HEART – PART 1

Dear World

We have a WORLD HEART DAY
How is our heart ticking?
Are we interested in this topic?
Are we ready to read more about our heart?
Are we aware of what our heart is all about?
Are we aware of the global heart issues we have?
Are we in the know about all heart matters?
Are we going to think about our heart more?
Are we paying attention to what World Heart Day is telling us?

Here is some information from the organisers of World Heart Day –

World Heart Day is part of an international campaign to spread awareness about cardiovascular disease and stroke prevention. The World Heart Federation (WHF) organises the World Heart Day, an international campaign on 29 September every year. (1)

World Heart Day – 2017 Theme
Creating Heart-Healthy Environments. (1)

World Heart day is a global observance and not a public holiday.

Here is the list of previous world heart day themes:

2016 – Power Your Life. (2)

2015 – Heart Healthy Choices for Everyone, Everywhere. (3)

2014 – Heart Choices NOT Hard Choices. (4)

2013 – Take the Road to a Healthy Heart. (5)

2012 – One World, One Heart, One Home and Focus on Women and Children. (6)

2011 – One World, One Heart, One Home. (7)

2010 – I Work with Heart – Workplace Wellness: Take Responsibility for Your Own Heart Health. (8)

2009 – I Work with Heart – a Workplace that Encourages Healthy Habits Can Reduce Heart Disease and Stroke. (9)

2008 – Know your Risk! (10)

2007 – Team Up for Healthy Hearts. (11)

2006 – How Young is Your Heart.

2005 – Healthy Weight, Healthy Shape.

2004 – Children, Adolescents and Heart Disease.

2003 – Women, Heart Disease and Stroke.

2002 – What Shape Are You In?

2001 – A Heart for Life.

2000 – I Love My Heart: Let it Beat! (12)

HELLO HELLO

Let’s stop here and ask some important questions –

Who comes up with these theme titles each year?
How do we start with a healthy heart environment?
Is there a roadmap, a guidebook or a DIY heart manual that is simple?
Do we need to be looking honestly at our own environment?
In other words, how are we choosing to live day in and day out?

Is our heart healthy environment lacking a real dose of honesty for starters?

Is it possible to create a healthy heart environment if we have poor lifestyle choices?
Is it possible to truly power our life if how we live everyday sucks?
Is it possible to make heart healthy choices everyday with all the temptations of life?
Is it possible to make heart healthy choices for everyone if we ignore our own choices?
Is it possible the very thought of heart healthy choices everywhere is overwhelming?
Is it possible that we are simply not geared up to making heart choices?
Is it possible that we don’t know the difference between heart choices and hard choices?

Could it be possible that we don’t know anyone who is on the road to a healthy heart?
Could it be possible our lifestyle choices don’t let us get on the road to a healthy heart?
Could it be possible that one world, one heart and one home starts with opening our heart?

Could it be possible that to focus on women and children leaves out the men of our world?
Could it be possible that we need a world heart day theme repeated as we did not get it?         
Could it be possible that in our own home we hold back our heart at times and it hurts?

Could it be possible that we need to start with our neighbours when we think of the world?
Could it be possible that we hardly know or talk to anyone in our street or in the community?
Could it be possible that our heart would love to express but we keep holding back?
Could it be possible that the one world sounds great to read but it’s nowhere near a reality yet?
Could it be possible we cannot feel any real role models around us on the healthy heart road?

Could it be possible we never ever open our heart and let people in at our workplace?
Could it be possible we have a different heart response every time, to those we work with?
Could it be possible that heart choices are difficult in the workplace wellness department?
Could it be possible we cannot claim we work with heart when we clearly ignore others at work?
Could it be possible that our workplace does not have healthy habits as a priority on the agenda?
Could it be possible our workplace is not designed to support us to have a healthy heart
Could it be possible that our workplace cannot encourage heart healthy habits without resources?

Could it be possible that taking Responsibility for our own heart health feels just too much?
Could it be possible that those who are dishing out healthy heart tips are not at all healthy?
Could it be possible that we have lost the true meaning of what a healthy heart actually is?
Could it be possible that what we call a healthy habit may be harming our precious heart?        Could it be possible we don’t know where to start to take True Responsibility for our heart?

Could it be possible we have no idea about the risks when it comes to our heart?
Could it be possible that knowing our risks are just like reading words and nothing more?            Could it be possible that we do know the risks we are taking with our hearts but do nothing?
Could it be possible we do not know anyone to team up with who has a truly healthy heart?    Could it be possible that a healthy heart is not just about diet and exercise?

Could it be possible that we have no clue how young or not young our heart is?
Could it be possible that dressing up young may not tell us how young our heart is?
Could it be possible that to focus on our weight and shape puts pressure on our heart?              Could it be possible that our true heart choices can lead to a natural weight and shape?

Could it be possible the thought of associating children and adolescents to heart disease is super scary and not something we want a World Heart Day theme on?

Could it be possible the women in our world have no time to focus or even discuss heart disease and stroke with their super busy lives?

Could it be possible that our life is in bad shape and therefore our heart must be the same?
Could it be possible that our life may seem in great shape but our body is telling us different?

Could it be possible that a heart for life theme is not telling us what we need to do and not do?
Could it be possible that to have a heart for life we need to –

First and foremost, be open to all others equally and let them into our heart?
In other words, not pick and choose who we want to engage and stay open with.

Could it be possible that to have a heart for life we need to at least consider the following list –

Look at how we live every day?
What impact our choices have on the Earth?
Apply for a Passport to Get Real?
Be Honest about what choices we make?
Get to the real Truth about our lifestyle choices?
Treat others as equal brothers?
Make life Simple?
Know that Expression is Everything?
Deal with the War Inside Us?
Take note of What we Eat?
Stop pretending Chocolate is good for us?

Wake up, smell the Coffee as it is racing our heart?
Admit that our Diets are not working?
Accept our lack of Sleep affects our heart?
Wake up to the facts that Drugs are killing us?
Learn why Alcohol is a scientific proven poison?
Why Smoking is really harming our heart?
Find out what our Priority is in life?
Realise Shouting and Swearing disturbs our heart rate?
Hypertension does affect our heart in a big way?
Diabetes is heavy on our heart?
Giving up on Life shuts down our heart?
Stop Blaming the world and its brothers?
Stop Lying and making it normal?
Admit our need for a Perfect Life puts pressure on our heart?
WHY we choose to hang out on Social Media?
WHY we spend so many hours on the Internet?
How addicted we have become to our
TV?
Ask Questions and keep asking Questions?
Understand Mental Health and what that means?

Learn more about topics that matter in our world today like –

Cancer
Chronic Fatigue
Chronic Kidney Disease
Common Cold
Depression
Eating Disorders
Feet and Footwear
Female Genital Mutilation
Heartburn
Marijuana
Methamphetamines
Sleep
Sport
Suicide
Video Gaming
Youth

Could it be possible we have Lost the Plot when it comes to the true care of our heart?

Could it be possible we are Careless when it comes to matters of the heart?

Could it be possible that we need to support our heart by taking small steps to build a Foundation for life?

Next –
This is what the World Heart Federation is telling us on the official website.

Your heart powers your whole body.
It lets you love, laugh and live your life to the full.

It is important to look after your heart and if you don’t you are putting yourself at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes heart disease and stroke.

CVD is the world’s number one killer and is responsible for 17.5 million deaths each year.
This figure is expected to rise to 23 million by 2030. (13)

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) continues to be the leading cause of death and disability in the world. (14)

Cardiovascular Diseases including strokes are responsible for 50% of all Non-Communicable Diseases. (1)

Good news is that much of Cardiovascular Disease can be prevented by making just a few simple daily changes, like eating and drinking more healthily, getting more exercise and stopping smoking. (13)

Is it time to start asking more questions and get talking about this serious stuff?

Who has the real truth about what healthy eating and drinking is?
Are those who call stuff healthy actually living healthy themselves?

Have we as a world deviated from the true meaning of the word health?

Are those who stop smoking choosing other alternative harmful ways?
Do some of us exercise but not consistently keep up as it’s too much?

Next – we are being asked to share how we power our own hearts and inspire millions of people around the world to be heart healthy. Then, make sure we all take action to keep our hearts charged and make a lasting difference to our health. (13)

“Fuel your heart. Move your heart. Love your heart. And share the power.”

Light the world up red – every year the World Heart Federation ask landmarks and iconic buildings to light up red for World Heart Day. (14)

Hello again

Is lighting up any building in red going to get us closer to WHY we have not yet got to the root cause of our number one killer on earth?

Cardiovascular Disease

CVD is a collective term for diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
The term commonly includes diseases such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease, peripheral vascular disease and stroke. (15)

GLOBAL

By 2025 there is a global commitment to reduce premature cardiovascular diseases (CVD) by 25%. (16)

2013

31% all global deaths were cardiovascular deaths.

2010

$863 billion estimated cost of cardiovascular disease.
$1044 billion estimated to rise by 2030. (17)

HELLO

$1044,000,000,000
Over one thousand billion dollars are going to be needed soon if we carry on as we are currently living.
Are we concerned or are we even bothered, or are these just big fat numbers to us?

USA (17)

The American Heart Association has funded more than $4 billion in research since 1949.

92.1 million American adults living with Cardiovascular Disease or Stroke.

$316 billion – direct or indirect costs of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke.

Cardiovascular disease is the underlying cause of death in 801,000 deaths.
That is about 1 in 3 deaths in the USA.

2,200 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day.
An average of 1 death every 40 seconds.

Cardiovascular disease claims more lives each year than all forms of Cancer and Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease combined.

45% – Coronary Heart Disease is the leading cause of deaths attributable to Cardiovascular Disease.

$4 billion dollars in research over more than 6 decades and yet we are no closer to finding out exactly WHY we get heart disease.

Why have we never looked at the root causes of these heart dis-eases in our body?
WHY is this not the number one priority of all research, if it claims more lives than all Cancers and Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease combined?

Would it not be wise from a financial stand point for the world, to get this thing nailed?

Are we missing something obvious here?
Are we looking in the wrong places and not right under our nose?
Are there people who live with a strong heart that need to be studied?

Do we need to monitor their blood pressure and see how they respond to everyday life?
Do we need to study their lifestyle choices and what exactly they are doing every day?
Do we need to make research studies simple and to the point?

Are we getting lost in all this research and more research, which is getting us nowhere?

Is there a simple answer to this complicated dis-ease in our heart?
Is our heart communicating something to us and we are not listening?
Is our heart beat out of rhythm to the pulse of the universe?

Does our heart have a pulse that aligns to the natural laws of the universe?
Does our heart have a unique intelligence and the answer we want?

Are we all too far removed from the very essence of who we are?
Are we supposed to be in sync with all that is on this earth and beyond?
Are these questions too way off and whacky to even be considered?

Do we need to get back to the drawing board and change our questioning?
Do we need to get back to basics by knocking out all the complicated stuff?
Do we need to stop looking for solutions to function and take a reality check?
Do we need to get our funding towards a more simple way of researching?
In other words, get the people on the ground to tell us exactly what is going on and not manipulate studies to fit the hypothesis?

Do we need to accept anecdotal evidence as real life studies and not negate them in favour of quantitative studies which make it all about numbers?

Do we need to view each human as a living body of science that can give us the answers?

Australia (15)

2014-15

4.2 million reported having a disease of the circulatory system.
2.6 million reported having high blood pressure.
1.2 million people with cardiovascular conditions.
430,000 indicated that they had experienced a heart attack.
29% of deaths had an underlying cause of cardiovascular disease.

69,600 of the total Indigenous population were estimated to have heart disease.

Europe (18)

€210 billion a year – Cardiovascular Disease overall cost to EU economy.

2017 Cardiovascular Disease Statistics

3.9 million deaths in Europe.
1.8 million deaths in the European Union (EU).
45% of all deaths in Europe are Cardiovascular Disease (CVD).
CVD main cause of death in women in all but two countries.

2015

85 million people in Europe living with CVD.

ASIA – Japan (19)

Cardiovascular Disease is on the rise in Asia, particularly Japan.

The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes have been decreasing in the United States and Europe, however they appear to be on the rise in Asia, particularly Japan.

There is an increasing incidence of hypertension.

Cardiovascular disease deaths in Japan have increased and the prevalence of risk factors is expected to increase as the Japanese population continues to age.

China (20)

20 year rise in cardiovascular disease.
CVD – leading cause of death.

Estimates suggest that continued rise in high blood pressure, an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, increasing obesity and worsening dietary trends will add millions of new cases of heart attacks and strokes over the next 20 years.

2011

High blood pressure, cholesterol and high blood glucose account for most of the CVD burden.

6.8 million aged 35+ died.
44% were CVD related.

40% of heart attacks and stroke came from high blood pressure.

China is facing a rising epidemic in cardiovascular disease and it shows no sign of abating.
Frank Hu – Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology
Harvard Chan School

Brazil

2012

Cardiovascular mortality
3.5 times more increase than other developing countries.

32% CVD – Cardiovascular Disease remains first cause of death.

185 million population
move from rural to an urban society has introduced changes in eating and exercise patterns resulting in growing obesity, diabetes and dyslipidemia. (21)

Dyslipidemia is the elevation of plasma cholesterol, triglycerides (TGs), or both.
It can also be a low high-density lipoprotein level that contributes to the development of atherosclerosis. (22)

Where on earth are we going with this one global disease?
Where on earth are we going to get the money to fund for this?
Where are our health systems going to end up if this is one disease?

WHY are we not spending money now on getting to the root cause?
WHY is all the Intelligence1 in this world not focused on finding out?
WHY is our current Intelligence2 not making any difference right now?

Have we stopped long enough to consider how serious this is?
Do these staggering statistics disturb us in any way to take action?

WHY are most of us not even aware of what cardiovascular disease is?
WHY are we not getting the true state of our world in the news headlines?
WHY are we ok just accepting that things have gone from bad to worse?

WHY are we allowing this on our watch and what can we do about it?

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)

This is the main form of heart disease. It is a disorder of the blood vessels of the heart that can lead to heart attack.

Heart Disease is one of several cardiovascular diseases, which are diseases of the heart and blood vessel system.

Heart Disease is a lifelong condition and even with procedures like bypass surgery the arteries remain damaged, which means we are more likely to have a heart attack.

The condition of our blood vessels will steadily worsen unless we make changes in our daily habits. (23)

Coronary Heart Disease is the most common type of heart disease in adults – CHD occurs if a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries.

Also called Coronary Artery Disease.

Over time, plaque can harden or rupture (break open) and a blood clot can form.
A large blood clot can partially or completely block blood flow through a coronary artery and cause a heart attack. (24)

USA (17)

1 in 7 deaths account for Heart Disease.

Heart Disease including Coronary Heart Disease, Hypertension and Stroke remains to be the number one cause of death.

100% increase estimated for medical costs of Coronary Heart Disease between 2013 and 2030.

Canada (25)

2nd leading cause of death.

2.4 million over age 20 live with Ischemic Heart Disease.

9 in 10 over age 20 have at least one risk factor for heart disease.

4 in 10 have three of more risk factors.

Alaska and American Indian (26)

Heart Disease is the leading cause of death among American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Diabetes is extremely important risk factor for CVD among American Indians.

44.1% cigarette smoking risk factor for heart disease and stroke in Northern Plains.
39% cigarette smoking risk factor for heart disease in Alaska.

South Africa (27)

210 people die every day from heart disease.

440 people have a stroke every day.

49 people are murdered every day.

New Zealand (28)

Single biggest killer

1 in 20 adults diagnosed with heart disease.

90 minutes someone dies from heart disease.

30% of deaths every year are Cardiovascular Disease.

11% total health budget comprises Cardiovascular Disease.

Maori adults more than twice likely to die from CVD than European New Zealanders.

Malaysia (29)

2005 – 2014

Heart Disease has remained the principal cause of death among Malaysians based on the findings of the Malaysian Statistics Department.

Risk Factors that lead to Heart Disease

Risk factors are conditions or habits that make a person more likely to develop a disease.
They can also increase the chances that an existing disease will get worse.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute list the following risk factors for heart disease where we can do something about it:

Diabetes and Prediabetes
High Blood Cholesterol
High Blood Pressure
Obese
Overweight
Physically Inactive
Smoking (30)
Stress (25)
Unhealthy Diet (30)

Let’s just stop here, stick our common sense hat on and join the dots.

Here are the government kingpins telling us the risk factors where WE CAN DO SOMETHING about it.

So what on earth are we actually doing if things have clearly got worse?

WHY are we so stressed?
WHY are our diets unhealthy?
WHY are we choosing foods that do not support our body?
WHY is there so much obesity now in our world everywhere?
WHY do we know so little about cholesterol and the harm it causes?
WHY are some of us totally ok with no physical activity?
WHY are we not carrying out more studies on obesity and heart disease, if common sense tells us there is a correlation between the two?

Extra weight increases risk for abnormal heart function and other cardiovascular risk factors – a study (2011)

Obesity is intimately intertwined with multiple health conditions that underlie cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure, diabetes and abnormal blood cholesterol.
In addition, weight gain is a frequent consequence of heart-damaging lifestyle choices such as lack of exercise and a fat-laden diet.

For some time, scientists have suspected that excess fat tissue, especially around the waist, has a direct effect on heart structure and function, even in the absence of other heart disease risks. To pursue this theory, researchers evaluated 950 older individuals of varying weights for signs of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction. This condition is characterised by changes to the structure of the heart’s main pumping chamber (left ventricle), which prevent it from filling sufficiently between beats. Although LV diastolic dysfunction can often be symptomless, it reliably predicts future heart failure.

The study subjects were divided into three weight groups based on body mass index (BMI)

Normal
Overweight
Obese

BMI is a mathematical formula that calculates body fat based on height and weight.
In accordance with standard definitions, the following were applied –
Normal weight – below 25
Overweight – 25 to 29.9
Obese – over 30 or above

Each subject underwent a non-invasive echocardiogram exam to measure the dimensions of the heart, muscle thickness and filling capacity of the left ventricle.

Upon analysing the results, the researchers found that the overweight and obese participants were more prone to abnormal diastolic function than the normal weight individuals.
These individuals were also more likely to have other cardiovascular risks such as high blood pressure, diabetes and a larger heart mass.
However, when researchers controlled for the effects of the other risks, the overweight and obese subject still had up to a 60% high chance of having LV diastolic dysfunction and it also made a difference how much extra body fat the person carried.
The risk of abnormal heart function went up 4% for each point increase in BMI measurement. (31)

What is the pressure on our heart when we are carrying far more weight than our natural state?

WHY are we not educated about lifestyle choices and their consequences at kindergarten?
WHY are we not giving our kids common sense education from day dot?
WHY are we leaving it to the medical and welfare systems to take care of us?

WHY are our current lifestyle choices literally killing us?
WHY is it so hard to make changes when we want to?

This website for humanity is presenting awareness on some of these topics

Blood Pressure https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-hypertension-day/

Diabetes https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-diabetes-day/

Smoking https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-no-tobacco-day-part-1/

Are we ready to read what is being presented about our lifestyle choices?
Are we too busy to find the time to read what can support us with our health?
Are we thinking that our well-being is not on the priority list right now in our life?
Are we buying time with more and more distractions that this world keeps feeding us?
Are we loving our comfortable lives and settling for that, even though it really is uncomfortable?

For women, age becomes a risk factor at age 55.
After menopause, women are more apt to get heart disease, in part because their body’s production of oestrogen drops. Women who have gone through early menopause, either naturally or because they have had a hysterectomy, are twice as likely to develop heart disease as women of the same age who have not yet gone through menopause. (30)

Each risk factor greatly increases a woman’s chance of developing heart disease.
Having more than one risk factor is serious because risk factors tend to accumulate and worsen each other’s effects.

Why some women are not concerned about heart disease is that they think it can be “cured” with surgery or medication. This is a myth.
Many women die of complications from heart disease or become permanently disabled. (23)

Do we need to fund more research on WHY women are more likely to get heart disease after menopause?

Can we simply blame our body and the natural changes or could there be a whole lot more?

Can we study those like the author of this blog, who are a living science with no signs of heart disease and perfect blood pressure according to the GP?

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (32)

AAA is a balloon like swelling of the aorta, the main artery in our body. The aorta carries oxygen rich blood away from the heart to the rest of the body and the brain. Abdominal aortic aneurysm occurs in the part of the aorta that passes through the abdomen.

Angina

Angina is chest pain that occurs if an area of the heart muscle does not get enough oxygen-rich blood. The pain can feel like pressure in the chest area and the pain can also occur in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw or back.

Angina is usually the symptom of Coronary Heart Disease.

Stable Angina
The most common type of angina, which occurs when the heart is working harder than usual.
Stable angina has a regular pattern and when the pain will occur can be predicted.
The pain goes after a few minutes when the body is resting or after angina medication.

Stable angina suggests that a heart attack is more likely to happen in the future.

Unstable Angina
This does not follow a pattern and may occur more often and be more severe than stable angina. It can occur with or without physical exertion and rest or medication may not relieve the pain.

Unstable angina is very dangerous and requires emergency treatment. This type of angina is a sign that a heart attack may happen soon.

Variant Angina
This usually occurs between midnight and early morning when resting. A spasm in a coronary artery causes this type of angina and the pain can be severe.

Microvascular Angina
This can be more severe and last longer than other types of angina.
Medicine may not relieve this type of angina. (33)

Symptoms of Angina

Aching
Burning
Cramping
Discomfort
Dizziness
Fullness
Heaviness
Indigestion
Numbness
Pain
Pressure
Shortness of Breath
Squeezing
Sweating
Tightness (34)

UK – 2 million people suffer from Angina. (35)

USA – 7 million people suffer from Angina. (33)

Angiosarcoma of the Heart

Angiosarcoma (AS) is a type of soft tissue tumour that starts in the vascular endothelial cells which form the inner lining of blood as well as lymphatic vessels. (36)

Angiosarcoma of the heart is often a quickly growing disease.
80% when diagnosed have the cancer already spread to another part of the body.
The most common place for it to spread is the lungs. (37)

Cancers of the Heart

Heart cancer is very rare as heart cells stop dividing early in life. (38)

Tumours that effect the heart are very rare.
It is more usual for a cancer that started somewhere else in the body to spread to the heart.

Most tumours that start in the heart are not cancer, they are benign.
25% are cancers – most commonly soft tissue sarcomas. (37)
Sarcomas are cancers of the connective tissue. (39)

Soft tissue connects, supports and surrounds the other structures and organs of the body.
Angiosarcoma is a soft tissue sarcoma that grows from cells that make up the walls of blood vessels. (37)

Causes of Angiosarcoma of the Heart

Our science and medical world do not know what causes Angiosarcoma of the heart.
As it is a rare cancer, it is difficult to find a common cause.

Symptoms

Symptoms can vary depending on where in the heart the cancer is.
Many people do not have any symptoms until the cancer is advanced.

When symptoms do happen, they can be similar to those caused by heart failure. This may include breathlessness, heart pain or fluid on the lung (pleural effusion).

Sometimes a small piece of tumour can break off and form a small clot that blocks a blood vessel. This is called embolism.
If an embolism travels through the bloodstream, it can block a blood vessel near the heart, causing pain, which is known as Angina.
Embolisms can also travel to other parts of the body, for example the brain, where they can cause a stroke. (37)

Treatment

Heart Surgery is the main treatment for angiosarcoma to completely remove the cancer.
In most cases, it is not possible to take all the tumour out and the cancer is likely to come back unless the surgeon can remove all the tumour with a border of cancer free tissue around it.

The most common place for it to spread is the lungs.
In this situation, surgery will not cure it.

A medical treatment to try and control the disease and relieve any symptoms may be offered for a time. (37)

Arrhythmia (34)

The heart’s electrical system does not always function normally. It may race, become slow, irregular, skip beats or not move in the correct sequence. This causes the heart to beat slower, faster or erratically. These abnormal rhythms are called Arrhythmias and if symptoms are left untreated, arrhythmias can be life threatening.

Symptoms of Arrhythmia

Chest Pain
Dizziness
Fainting
Fatigue
Pounding of the Heart
Rapid Palpitations
Shortness of Breath

Four Major Types of Arrhythmia

Bradycardia
Occurs when the heart’s electrical signal is delayed too long or blocked, resulting in a slower than normal heartbeat. Treatment can include a pacemaker to make sure the heart beats at a normal rate and/or discontinuing a medication.

Heart disease and some drugs can cause bradycardia.

Irregular or extra heartbeats
Even people with so called excellent health can have irregular or extra heartbeats.
This can lead to rapid heartbeats.

Ventricular Tachycardia (VT)
This occurs when the heart’s electrical signal begins in the ventricles (lower chambers of the heart) and the heart beats too rapidly. When the ventricles pump too fast, they cannot deliver enough blood to the body. In some cases, VT can create a very rapid, erratic heartbeat known as Ventricular Fibrillation or Cardiac Arrest. If VT lasts for more than a few second it can be very serious.

Poor blood supply to the heart, diseases of the heart valves or chemical imbalances in the body can cause VT. It often occurs during or after a heart attack.

Normal heartbeat can be restored with electrical shock treatment.
Long-term control of VT may require an implanted defibrillator and/or medication.

Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT)
Occurs when the heart’s electrical signal begins above the ventricles causing the heart to beat very rapidly or erratically. As a result, the heart is strained and the body receives an inadequate blood supply.

There are 3 types of SVT

Atrial flutter
Atrial fibrillation
Paroxysmal SVT

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a disease in which plaque builds up inside the arteries.
Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart and other parts of the body.

Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium and other substances found in the blood. Over time the plaque hardens and narrows the arteries. This limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the organs and other parts of the body.

Atherosclerosis can affect any artery in the body, including arteries in the heart. This is known as Coronary Artery Disease.
It can lead to serious problems including heart attack, stroke, or even death. (40)

CVDs due to Atherosclerosis:

Cerebrovascular Disease

Disease pertaining to the blood vessels in the brain.
A cerebrovascular accident or stroke is the result of an impeded blood supply to some part of the brain.

Ischemic Heart Disease

Heart ailments caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries and therefore a decreased blood supply to the heart.
Ischemic heart disease includes: angina, coronary heart disease, heart attack and sudden death. (41)

Hypertensive Heart Disease

Hypertensive disease refers to heart conditions caused by high blood pressure and can cause serious health problems. It is the leading cause of death from high blood pressure.

The heart working under increased pressure causes some different heart disorders.
Hypertensive heart disease includes heart failure, thickening of the heart muscle, coronary artery disease and other conditions. (42)

Aneurysm

An aneurysm is a bulge or weakness in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can enlarge over time and may be life threatening if they rupture. They can occur because of high blood pressure or a weak spot in a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms can occur in arteries in any location of the body.

Hypertension

High blood pressure may overburden the heart and blood vessels and cause disease.
Hypertension causes many types of cardiovascular disease, such as stroke and heart failure. (41)

Broken Heart Syndrome (43)

Also called Stress-Induced Cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy.
A real life broken heart can actually lead to cardiac consequences. There are established ties between Depression, Mental Health and Heart Disease.

Broken heart syndrome may be misdiagnosed as a heart attack because the symptoms and test results are similar. Tests show dramatic changes in rhythm and blood substances that are typical of a heart attack. But unlike a heart attack, there is no evidence of blocked heart arteries in broken heart syndrome.

In broken heart syndrome, a part of the heart temporarily enlarges and does not pump well, while the rest of the heart functions normally or with even more forceful contractions.

Researchers are just starting to learn the causes and how to diagnose and treat it.

Broken heart syndrome can lead to severe, short-term heart muscle failure.

Cardiomegaly (44)

Medical name for enlarged heart.

Cardiomegaly can be caused by a number of different conditions, including diseases of the heart muscle or heart valves, high blood pressure, arrhythmias and pulmonary hypertension.
Cardiomegaly can also accompany long standing anaemia and thyroid diseases among other conditions.

Infections, nutritional deficiencies, toxins such as Alcohol or Drugs and some medications have been associated with cardiomegaly.

It is important to note that an enlarged heart is not classified as a disease itself but a physical sign that can accompany many diseases and conditions.
A pericardial effusion is the accumulation of fluid in the sac surrounding the heart, which can lead to the appearance of an enlarged heart.

Sometimes cardiomegaly may not cause symptoms. In other cases it can cause signs and symptoms like oedema (water retention) with weight gain, arrhythmia, palpitations, tiredness, fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pain.

Cardiomyopathy (41)

This refers to diseases of the heart muscle.

The most common type of cardiomyopathy is idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, where the heart is enlarged. Other types include: ischemic, loss of heart muscle, dilated, hypertrophic.

Congenital Heart Disease (15)

A broad term for any defect of the heart or central blood vessels that is present from birth. It can include abnormalities of the heart or heart valves, such as a hole between chambers of the heart, or narrowing of major blood vessels, or combinations of disorders.

Coronary Microvascular Disease (MVD)

MVD is heart disease that affects the tiny coronary heart arteries. The artery with MVD has an abnormal structure or tightening/relaxing of the blood vessels.
In coronary MVD, the walls of the heart’s tiny arteries are damaged or diseased.

Men or women who have coronary microvascular disease often have Diabetes or High Blood Pressure.

Diagnosing coronary microvascular disease has been a challenge for doctors. Standard tests used to diagnose coronary heart disease are not designed to detect coronary microvascular disease. (45)

Heart Attack

Known as Myocardial Infarction, occurs when the heart’s supply of blood is stopped.

Part of the heart muscle can be damaged or die as a result blood flow is blocked. If the blockage is brief and the heart eventually receives enough blood, oxygen and nutrients, the damage is often reversible.

Warning signs of a heart attack include:

Fainting
Heavy feeling or intense pain in chest area
Light-headedness
Nausea
Pain in shoulders, neck or arms
Pressure in the chest that lasts more than a few minutes
Profuse Sweating
Rapid Heartbeat
Severe Weakness
Shortness of Breath
Vomiting

If you experience any symptoms for more than 15 minutes and believe they are heart related, call your emergency services or have someone get you to the nearest emergency department as soon as possible. (34)

USA (17)

790,000 have heart attacks each year.
114,000 will die of heart attacks each year.

Every 40 seconds an American will have a heart attack.

2 of the 10 most expensive hospital principal discharge diagnoses:
$11.5 billion Heart Attacks.
$10.4 billion Coronary Heart Disease.

India (46)

Increasing heart attacks in young Indians.
More young Indians suffering from coronary artery disease, owing to poor lifestyle.
India is seen as the Coronary Heart Disease and Diabetes capital of the world.
It is estimated that India will soon have the highest number of heart disease cases in the world.

50% of all hearts attacks occur in Indians under age 50.
25% of all heart attacks in Indians occur under age 40.
Indian Heart Association

25-35 age group with heart attack in emergency.
10 years ago there were very few young patients.
Dr. Amit Mittal – DM Cardiology, G. B. Pant Hospital

A True Story
CEO dies after a massive cardiac arrest aged 42.
Active in Sport known as a fitness freak and marathon runner.
After a gym workout, had heart attack and died at home. (47)

So what is this telling us?
How does someone active in sports end up dying so young?
Are we going to say this is just a one-off isolated case?
Are we going to dig deeper and start asking more questions?
What on earth was going on for this man that many would look to as a role model?
What was his heart communicating to him and could this have been avoided?

Heart Defects (34)

An obstruction is a heart defect that partly or completely blocks the flow of blood.

Obstructions called stenosis can occur in the heart valves, arteries or veins.

Aortic stenosis
Bicuspid aortic valve
Mitral valve prolapse
Pulmonary stenosis
Subaortic stenosis

Heart Failure (34)

Heart failure happens when the heart is not pumping enough blood to meet the body’s needs.

Many people think that heart failure means an individual is about to die or that their heart has stopped. This is not true.

Heart failure indicates that the heart is not squeezing as well as it should and gradually worsens over time.

Heart Failure can be caused by:

Cardiomyopathies (diseases that damage the heart muscles)
Coronary Artery Disease
Diabetes
Diseases of the Heart Valves
High Blood Pressure
Lung Disease
Past Heart Attacks

Symptoms of Heart Failure:

Cough
Fatigue
Oedema – Swelling in the feet, ankles or legs
Pulmonary Congestion – Fluid which builds up in the lungs
Sleep Apnea
Wheezing

Inflammatory Heart Disease (41)

Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis), the membrane sac (pericarditis) which surround the heart, the inner lining of the heart (endocarditis) or the myocardium (heart muscle).

Inflammatory heart disease includes: cardiomyopathy, pericardial disease and valvular heart disease.

Pericardial Disease (41)

The sac that encases the heart is called the pericardium and it can be affected by a variety of conditions such as inflammation (pericarditis), fluid accumulation (pericardial effusion) and stiffness (constrictive pericarditis).

The etiology of these conditions varies.

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

PAD occurs when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the legs and feet are blocked or decreased. This blockage in the vessels deprives the feet and legs of oxygen and nutrients and produces symptoms usually in the thigh, calf muscle and feet.

Symptoms of PAD

Brown spots on the skin
Changes in skin colour on leg
Coldness
Foot turns blue colour
Loss of hair on the lower leg
Numbness
Pain or cramping after walking short distances
Slow healing of wounds
Swelling
Tingling
Ulcers (34)

Peripheral Vascular Disease (15)

This term refers to disease of large arteries that supply blood to the peripheries and can be caused by blockage of arteries due to cholesterol or fatty substances, or caused by widening of the arteries such as the aorta, which in severe cases can lead to rupture of the arterial wall.

Rheumatic Heart Disease (41)

This is caused by one or more attacks of rheumatic fever, which then do damage to the heart.

Rheumatic heart disease includes: valvular heart disease.

Stroke

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted. This can happen either when a blood vessel in the brain or neck is blocked or bursts. If this happens, the brain is deprived of oxygen and parts of the brain can be permanently damaged.

A stroke can cause death or leave a permanent disability, which include problems with speech or vision, weakness or paralysis. (41)

GLOBAL

2013

Stroke was the second-leading global cause of death. (17)

Ischemic Heart Disease and Stroke remain the leading causes of premature death in the world.

There are regional variations in these patterns.
Some regions, led by Central Asia face particularly high rates of premature death from Ischemic Heart Disease.
Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia suffer disproportionately from death from stroke. (16)

USA (17)

Every 40 seconds someone has a stroke.

Every 4 minutes someone dies from a stroke.

Stroke accounts for 1 of every 20 deaths.

795,000 people each year experience a new or recurrent stroke.

Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability.

Sudden Death (41)

Sudden death occurs when there is an abrupt loss of the heart’s ability to pump blood.
This may be because of a heart attack or serious abnormality of the heart’s rhythm.

Valvular Heart Disease (41)

The heart valves keep blood flowing through the heart in the right direction. A variety of conditions can lead to valvular damage. Valves may narrow (stenosis), leak (regurgitation or insufficiency) or not close properly (prolapse).

Valves can be damaged by conditions such as rheumatic fever, connective tissue disorders and certain medications or radiation treatments for cancer.

Facts about the Heart

Structure of the Heart

The heart is a hollow muscular organ, which acts as a pump. It is situated in the middle of the chest, between the lungs. It is divided into two lengthways by a wall (septum); this creates two separate chambers and prevents oxygenated and deoxygenated blood passing from one side to the other.

Each chamber is divided into two further chambers, which form an upper atria and lower ventricle on either side. When the heart muscle contracts, the blood is forced through valves from the atria to the ventricles, then out of the heart via an artery. (48)

The human heart is an organ that pumps blood throughout the body via the circulatory system, supplying oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and removing carbon dioxide and other wastes. (49)

The Cardiac Cycle

A. The right side of the heart receives blood, which is returning from the body and is low in oxygen (deoxygenated). It enters the right atria by the superior and inferior vena cavae veins. The blood passes into the right ventricle where it is pumped out through the pulmonary artery.

B. The pulmonary artery takes the deoxygenated blood to the lungs, where it is re-oxygenated.

C. Oxygenated blood returns from the lungs to the left side of the heart via the pulmonary vein. It enters the heart at the left atria then passes through valves into the left ventricle, from where it is pumped out of the heart.

D. Oxygenated blood leaves the heart via the aorta, which is the largest artery in the body. The aorta then branches off to serve all areas of the body with oxygenated blood.

Pulse Rate

The pulse is the rate at which the heart pumps blood out through the arteries and it is measured in beats per minute. It is the expansion and constriction pressure at various points in the body.

Pulse rate is affected by many factors and will alter many times throughout a normal day.

A low pulse rate is considered healthy as the heart is not working so hard.

Exercising the heart strengthens and develops the cardiac muscle, making it more efficient at pumping blood. This means that it can pump a higher volume of blood at each beat and therefore does not have to work so hard.

The pulse is normally taken at the wrist just under the thumb on the palmar surface of the hand – this is called the radial pulse.

Factors Affecting Pulse Rate

Alcohol will raise the pulse rate.
Illness can increase the pulse rate.
Overweight can increase pulse rate.
Smoking causes pulse rates to increase.
Stress causes pulse rates to increase.
The fitter you are the slower your pulse rate.

Smoking

Smoking causes the heart rate to increase because the red blood cells are carrying carbon monoxide instead of oxygen. This means that the heart has to beat more frequently to supply the body with the amount of oxygen it requires. (48)

So here we have a no brainer. Smoking seriously affects our heart.
Imagine putting poison (carbon monoxide) instead of oxygen into our heart.
WHY would anyone in their right mind do this to their precious heart?

Blood Pressure

Every time the heart beats, it pumps out a volume of blood into the arteries.
It is this force which is measured when taking blood pressure. (48)

Human Heart
Anatomy, Function & More Facts

The heart weighs between 10 to 12 ounces in men.
In women, the heart weighs between 8 to 10 ounces.

An adult heart beats about 60 to 80 times per minute.

A new born baby – heart beats about 70 to 190 beats per minute. (49)

Our heart beats 115,000 times each day. (50)

The heart pumps about 5.7 litres of blood throughout the body. (49)

The beating sound of the heart is caused by the valves opening and closing.

1893 – First open heart surgery occurred in United States.

1958 – first implantable pacemaker was used.

Most heart attacks happen on a Monday. (50)

The number of heart attacks peaks on Christmas Day followed by 26th December and New Year’s Day.

The Blue Whale has the largest heart weighing over 1,500 pounds.

Heart disease has been found in 3,000 year old mummies. (38)

Dear Dear World,

Can we stop and pause for a moment and ask these questions with our hand on our heart –

What is the real state of our world today?
How well are we really doing?

WHY is there a peak in heart attacks on Christmas Day?
WHY do more heart attacks occur on a Monday?

What if heart dis-ease is our body’s marker and comes from our own ability to let love in and that means – we cannot truly express love out if we can’t let it in.

Is this worth considering and pondering on?
Does this make sense?

Finally, this blog is big and there is so much more to report on, like the drugs used for heart medication and their effects.

 

References

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(16) Roth, G. A., Huffman, M. D., Moran, A. E., Feigin, V., Mensah, G. Naghavi., M., Murray, & C. J. L. (2015). Global and Regional Patterns in Cardiovascular Mortality from 1990 to 2013. Circulation. Retrieved September 27, 2017 from
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(18) European Cardiovascular Disease Statistics 2017. European Heart Network. Retrieved September 26, 2017 from
http://www.ehnheart.org/cvd-statistics.html

(19) Asian Scientist Newsroom. (2015, July 24). Cardiovascular Disease on the Rise in Asia, Particularly Japan. Asian Scientist. Retrieved September 27, 2017 from
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(21) (2012, September 15). Cardiovascular Mortality in Brazil Has Increased 3.5 Times more than in Other Developing Countries. News Medical. Retrieved September 27, 2017 from
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(22) (n.d). Dyslipidemia. MSD Manuals. Retrieved September 27, 2017 from
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(24) (2016, June 22). What is Coronary Heart Disease? National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NIH). Retrieved September 26, 2017 from
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/cad

(25) (2017, January 30). Heart Disease – Heart Health. Government of Canada. Retrieved September 27, 2017 from
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(26) (2016, June 16). American Indian and Alaska Native Heart Disease and Stroke Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Retrieved September 27, 2017 from
https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_aian.htm

(27) (2017, August 17). More Die of Heart Disease in SA Every Day than are Murdered. Health 24. Retrieved September 27, 2017 from
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(28) (n.d). Facts About Heart Disease. Heart Research Institute (HRI). Retrieved September 27, 2017 from
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(29) (2016, December 5). Statistic Dept: Heart Disease Remains Top Killer Among Malaysians. Malay Mail Online. Retrieved September 27, 2017 from
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(30) (2017, February). What Are the Risk Factors for Heart Disease? National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NIH). Retrieved September 27, 2017 from
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/hearttruth/lower-risk/risk-factors.htm

(31) (2011, May 15). The Effect of Obesity on Heart Function. CardioSmart. Retrieved September 25, 2017 from
https://www.cardiosmart.org/News-and-Events/2011/03/The-Effect-of-Obesity-on-Heart-Function

(32) (n.d). Abdominal Aortic Aneurysym. British Heart Foundation. Retrieved September 27, 2017 from
https://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/conditions/abdominal-aortic-aneurysm

(33) (2011, June 1). What is Angina? National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NIH). Retrieved September 27, 2017 from
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/angina

(34) (n.d). Types of Heart Disease. Covenant HealthCare. Retrieved September 27, 2017 from
https://www.covenanthealthcare.com/main/typesofheartdisease.aspx

(35) Arden, C. (2013, April). Angina – Assessment, Management and Treatment. GM Journal. September 27, 2017 from
https://www.gmjournal.co.uk/angina-assessment-management-treament

(36) Khetrapal, A. (2017, August 2). What is Angiosarcoma? News Medical. Retrieved September 28, 2017 from
https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Angiosarcoma.aspx

(37) (2015, March 3). Angiosarcoma of the Heart. Cancer Research UK. Retrieved September
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/soft-tissue-sarcoma/types/angiosarcoma-heart

(38) Heart and Vascular Team. (2016, August 2). 23 Amazing Facts About Your Heart. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved September 27, 2017 from
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(39) (n.d). Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved September 28, 2017 from
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(40) (2016, June 22). What is Atherosclerosis? National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NIH). Retrieved September 26, 2017 from
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(41) (n.d). Different Heart Diseases. World Heart Federation. Retrieved September 26, 2017 from
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(42) Badii, C. (2017, March 31). Hypertensive Heart Disease. Healthline. Retrieved September 28, 2017 from
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Comments 69

  1. Brilliant and very thorough blog about heart disease and so much more.

    Every day is a heart day – not once a year.

    How is it that we can get to the shocking statistics of cardiovascular/heart conditions/illness/disease and deaths and yet we only have an annual heart day?

    And, how is it that we can overlook the seemingly small symptoms our body is showing us to the extent that we can have a heart attack, without perhaps having been aware somewhere way back down the line that our body was already trying to tell us something was not working in the way we are living?

    With the extent of heart problems in the world today – this surely is a wake up call in urging us to ask the question – why is this? what is going on that with all the technology, research, pharmaceuticals etc etc in our modern world heart disease continues to rise?

  2. As has been said in this blog, and by the World Health Organisation lifestyle is a factor in heart disease –

    “Top heart disease risks include:
    -Tobacco
    -Unhealthy diets
    -Harmful use of alcohol
    -Physical inactivity”
    http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs317/en/

    Our health is in our hands, our heart health is in our hands – and yet despite the continuous media attention that states that lifestyle is a strong factor in our health, lifestyle seems to be the least taken ‘daily medicine’ that we as a population pay attention to. If we took our daily medicine of lifestyle choices – choosing wisely each day to support our health maybe we as a population would no longer need so much if any of the other medicine (e.g. pharmaceuticals) in the future.

  3. How significant that most deaths on Earth relate to the most powerful organ in our body.

    Thank you for this insightful blog to start to ask why that might be.

    It certainly opens your eyes to the possibilities – perhaps there is another dimension to all this than we realise.

  4. With matters of the heart in our every day, it seems we all want someone else to go first – ‘you let me in, then I will’.

    What if this entirely the wrong way round?

    What if this ‘default to closed’ approach is contributing to the off-the-chart statistics in this blog?

    Absolutely worth looking deeper.

  5. Our hearts are a powerful part of human history.

    It is woven into all parts are lives.

    Deep down we feel that there is something special about our hearts.

    Science is showing that our hearts have a level of intelligence that is way beyond what we thought.

    What we feel from our heart communicates in ways that is what humanity is missing. It is why we have all the craziness in the world. And all the heart disease.

    It is time to listen to our hearts.

  6. “A real life broken heart can actually lead to cardiac consequences.”

    It might sound fanciful, but it is actually not surprising to learn that a broken heart has a physiological impact.

    Have we not all seen in another or experinced what that feels like?

    The effect is very real.

    1. Broken Heart Syndrome.. I had not heard of this before.

      It reminds me of a relative of mine many years ago who died a year to the day after their life long partner had died, the Doctors said they died of a broken heart.

  7. “What we feel from our heart communicates in ways that is what humanity is missing.”

    I could not agree more, Ken. The heart is where our true wisdom lies.

  8. Phenomenal blog, thank you Simple Living Global.
    Deeply informational with staggering statistics.

    I have learnt much about heart disease from reading this.
    Reading through this blog there are so many practical sensible questions to consider in how we are living.. and could these be affecting our heart?

  9. A news story recently about a young guy aged 25, what most of us would call at the peak of his fitness, suddenly dies of heart failure and his arteries had blockages that were similar to those of a patient with major heart disease.

    Surely this makes no sense to us as we are told by the media that this man was into ‘healthy eating’.

    Is it time to start asking some serious questions as this cannot be negated, as so many young men strive for the perfect body and yet something inside is not right?

    Are we pushing the human frame beyond the natural capacity of what the heart can do?
    Are we ignoring all the signs and not making our body’s 911 call to us a priority?
    Are we seeing that what we look like on the outside may not be matching inside our body, as our organs are telling us something else?

    Would it be worth having more studies and research into the physiological impact of excess fitness and what that does in the short and long-term?

    Can we also fund research to find out what the harm is when alcohol is part of the healthy eating and optimum fitness levels?

    How many more of our amazing young men are we losing to this way of living?

  10. If we hold on to old patterns in life, it totally limits our life. And closes us down to all the miracles waiting to support us.

    There is amazing information being re-discovered about our heart. It can open up a totally different way of living. A way of living that we have forgotten about.

    It is not complicated – a two year old can do it and actually we all lived like that when we were young.

    I have been feeling the devastation of my choice to give up on that way of living when l was a child. This is a critical process in the return to this way, becoming honest and taking responsibility for that choice.

    But when you do this, it allows your heart to return to its power and glory, because it has been there patiently waiting.

    So let go of your beliefs of what is possible. When you choose your heart, everything is possible.

  11. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319663.php

    Medical News Today – 6 October 2017

    A groundbreaking study has found that just 3 months on a high-sugar diet alters fat metabolism in such a way that it may cause even healthy people to raise their risk of heart disease.

    The study suggests that the liver deals with fat differently on a high-sugar diet than it does on a low-sugar diet.

    “Our findings provide new evidence that consuming high amounts of sugar can alter you fat metabolism in ways that could increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.”
    Bruce Griffin – Professor of Nutritional Metabolism at University of Surrey in UK

    As this blog presents Cardiovascular Disease is usually associated with Atherosclerosis – a condition that develops when a fatty deposit called plaque builds up in the linings of the blood vessels and restricts blood flow.

    92 million adults in the US have some form of cardiovascular disease or are living with the after-effects of stroke.

    The researchers found that after the high sugar diet, the healthy men – whose livers had previously shown a low level of fat – had higher levels of fat in the liver and their fat metabolism also resembled that of the men with NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease).

    The researchers note that most adults are unlikely to consume the amount of sugar in the study’s high-sugar diet, some children and teenagers may actually consume this amount due to their high intake of sugar-sweetened drinks and candy.

    “This raises concern for the future health of the younger population, especially in view of the alarmingly high prevalence of NAFLD in children and teenagers and exponential rise of fatal liver disease in adults.” Professor Bruce Griffin

    So if we simply join the dots can we agree that sugar is a killer substance?

    Most of us are aware that sugar is not designed for human consumption.

    Could it be possible one day the world will all realise the side effects of sugar are literally killing the human body?

    Our liver is not designed to process what we choose to give it without careful consideration.

    There is no point blaming anyone, but what we do need to do is take action with the information that we have.

    Reading this blog and this comment we are presented with some facts.
    What we then choose to do with it is up to us, because we all know that our choices have consequences.

    Do we wait until we are diagnosed with something serious or do we get on the front foot and take note and start making different lifestyle choices?

    Do we need to bring in education from a young age and inform our kids about the dangers of all harmful substances that man has created for the pleasure of the senses, or do we avoid taking this responsibility?

    Our children are our future adult generation.

    If we simply look at what is currently going on with high sugar diets our world health systems are not going to cope and will face bankruptcy.

    What we should all be united on is the knowing that our lifestyle choices can turn things around for our body and it has to start with each of us as individuals taking small steps and sticking to it.

    Simple Living Global are leading the way with their utmost dedication and commitment to presenting and delivering on all aspects of true health and well-being.

    This website is free and available to all.

    It holds the answers that many today are seeking.

  12. Medical News Today – 6 October 2017

    https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319663.php

    A groundbreaking study has found 3 months on a high sugar diet alters fat metabolism in such a way that it may cause even healthy people to raise their risk of heart disease.

    The study suggests that the liver deals with fat differently on a high sugar diet than it does on a low sugar diet.

    Findings provide new evidence that consuming high amounts of sugar can alter our fat metabolism in ways that could increase risk of cardiovascular disease.

    There are many of us who know that sugar is a drug, as it is highly addictive and harmful to our human body.

    In fact – can we bold to say that this substance called sugar is the most common legal drug on the planet and it is accountable for so many of our ills today relating to our food and drink consumption where sugar is involved?

    What this study highlights is that in 3 months the damage can be done and that in itself speaks volumes about the real harm of sugar in our diet.

    Most of us do not realise all the sugar we consume in one day as we don’t count foods that are supposedly ‘savoury’, yet the manufacturers have it loaded with sugar as it always keeps us coming back for more.

    We have kids eating sugar at breakfast, lunch and dinner not to dismiss the in-between snacks.

    We have social media platforms with shops popping up everywhere with sugar filled foods that keep tempting us to try and buy.

    Then we have all the hidden sugars which to most of us are not obvious.
    Then we have all the drinks and other beverages that are loaded with sugar.

    Energy drinks and smoothies both contain copious amounts of sugar but many of us think they are ok to consume in the name of health.

    How serious is it when we have a legal drug that is readily available that causes a heart problem to the human frame in a very short time period?

    Is it time dear world to really study the heart and how our lifestyle choices affect it?

  13. http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/82-people-of-delhi-mumbai-prone-to-heart-disease-due-to-stress-survey-117101100781_1.html

    Business Standard – 11 October 2017
    82% people in Delhi, Mumbai prone to heart disease due to stress.

    Survey conducted by ICICI Lombard reveals that stress is a prime cause of cardiac conditions and the fact that stress brought on by hectic lifestyle was chiefly responsible for heart disease.

    Doctors were also interviewed in this survey and these were the key findings:

    82% cardiologists believe people of Mumbai and Delhi more prone to cardiac conditions.
    64% cardiologists say stress is the main cause of cardiovascular disease.
    58% doctors believe foods with high cholesterol cause heart ailments.

    Can we stop for a moment and ask if this is making sense?

    Is it of concern when the doctors are not all in agreement?

    Would it be true to say that this is so serious and this is just two cities in one country?

    What on earth is going on and what on earth are we going to do about this?

    Has anyone stopped to consider how will India’s health system cope with this high rate of heart conditions?

    What is the long-term future for those living with a life full of stress?

    Where is this stress coming from and is anyone interested enough to study the root cause?

    As an Indian woman I know the pressures of the culture and how deep rooted the caste system is that still operates today. Most if not all just want to strive and drive themselves for better and more and live like the western world, but what if this is having an impact on their lives?

    What if the heart has its own agenda and cannot go along with the buzz of the 21st century life of those in the west?

    What if the images that are fed for a better comfortable life are not cutting it really?

    What if the drive is not for the highest good but is set to fail and the body is showing them this?

    What is we started looking at the blood pressure of this nation as it’s well off the scale?

    WHAT IF we simply started by asking questions like this blog is presenting?

  14. Science has shown that the heart generates an energy field that extends outside the body. But what purpose does this energy field serve?

    I was with a family that had a two year old son. I had never met the boy. When I gave the mom a hug, I caught the eyes of the boy and he looked right at me. As soon as I stopped hugging the mom the child came to me with his arms open asking for a hug. I bent down and hugged him.

    The mom was surprised saying that he is usually shy around strangers. I was touched that the child felt safe enough with me.

    So how was this communicated to the child? No words were exchanged. He did not say anything the whole time I was with him. He looked at me many times, our eyes met and then he would smile. A very powerful and humbling experience.

    He felt that I was ok, he could feel the energy field of my heart. I am not special, our hearts are communicating how we are all the time.

    Because of my work with Simple Living Global, I am feeling and processing many of the hurts in my life. These hurts, if not dealt with can disturb the energy field I emanate.

    It is our responsibility to heal ourselves, so we can present our true self to the world. And to show people, and to confirm to children, because they are already there, that that is the way to Be.

    1. Ken, the truth in this story is awesome to read. Thank you for sharing it.

      “He felt that I was ok, he could feel the energy field of my heart. I am not special, our hearts are communicating how we are all the time.” – this is absolutely huge and absolutely true and absolutely also my experience.

  15. I have felt so torn in my life about my relationships with women. From the start I could feel societies beliefs about women. And my heart knew it felt wrong. Yet here I am a boy growing up in world were men treated women different. I did not know what to do.

    I am so grateful for Simple Living Global, for giving me the encouragement and space to express all the stuff I have been holding inside.

  16. Could it be possible that Doctors and heart specialists are looking for all kinds of answers to heart disease, because then they do not have to feel the fact that how they are living their personal lives is the answer, and they do not want to change how they are living?

  17. This blog shows how much we know about the heart, incredible stuff. But if you look at the rising rates of heart disease in the world, is this kind of knowledge and research, making a difference?

    Yes, the statistics need to be publicized (they should be front page news). But maybe it it is time to listen to another kind of knowledge, the intelligence of the heart.

  18. When I wake up, I am often aware of how open and warm the area around my heart feels.

    I know this is how it naturally is and it feels great.

    Yet during the day, that area can get squashed and hard-feeling.

    How many of us get a squashed/tight/closed feeling in our heart from the happenings of the day?

    What impact does this have on our health?

  19. As you say, Simple Living Global, this blog is huge.

    For a little organ that weighs between 8-12 ounces, it does a massive job in keeping the human body functioning.

    As humans, we don’t really look after our hearts, or, in fact, any other organ for that matter.

    We subject it to a lot of abuse and yet, still expect it to do its job.

    We pay very little attention to our hearts except when things go wrong and then we expect others to fix the problem.

    When we hear of someone having a heart attack, generally our first questions are: the person’s age, do they smoke or drink a lot, were they overweight or did they have any underlying medical conditions.

    So we know the heart does a great job in keeping us going, but is it possible that the heart is more than just a physical muscle that pumps blood around our bodies?

    If it was just a pump, and its optimum functioning ability was dependent on how fit and healthy the body was, why do extremely fit and so called healthy athletes have heart disease or heart attacks?

    We know that our choices, like the food we eat, what we drink, or lack of exercise, has a direct effect on our hearts but is it possible that other choices, like not expressing what we feel, not being open to others, being intolerant of others, holding back our love for others, also has a direct effect on our hearts?

    Is it possible that our everyday choices have more of an impact on our hearts than we could ever imagine?

    1. You make a compelling enquiry here, Tim.

      Why do physically fit people get heart problems?

      What if there is more to heart ‘health’ than fitness and diet?

      It makes sense that holding in what we feel or being hard and judgemental with ourselves or others would have an impact on the heart. I have felt for myself what happens when I do those things – they literally make my heart area feel tight and hard.

      What if this these could be even bigger factors in heart health?

      This is worth studying closely.

  20. Daily Mail – 27 May 2017

    Diesel fumes alter the structure of the heart, raising the risk of early death – a major British study has found.
    Scientists say a specific link has been found for the first time between deformation of the heart and the fine, sooty particles emitted by diesel engines.

    Experts are increasingly aware of the impact of diesel fumes on human health, including the risk of asthma, dementia and cancer.

    Should we all be asking WHY were Diesels promoted since the 1970’s as the best option for the environment, because they emit less carbon dioxide, which is blamed for global warming?

    WHY has it taken over 4 decades to have the first ever study giving us the correlation that our human heart is effected by these toxic emissions?

    Is our mild solution of ‘walk on the part of the pavement farthest from cars to reduce the amount of pollution you breathe in’ going to really work?

    Is this suggestion with due respect, going to make much difference to a public that seems to be wanting things fast, now and always in a rush, paying little attention to what is going around?
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/life-in-the-fast-lane/

    Is our usual way of banning the thing that’s the problem, the answer?

    Is there more here that we need to address so we can learn?

    How many other things have we got wrong, where we champion its good when it is not?

    Is it high time we stop at everything that is not right and find a way to work together and get to the root cause of each and every issue that we have created in this world?

  21. http://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2017/dec/new-research-links-high-sugar-diets-to-increased-risk-of-heart-disease-97854493.html

    Diabetes UK – 4 December 2017

    An editorial published in the British Medical Cardiovascular Journal implicates a high sugar diet in the development of heart complications, such as coronary heart disease (CHD) and heart attacks.

    In the past, we all thought is was the saturated fat in our diet that was causing heart disease.
    However, newer studies are suggesting sugar is of much greater concern.

    How many more studies will we wait for to prove to us what most of us can work out with a dose of common sense. Sugar was never designed for human consumption and the way we are living today is telling us WHY we need to consume so much of this drug.

    We need to get honest and real about the fact that any substance that stimulates and alters our natural state is a drug and there is no getting away from that fact.
    Just because it is legal does not mean it is not a drug.

    There is now so much research telling us over and over again the harm of sugar in our diet and the correlation with certain types of dis-eases in our human body.

    Ask anyone who has eliminated sugar from their diet and here is the evidence.
    We seem to waste a lot of time and effort proving things, when it seems more logical and sensible to go to those who Live in a way that confirms something is working.

    So if we put our resources into studying people who no longer eat sugar, we may just learn something fast and get on track, because the rate we are going we seem to be circling around and not getting anywhere.

    I for one, know plenty of people who no longer choose to eat sugar and they seem to have a lot of vitality and are not ill or sick. That to me speaks volumes and is well worth further study.

  22. The Telegraph – 5 October 2017

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/10/05/watching-sport-puts-much-strain-heart-going-run/

    ‘Watching sport on television put viewers’ hearts under as much stress as going for a brisk run, new research has revealed.

    A study in Canada found that heart rates can more than double around scoring opportunities or in the dying minutes of a game …’

    These are the opening lines from the Telegraph article. Scientist used heart monitors on those watching ice hockey on television and in the arena. In the arena fans had a 110% increase in heart rate, whilst watching on television gave a 75% increase.

    As a result doctors have been advised to warn sports supporters at risk of cardio ill health to be aware of possible symptoms during games.

    What if we all took notice and paid attention to how we feel when watching supporting games at not just those deemed ‘at risk’?

    Does our breathing change?

    Does our body get tense?

    Do we feel emotional?

    If there is a yes to any of these then we are taking on what we are watching and this in itself will have an ill effect throughout our bodies, not just our heart.

    It is great that we have this research and we would really benefit from even more research on the effects of sport on our bodies, not just through playing it, but from a viewers’ perspective too.

    1. This comment makes sense to me Shevon.

      I used to hang around people who were big into football and by that I mean season ticket holders and they were totally living the game inside them even after it was over.

      They would talk about it with such emotion and the reactions were clear to see that they had absorbed what happened on the pitch, on the day and it ‘got them’. By that I mean it was like they had taken on the whole thing and their body was trying to process it all.

      I am certain without any doubt, that if we studied heart rates and blood pressure, before, during and after a soccer match we would have confirmation of what you are saying here in your comment.

      Whether it is on screen or a live match, it seems that sport, in the name of entertainment, is having an effect on our body.

      I recall a young guy who lived his life around his favourite football team, just dying in the night after a big match. His parents have never got over it and cannot understand how his heart failed – was it the alcohol consumption, the actual match results that day or a combination of both?

      It may be none of these but nevertheless we cannot think this is just an isolated case as I am sure there are probably more that will never make news headlines.

      Do we need more research studies or do we need to start asking common sense questions and at least considering blogs like this, that are presenting that something is not right about sport?

  23. The Telegraph News – 2 February 2018
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/mapped-dangerous-diseases-around-world/

    The most dangerous diseases around the world.

    56.4 million deaths worldwide in 2015 according to World Health Organisation.

    World’s biggest killers remain as Heart Disease and Stroke for the last 15 years.

    Aging populations around the world means a rise in new diseases such as Diabetes and Dementia.

    1.6 million deaths from Diabetes in 2015.
    Dementia more than doubled between 2000 and 2015.

    There is much more on this news story covering the top 10 causes of global deaths.

    After reading this blog and studying the statistics around the world, could we assume things have got worse as these figures are saying up to 2015.

    What is the real figures today in 2018 after another 3 years?

    How are we as humans living on earth that is causing such ills to our body?

    Are we really Intelligent if we have created a dis-ease in our human frame, but have not yet got to the root cause of WHY it happened in the first place?

    We are supposedly the most advanced species that live on this planet and yet we have such dangerous diseases that are spiraling out of control and we have not really nailed it, if we are being totally honest.

    Is this blog and all the questions it is presenting saying something different?

    Do we need to look at our heart more closely and not dismiss even the tiny signs that our body communicates to us?

    Are we willing to take note of how we feel every day and look at the choices we are making that could bring our heart into an ill rhythm?

    Are we ready for the real responsibility of taking deep care of our precious body and making steps every single day to live in a way that does not require a constant recovery?

    In other words supporting our body to have a true balance in life that gives us vitality levels and where self-medication time off and holidays, or checking out from our natural state are simply not needed.

    Is this way too much or is it time to at least consider if there is another way, as things are getting worse by the day and this news story is confirmation of that fact?

  24. In the park this weekend, 2 big dogs started barking next to us.

    One of my young sons described what it did to his heart. Mine had started beating super-fast and he talked about how his started jumping up and down.

    It made me reflect on what happens when we hear loud noises like that in our every day and when people shout or when we hear abusive words or swearing. It goes straight to our heart.

    It has an immediate impact – an actual physiological impact.

    It reminded me how sensitive we are. We feel absolutely everything – it all registers in our body and in particular in our heart, even if we don’t consciously realise that fact moment to moment.

  25. Business Insider UK – 15 May 2018

    The World Health Organization says eliminating trans fats could save half million lives a year.

    The plan is to ban these fats around the world by 2023.

    Many countries have already banned trans fats.

    Reading this blog we are presented with the real raw facts about heart disease, heart attacks, strokes and more..

    Trans fatty acids leads to cardiovascular disease and we find these trans fats added to fried foods, baked goods and snack products. They cause levels of bad cholesterol in blood to spike.

    Artificial trans fats were first developed in the early 20th century when industrial producers realised they could replace butter with partially hydrogenated oils, which have a longer shelf life.

    These fats are also associated with an increased risk for Type 2 Diabetes.

    Researchers suggested back in the 1950s the dangerous signs and in the 70s and 80s health researchers realised these fats might be increasing disease risk.
    Note – research indicating this was often suppressed by the food industry.

    In the 1990s several large and prominent studies showed these food products were strongly associated with increased disease risk.

    What we all need to know is not all research is independent and when it comes to human health there is not always a transparency. In other words, we are not always informed of who is behind what we get to know or not.

    Is it time we all united for the sake of our health and got on the front foot?

    We all know that our body is with us in every moment and how we treat this vehicle is down to us.

    If we call it a vehicle, like a car then we can relate to it and say it needs care, attention to detail, regular maintenance and ensuring it is fed the right amount of fuel, oil and water.

    That way it will all flow and work to precision and last a long time.

    In the same way if we want our body to serve us and not break down with illness or disease then it is up to us to take the sensible steps and then also be open to refining and reviewing.

    In other words, if we eat something that has an adverse effect, it is probably our body communicating so we then clock it and take note. Ignoring it means there will be no change and the body will eventually give us the wake up call with something more serious.

    Back to trans fat and we need to look at how this came about and of course we are not surprised as money would be a factor.

    Longer shelf life means more customers, as this stuff became convenient 100 years ago. Add to that cheaper cost than butter and bingo we think we are winners.

    But at what cost?
    When are we going to learn that creating anything for the human being that harms our body is never a winner no matter how we look at it.

    How retarded are we as a race of beings that with all the intelligence in the world, we wait a century to work out that artificial fats are killing us?

    Our human heart was not designed to process what goes into these fats. Simple.

    What we need to be asking now is WHY do we conveniently just accept what is out there and not ask questions. Doing nothing, saying nothing confirms there will be no change.

  26. The Times – 18 May 2018

    Cold Weather raises risk of Heart Attack

    This is the news headlines and it’s a small story so will we even bother to take note?

    According to researchers, people at high risk of a heart attack should get text messages when it is cold to remind them to be alert for symptoms.

    They found that the risk of an attack increased when the temperature dropped below 15C.

    Did we really need to study the data for a million people or could we have used some common sense here?

    With due respect to all scientists and researchers and this world of intelligentsia that has got us so many advancements, could we consider a more simple logical common sense way?

    Cold weather we all know makes us shudder or it jars our body so it hardens, so to speak.

    Imagine what that must be doing to the super delicate connective tissue surrounding our precious heart which has a job to do by keeping the whole body going in sync and in rhythm?

    The fact we are having solutions to deal with this tells us SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT

    WHY do we need a message on our mobile phone to remind us when our body is more than capable, is on the front foot and super super ready to communicate to us in advance if we simply listen to it?

    Does this expose something here?

    We check in with our text messages all the time, so bingo let’s remind these people they may be having symptoms of a heart attack and chances are they will get the message as that’s what their priority is – checking messages.

    But what if we simply learned how to plug in and connect to our body and then we developed a living way where this became so consistent that we could deepen this connection and that means we would feel any messages from our body like a pain in our chest or shortness of breath?
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/plug-in-and-connect/

    What if we taught children how to plug in and connect and rolled it out to all ages and then made this a norm in society – what would happen to heart statistics?

    Something is not working in our world because the rise in illness and dis-ease in the body has gone to another level.

    Reading forensic blogs like this or taking on board what this short comment is saying, may just offer another way that could possibly work.

    Would it be worth considering?

  27. Metro News – 1 June 2018

    Security Guards ‘need help to stop dying at 62’

    This is the title of this news story telling us that security guards die 20 years younger than the average.

    Researchers say the main cause of death is heart disease and called for more help for the profession in stress and mental health issues.

    The GMB union national officer said it was ‘absolutely shocking’ that UK security guards ‘have a lower life expectancy than people born in Afghanistan’.

    So why is this and are we asking questions because what we do know is SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

    These people are the first on the scene in atrocities according to the GMB so, can we join the dots here?

    What happens to the human heart if a person’s job is to attend the bombing scene that has just taken place without any warning and be on duty as security – in other words, protect the public?

    Are our men and women doing this type of job equipped or do they struggle with a job that their heart feels is not a natural way?

    Does our heart communicate to us and are we prepared to ask some serious deep questions as to WHY heart dis-ease has a link to early death in this particular job?

    Is a security guard bracing themselves every time there is an incident or even living in a way that puts them on guard because their job requires this of them?

    What impact would that have on the human heart if it has to live in this way for their whole working life?

    How are these people dealing with it and what if there is another way?

  28. The Telegraph – 26 July 2018

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2018/07/26/underwater-heart-attacks-rise-scuba-divers-warned-lose-weight/

    Under water heart attacks are on the rise for older people.

    Researchers say that scuba divers do not realise they are no longer fit enough for the hobby, because they took up the sport when they were younger and in better shape.

    Heart attacks and strokes are now the second leading cause of death for scuba divers after drowning. Divers initially go through a rigorous training process when they learn and are screened for fitness but after that their certification lasts for life, even if they should no longer be in the water, researchers have warned.

    Divers who are now old, overweight, with high blood pressure and high cholesterol are at increased risk of dying says the study author Dr. Peter Buzzacott of the University of Western Australia.

    He has advised all divers to have routine fitness assessments with their doctor and take action to shed the pounds and lower blood pressure and cholesterol or else face a heart attack under water.

    “Never in history have so many people been exposing themselves to these extraordinary environmental stresses and for the first time ever, we now have a large number of people who have spent their entire lives regularly scuba diving,” he added.

    Is this news story telling us about our lifestyle choices and that means our behaviour?

    So we start of young and fit and then things happen which we call life and somewhere in that we no longer hold the standard of fitness and in comes the weight gain, non healthy eating which may contribute to the rise in cholesterol. Add to that other stresses, which may be why we have high blood pressure. All a bit general but we get the point across.

    We want to keep the diving but we are not prepared to look after the body that needs to be fit and healthy in order to do such a sport. At no point do we want to take responsibility for the choices we are making that could lead to something like a heart attack under water.

    Does the lifetime licence to continue scuba diving need to be reviewed annually and do we need to introduce stricter rules regarding the fitness of those who choose this hobby as a pastime ?

    Are we creating more ills because we are not taking it seriously and simply thinking a lifetime certificate means = live however we want and not take any notice of the consequences?

    Our heart is a unique organ, a muscle like no other and man is now realising it does have its own intelligence. This precious heart of ours needs to be treated with the utmost care and attention at all time and this is not just about what we eat and drink and how we exercise.

    Our heart needs to be cherished and respected and listened to.
    Most at this point may stop reading as this sounds way off and too whacky.

    What if our heart knows – it simply KNOWS well beyond what we think it knows?

    What if our heart FEELS absolutely everything, even if we have not consciously registered or clocked it yet?

    What if our heart needs to remain open to all others regardless of what they do or don’t do?
    What if our heart needs to allow others to love us so we can pulse in the rhythm that was designed for us to live naturally?
    What if our heart is always asking us to remove the guard, the shield of protection that we put over it to stop others from hurting us?

    What if ALL these what if questions above require us to ponder deeply first and foremost?
    And what if these questions hold the key to true Heart fitness?

    What if Heart Fitness will one day in time become something the world will know and live?

  29. Homeless Populations at Risk to Develop Cardiovascular Disease
    Science Magazine

    https://scienmag.com/homeless-populations-at-high-risk-to-develop-cardiovascular-disease/

    The article shares how cardiovascular disease remains one of the major causes of death amongst the homeless population.

    Considering that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, this is no surprise.

    Having worked with people who are homeless for the last 10 years this also makes sense to me.

    To be homeless is one of the lowest points a human being can reach in their life. Being without a home and a safe haven to rejuvenate, care for and nurture oneself I have observed that life is impossible. Chances of having healthy relationships and being able to work for example are basically non-existent to develop and sustain without a home.

    Having a home is a basic foundation of life and so if we find ourselves without one, has something gone array with our ability to love and take care of ourselves?

    If our hearts are more than just a centre of physical activity for pumping blood around the body but is an essential centre where we express and receive love, could it be possible that there is a complete disconnection from that flow and so life stops flowing and the heart connection is lost and this leads to the body shutting down and not receiving the flow of energy that it needs and so the end result is death by cardiovascular means?

    Homelessness does not happen overnight and often there are a series of choices and events in a person’s life that lead to this, including childhood abuse, death of a loved one and the breakdown of a relationship for example. Having difficulties dealing with these issues, people often turn to drugs and alcohol, which in addition to the grief from the above, further compound and restrict the blood and heart flow throughout the body.

    What if the only true way out of homelessness is to re-introduce into a person’s life not just a home but tools to be able to deal with the heart ache and heal any hurts and support them to restore the love inside of them for themselves first and foremost?

    I say this as I have seen many many times that unless the root issues are resolved, even if given a home, a person will continue to repeat the cycle of being homeless.

  30. Independent – 6 August 2018
    Heart Attacks in Bankers Aged Between 20 and 30 on the Increase, Doctors Say

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/bankers-heart-attacks-cardiac-finance-corporate-a8479786.html

    One Dr. – Arjun Ghosh – Cardiologist, Barts Heart Centre, London has stated that –

    1 in 10 of his patients in 20 – 30 age range work in finance.

    The hours and the pressure placed on young people working in investment banking for example, is cited as a cause.

    Dr. Syed Ahsan – Cardiologist, Canary Wharf London says that he has not seen evidence of change even though companies have put on initiatives to change the culture.

    Dr. Ahmed Elghamaz – another Cardiologist, London North West University Hospital said that it is so common now for young people to be having heart attacks that it is no longer shocking.
    He suggests that a unhealthy, busy lifestyles with people working longer hours is the cause.

    Two types of heart attacks are common among this age group – Cardiac Arrhythmia and Myocarditis.

    Myocarditis is the most common of the two types found in bankers under the age of 30. Cardiologists say they see it most in people who have weakened immune systems due to fatigue and unhealthy living.

    The Whitehall study carried out by University College London’s Department of Epidemiology and Public Health followed more than 10,000 British civil servants since the mid 1980’s. The study showed that workers under the age of 50 who were chronically stressed were – 68% more likely to have a heart attack or experience chest pains.

    A culture of drug taking in the corporate world is also cited as a crucial factor.

    Dr. Ashan shared anecdotal evidence of a banker he treated who worked 12 – 14 hours a day, barely sleeping, using increasing amount of cocaine. His symptoms included blacking out and palpitations.

    2012 research published by Administrative Science Quarterly followed four groups of investment bankers at two different banks from the start of their career. Their progression was tracked over a 10 year period. At their fourth year, every banker involved in the study had developed a mental or physical health problem.

    This is deadly serious.

    Cardiovascular Disease is the world’s number 1 killer and so what this tells me is that our young people are not doing well at all and many are on the brink of death if heart attacks are increasing.

    The suggested causes give us a lot to ponder on. Increasingly health services are saying that many of the illnesses and disease they treat have occurred due to patient’s lifestyle choices and so the suggested causes are something for us to deeply consider.

    Add to that work place pressures and if we are constantly living a life on edge and reacting to stress and everything that is being asked of us and we are not equipped to deal with this, of course this will lead to ill health and the breakdown of the body.

    Some industries may never change, but we can change working within them by how we take care of ourselves.

    Could this be the true heart felt factor that is missing at work?

    Do we need to support and equip ourselves more to deal with what is ahead of us in our day by taking care of ourselves and our bodies and putting an end to unsupportive lifestyles?

    1. I read this news story earlier this week and put it on my Twitter as I like to update the world with news that brings more awareness.

      This comment is great Shevon as you have given us all the facts and what I know is
      SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT

      The bit that really stands out is on a research study of investment bankers by the 4th year every banker had developed a mental or physical health problem.

      So what is this around the clock pressure where sleep deprivation and working long hours become the norm and why are we not joining the dots?

      Our natural state simply does not allow us to work excess hours without a rest and adequate quality sleep – consistently.

      This website has a forensic blog on sleep that is well worth reading as it presents real education for all of humanity, which is much needed at this time.
      https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-sleep-day/

      Back to the bankers – what if money was not in the equation, what happens then?

      What is it about our relationship with money that drives us to unnatural behaviours?

      Do we blame employers or do we add up the human cost and ask – is it worth it?

      Are many of us hooked into the lifestyle images in our mind of what we can have if we earn mega bucks which bankers do?

      Are the signs like this news story telling us it is not a winner and something is seriously not right?

      Our heart has an Intelligence beyond what most of us are currently aware of.

      One day we will know this to be true but for now we can just keep it simple, apply common sense and ask the question – what is our heart communicating to us when it has a disturbance, which is linked to the way we are living – in this case bankers and the pressures they choose to be under?

  31. The Guardian – 29 August 2018

    The arteries of teenagers who binge drink or smoke are already stiffer by the age of 17 than in those who abstain, according to a long term research study.

    Over 75% of the teenagers drank between three and nine alcoholic drinks on a typical day, when they consumed alcohol.

    “This is the sort of pattern of drinking that is common in young people.
    This behaviour is applicable to many young people in the population”.
    Says John Deanfield – Professor of Cardiology – University College London

    This research comes soon after a study found that there was no “healthy level” of alcohol consumption.

    “That study says that alcohol is bad for you – and we are saying it is bad for you from very early on” says Deanfield.

    Dear World,

    We have this forensic blog https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-alcohol/ and over 100 comments spelling out to us that alcohol is not for human consumption at any age.

    How can a scientific proven poison be of any good to our precious body?

    Do we need more professors like John Deanfield to tell us what we all innately know?
    As adults we are always cautious and don’t want our young children near alcohol.

    That tells us we know and then at some point we forget, or choose to have other thoughts enter our mind and erase what we know is the Truth.

    Do we wait for another hundred years when all of research will tell us that alcohol is a killer substance, like we know cigarettes are or do we do nothing, just because it remains a legal drug?

    We have a choice in every moment to review our lifestyle choices and the consequences.

    WHY are we choosing something that has no value or benefit to our human frame whatsoever?

    Our heart is communicating something to us.
    It has an intelligence that one day mankind will realise is far far more advanced than any professor, researcher, scientist or computer.

    If it hardens our arteries, then we need to take note that this is something serious.

    Ignoring it and pretending it is just another research study is not being on the front foot.

    We all need to wake up and read the facts and take note.
    It is time, as our ill choices are having an effect on all ages now and our world has become a 911.

  32. Metro – 4 September 2018

    ‘Free online tool could save you from a heart attack’

    Online tests that tell us our heart age are being heralded as the way to reduce the risk of a heart attack.

    Having read this extensive article by Simple Living Global, is it true that any app or online tool will save us from a heart attack, or is it more about our living way and how we choose to be in our day to day lives?

    Which one teaches us responsibility for our own actions and the responsibility to look at the choices that we are making and which one allows us to become dependant on something telling us what to do and where our bodies are at?

    Is it possible that it is much more empowering to develop a relationship with our bodies so that we can truly understand what is going on inside us, so that we can determine what is working and what is not, compared to relying on any online technological tool?

    One personal example that I can give was when I went on a restricted food diet and my heart health was very poor. I could barely walk up the stairs and do my job. I never got tested, but the honesty of admitting this and recognising that my body was suffering was the turning point. It was from there that I did start to build a relationship with myself and my body to understand what it responded well to and what it didn’t, through my food choices, to then know what works for me and what does not.

    This has now expanded into other areas of my life and not just food – like when and how long to work, how to work, when to sleep and rest, etc.

    Ultimately, when my heart health was poor I was not loving myself, or others.

    Whereas now I live very differently and consequently have a more open and healthy heart.

  33. New Statesman – 10 October 2018
    https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/health/2018/10/growing-epidemic-image-and-performance-enhancing-drug-use-welsh-valleys

    Known in Wales as the “Valley Soldiers” – there is a growing epidemic of image and performance enhancing drug use.

    Users are buff men with an image-conscious lifestyle centred around the gym, eating high-protein diets and using Ipeds.

    For the record – Iped means Image and Performance enhancing drug.

    The age range is teenagers through to middle age and these drugs give quick results and by stopping it led one young man to feeling depressed. He also ended up in Cardiology with a ‘grossly enlarged heart’.

    A cocktail of drugs costing £200 a month from a dealer at the local gym gave him access to testosterone, hCG, stanozolol, insulin, growth factor, ephedrine and more.

    The widespread use of Ipeds has normalized them within a growing subculture that does not regard itself as having anything in common with the stereotypical emaciated drug addict.

    Instead these Iped addicts see themselves as living healthy and safe lifestyles because they feel well and hold down jobs.

    However, serious problems do occur with Iped use such as depression, mania and psychosis.
    Physical symptoms include increase risk of kidney, liver and heart failure, heart attacks, strokes, shrunken testicles, infertility, high blood pressure and osteoporosis.

    It can also stunt growth in adolescents.

    This news story confirms three men in one gym with severe heart failure as a direct result of illegal sterioid use. None wanted to stop using it and so it begs the question of WHY?

    A comment from a user was that they would rather have 50 years of looking good than living until the age of 90.

    As with all drugs there comes a point where we need more of the same to get the effect and we know this to be addiction.

    This news story is written by a cardiologist to bring awareness to something most of us may not be aware of.

    It is a growing epidemic with serious consequences and yet we seem to think only professional sports people do these image and performance enhancing drugs.

    How serious is it if Iped use can lead to depression, mania or psychosis?

    What is this telling us about drugs used simply to achieve something that is not natural?

    What drives any young man to want to look a certain way and WHY?

    What if we started with real education at all schools and informed students of the possibility of advanced heart failure because they took Ipeds?

    ADD to that the list of other physical and mental health symptoms. Then to relate and make it real – show them young men who were taking illegal steroids to enhance their looks and performance and track how their health has unfolded in their lives.

    What if an Iped user will not have 50 years of looking good because their body will show the ill effects of drug taking much sooner?

    Our health systems are not coping and facing bankruptcy.
    This has been a well documented and known fact for a long time now even if we may not want to acknowledge it.

    What is adding to the burden is our lifestyle choices that are causing a wide range of illnesses and diseases?

    Have we ever considered what our world would be like if there were no proper health systems in place because we had exhausted them with our irresponsible ways of living?

  34. Sky News – 25 November 2018

    https://news.sky.com/story/dramatic-rise-in-young-people-suffering-strokes-charity-11562936

    There has been a “Dramatic Rise” in young people suffering strokes according to the Stroke Association.

    Experts believe the lifestyle of younger people may be playing a part in the number of strokes increasing.

    The big message that the Stroke Association want to tell us is that it can affect people of all ages and not something that only affects older people.

    Dr. Pankaj Sharma says the lifestyle of younger people may be playing a part in the number of strokes increasing and “high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity are risk factors well recognised in stroke.”

    With due respect to all doctors and professionals and academics, can we work this out as it seems to be quite simple – our lifestyle choices may be a contributory factor to what we end up with. In other words, our body will show us our daily choices and in this case how we are living is affecting our heart.

    If we keep it simple – imagine feeding a vehicle the wrong fuel.

    If it was a car it would tell us “not moving mate, you have not fed me what I need”.

    But when it comes to the human body, we seem to have this mind that has its own agenda most of the time and it may not be for the highest good to support the body and its health and wellbeing. Even if it is, generally it is short lived and not continually adhered to in the way of consistency.

    Back to young people having strokes – how serious is this and what is it telling us about the youth of today and how they are choosing to live?

    Society endorses the health and well being route but for many of the younger generations it is not enough.

    How we know this is because this news story is telling us SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

    We are being told there are over 400 childhood strokes each year in the UK and 25% of those are occurring in children age 11 and over.

    The UK are being reflected something about how are kids are being raised and we need to pay attention as any heart condition is serious and affects our health.

    If we have the younger generations having strokes, what is the quality going to be of their long term health?

    Where is education about healthy lifestyle choices on the school agenda?

    WHY are we big into treats and rewards full of sugar when it comes to children?
    WHY are we not policing and getting very serious about the harm of screentime?
    WHY are we endorsing and accepting that fast foods and junks foods are ok?

    Is it possible that any of the above is happening because our children are not being connected to or met for who they truly are and in that their expression is not there and so they find ways to numb it or shut it down and it could be screens or foods that harm?

    We do not seem to have got to the root cause, so WHY not at least consider the above for now as nothing else seems to be working?

  35. I was observing someone yesterday who I know has Atrial Fibrillation, which means they have an irregular heart beat.

    They had a strong reaction to something they read and I noticed a few things.

    First thing was they shouted out a strong swear word and this person generally does not swear.

    Instantly I felt some tension in them and then heard them tapping very hard on the keyboard. I asked was everything ok as they don’t normally type like that because I could feel a real hardness in how they were choosing to move in that moment.

    I would say they got themselves in the danger zone as things were not flowing and they could not even see the obvious – a phone number to call and sort this problem out.

    So does that reaction in anyway affect the heart beat?

    Does it ADD to the already ill condition as in that moment we just lost it with our reaction and never even had a thought about how our heart must have coped with that?

    What if the tapping hard on the keyboard or even swearing has some effect on our super sensitive heart tissue?

    What if the connective tissue surrounding our heart is destroyed when we behave in this way, which for most of us is just normal everyday reactions, in other words – no big deal

    What if these so called minor reactions all ADD up and keep our heart ticking out of sync with no chance of ever getting back on track?

    What if we simply considered the impact of what our tender precious heart feels every time we make an ill move – in other words a movement that does not support it?

  36. Today is National Wear Red Day 2019 in the United States of America

    So what does that actually mean to us – jo public on the street?

    Well the purpose is clear – it is to raise money and this year’s theme is to support Children’s heart surgery fund.

    If we go online we are told to wear red and get baking and sell the ‘treats’
    Sponsored walk and get ‘red’ cheeks
    Dress our pets in red
    Guess red sweets in a jar

    The main message is to have fun.

    If we read this forensic blog about the human heart and heart health and ponder on every single question being presented, would that have a purpose and more to the point – would it raise awareness?

    It would be true to say we as a world are not on the front foot when it comes to real education about heart health.

    What if we used these national awareness days to bring in this type of education and got it circulating on social media to reach the world?

    When we introduce fun days – are we in any way introducing a form of reductionism?

    In other words, reducing the real facts and truth, which would bring about the awareness we are asking for, to something that is about having fun and raising money – nothing more.

  37. An article in The Guardian, 26th January 2019, talks about how Britain is to get its first poetry pharmacy to help with broken hearts.

    The founder of this wears a white coat and stethoscope, has been prescribing poems from the back of a 1970’s ambulance for six years and is now deciding to set up in a permanent shop.

    The founder says that the shop will be divided up like a pharmacy “into areas for particular ailments and you walk around and find wherever your mood might be addressed by literature.”

    The founder is reluctant to hand out prescriptions on demand saying each “patient” has to have a proper consultation and they will then advise on what poetry would suits the “patient” the best.

    Is it possible that we get a ‘broken heart’ because we have a picture of how something should be and at some point that picture becomes something that we didn’t sign up for?

    If that is so, is it possible that this approach of seeking something outside of ourselves only serves to keep us trapped in the emotion of whatever has ‘broken our heart’?

    Is it possible that poetry, like a lot of music, allows us to wallow and stay in our self-pity?

    Wouldn’t it be better if we actually tried to deal with these emotions by truly allowing ourselves to feel them and then talk about them?

    We are all going to deal with our ‘broken hearts’ in whatever way we choose but would it be better to deal with our issues rather than burying them?

  38. Sharing a real life story here that is worth reporting.

    Age 50 heart attack and the main thing I recall was this man was told to stop smoking and of course they did. Note – they continued drinking alcohol with the plethora of daily medication which of course warns us not to consume alcohol.

    Then came a diagnosis of cancer and even this did not stop the alcohol consumption and the smoking was replaced with excess eating of unhealthy foods.

    Then the vaping started and recently back to cigarette smoking – the very thing that probably was the main cause of the first heart attack.

    So WHY do we as humans not adhere to a 911 call from our body?

    Is it because we do not care about the human frame that takes us from birth to death?

    Is it because we do not value our body and what it does to support us in life?

    Is it because we are in an ill momentum of neglect and even a heart attack and a diagnosis of cancer cannot just change us as the addictions we have are way too strong?

    Having had an organ removed over a decade ago, I knew bad lifestyle choices had to be knocked out and it was the small steps daily that was the game changer.

    My wake up call was showing the the lack of responsibility because me trashing my body and expecting the health service to fix me was a choice.
    Then take into account the bigger picture – all that time off work and society is affected because it did not have to end up like this.

    We as individuals have a responsibility and yes most of us could go around and not change, but once we get the body giving us a 911 wake up call, then surely we need to take prompt action and start asking how we got to that point – in this story the heart attack and then cancer.

    Bopping along ‘existing’ in life because medication can do that for us robs us of our true quality and vitality, which of course is possible.

    I am living proof that changes can be made and it is not easy.
    There has to be a genuine commitment to want change and and understanding as to why we got ill in the first place.

    I feel our world is not yet geared to support us to make a true recovery from heart attacks because we have this habit of never digging deep and getting to the root of where it started to become a dis-ease in our body.

    We have made it all about getting fixed, having solutions and moving on and at no point is it about the quality above anything else.

    Back to the story – would it not be a wise move to explore if smoking was the cause of the heart attack, does it really work to say “don’t smoke” and leave the patient at that with their own free will or is there another way?

    Well worth reading the blogs on this website about The Real Truth about Tobacco and answering the questions they present.

    https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-no-tobacco-day-part-1/
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/tobacco-and-e-cigarettes/

  39. BBC News – 4 April 2019

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-47734296

    An influential study shows that 11 million of us are heading for early death because of the food we are eating.

    Our daily diet is a bigger killer than smoking and is now accountable for 1 in 5 deaths around the world.

    Researchers in the study are saying that “poor quality” diets are causing cancer and damaging our hearts.

    The Global Burden of Disease Study is the most authoritative assessment of how people are dying in every country in the world. The latest analysis regarding the shortening of lives was too much salt and low levels of nuts, seeds, vegetables, seafood and fibre were other major killers.

    There is more but for the purpose of this comment, we have something to report about what we eat and how it affects our heart.

    Common sense tells us if we overeat or eat the wrong foods we do not feel well because our body is quick to communicate this message to us.

    If we just stop and ask some questions why this may be happening, we could get to the answers, but by overriding and ignoring anything the body is trying to say, is without a doubt going to end in more ill or dis-ease in the body.

    Our questioning could be as simple as –

    How would our heart be feeling if it had to process a diet that contains lots of salt, sugar, caffeine and alcohol?

    How would our heart cope with a daily whack of stress caused by our consistent ill choices when it comes to eating?

    If we read and study this blog, there is much being presented with the facts and the questioning, so that we can have a deeper understanding of how we live on a daily basis and the impact it can have on our heart.

    What seems to be lacking in our world today is basic and fundamental knowledge about human life and whilst we have become reliant on a type of intelligence that is focused on theory, we could do more, by looking at it from other angles.

    In other words, it is great to learn the biology, anatomy and physiology, but to leave it at that and not dig deeper when there is so much more is what is not helping us as a race of beings, to get out of the ills and dis-ease that we have created in our bodies.

    If we allow those who are free of any form of heart disease and have no signs of high blood pressure – consistently for over a decade to guide us and direct us by sharing how they are living in daily life, could we just learn a thing or two that could help us get on track?

    A comment well worth considering.

  40. https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/09/footballer-dies-post-match-ice-cold-water-triggered-massive-heart-attack-9462329/

    Metro News – 9 May 2019

    A footballer has died post match, after drinking ice cold water which triggered a heart attack.

    The temperature of the water triggered chest pains and he suffered a heart attack as he drank too much ice water while his body was hot and this caused a sudden change to his heart rate.

    What if the world were educated about the sensitivity of this precious organ – the human heart?

    Reading this forensic blog we would be left in no doubt that how we live life everyday and all the choices we make, does affect our heart health.

    This young sportsman was 27 and living in Peru and it could be possible that he was not aware of the impact physical activity has on the heart together with the sudden shock of drinking a large quantity of ice cold water immediately after playing a match.

    Our world is missing basic knowledge that needs to be available to everyone regardless of academic ability or which country they live in.

    If we are to turn the tides and get on the front foot with our heart health, we need real education and not just biology lessons giving us the anatomy, physiology and how the heart functions.

    We need real life teachers advising the stats, facts and common sense wisdom like never drink ice cold water as it shocks the sensitive heart as it’s not a natural thing to do.

    We can continue to wait for more deaths like this and keep cardiovascular related issues as the number one killer in the world or we can start to take action now by considering the questions presented in this monumental blog.

  41. The Times – 22 August 2020

    This news article is telling us that eating broccoli can help to prevent heart attacks and strokes by reducing the build-up of calcium in blood vessels, according to a new study from Cowan University in Perth, Australia.

    Researchers found that people who ate more cruciferous vegetables, which also included kale and cabbage were almost half as likely to develop blood vessel disease.

    Older women consuming higher amounts of cruciferous vegetables everyday have lower odds of having extensive calcification on their aorta.

    Whatever our relationship is with food or what our beliefs are, could there be something here for us to consider with a stop and pause moment?

    What would common sense tell us if we asked, as this is the wisdom we all seek ?

    Firstly, common sense says ‘your heart is in sync – in rhythm with broccoli and kale so thank you very much’.

    Well that sounds simple and cool too, so what next common sense?

    Well it makes sense because these vegetables have fibre so we get filled up and they are full of nutrients. The colour green itself is telling us that our body will be happy and so will our whole digestive system. These vegetables have been around a long time and are simple and above all very cheap, so it is a no brainer – everything just makes sense.

    Our diets have become wayward for a very long time and to get back on track seems a distant wish for many. With the plethora of eating out venues and food programmes on TV we are bombarded with new foods to eat and then add to that social media and we go onto a different zone when it comes to food and eating.

    Common sense always makes sense, but how many of us are ready to swap our pizza or burger and fries for some broccoli and kale with our fish or lean meat?

    Another point to take note of is that our education systems do not foster or endorse true healthy simple eating and so we then have generation after generation eating convenience fast foods and in some cases, kids who have never eaten a cooked meal.

    We can blame or act the victim, but it is never too late to make some serious changes to our health and this means having broccoli on our menu as often as we can.

  42. Mail Online – 11 September 2020

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8724253/Heart-rate-measuring-help-spot-depression-beats-faster-study-finds.html

    Measuring our heart rate can help to spot depression according to a new study.

    The heart beats an extra 10-15 times per minute for those diagnosed with depression. Experts say that their hearts are working harder because they have chronic stress or anxiety and that means they are constantly in a low-level state of ‘fight or flight’.

    Inflammation caused by poor mental health may also reduce activity of the nerve responsible for regulating the heart rate.

    Of course we have the answer – a solution to the problem as that is how we humans operate when there is something wrong.

    We can use a 24 hour fitness tracker to chart our heart rate and detect early signs of poor mental health.

    Are we going to have an app or is this already out there or in the process of being made?

    What is it about us that never stops to consider some serious questions like the what, why, how and when but goes straight for the fix it option every time when it comes to our health?

    What is going on in our daily lives where we end up with chronic stress?
    WHY do we have anxiety that leads to a racy heart that cannot settle?
    How did it get to this point and can we track back to when it started?

    Our world is full of solutions and it would be a wise move for any reader to consider what is being presented on our Solutions and Questions blogs on this website.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/solutions-solutions/
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/questions-questions/

    Next – we can now how a 24/7 gadget called a fitness tracker to tell us how well or unwell our heart is doing. Is this going to really support our mental health and well-being or will this increase our stress levels if the monitor does not show the reading we want?

    How will our anxiety be in the morning when we check the tracker, which was working on our behalf all night?

    SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT (another blog worth reading) when we demand ways to alert us to become aware of what may be coming our way in the form of illness and disease when we could save our resources by simply going back to the old fashion way of living. That would mean taking responsibility, getting back to basics, keeping things simple and talking about what we feel, without needing to be anything other than who we truly are. This means being deeply honest and open with everyone at all times.

    What we do know is that we do have incredible resources and advanced medical support today but what is the QUALITY if we are now multi-symptomatic and the specialists are struggling as we are presenting bodies that have more than one serious illness? ADD to that the modern day plagues that are becoming the norm like Stress and Anxiety.

    Our heart is a muscle like no other in our body. What if it is super sensitive and picks up every vibration that there is and it holds an intelligence that very few of us are actually aware of?

    What if we are now saying with this study that the heart KNOWS first before we get to know and hence why ‘Let’s have a gadget to warn us’ when we could simply connect to our innermost being and be informed by our heart giving us the message that something is not right and it could be that we are withdrawing from life, albeit not aware, but the signs are all there and the stress levels are going up and the anxious boom boom feeling is constantly around the centre of our torso, reminding us that we are not coping and are just not equipped to deal with what life is presenting?

    This may sound way off and out there but what if it is not?

    WHY not ask – how were people living in the past as they were doing something different, because Depression, Stress and Anxiety were not in their bodies to the degree they are today?

  43. Daily Mail – 14 November 2020

    5,000 rise in deaths from Heart Disease since the start of the pandemic, according to figures from the British Heart Foundation.

    Patients have stayed away from hospitals because of fear of getting the virus and to avoid putting extra pressure on the National Health Service.

    This tells us clearly that access to cardiovascular care from the NHS is super important and if we fail to seek help it could lead to death.

    What we could also consider is does this statistic tell us more about how we are living and does the fear have anything to do with heart failure?

    This blog and our Heart Part 2 on this website poses many questions for us all to consider.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-heart-day-part-2/

    Heart Disease continues to remain as the number 1 killer disease of human life.

    With all our research and all the resources in this world today and the intelligence we use – how come we have not got to the root cause of WHY and HOW we develop heart disease?

    WHY is everything in our world geared at solutions, fixing it and never at what caused it in the first place?

    In other words, what created our precious and sensitive heart to go off sync and develop dis-ease inside it?

    What is our heart truly communicating to us?

    Do we innately have the answers if we listened?

  44. There seems to be a lot of recipes in the name of ‘treats’ on heart websites that aim to educate the public about healthy living and cholesterol. Really ?

    I say this because the recipes, the images and the narrative all tell me this stuff is far from healthy even if we want to think it is.

    We are being told we love to indulge in chocolate so this fudge buttermilk brownies is a healthy treat.

    Are we being fooled when we think chocolate and maple syrup in a cookie recipe is good for our heart?
    Or we have a cake with very ripe banana, demerara or caster sugar?

    We all know any cake or sweet is not really what our body needs but yet we champion it by finding ways to lessen the sugar content with other ingredients.

    Are we being fooled or do we like it this way as it suits us?
    Are we going to get real and honest that we just love teatime treats and there will always be something out there promoting it as good and healthy, but what if that is not the truth?

    What if we interviewed our heart and asked it to communicate back to us how it feels when we introduce ‘treats’ and tell ourselves it’s healthy and ok because the heart website told us so?

    Is there a responsibility from those who hold a platform that people trust in the name of cholesterol and heart health?

    If we are endorsing and promoting cakes and chocolate brownies, can we agree that people will automatically think it is a licence to continue eating these types of foods in their diet.

    As humans we want our cake and eat it as the saying goes and for others we want our cake and the cherry on the top and we will think about the ill feeling afterwards and down the road when things may not be so great in the health department.

    Our heart has a very important role in ensuring we stay alive. It withstands a lot of harm from our individual lifestyle choices and then one day it does step in when we go a bit too much over in the harmfull behaviour department and that’s when we get the warning signs, symptoms, illness or dis-ease in our body that forces us to take a moment to adjust and make changes.

    However, if at this time we seek websites to find answers we may come across healthy living recipes that tell us sugar, chocolate, maple syrup and caster sugar are all ok and we think that’s the best news ever having been diagnosed with some form of heart disease or high cholesterol.

    These websites exist because we put them there.
    They know we will be up in arms without our sugary treats, so they supply us recipes and that keeps us happy as we don’t really want to change. If we did and were seriously committed, chances are we would never come across these recipes and if we did we would dismiss them with our common sense hat on which tells us ‘stay clear, not needed now at all’.

  45. World Health Organization – 9 December 2020 | News Release | Geneva, Switzerland

    https://www.who.int/news/item/09-12-2020-who-reveals-leading-causes-of-death-and-disability-worldwide-2000-2019

    The World Health Organization reveals the leading causes of death and disability worldwide:
    New data from 2000 – 2019 inclusive.

    Non communicable diseases make up 7 of the world’s top 10 causes of death, according to WHO’s 2019 Global Health estimates just published. Their website states that this clearly highlights the need for an intensified global focus on preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases as well as all injuries in every region of the world.

    Heart Disease remains the number 1 killer for the last 20 years. The number of deaths is now more than ever before with an increase in over 2 million since 2000, to nearly 9 million in 2019.

    Heart Disease now represents 16% of total deaths from all causes.
    Over half of those 2 million additional deaths were in the WHO Western Pacific region.

    We seem to be thrilled by the medical and technological advancements that we have gotten to in the 21st century. Our medical world has advanced like never before in some areas and yet we have no idea what causes the start of heart dis-ease in the body.

    What if we made our Independent researchers come together and unite and not leave and move on to other studies until they gave us the root cause of heart disease and the answers we all want, as it is not going away and we live with the tension and un-settlement of knowing it could be us or someone close that will end up being killed by this number 1 killer?

  46. The Telegraph – 9 December 2020
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/heart-disease-stroke-killing-people-greater-numbers-ever-data/

    Non communicable diseases such as Heart Disease and Strokes are killing people in greater numbers than ever according to new figures from the World Health Organisation.

    2 million more people are dying from heart disease in 2019 than in 2000.
    The WHO’s Global Health Estimates report also found that people were living longer lives in 2019 than in 2000 – but those extra years were not necessarily lived in good health.

    So how do we focus on preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases?

    Where do we start and why has the quality of lived life not been expanding or evolving if we are told two decades later we are not living in good health?

    With all the so-called human advancements and so-called intelligentsia of our world – how have we got to this point where modern medicine or the plethora of scientists researching have yet to get to the root cause of why and how anyone gets heart disease, now the world’s biggest cause of death?

    So how are we going to ‘rapidly step up prevention, diagnosis and treatment’?
    Priority is highlighted in the urgency of:
    Drastically improving primary health care equitably and holistically.

    Do we all first need to unite and understand the meaning of what is being expressed here?

    Are we all in agreement or do we have our own versions of what the very foundation of living life, which is our primary health care is all about?

    Do we understand what primary health care means to us personally as individuals?

    Do we have a watered down version or a suitable truth that works for our lifestyle but may not exactly be supportive to our foundational health and well-being?

    Do we need those that give out statements, hold positions of power that influence the masses or are so-called experts dishing out health and well-being advice to actually live a true and consistent way of life that clearly reflects health and vitality levels that others can sense and feel? Not in any way perfect but people who walk the talk and get on with it and know their stuff because it is embodied and that means they express from their living way? They are not saying words that sound and feel empty but they hold a quality, a vibration so to speak that makes sense and that is because they live it first before sharing it with others.

    Back to heart dis-ease – this blog and our part 2 gives a great insight into our precious and unique muscle, the human heart.

    https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-heart-day-part-2/

    All our centuries of academia have not got us closer to the truth of why anyone suffers from a dis-ease of the heart.

    Are we looking in the wrong places?

    Are the answers simple and are they within us but we have lost our connection to our heart and so we cannot access these answers?

    Possible or just a shot in the dark?

    History will tell us as this website will be around long after the author is gone whether this comment back in December 2020 held any truth that would help humanity.

  47. Medical Express – 12 February 2021
    https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-02-heart-failure-cases-soar-globally.html

    Title: Heart Failure Cases Soar Globally

    Heart failure worldwide almost doubled from 33.5 million in 1990 to 64.3 million in 2017. The analysis used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study to examine the burden and causes of heart failure in 195 countries and territories.

    This new study was published on 12 February in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

    “This study challenges the view that heart disease is fully under control. Despite progress and achievements, the global burden imposed by heart failure is significantly growing” says study author Dr. Nicola Bragazzi of York University, Toronto, Canada.

    The authors said that the rising prevalence rate of heart failure in the low, low-middle and middle socio-demographic index countries is driven by a surge of risk factors such as hypertention, diabetes, obesity, smoking and other unhealthy lifestyles.

    They also found that years lived with the disability due to heart failure have doubled worldwide since 1900. They added that the 4 basic cardiovascular medicines – Aspirin, Beta-blockers, Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and Statins were generally unavailable or unaffordable for many populations in low and middle income countries.

    Dear World

    Where do we go from here now that we know this information?

    Are we relieved we don’t yet have any form of heart dis-ease?

    Are we the carer or been at the receiving end of those who have suffered a heart condition?

    Are we relieved that it’s out there in another country and with advance medical care we will be ok?

    Are we feeling compression in our heart area when we hear of this type of study going on?

    Now what?

    Where will our public health workers and policy makers take this and are they equipped to deal with a disease on such a mass scale?

    What is the answer and if we did have one – how come we are not reversing the stats here?

    Is prevention, management or educational campaigns or any solutions that we come up with seriously going to work?

    Yes increase in awareness is much needed and we would all agree so how can we go about and ensure this happens?

    How are we going to reach those in China and India who have half the number of heart failure patients in this study, when we are told that they have factors like population growth and unhealthy behaviours like smoking?

    Where do we start?
    What would common sense have to say here?

    Has anyone clocked that heart disease is our number 1 global burden for over a century and with all the so-called intelligence we have in this world, we have yet to find the answers and nail it? We seem to know how to get to another planet and marvel and build super high buildings and everything else man can create with the wow factor, but we are no where near on the front foot of illness and disease by a long shot.

    WHAY IF we studied people of all ages that do not have any heart dis-ease and see what we can learn as they must be doing something different? A great example is the author of this comment, this blog and this website. How does a 59 year old woman have the vitality levels to continue consistently with this type of delivery on a platform that is clearly here to stay for the long haul?

    We can champion our great achievements, but is that real evolution if we have failed on all accounts to provide the real and true answers to WHY one has their heart ‘fail’?

    Is it time to provide real education and teach our kids from day dot that there is another way to not withdraw from life, contract their body or give up because they feel hurt by another? Is this the start of where we have a heart situation that may be what then leads to the unhealthy lifestyle choices?

    Worth considering and pondering on because the way we are looking at heart disease is clearly not changing things on a mass scale.

    AND Finally, is it time for us all as individuals to get honest and ask ourselves – how open are we at giving and receiving the real love that we all want and deserve, without any agenda and that means conditions?

  48. International Stroke Conference 2021 – 17th March 2021
    https://www.ahajournals.org/isc

    At the start of the conference, Mitchell Elkind, President of the American Heart Association gave the following message:

    Studying synapses & receptors has led to tremendous advances, but we still struggle to explain how the brains produces creativity, poetry or Love.

    Traditional clinical localisation helps us understand the individual patient, but not how a healthy family, much less a healthy society functions.

    Those insights may require an understanding that merges reductionist knowledge with an appreciation of how those elements fit together into a network. A sum that is somehow greater than its parts.

    There is one further divide that I propose we bridge, between knowledge and action, scholarship & practice.

    As medicine & science have become increasingly specialised, we risk losing the connection between study & experience, between what we know & why it is worth knowing.

    Mitchell Elkind, MD, MS is a tenured Professor of Neurology and Epidemiology at Columbia University, and Chief of the Division of Neurology Clinical Outcomes Research and Population Sciences in the Neurology Department.

    Dr Elkind’s research focuses on stroke prevention, inflammatory and infectious biomarkers in stroke risk prediction, atrial cardiopathy, immune therapy for acute stroke, and vascular causes of cognitive aging. He is a principal investigator of federally-funded studies examining atrial cardiopathy in cryptogenic stroke; stroke risk factors; short-term high-dose statin therapy in acute stroke; and inflammation in stroke treatment.

    Dr Elkind has a longstanding commitment to medical education and research training. In addition to leading the Columbia Neurology residency and fellowship programs, he serves as editor of the AHA/ASA Stroke journal’s new international Stroke Early Career and Training Section. He also runs National Institutes of Health-funded research training programs for residents and fellows.

    Dear World

    Can we read a bit deeper into what this Professor, Doctor and specialist of cardio health is saying to us all? Are we able to read between the lines, so to speak?

    Where will reductionist knowledge get us or has it got to the point now where we need another dimension – which means we need to ask more questions and not allow things to just be as they are and settle here, when we all know heart conditions are rising and we do not seem to be on the front foot?

    What if we started to be more open and make further enquiries by taking note of Dr. Elkind when he says to us its great we have got so many advances studying the detail of the brain, but we are short changed if we don’t know HOW and WHY we have Love and is it connected to the brain because so far, we are not able to explain that?

    Our heart is a huge topic and there seems to be so much more to the intelligence of the heart and unless we change the way we approach science, ‘evidence based as the only way’ and all that goes with that type of intelligence we have thus far subscribed to, we can be assured that we will not be advancing in the true sense when it comes to our evolution as a species.

  49. Mail Online – 1 January 2022

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10359873/Britons-suffering-heart-failure-cured-thumb-sized-patches-cells.html

    Millions of heart failure patients could be cured with tiny patches of cells that can be stitched directly on to the damaged organ.

    Scientists in Britain have developed a way of growing tiny amounts of heart tissue in the laboratory. They hope it will provide the first ever cure for heart failure which affects tens of millions worldwide.

    The rats have been tested and now it will progress to human trials and if this is successful, it will lead to mass production of heart patches to cure heart failure.

    When a person has a heart attack, vital nutrients and oxygen stop being supplied to the heart muscle. We can lose billions of heart cells in just one heart attack and the human heart does not regenerate itself. It heals by scarring. In other words, the muscle you lose never comes back.

    What this means is that the heart cannot work efficiently and the patient is left breathless and will struggle with everyday tasks like walking upstairs or getting dressed.

    Those that do develop heart failure, half will die within 5 years and this highlights the serious-ness.

    “What we have today is medication that does not cure the underlying problem, which is the heart muscle and the only real treatment is a heart transplant and in the UK there are only 200 a year”.

    So here we have a solution – life in the lab could be helping hearts beat with patches available within 15 years.

    While we wait for more funding to research into regenerative medicine, what could we be considering with the questions posed in this article.

    Here a few more…

    We are not rats and whilst they are safe to work on in the lab, what if each human heart has its own history, so to speak to what it has been through in life?

    In other words, the heart is recording absolutely everything that has happened to it.

    What if we took just this information above and this article to schools and present this is the biggest killer in our world and we are so clever and advanced but we don’t have the answers, so how are we going to nail this, reverse this or turn the tides, so to speak?

    How many of us know or are even aware that one heart attack survived gives us possibly another 5 years and that is the end. Game over. How serious is this and WHY is this not news headlines on the front of every newspaper and media feed online?

    How many of us know that the heart muscle lost in a single heart attack, never re-generates and that means it never comes back. Is there really anything more serious than this right now to focus on Dear World?

    If we want to live our lifestyle choices that harm our heart, is it really ok when we wake up and realise ALL those that we devastate because they will never recover from our loss of life? We all know drugs, alcohol and smoking affect our heart but do we care enough to get our act together and face this or continue down the ill road because it has become so familiar.

    Our heart once it has the attack never truly recovers – that is what we are being told.

    What if not opening our heart fully to others because we got hurt and we can’t get over it, shuts down our heart and we cannot allow the love in or give it out, so to speak.

    What if? – could this be possible?

    We don’t yet have a cure and our solutions are more than a decade away.
    So why don’t we come up with our own lists of ‘what if’s and could it be possible’..?

    Just accepting that heart dis-ease is our number 1 killer in the world is not the answer.

    Questioning and never stop questioning and burning to know WHY and HOW we have some form of ill in our heart is absolutely worth it and not just for us but those that love and adore us and the whole of humanity.

    Let’s face it – we are one species and we are all inter-connected regardless of how we would not like to admit that fact.

  50. Nature.com – 14 January 2022
    https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00111-9

    We have had the first pig to human heart transplant in a 57 year old man.
    For the record, he had been on cardiac support for two months and could not receive a mechanical heart pump because of an irregular heartbeat. Neither could he receive a human heart transplant because he had a history of not complying with doctor‘s treatment instructions. Given that he otherwise faced death the research has got immediate permission from the FDA to give this man a pig heart.

    The transplant came from a pig with several genetic modifications including some to knockout genes that trigger the human immune system. It is the added six human genes that help the body to accept the organ. Final modification aims to prevent the heart from responding to growth hormones ensuring that organs from the 400 kg animals remain human sized.

    Researchers are hoping that the person who has so far lived for one week with a genetically modified pig heart will provide more data on the possibilities of xenotransplantation.

    Surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center transplanted a genetically altered pig heart.

    Transplant surgeons hope the advance will enable them to give more people animal organs but many ethical and technical hurdles remain.

    In 2021, surgeons at New York University transplanted kidneys from the same line of genetically modified pigs into two legally dead people with no discernible brain function. The organs were not rejected and functioned normally while the deceased recipients were sustained on ventilators.

    Regulators and ethicists will need to decide what chance of success outweighs the risk of making a person wait for a human organ.

    The FDA were concerned about ensuring that the pigs came from a medical-grade facility and wanted the researchers to transplant the hearts into 10 baboons before moving on to people. And because each transplant into a baboon cost approximately US $500,000, testing multiple combinations would be prohibitively expensive.

    Previous research has found that in baboons that receive pig kidneys, the growth hormone modification causes problems with urine transport. However, they hope to perform a kidney transplant into a person soon if it can get a pig with the proper genetic modifications.

    Non-human primates tend to have antibodies that humans do not, which attack proteins on pig organs and so a lot of work has gone into making the organ suitable for baboons, not people.

    Furthermore, researchers need to be able to study the pig’s heart physiology – whether it will beat at the same rate as a human heart, and whether ill people will react to the transplant in the same way as healthy baboons.

    Dear World

    Are we ready for organs that come from animals – another species that does not have the human biology that is natural for our species or genetic disposition that we have?

    Have we considered everything there is to consider when it comes to accepting another animal’s organ inside the human frame and can we admit that we must ask more serious questions about why and how we have got to this point?

    Is this a solution to the ever growing need for human organ transplants or can we go into reverse, back to the drawing board and make our researchers collectively work together to find out WHY and how anyone depletes and drains the muscle known as the human heart? We can then apply this to our kidneys, liver and lungs.

  51. The American Association for the Advancement of Science AAAS
    13 April 2022

    https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/948916

    Cardiovascular risk factors are associated with an increased risk of depression in older adults, according to a new study by University of Granada, Spain.

    Cardiovascular disease and depression are thought to be closely related due to similar risk factors, including inflammation and oxidative stress.

    The authors concluded that high and very high cardiovascular risk are associated with depressive symptoms, especially in women and that the role of other factors, such as adherence to the Mediterranean Diet deserves further research.

    Dear World

    Do we deserve to know why and how we get any heart dis-ease and WHY and HOW we get depression so we can eliminate it, once and for all?

    It is high time that we send ALL our researchers to collectively work together until they come up with the root cause of why we have cardiovascular disease and depression so prevalent in our world today.

    We need to get to the root cause of all illness and dis-ease, if we are ever going to turn the tides and have a body that has true health and vitality.

  52. American Heart Association News – 14 September 2022

    https://www.heart.org/en/news/2022/09/14/people-with-rheumatoid-arthritis-other-autoimmune-diseases-may-face-greater-risks-after-heart-attack

    Title: People with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Other Autoimmune Diseases May Face Greater Risks After Heart Attack

    After having a heart attack, people with autoimmune disease are more likely than others to die or experience further serious heart problems, including a second heart attack, according to a new research study.

    This study helps fill a gap in what is known about long-term cardiovascular health of people with autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and lupus, researchers say.

    People with autoimmune disease tend to have more traditional cardiovascular risk factors, including High Blood Pressure, Type 2 Diabetes and Kidney Disease. And, because of their autoimmune disease, people typically have chronic inflammation and autoimmune antibodies and commonly use steroid medications, all of which have been associated with higher cardiovascular disease risks.

    “Cholesterol levels are affected by inflammation. Therefore, patients with active inflammatory disease have lower levels of cholesterol, a phenomenon known as the lipid paradox. Physical activity, which is highly recommended to improve cardiovascular outcomes, may be limited by joint pain.”
    Dr. Heba Wassif – lead study author, assistant professor of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of medicine and director of cardio-rheumatology at Cleveland Clinic.

  53. American Heart Association – 31 October 2022

    https://newsroom.heart.org/news/heart-disease-death-rates-spiked-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-erasing-years-of-progress

    Heart disease death rates rose significantly in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, erasing years of progress. The increase in the death rate from heart disease represents five years of lost progress among all adults and about 10 years of lost progress among Black adults and younger adults.

    “The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many aspects of daily life, including access to preventative healthcare, which may have led to delays in detecting and treating heart disease. We expected to see an increase in heart disease death rates among adults, however the magnitude of the increase was striking.” says Rebecca C. Woodruff, Ph.D., M.P.H., an epidemiologist at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

    Other factors associated with the pandemic lockdown, such as lack of physical activity, increased smoking and increased alcohol use, all contributed to the higher cardiovascular death rates,” said American Heart Association President Michelle A. Albert, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, the Walter A. Haas-Lucie Stern Endowed Chair in Cardiology and Professor of Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco.

    M.D. Doctor of Medicine
    M.P.H. Master of Public Health (an interdisciplinary graduate degree)
    F.A.C.C. Fellow of the American College of Cardiology
    F.A.H.A. Fellow of the American Heart Association

  54. News Medical – 31 October 2022

    https://www.news-medical.net/news/20221031/Research-finds-a-significant-increase-in-stroke-incidence-in-those-younger-than-55-years.aspx

    Research finds a significant increase in stroke incidence in those younger than 55 years

    New research – funded by the Medical Research Foundation – has shown a sharp increase in the incidence of stroke in young adults, in a study of more than 94,000 people in Oxfordshire.

    Stroke is a major health problem that can have devastating consequences. It happens when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, causing the death of brain cells and dysfunction in one or more parts of the brain. The restricted blood supply can be the result of an artery supplying blood to brain becoming blocked, a blood vessel rupturing causing a bleed inside the brain or a brief reduction in the blood supply to the brain.

    Findings from this new study, which analysed the rate of new stroke cases over the last 20 years, reflect emerging evidence that young stroke is a growing problem in high-income countries.

    The traditional view is that vascular risk factors, such as High Blood Pressure, Diabetes and Obesity play a minor role in young stroke, but recent studies have begun to contradict this view.

    A doctor’s research – from the University of Oxford – focuses on multiple types of stroke, such as Ischemic strokes, caused by a blockage of arteries, ‘mini-strokes’ (transient ischemic attacks) and bleeding in the brain (intracerebral haemorrhage and sub arachnoid haemorrhage).

    They found that between 2002-2010 and 2010-2018, there was a
    67% increase in stroke incidence among younger adults (under 55 years) between 2002-2010 and 2010-2018.

    Among young people who had a stroke, there was a significant increase in the proportion who were in more skilled occupations, particularly for professional or managerial jobs. This could suggest a role for work-related stress, low physical activity, and long working hours, each of which were more strongly associated with risk of stroke than heart attack.

    The prevalence of traditional vascular risk factors in young people with stroke was also high, emphasising the importance of identifying and managing these risk factors.

    A linked paper in the current October issue of JAMA Neurology, by the same authors, showed similar divergent trends across high-income countries in the 21st century, with a fall in incidence at older ages not being seen at younger ages.

    One of the researchers of this paper said: “Our study shows a worrying rise in young stroke cases across Oxfordshire, reflecting a similar picture across other high-income countries.”

    He said: “Establishing the importance of known risk factors in young stroke will help to raise general awareness of the need for better control. We also need better ways of identifying young people at high risk of stroke, as current risk models are based on predictors of stroke in older people.”

    The Chief Executive of the Medical Research Foundation, said: “Historically, we’ve thought of stroke as only affecting older adults, but studies like this suggest a growing problem in young adults. Strokes in young adults can have a huge impact, often occurring when they are starting a family or already have young children to look after, and have yet to reach the peak of their careers. The economic, social and personal consequences can be devastating. More research needs to be done to increase understanding of the causes of young stroke and the best ways of preventing it.”

  55. American Heart Association – 11 January 2023

    https://newsroom.heart.org/news/feeling-loved-optimistic-or-happy-as-a-teen-may-lead-to-better-health-in-adulthood

    The way teenagers, especially Black youth feel about their lives may impact their cardiometabolic health risks as adults, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

    Research Highlights

    Teenagers who reported feeling optimism, happiness, self-esteem, belongingness and loved were more likely to reach their 20s and 30s in good cardiometabolic health compared to teenagers with fewer of these positive psychological assets.

    The association was especially strong among Black youth.

    Fostering positive psychological assets in teenagers may help prevent cardiometabolic disease in adulthood and may also play a role in addressing health inequities.

    “We learned a lot in the last few decades about the impact of discrimination and other social risks youth of colour face that may explain their elevated rates of cardiometabolic disease, however, much less attention is paid to the inherent strengths they possess and the ways those strengths may be leveraged to advance health equity.”
    Farah Qureshi, Sc.D., M.H.S., – Assistant Professor at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore.

  56. Vanderbilt University – 25 January 2023

    Study Finds Heart Failure Risk Higher in Rural Areas

    https://news.vumc.org/2023/01/25/study-finds-heart-failure-risk-higher-in-rural-areas/

    According to a study, heart failure risk is –
    19% higher for adults living in rural areas of the U.S., as compared to urban areas and
    34% higher for Black men living in rural areas.

    The study is one of the first to look at the link between first-time cases of heart failure and patients living in rural areas.

    The study demonstrates the relationship between rurality and the occurrence of heart failure and is the first to do so in a predominantly low-income population of Black and White adults residing in the south eastern U.S.

    Researchers analysed data comparing rates of new onset heart failure among rural and urban residents in 12 states.

    27,115 adults without heart failure at enrolment, was followed for about 13 years.
    20% of participants lived in rural areas
    69% were Black adults recruited from community health centres that care for medically underserved populations.

    At the end of the study period, the researchers found that rurality was associated with an increased risk of heart failure among both women and Black men, even after adjustment for other cardiovascular risk factors and socioeconomic status.

    The study showed
    White women living in rural areas had a 22% increased risk of heart failure compared to white women in urban areas, and
    Black women had an 18% higher risk compared to Black women in urban areas.

    No association was found between rurality and heart failure risk among White men.

    Heart failure, which affects an estimated
    6.5 million adults in the U.S. are affected by Heart failure.

    Patients with heart failure often have lower quality of life and shorter survival.

  57. British Medical Journal – 1 February 2023

    https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/pregnancy-complications-linked-to-long-term-increased-heart-disease-risk/

    Pregnancy complications linked to long-term increased heart disease risk.

    Women who have experienced any of five major pregnancy complications, such as preterm birth and pre-eclampsia, show an increased risk of Ischemic Heart Disease up to 46 years after delivery, according to a new study from Sweden, published in the British Medical Journal.

    The researchers say all major adverse pregnancy outcomes should be recognised as lifelong risk factors for Ischemic Heart Disease and women should be offered appropriate care to help prevent its development.

    Adverse pregnancy outcomes have been linked with higher future risks of Heart Disease. But although nearly a third of women experience an adverse pregnancy outcome during their reproductive years, few studies have examined more than one outcome in the same group of women, preventing any firm conclusions to be drawn.

    The researchers identified 2,195,266 women in Sweden with no history of Heart Disease who gave birth to a single live infant between 1973 and 2015 at an average age of 27.

    Using nationwide medical records, they then tracked cases of Ischemic Heart Disease from delivery date to December 2018 (average follow-up time 25 years, up to maximum of 46 years).

    The five major adverse pregnancy outcomes of interest were:

    • Pre-term delivery (less than 37 weeks gestation)
    • Small for gestational age at birth
    • Pre-eclampsia
    • Other blood pressure disorders of pregnancy
    • Gestational diabetes

    This is an observational study so the researchers cannot establish cause and they cannot rule out the possibility that Ischemic Heart Disease was under-reported or that unreported maternal smoking, obesity or other risk factors during pregnancy may have affected their results.

  58. Eurekalert – 23rd February 2023

    Lifelong Bachelors Face Poorest Prognosis with Heart Failure.

    https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/980474

    According to a new study, men who never married were more than twice as likely to die within five years of heart failure compared with women of any marital status or men who were previously married.

    Lifelong bachelors were about 2.2 times more likely to die than men who were married, but men who were widowed, divorced or separated did not have an increased risk of death compared with married men. Marital status was not a significant predictor of death among women.

    The study offers new evidence that a person’s gender and marital status can influence their heart disease risk and prognosis.

    Heart failure, when the heart muscle becomes too weak or stiff to pump blood to the body effectively, is a leading cause of cardiovascular illness and death and currently affects over 6 million people in the U.S.

    Research based on data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis – a prospective study of 6,800 American adults between 45-84 years old.

    Among the 94 study participants with heart failure at year 10 of the study, researchers compared survival rates from the time of heart failure diagnosis by gender and marital status over an average follow-up period of 4.7 years.

    Potential drivers could include social interaction or isolation, which can play an important role in mood and overall health, access to caregiver support for help with home health monitoring, medication adherence and transportation to medical appointments; or differences in health behaviours such as diet, exercise and alcohol intake.

    To separate the role of marital status from other known risk factors, researchers adjusted for age to account for the naturally elevated rate of death among older people and mood status to account for the known impacts of depression and other mood disorders on heart failure survival.

    There is no cure for heart failure, but medications, dietary modifications and regular physical activity can help patients live longer and reduce common symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue and swelling.

    It seems that the advice given here is pretty much common sense and should, in truth, be the way we live before the heart disease starts to take a stronger hold.

    But what if we need to look a bit deeper, what if we need to look at illness and disease in another way?

    What if illness and disease is something that we have more to do with than we could ever imagine?

    Is it possible that illness and disease, instead of coming ‘to’ us comes ‘from’ us?

    Instead of us ‘getting’ an illness or disease, is it possible that all illnesses and diseases:

    • starts with us
    • starts with the way we live our lives
    • starts with our behaviours
    • starts with our mindset
    • starts with our attitudes
    • starts with our beliefs

    I have a heart condition which is called Atrial Fibrillation (AF).

    The British Heart Foundation says that AF is a common abnormal heart rhythm or arrhythmia. It causes your heart to beat abnormally, which might feel like your heart is fluttering.

    AF means the top chambers of your heart (the atria) quiver or twitch, which is known as fibrillation. If this happens your heart may beat irregularly, with no set pattern.

    https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/atrial-fibrillation

    If all illness and disease comes from us, is it possible then that my AF is due to me not being willing to open my heart fully to everyone?

    Is it possible that my AF is due to me not fully expressing my love outwardly and inwardly?

    Is all heart disease simply a contraction of our innate love that we choose to keep locked up inside of us?

    I know for me the above is true and although I have no outward symptoms of my AF, (apart from feeling the irregularity of my pulse when I check it), I know it is still there which means I am still not willing to open myself up to others in full.

  59. ESC – European Society of Cardiology – 25 August 2023

    Cluster of slightly unhealthy traits linked with earlier Heart Attack and Stroke

    https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/Cluster-of-slightly-unhealthy-traits-linked-with-earlier-heart-attack-and-stroke

    Middle-aged adults with 3 or more unhealthy traits including slightly high waist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose have heart attacks and strokes two years earlier than their peers. Having these conditions is known as metabolic syndrome.

    31% of the global population has metabolic syndrome.

    Previous studies have shown that people with metabolic syndrome are at higher risk of Diabetes, Heart Disease, Stroke and premature death.

    This study investigated the link between asymptomatic metabolic syndrome and midlife and cardiovascular disease and death up to three decades later.

    34,269 adults in their 40’s and 50’s who attended a cardiovascular screening program in 1990 to 1999 were enrolled.

    Participants had a clinical examination which included measurements of height, weight, blood pressure, total cholesterol, blood glucose and waist and hip circumference.

    During a median follow-up of 27 years –
    26% with metabolic syndrome died compared with those without metabolic syndrome. They were 30% more likely to die during follow-up than their counterparts without metabolic syndrome.

    Non-fatal cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction and/or stroke) occurred in 32% with metabolic syndrome.

  60. News Medical – 9 September 2023

    https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230909/Research-shines-light-on-early-life-factors-that-may-increase-risk-of-cardiovascular-disease-in-women.aspx

    Advanced research is casting light on possible early life factors, including poverty, physical or mental abuse that may impact the rate of egg loss and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in post-menopausal women.

    Cardiovascular Disease is especially associated with an accelerated loss of ovarian reserve and early onset menopause or in women who have had both ovaries surgically removed to reduce other medical risks such as ovarian cancer.

    It is the biggest killer of women globally primarily through strokes and heart attacks and it is also a major cause of morbidity and death among men.

    Cardiovascular disease risk is increasing in women, along with earlier age at onset.

    Women who experience early menopause in their 40s are at a much higher risk of developing heart disease later in life compared with women who go through natural menopause in their 50s or later.

    Oestrogen deficiency through and after menopause was associated with cardiovascular disease risk primarily through metabolic changes including redistribution of body fat, alteration of lipids and increased blood pressure.

    “These risks are somewhat reduced with oestrogen replacement but we believe that some common underlying mechanisms lead to both lower ovarian reserve and increased cardiovascular disease risk.”
    Professor Marcelle Cedars, Past President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Director of Reproductive Endocrinology – University of California San Francisco.

  61. American Heart Association – 19 September 2023

    Job strain combined with high efforts and low reward doubled men’s heart disease risk

    https://newsroom.heart.org/news/job-strain-combined-with-high-efforts-and-low-reward-doubled-mens-heart-disease-risk

    According to American Heart Association statistics, Heart Disease is the No.1 cause of death in the US.

    2020
    383,000 Americans died of Heart Disease.

    Research has shown that psychosocial stressors – job strain and effort-reward imbalance at work may increase Heart Disease risk.

    The study found:

    • Men who said they experienced either job strain or effort-reward imbalance had a 49% increase in risk of Heart Disease.

    • Men reporting both job strain and effort-reward imbalance were at twice the risk of Heart Disease compared with men who did not say they were experiencing the combined stressors.

    • In men, the impact of job strain and effort-reward imbalance combined was similar to the magnitude of the impact of Obesity on the risk of Coronary Heart Disease.

    The study results suggest that interventions, such as providing support resources, promoting work-life balance, enhancing communication and empowering employees to have more control over their work, could be particularly effective for men and could also have positive implications for women as these stress factors are associated with other prevalent health issues such as Depression.

  62. Diabetes UK – 19 October 2023

    https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2023/oct/common-prescription-drugs-increase-cardiac-arrest-risk-in-people-with-type-2-diabetes.html

    According to new research, common prescription drugs increase cardiac arrest risk in people with Type 2 Diabetes.

    Those that use certain antibiotics, anti-sickness and anti-psychotic drugs are 50% more at risk of having a cardiac arrest, even among those with no previous history of heart disease.

    Prior studies have found that a lack of exercise, high blood pressure and smoking are all factors that can contribute to having a cardiac arrest.

    The study results show that people without heart disease who were taking anti-psychotic medication were 187% more likely to have a cardiac arrest.

    People with Type 2 Diabetes who take prokinetic medication are 66% more likely to have a cardiac arrest, regardless of whether they have heart disease.

    Academics have said that these drugs prolong the heart’s QTc interval – a measurement of the electrical activity linked to the contraction of heart muscle cells.

    Chief author, Peter Harms said “the link with low fasting glucose and antibiotic, antipsychotic and prokinetic medication is less well known”.

    GPs will already be aware that classic cardiovascular disease risk factors such as high blood pressure raise the risk of sudden cardiac arrest in people with Type 2 Diabetes.

    30,000 cardiac arrests occur in the UK outside of hospital.
    1 in 10 of these people survive, according the to the British Heart Foundation.

    Dear World

    What we are being told here is very very serious.

    If a person does not have heart disease and they are prescribed antipsychotic medication they will have a 187% risk of having a cardiac arrest.

    Do we need to get back to the drawing board and ask WHY are we prescribing a medication that has a high chance of someone having their heart stop beating? Prior to them taking the medication they show no signs or history of heart disease.

    We can no longer just accept everything we are given.

    This is a call to Responsibility – we can no longer ignore studies of this kind that are alerting us to be more aware and take note.

  63. British Heart Foundation – 22 January 2024

    https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2024/january/early-heart-disease-deaths-rise-to-14-year-high

    Early heart disease deaths rise to a 14 year high.

    According to a new analysis, people dying before the age of 75 from heart and circulatory diseases has risen to the highest level in over a decade.

    2022
    39,000 people in England died prematurely of cardiovascular conditions including heart attacks, coronary heart disease and stroke.
    750 people each week and the highest annual total since 2008.

    After nearly a decade of slowing progress, recent statistics show that the rate of premature deaths from cardiovascular disease has now increased in England for 3 years back-to-back.

    This is the FIRST TIME there has been a clear reversal in the trend for almost 60 years.

    Dear World

    While we wait for more analysis to understand what is driving the trend, can we apply some common sense questions to work out how and why we are at this point?

    Modern medicine is working hard to keep us alive but something is not working now.

    Is it our lifestyle choices which researchers say is why we have an “increasingly unhealthy population” and what the pandemic has done to the masses, or is there more to consider?

    Could it be possible that the medics simply cannot keep up with our multi symptomatic requests because we are presenting a body that is showing ill signs for different diseases?

    Have we realised that Obesity, high cholesterol and raised blood pressure and Diabetes can all be going on for one person?

    Have we noticed more and more of our younger population are showing symptoms of serious diseases now?

    Note that our stats are always behind and therefore we can confidently assume that 2 years on things have got worse and these numbers quoted will be elevated.
    For those that think not, read the news and check what Is going on around the world.

    We are showing ‘record highs’ in illness and disease like never before yet we are a supposedly so intelligent we can build even grander and greater buildings, go and visit other planets, but not work out the root cause of why and how we have a CLEAR REVERSAL TREND for the first time in 6 decades.

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