular physical exercise.
The result of regular exercise and a great food strategy is reduced inflammation.
That reduces the ongoing damage on the arterial walls which gives your body a better chance to repair it and become healthy.
The alternative?
Well if you have blocked arteries then it will force the heart to beater harder and faster to push the blood around the body – so there’s an increase in your blood pressure. So the GP may give you tablets to reduce your blood pressure!
To counter the clots forming on the artery wall (atherosclerosis) the GP may prescribe medications to reduce your cholesterol!
In my simple mind – it seems to me that a little bit of exercise and watching what’s on my plate is a easier remedy then having to take regular medications and feeling like crap.
MAKE THE CHANGE AND BE DISCIPLINED WITH YOURSELF. You can do!
I hope this video makes it a bit easier for you to understand cardiovascular disease.
KEEP THINGS SIMPLE AND STAY HEALTHY.
Look out for the next chronic disease episode next month!
#MakingHealthySimple
– Leki