Hello World
Today is World Heart Day – 29 September 2019
Part 1 is well worth reading on this website
https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-heart-day-part-1/
The following is from the official website for World Heart Day
World Heart Day Gives People the Power to Be Heart Healthy
Founded in 2000, World Heart Day is an initiative by the World Heart Federation.
It is the world’s biggest platform for raising awareness about Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), including heart disease and stroke.
On and around 29 September, 1000s of activities and events will be organised around the world to spread the word about how we can combat premature mortality caused by Cardiovascular Disease, the world’s number one killer.
This year on World Heart Day, as part of our mission to ensure heart health equity for all…we are asking people all around the world to be Heart Heroes, by making a heart promise to someone they love or care about. A promise to eat more healthily, to get more active, to say no to smoking.
A simple promise…for MY HEART, for YOUR HEART, for ALL OUR HEARTS
2019 World Heart Day Theme – My Heart, Your Heart
This was the same theme in 2018
Cardiovascular Disease is the world’s number one killer today
But it doesn’t need to be this way
By making just a few small changes to our lives, we can reduce our risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as improving our quality of life and setting a good example for the next generation. It’s about saying to yourself, the people you care about and individuals all around the world:
What can I do right now to look after my heart…and your heart? (1)
Hello
Will any mission work if our intent is to actually fight something?
Is combat the real answer we need as a race of beings or is there Another Way to address this number one killer in our world today?
Are these motivational words going to make real lasting changes to us as individuals who are comfortable with life as it is, regardless of the Health3 consequences we face?
NEXT
We have the same theme as last year – is this a sign nothing has changed or have things got worse when it comes to Cardiovascular Disease?
WHY do these World Days not seem to have the knock on effect that we need – in other words making the changes that actually last?
For example – WHY are we not able to keep the promise to eat more healthily or be more active or stop Smoking1?
Is it that Simple or are we struggling because there is more for us to address underneath the surface?
Are our good intentions failing us in some way as our daily movements, which are our behaviours are so entrenched that being a Heart Hero is not possible if we are to be Honest?
Do we want change but don’t know where to start?
For example – is saying no to smoking that easy and if it was how come we have a global Tobacco1 epidemic.
Is real education the answer so that we get a deeper understanding and get to the root cause of why we have any ill behaviour in the first place?
Is this where Simple Living Global are leading the way by presenting forensic articles which in fact are books saying to all of us –
Hello
Time to wake up world, we have a problem, read the stats and the facts and now answer all the questions and see what comes up. The only requirement is that we make sure we start with a big dose of Honesty.
So what makes this website different or unique or whatever name we want to give it?
Could it be possible that the author and those who support the holding of this platform, live in a way that is deeply responsible?
In other words, they walk the talk and talk the walk.
What this means is they are sharing only what they live and nothing more and nothing less.
How they move and the choices they make are by no way perfect but what they do have is a consistency in daily life that ensures it is not about I, me and myself trying to get ahead at the expense of others.
Instead sharing by way of presentation through the skills they have that there is Another Way to live and how they know that is because they choose to live this other way, which goes against the norm of what the masses are subscribing to like unhealthy eating.
So could it be possible that if we live what we present and then share it by writing then another can feel that vibration?
In other words, it is a quality they are feeling and are more likely to listen, take note or pay attention as they are not empty words written by someone who may be saying one thing but not truly living what their words are spelling out to us.
Is this making sense?
Can a website like this offer another the inspiration needed to adjust and make lifestyle changes to reduce our current Cardiovascular Disease statistics?
Is it possible if those presenting like the author of this blog and website have no signs of Cardiovascular Disease on their radar because of how they are living, then we get to feel that on some level in the form of a vibration?
That means whilst we cannot see something tangible, what they express is felt within us because it resonates, as we know deep down that this person is clear of the dis-ease we call Cardiovascular.
Does this make sense?
Cardiovascular Disease
17.9 million deaths each year
85% of these due to Heart Disease and Stroke
23 million deaths predicted by 2030
Along with other non-communicable diseases, Cardiovascular Disease contributes to poverty, particularly in low and middle income countries, due to massive health spending and out of pocket expenditure.
Consequently, Cardiovascular Disease places a heavy burden on the economies of low and middle income countries.
Small lifestyle changes can make a powerful difference to our heart health: 30 minutes of activity a day, giving up smoking2 and eating a healthy diet can help prevent heart disease and stroke.
By sharing knowledge, recommendations and strategies, we can inspire each other to become more heart healthy.
Everyone Has the Right to Heart Health
Looking after our heart means taking small but meaningful action: eating a balanced diet, undertaking regular exercise, reducing alcohol intake, quitting smoking3…all the things that make us not only healthier but also able to enjoy our life to the fullest. (1)
Cardiovascular Disease is the leading cause of Death and Disability in the world today
33% of all deaths because of Cardiovascular Disease (1)
Heart Disease and Stroke
One third of all deaths in Women (2)
Dear World
Can we really afford to skip this section and just see it as some numbers in red, highlighted to make a point or is there more here for us to consider?
To keep it super Simple, our Heart – that muscle that is unique and like no other in our human body is trying to convey something to us and we seem to be ignoring it.
What is our heart telling us?
What is our heart communicating to us about how we are choosing to live?
Are we ignoring it from the start and not living in sync with what it is saying or is it something else?
What happens if we keep asking Questions – will that help?
WHY is Cardiovascular Dis-ease in our body killing us or dis-abling us more than any other illness?
How do we make our heart healthy and continue with the maintenance needed for optimum health?
Who are the leaders who are running the show when it comes to heart health?
Can we track their lifestyles before we jump on the bandwagon?
Can we start with Honesty and look at how we are living that may possibly be contributing to our ill heart health?
If there is a dis-ease in our body – how did it get there and what are we responsible for?
Are we quick off the mark to Blame this, that and the other or are we going to take a deep Stop moment and really reflect on our behaviour, our movements that led to the point where we are at right now that may have contributed to our heart saying “Enough, you have to be stopped, your wayward way of living is off track. Time to re-set”
Possible?
NEXT
We have a real 911 in our world if one third of all deaths are because of Cardiovascular Disease.
Would it be a wise move on behalf of humanity to change direction with all our research scientists and get them working together until they come up with the root cause of Cardiovascular Disease and once we nail it, we get them working on Diabetes and then Cancer and so on, until every illness and disease has the root cause established?
Could that be the answer that would knock out the statistics from escalating any further?
Could this be the way to turn the tides once and for all?
As a race of beings we seem to get excited about new discoveries in outer space and finding ways to travel to the moon and mars but what if we just use our expertise, know how and resources to get this planet sorted, starting with our number one killer – Heart Disease?
We are being asked on World Heart Day to share our knowledge, recommendations and strategies so that we can inspire each other to become more heart healthy.
Can this website help with the volumes of knowledge it has delivered consistently thus far?
Are the answers to become more heart healthy all over this website like a thread weaving through each blog?
Simple Living Global is saying let’s educate humanity and make things real and easy for people to access.
Simple Living Global are big into sharing about health and wellbeing by saying – there is Another Way.
Simple Living Global are building a library of information and presenting a question style commentary for us all to consider by saying – there is Another Way.
Simple Living Global are offering Real education which is simple and accessible to all, giving the facts and the stats.
On that note –
Here are some facts on Cardiovascular Disease
What is Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular Disease is a general term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels.
It’s usually associated with a build-up of fatty deposits inside the arteries (atherosclerosis) and an increased risk of blood clots.
It can also be associated with damage to arteries in organs such as the brain, heart, kidneys and eyes.
It can often largely be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle. (3)
Hello
Before we go any further
Cardiovascular Disease can largely be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle.
So if it is that Simple – how come we are not doing it?
How come we are not sticking to a healthy lifestyle?
How come we are struggling to know what that means?
Who defines what healthy lifestyle actually really is?
Who is it we are seeking to help us with our heart?
Who is the lead kingpin on the topic of heart health?
Who is running the show when it comes to our heart?
When we talk about leading a healthy lifestyle – what pictures come into our head and are they achievable?
Do we find what we want and call that healthy, as it suits us in some way?
Do we have convenient and comfortable truths that we call healthy but we know they are way off the mark?
Do we want the healthy lifestyle but have no intention of making responsible choices that support our body?
Do we want our cake and eat it, pun intended but at the same time want the healthy lifestyle that gives us no illness and disease?
Do we find ourselves comparing with others and checking what they have in the healthy lifestyle department?
Do we have any clue what it means to be truly healthy?
Do we know how to take responsibility for our lifestyle choices and be accountable when things go wrong?
Are we aware that we literally do what we want and ignore the human body because the health system is there at the end of the road to look after us?
Are we pretending that healthy is all the things we want it to be and we always find what we are seeking?
Example – we find a Diet that is called healthy and it comes with the added comfort we are seeking like Alcohol in the desserts and all the foods we still want to eat, so we don’t really have to change anything.
Back to more facts…
Types of Cardiovascular Disease
There are many different types of Cardiovascular Disease
Here are four of the main types –
1) Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease occurs when the flow of oxygen rich blood to the heart muscle is blocked or reduced.
This puts an increased strain on the heart and can lead to:
|
chest pain caused by restricted blood flow to the heart muscle |
|
where the blood flow to the heart muscle is suddenly blocked |
|
where the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly (3) |
Symptoms of a Heart Attack include:
- pain or discomfort in the centre of the chest
- pain or discomfort in the arms, the left shoulder, elbows, jaw or back
- difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath
- feeling sick or vomiting
- feeling light-headed or faint
- breaking into a cold sweat
- becoming pale
Women are more likely to have shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting and back or jaw pain. (3)
Sudden Cardiac Death
Also known as Cardiac Arrest – the result of electrical problems that cause heart to stop beating.
A sudden, unexpected loss of heart function results in an equally sudden loss of breathing and consciousness. One cause of a sudden cardiac arrest is a heart attack.
| 42.4% |
No prior knowledge of coronary artery disease, died of cardiac arrest Showed signs of having prior silent heart attack
|
2) Strokes and TIAs
A stroke is where the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off, which can cause brain damage and possible death.
A transient ischaemic attack (also called a TIA or “mini stroke”) is similar, but the blood flow to the brain is only temporarily disrupted.
The main symptoms of a stroke or TIA can be remembered with the word FAST, which stands for:
| Face |
the face may have dropped on one side, the person may be unable to smile or their mouth or eye may have dropped. |
| Arms | the person may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of arm weakness or numbness in one arm. |
| Speech | their speech may be slurred or garbled, or they may not be able to talk at all |
| Time | time to dial 999 / 911 emergency immediately if you see these signs or symptoms (3) |
The following 4 points are from the World Health Organization
- Heart attacks and strokes are usually acute events and are mainly caused by a blockage that prevents blood from flowing to the heart or brain.
- The most common reason for this is a build-up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the blood vessels that supply the heart or brain.
- Often, there are no symptoms of the underlying disease of the blood vessels.
- A heart attack or stroke may be the first warning of underlying disease. (4)
Dear World
The World Health Organization is giving us some information so we need to pay attention – so
WHY are we not asking more Questions?
WHY are we not demanding more answers?
Is it because we have simply accepted what we get told?
Can we demand to know what causes these acute events that cause a blockage, which means blood is prevented from reaching our heart and brain?
Can we be Honest about how those fatty deposits build up on the inner walls of our blood vessels?
Could it be possible that we may have no symptoms that are physical but if we were connected to our body, we would feel that SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT?
Is it possible that our lack of connection –
our dis-connection to our body stops us feeling what we need to feel and this may be a contributory factor why we have no awareness of any underlying dis-ease?
Can we stop relying on all the information that is currently bombarding us and get back to the drawing board and start with asking some Simple Questions like –
Does my High Blood Pressure contribute to why I am at high risk of a heart attack?
Does my fatty food choices have something to do with my dodgy heart issues?
Does my lack of exercise and couch potato lifestyle have something to do with my heart condition?
Does my consistent comfort eating used to bury my issues have anything to do with the dis-ease I feel in my heart?
Does my heart that wants to love everyone shut down when I meet another as I am full of hurts?
Does my inability to change my behaviours towards others have something to do with why I have heart problems?
Does my lack of Expression where I never say how I truly feel have an effect on my tender heart?
Does my super sensitivity that I cover up, acting like I am ok eventually chip away at my precious heart?
Does my undealt with past stuff have anything to do with why my heart-aches every single day?
Does my inability to let go of past hurts continue to add a heaviness to my aching heart?
Does my hard thoughts and denigration of myself cause my heart to shut down slowly every day?
Does my heart get a pounding with the force I choose to live with every single day?
Does my poverty way of thinking disturb the blood flow to my heart in every moment?
Does my high flashy lifestyle with all the trimmings and complications have something to do with my painful heart?
Does my competitive “I have to be top dog” affect my precious heart more than I care to realise?
Does my need to over-exercise pushing my body beyond its natural limit have an affect on my heart?
Does my relationship which is full of tension have some affect on my heart?
Does my Loneliness symptoms contribute to my heart deteriorating slowly without me being aware?
Does my work life pressures add to my existing Blood Pressure condition and this continues to affect my heart?
Does my constant anxious way of living a Double Life take its toll on my heart?
Does my life in the Fast Lane consistently add to my out of rhythm heart but ignoring that fact is easier?
Does my choice to not Stop and pause to give myself a moment of rest have an ill effect on my heart?
3) Peripheral Arterial Disease
Peripheral Arterial Disease occurs when there’s a blockage in the arteries to the limbs, usually the legs.
This can cause:
- dull or cramping leg pain, which is worse when walking and gets better with rest
- hair loss on the legs and feet
- numbness or weakness in the legs
- persistent ulcers (open sores) on the feet and legs
4) Aortic Disease
Aortic diseases are a group of conditions affecting the aorta. This is the largest blood vessel in the body, which carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
One of the most common aortic diseases is an aortic aneurysm, where the aorta becomes weakened and bulges outwards.
This doesn’t usually have any symptoms, but there’s a chance it could burst and cause life-threatening bleeding.
Cause of Cardiovascular Disease
The exact cause of Cardiovascular Disease is not clear, but there are lots of things that can increase our risk of getting it. These are called “risk factors”.
The more risk factors we have, the greater our chances of developing Cardiovascular Disease.
The main risk factors for Cardiovascular Disease are outlined below:
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) is one of the most important risk factors for Cardiovascular Disease. If our blood pressure is too high it can damage our blood vessels.
For more education and awareness about High Blood Pressure, also known as Hypertension – read our article on this website
https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-hypertension-day/
Smoking and other tobacco use is also a significant risk factor for Cardiovascular Disease. The harmful substances in tobacco can damage and narrow our blood vessels.
For the record – on this website
Simple Living Global has published the full book – The Real Truth about Tobacco
the facts and the stats are presented about the harmfull effects of Tobacco
https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-3/
High Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in the blood. If we have high cholesterol, it can cause our blood vessels to narrow and increases our risk of developing a blood clot.
For the record and in line with what we have presented thus far with our Real Truth series on this website – there will be an article published in 2020 called The Real Truth about Cholesterol.
Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes our blood sugar level to become too high.
High blood sugar levels can damage the blood vessels, making them more likely to become narrowed.
Many people with Type 2 Diabetes are also overweight or Obese, which is also a risk factor for Cardiovascular Disease. (3)
For more education and awareness about Diabetes – read our forensic article on this website
https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-diabetes-day/
Inactivity
Physical Inactivity – a Global Public Health Problem
3.2 million deaths each year attributable to insufficient physical activity (6)
World Health Organization
If we don’t exercise regularly, it’s more likely that we will have High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol levels and be Overweight. All of these are risk factors for Cardiovascular Disease.
Exercising regularly keeps our heart healthy. When combined with a healthy diet, exercise can also help us maintain a healthy weight. (3)
Hello Hello
We are being told that over 3 million people did not have to die if physical activity was on their lifestyle agenda AND not doing any physical activity is now a GLOBAL HEALTH PROBLEM.
So if we join the dots and keep it Simple
Is this telling us that not moving physically has consequences?
Does that mean that our movements are important?
If we received education and understanding about the value of moving our body – would that change anything?
Is it really about will power and all the other things that get thrown at us or is there something else stopping us?
Is it motivation we lack or is there an underlying reason that we are not fully aware of that stops us moving?
Are we fed images non-stop about what healthy is and what exercises we need to do and it all feels too much?
Are we too busy wanting a Perfect Life as Social Media keeps throwing us more images but we end up doing nothing when it comes to exercise?
Are we in the category of ‘exercise is on the list’ but it never seems to happen, as there just isn’t any time for that?
Being Overweight or Obese
Being Overweight or Obese increases our risk of developing Diabetes and High Blood Pressure.
We’re at increased risk of Cardiovascular Disease if
- our body mass index (BMI) is 25 or above
- we are a man with a waist measurement of 94cm (about 37 inches) or more, or a woman with a waist measurement of 80cm (about 31.5 inches) or more. (3)
If we are being honest –
Are we eating away in front of a screen and not even clocking it so we just want to eat even more?
Are we Fooling ourselves when deep down we do know how we put on the surplus fat that hangs out with us every day and never goes away?
What would happen if we were presented with the facts and the stats about Obesity with an understanding and no judgement?
Look no further – Simple Living Global are on the front foot and have delivered this tablet of Truth ready to read and consider – https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-obesity/
Family History of Cardiovascular Disease
If you have a family history of Cardiovascular Disease, your risk of developing it is also increased.
We are considered to have a family history of Cardiovascular Disease if either:
- our father or brother were diagnosed with Cardiovascular Disease before they were 55
- our mother or sister were diagnosed with Cardiovascular Disease before they were 65
We are advised to tell our doctor or nurse if we have a family history of Cardiovascular Disease. They may suggest checking our blood pressure and cholesterol level.
When we say a family history of Cardiovascular Disease
Could it be possible that if our movements are similar to our parents – in other words our behaviour is just like they are, we may end up with the same ill or dis-ease in our body AND we never bother to Question it as it’s easy to simply accept it.
What if we stop operating in the same way as other family members and changed our lifestyle choices?
Could that then alter the direction we are going to end up?
In other words, our movements are not the same or similar and so we may not develop the increased risk of Cardiovascular Disease.
Is this making sense?
Other Risk Factors
Other factors that affect our risk of developing Cardiovascular Disease include:
- age – Cardiovascular Disease is most common in people over 50 and our risk of developing it increases as we get older.
- gender – men are more likely to develop Cardiovascular Disease at an earlier age than women
- diet – an unhealthy diet can lead to High Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure
- alcohol – excessive alcohol consumption can also increase our cholesterol and blood pressure levels and contribute to weight gain. (3)
There has been enough stuff out there telling us about risk factors that contribute to our heart and that includes what we eat and drink.
Our diet speaks volumes and we blame the food industry and just about anything out there but we never stop to think we have a hand in what goes into our mouth
What is it about us that gets told to cut the fat, cut the sugar, cut the Stress and yet we go about ‘business as usual’ making no changes and then popping pills for Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure?
What is it about us that can’t be bothered to take the medication and this leads to even more issues for our overworked medical systems to deal with?
What is it about us that simply does not want to take Responsibility for the lifestyle choices we are making?
NEXT
Alcohol is a scientific proven poison and is not for human consumption.
There is now research confirming there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/alcohol-drinking-no-safe-level-health-heart-disease-cancer-study-a8505181.html
We would never give a child poison so WHY would we make that choice for our own body?
What is it that makes us ignore the facts and continue drinking alcohol because we can?
What if we read the Real Truth about Alcohol on this website and note for the record that it is ranking at the top when we research Google?
https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-alcohol/
What if we then read every single comment on the Alcohol blog and consider the Questions being presented?
What if we just stop at the above points and never spend another drop of public money to research what we all know and have known since day dot?
Global Cardiovascular Disease Death Rates
2017
Africa
1,254,000
East Mediterranean
1,195,000
Europe
4,584,000
South East Asia
3,616,000
The Americas
1,944,000
Western Pacific
4,735,000 (2)
GLOBAL
The number of overweight or obese infants and young children rose from
32 million – 1990
41 million – 2016 (7)
Atherosclerosis – clogged arteries – starts in childhood and is more likely with a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet. Exposure to these behaviours throughout life increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, so prevention should begin in childhood. Yet children are sitting more, eating processed foods and Obesity is becoming the norm…
Advocating the choice of healthy foods and greater activity is essential to halt the Obesity crisis in Brazil and worldwide and stop needless deaths from heart attack and stroke.
Dr Karine Turke, ABC Medical School, Sāo Paulo, Brazil (7)
To prevent Cardiovascular Disease, children and adolescents are advised to do physical activity every day and limit sedentary time.
Parents should create an environment that promotes these behaviours and be role models.
Healthy lifelong eating habits must be encouraged such as family meals, eating breakfast and limiting Fast Foods.
Professor Dalton Précoma – Scientific Chair, Brazilian Congress of Cardiology 2019 (7)
Hello
WE HAVE A 911
Our children were not born overweight but now they are?
What are we doing as parents and custodians of our kids?
Where is our Responsibility?
What is missing and what can we do and not do?
How do children end up with a sedentary lifestyle?
WHY is Obesity becoming the norm everywhere?
WHY are we giving our children unhealthy diets?</span
WHY are children sitting more eating processed foods?
WHY are we not making the choices to support them?
Is this where the real problem is?
Cardiovascular Disease is no longer just a health issue but a major economic burden
$863 Billion – Global Cost in 2010
$1,044 Billion – Global Cost predicted for 2030 (8)
Together We Can Help People Live Longer, Better, More Healthy Lives
80% of premature deaths from Cardiovascular Disease could be avoided if FOUR MAIN risk factors – tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol were controlled. (1)
Hello – this is worth re-reading
80% is a huge number.
It is telling us we do not have to die early from Cardiovascular Disease if we make the choices to avoid Tobacco2, Alcohol and start eating healthy and getting some movement going – in other words exercise?
WHY stop at trying to control – why not make small steps every single day that puts us back on track to a healthy life?
WHY not read the forensic articles on this website about Tobacco3 and Alcohol which may inspire as well as offer some education about these toxic harmfull substances that are not for human consumption.
6 million people killed a year due to tobacco use
10% of Cardiovascular Disease estimated to be caused by this
600,000 people killed every year due to exposure to second hand smoke
28% are children
2 years of stopping smoking – the risk of coronary heart disease is substantially reduced.
15 years the risk of Cardiovascular Disease returns to that of a non-smoker
The Burden of Cardiovascular Disease CAN be Reduced
But We Must All Act Now
Individuals must take control of their own heart health, sharing the power by understanding their own and their families’ risk of Cardiovascular Disease and acting to improve it.
Governments and Ministries of Health must accurately understand the scale of the problem by investing in Cardiovascular Disease surveillance and monitoring.
Countries should also implement population-wide interventions to reduce Cardiovascular Disease, including:
- comprehensive Tobacco1 control policies
- taxes to reduce the intake of foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt
- walking and cycle paths to increase physical activity
- strategies to reduce harmful use of Alcohol
- healthy school meals for children (1)
At the individual level, for prevention of first heart attacks and strokes, individual health-care interventions need to be targeted to those at high total cardiovascular risk or those with single risk factor levels above traditional thresholds, such as Hypertension and hypercholesterolemia.
The former approach is cost-effective than the latter and has the potential to substantially reduce cardiovascular events. This approach is feasible in primary care in low-resource settings, including by non-physician health workers.
For secondary prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in those with established disease, including Diabetes, treatment with the following medications are necessary:
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors
- Aspirin
- Beta-blockers
- Statins
The benefits of these interventions are largely independent but when used together with smoking cessation, nearly 75% of recurrent vascular events may be prevented. Currently there are major gaps in the implementation of these interventions particularly at the primary health care level.
In addition, costly surgical operations are sometimes required to treat Cardiovascular Diseases. They include:
- Artificial heart operations
- Balloon angioplasty (where a small balloon like device is threaded through an artery to open the blockage)
- Coronary artery bypass
- Heart transplantation
- Valve repair and replacement
Medical devices are required to treat some Cardiovascular Diseases.
Such devices include pacemakers, prosthetic valves and patches for closing holes in the heart. (4)
So we get told we can reduce the burden of Cardiovascular Disease and we as individuals must take control of our own heart health.
Why are we then waiting for governments to do something or change the policies and the laws?
What if those in the big seats making decisions on behalf of us are smokers themselves and or drink a glass or two of poison every day that we call alcohol – how does that work?
What if strategies need to come from those who walk the talk and talk the walk?
In other words, these people need to show us at least a 10 year track record of healthy living and lifestyle choices that do not have Tobacco2 or Alcohol or Fast Foods in their body.
What if it is these healthy people then go into schools and support meals for children that will not leave their digestive systems overloaded with sugar and fat that requires enormous amounts of energy to process?
What if we don’t wait for a walking path to increase our physical activity as we can literally walk anywhere as long as we do not find Excuses?
What if no amount of taxes to reduce high fat, sugar and salt is going to cut it and we all know that?
What if we make the movement to read the following blogs and answer ALL the Questions being presented
Diabetes
Heart – Part 1
High Blood Pressure
Junk Foods
Obesity
Let us not delude ourselves any further with everything that we read out there and take matters into our own hands to the best of our ability.
Let us start with a deep Appreciation for the medical world and all that it brings.
Let us then listen up and take note of those, like the author of this monumental website on true health and wellbeing and consider what they are presenting.
Let us stop the Blame game and start with a big dose of Honesty by saying SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.
Let us learn once again how to open our hearts so we can discern for ourselves what feels true and what is not.
Let us know that our heart can guide us back to our true way of living and for now it is all we need to Focus on.
Finally –
take a moment to read and re-read what this wisdom is presenting to us
Love is a two-way street, not a one-way valley.
This teaching reveals the truth about all ill vascular conditions. Ill conditions that are, with regard to our species, thousands of years old. They are not a modern dilemma. We are to express love to others and, allow love, their love, to come back and be accepted in full.
Serge Benhayon – Esoteric Teachings & Revelations Volume II, p.471
What is this wise man of our time teaching us?
Do we get it or is it too much for us to consider?
What if the answer is here for those of us who are asking Questions and want to get to the root cause of why we have any form of heart condition or dis-ease relating to our vascular system?
What if somewhere deep inside us – we already know this to be true?
WHY have we made our life a one-way valley when it comes to matters of the heart?
What will it take to turn the tides once and for all and make Love a two-way street, so we not only express love out but equally allow it in?
Is this what is missing when it comes to our human heart?
References
(1) World Heart Day 2019. World Heart Federation. Retrieved September 26, 2019 from
https://www.world-heart-federation.org/world-heart-day/world-heart-day-2019/
(2) (2017, May 16). Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) – Global Facts and Figures. World Heart Federation. Retrieved September 27, 2019 from
https://www.world-heart-federation.org/resources/cardiovascular-diseases-cvds-global-facts-figures/
(3) (2018, September 17). Cardiovascular Disease. NHS. Retrieved September 26, 2019 from
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cardiovascular-disease/
(4) (2017, May 17). Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs). World Health Organization. Retrieved September 18, 2019 from
https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds)
(5) Howard, J. (2019, July 11). Many Sudden Cardiac Deaths Linked to Prior Silent Heart Attacks, Study Says. CNN. Retrieved September 24, 2019 from
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/10/health/heart-attack-sudden-cardiac-death-study/index.html
(6) (n.d). Physical Inactivity: A Global Public Health Problem. World Health Organization. Retrieved September 23, 2019 from
https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_inactivity/en/
(7) (2019, September 21). Tackling Cardiovascular Deaths Requires Urgent Action in Children. Scienmag. Retrieved September 23, 2019 from
https://scienmag.com/tackling-cardiovascular-deaths-requires-urgent-action-in-children/
(8) (n.d). The Costs of Cardiovascular Disease. World Heart Federation. Retrieved September 17, 2019 from
http://www.championadvocates.org/en/champion-advocates-programme/the-costs-of-cvd
Comments 21
CNN Health – 17 June 2019
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/17/health/heart-disease-dementia-study/index.html
A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found patients who receive a diagnosis of coronary heart disease are at higher risk for cognitive decline later on in life.
In other words, as the title of this news story says – Heart Disease can have a long-term impact on the brain.
This study adds to the increasing body of literature that showcases how the heart and brain work together.
What is important to note is the study is saying medications are a huge factor and that means that could have an impact on how it affects the brain.
Dr. Neelum Aggarwal, a cognitive neurologist, not involved in the study says “even miniscule differences in cognitive function can result in a substantially increased risk of dementia over several years.”
She adds that often patients do not mention to their physicians about their memory concerns and encourages doctors and patients to go over medications so that they are taken as prescribed. Also to address other possible causes like mood and sleep and talk about lifestyle changes that can have a positive effect on overall health.
She advocates that what is good for your heart is good for your head.
If we keep things simple and not become a scientist, professional academic or some kind of medic – can we have another take on this that may not yet have been considered?
This blog and Part 1 in our series about the Heart are presenting facts, stats and plenty of questions for us all to consider.
https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-heart-day-part-1/
What if our heart does have an intelligence and is super precious and the central head office, so to speak of our entire being and human frame. What if this unique muscle senses everything from day dot and holds the memory of absolutely everything, every single movement we make from the first breath as we came into this world? What if ?
Is any form of dis-ease in the body simply saying we are not at ease inside our body hence the dis-ease?
Is this coming across as way too simple or not complicated enough to validate it as a question for those who are the intelligent ones amongst us?
What we do know is heart dis-ease remains our number one killer across the world and that in itself says there is something about our heart that we are not nailing – in other words looking after for optimum health.
What if our behaviour is going against the very thing our heart wants, which is simply to be in harmony with its natural state – nothing more and nothing less?
What if our lifestyle choices are not bringing a state of stable equilibrium to any of our internal organs, which includes our heart?
What if our head dominates and makes the choice to over-ride our initial first sense of something and this over the years leads to a dis-ease with our heart?
What if this head of ours continues to make ill choices and harms the body – the vehicle it is supposedly to look after until the last breath?
What if we give up once we have the heart condition, heart disease, heart attack or any other heart related illness?
In other words, we switch our mind off and stop the innate connection that we could have with our body.
What if science would benefit from exploring these types of questions and basing research in the future on this as it may hold the key to WHY and HOW we have got to this point?
Science Magazine – 24 September 2019
https://scienmag.com/veterans-with-mental-health-conditions-have-higher-risk-of-heart-disease-stroke/
New research published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes and American Heart Association journal.
Title: Veterans with Mental Health Conditions have Higher Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke
Veterans with specific mental health disorders – depression, psychosis and bipolar disorder had an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and death from cardiovascular disease according to this new study.
The link between mental illness and cardiovascular disease is well established.
In this study, researchers assessed veterans at risk for major heart disease and stroke events and death associated with depression, anxiety, PTSD, psychosis and bipolar disorder.
Data analysis included from more than 1.6 million veterans age 45 to 80.
The full details of this study can be found on the link above.
If we simply join the dots and keep it simple, we could say that there is a link between veterans and their mental health and this affects their heart in some way.
Have we considered the impact of war and what it does to a human being?
Are we as humans designed to fight other humans on this planet?
Can the tension created inside our body from combat affect mental health?
Are we equipped to deal with forces coming at us or do we just toughen up?
Does our heart have to brace itself against these forces and so it hardens?
Does our heart have an intelligence that we have yet to consider in all of this?
As a world we seem to be driven to keep researching and this is good but is there more we now need to consider and ask questions about?
WHY have we got our veterans having mental health conditions?
WHY are these veterans at risk for major heart disease and stroke?
Until we get to the WHY – are we simply circulating around without getting close to the root cause of WHY this is happening in the first place?
This blog and this website are presenting some serious and very valuable questions for us all to ponder deeply on as SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.
This website is saying THERE IS ANOTHER WAY.
It may take decades before anyone takes this website and seriously studies the author and those who support this platform for humanity.
Scholars of the future will know the purpose and the plan, as to WHY all this was being presented in the early 21st century.
Thank you Simple Living Global for this informative and thought provoking article.
I have a condition called Atrial Fibrillation (AF), which is an irregular heartbeat. Although AF is an electrical disease of the Atria and coronary disease is a structural disease of blood vessels, in truth, there is no real distinction as they are all related to the heart, which means there is something not the truth with how I am living my life.
I say there is something not the truth with how I am living my life because I feel that we are all responsible for what happens to ourselves and that illness and disease isn’t something that magically just happens because we were in the wrong place at the wrong time, it doesn’t happen because we are unlucky, it doesn’t happen because our parents had an illness or disease and they will pass it on to us, it doesn’t happen because God wished it so – I feel that all illness and disease comes from us and not to us.
This simply means that the way we live our lives is the cause of any illness or disease that we may have.
So, I have AF and, as this article has so eloquently put it, it is because I am not prepared to give or receive love in full all of the time. I am too busy allowing my past hurts and pains to get in the way and stop me giving and receiving all the love that I am.
Writing these words here is very easy to do, the next steps are what matter. Even as I write this I have a realisation that it feels very comfortable being the way I have been for the last few years almost as though it is like some form of addiction and like everything in life, all I have to do is choose to stay in this addiction or step out of it.
I can choose to allow my hurts and past pains to keep me where I have been for many years, hence the AF, which could lead to blood clots, stroke or heart failure or I can start to open myself up to allow the love to express out and also to receive love in full.
Met a beautifull young boy in our community on one of those chance meetings – call it a constellation at the right time and being in the right place.
He was on leave from boarding school and I know his mum so she was delighted I got to meet her kids.
Something that struck me was I knew he was not speaking much and seemed withdrawn, but when I was talking he was like firing up inside and I caught the smile and his eyes lightening up literally.
In my usual style, I asked his mum straight – what happened – as this boy is shut down from his natural expression and I knew I was right on this. She said bang on that is exactly how he is and that dad died when he was 7.
When I asked his current age, it made sense to me that this sensitive boy for whatever reason had locked himself in with his hurt and pain and there has not been a way for him to express. Sadly, this is probably going on for other boys too of his age.
The other thing I saw was how small he was for his age and my question to myself was – is it possible to hold back on our natural growth if we are not expressing and can it show up in our body not expanding or growing as it should, had we not experienced and lived through whatever trauma it was that we are locked up in as we have shut down who we truly are inside?
On that note, later on, I introduced this young boy to my husband and what was interesting is that he could ‘read’ so to speak how quiet and withdrawn this boy was and it reminded him of how he was. He told the boy that he shut down his heart when he was about his age and since then has had difficulties expressing love to others and allowing the love from others back inside him. He then mentioned he now has a heart condition aged 57 and is convinced it has something to do with how he was as a child growing up and how the behaviour of not speaking up and expressing what he feels, as he is super sensitive, has led to the heart being irregular.
What if our world for one moment just stopped and asked those with any dodgy heart issue to talk about their past and how they were – could we learn something more?
What if we marry anecdotal real life stories like this with the amazing stuff the medical world can offer and see what happens?
Heart dis-ease in the human body has been around for thousands of years and remains our number one killer, so is there more we need to consider now as something is not right and our way of dealing with this global epidemic is not decreasing?
There has to be another way.
What is our heart trying to communicate when it goes out of sync or has pressure?
How on earth are we living and what quality are we choosing to enter our body that gives rise to any illness or dis-ease in our body?
How have we got to this point where our lifestyle choices contribute to ill health and yet we seem to have a world that takes things lightly when it is nothing but serious irresponsibility on our part?
We as a world are in a state of 911 emergency. Every country has citizens suffering and our health systems are over stretched and under funded.
Is it time to ask the how and why questions which this article and this website are presenting?
Healthline – 12 November 2019
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-foods-that-cause-inflammation#2.-Artificial-trans-fats
Artificial trans fats are not healthy for the human body. They are created by adding hydrogen to unsaturated fats, which are liquid, to give them the stability of a more solid fat. Our food labels show trans fats as hydrogenated oils.
Margarines contain trans fats and just happen to be a cheaper option at the supermarket.
Processed foods also have trans fats added to extend the shelf life.
Artificial trans fats have been shown to cause inflammation and increase disease risk, including heart disease.
Foods high in trans fats include French fries (chips) and other fried fast foods, packaged cakes, cookies and some pastries.
Our world is not yet on the front foot when it comes to heart disease and we are nowhere near yet, going to give up those foods we just love to eat.
When we get the first sign of heart problems or even end up with surgery, do we go back to old habits or do we make new movements and knock out the old behaviour of eating foods that are high in trans fats?
Will more research studies really change public awareness when it comes to consuming junk foods and that includes the ready packaging fast foods filled with ingredients that may not be for our true health, but look good and has a long shelf life?
Will we all wake up one day and realise that our French fries and take aways could be the reason we now live with heart problems?
Are we seeing life as a game and we go all the way in the hope that we are winning and ahead of the game, when in truth we are going nowhere other than down the ill road of health?
Are we one of those that just want to have fun, eat what we want in total disregard and neglect to our human body, until we get the chest pain or wake up call from our body in the form of illness or disease or symptoms that create pain and discomfort?
It is high time we as a so-called intelligent species got to the root cause of all heart disease but first let us each take some responsibility and that means take a dose of honesty and look at our choices in life and that includes food.
If we take no notice of what the author is presenting here on this comment, on this article and on this website, then that is our choice and with that we continue to not be open to learning, that there could just possibly be another way to live human life.
Healthline – 17 December 2018
What We Should Know About Holiday Heart Syndrome
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-to-know-about-holiday-heart-syndrome
Holiday Heart Syndrome, which is the occurrence of heart arrhythmia, most frequently Atrial Fibrillation after bouts of binge drinking is known to occur even in healthy individuals.
When individuals stop drinking alcohol, it tends to resolve on its own.
Heart attack risk can peak during the holidays, as this is a time for excess alcohol and food.
Despite holiday heart syndrome being recognised for 40 years, the mechanism or reason why alcohol has this effect on the heart is still not well understood.
In addition to alcohol consumption, the holidays can also affect the heart on different levels.
Finances, buying gifts, hosting family, eating more sugar and leftovers and various rich foods that we indulge in at this festive season.
In addition, we could go off track with regular routine for sleeping and exercise.
So it is no surprise that the number of heart attacks each year increases around Christmas.
This news story is telling us that the Christmas holiday time can affect our heart health.
If we read both the Heart blogs on this website and ADD the one for Atrial Fibrillation, we get an insight into more about our human heart.
https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-heart-day-part-1/
https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-heart-day-part-2/
https://simplelivingglobal.com/atrial-fibrillation/
Then read The Real Truth about Alcohol which will leave the reader with the facts and the stats that confirm it is a scientific proven poison that alters our natural state.
https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-alcohol/
Without even going on about excess eating and the wrong food choices we make during this Christmas time, we can sense that our heart is dreading the influx and assault it has to embark on with our irresponsible attitude and ill choices to indulge, as that is what everyone else does.
Our health systems are struggling and many of our ills are preventable and require lifestyle choices to change. However, we seem to think let’s keep doing what we want and face the consequences when they hit the body and give us a wake up call, to then do what it takes to recover and do the non sensical behaviour all over again.
Holiday heart syndrome does not have to exist.
It only exists because of the way we are choosing to live.
The Times – 17 October 2020
Poor diet is the leading lifestyle cause of fatal heart attacks – a study of 9 million deaths globally has found.
How many of us realise that our lifestyle choices results in greater mortality than smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and drinking alcohol?
The study was published in the European Heart Journal – Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes.
Dear World
That is it.
The author of this huge study is from a university in China and recommends that we eat more fish, fruits, nuts and vegetables. But we don’t and that is why things are not great as our lifestyle seems to have the upper hand, so to speak. It is like we are not really in the driving seat of this vehicle we call our body. We have the intention and we may even want to change, but our behaviours just go back on the road we are familiar with and that means our vehicle gets harmed, damaged and annihilated by our lifestyle choices. We look for quick fixes and solutions – heaps out there to support us to function in life but never look at the how and why we get the illness or symptom in the first place.
What if we don’t just get a heart attack one day and blame all that stuff we subscribe to?
What if our heart goes off sync, off rhythm and struggles with our constant uncaring choices which go completely un-noticed?
What is we hammer our heart with the way we move and express to others and this has a huge knock on effect down the road, so to speak?
What if our way of living is not supporting us at all and we do know it but we have no will to change, as we just like the comfort of doing what we want, when we want and how we want?
What if we are hurt by life at a younger age and it shuts us down so we grow up guarded and protected and this has an effect on our heart – possible?
What if we explored all possibilities as to WHY we have millions dying globally of heart attacks and sent our researchers out there to find out and not leave their stations until they all unite and get to a one-unified truth and that means we all agree and have nailed it – then they inform us, we give it a go and wait to see and feel the changes. If we start to turn the tides with the statistics then we know they got it.
For now, while we wait for this to happen – read this blog and then the 200 + other blogs and answer ALL the questions presented. Then read the 6000+ comments on this website and ponder deeply on what is being expressed. No advice is given and no medical take is offered.
What is presented is another way to live that is simple and makes sense.
Fox News – 27 October 2020
https://www.foxnews.com/health/artificially-sweet-beverages-heart-issues-study-says
Diet drinks are linked to the same heart issues as sweetened beverages according to a new study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology.
Higher consumers of sugary drinks and of artificially sweetened beverages had higher risks of first incident cardiovascular disease. These incidents were serious, including strokes and heart attacks.
To remove biases, the researchers dropped 3 years of a decade worth of follow up data and found 1,400 participants had their first case of heart disease.
Again, as with all research studies the authors call for additional studies to confirm the connection between the drinks and heart disease.
This is very serious and we ought to pay attention. We now know that there is a link with those diet drinks we think are somehow better for us to consume and heart disease.
What if we suspend all types of research and applied good old fashion common sense?
Our kids are not born with wanting a sugary drink. We introduce it at some point when they are very young, forget sugar is addictive and boom they want that type of stuff for the rest of their living days. Then for many comes the weight gain and we blame it on the drinks so we opt for the diet stuff which has artificial sweeteners.
Many of us may not be aware but diet drinks with these un-natural sweeteners are there to do one job – give us the taste and the comfort we get from the soda or pop and supposedly be kind on our teeth and manage our blood glucose levels and of course reduce overall sugar and calorie intake.
The thing is we can ignore this study because it suits us to continue with our lifestyle choices. Or we can take note that there may be something here for us to consider.
Back to good old fashion common sense, which would tell us – is it needed in the first place?
WHY are we going to the sugary drinks be it artificial sweetener diet drinks or the other one?
WHY not keep it simple and replace it with water – and see what happens to the body?
On that note, a great blog on this website called Drinking Water is well worth reading.
https://simplelivingglobal.com/drinking-water/
What if future longitudinal cohort studies show the effects of drinking water on the human heart?
Science Magazine – 19 January 2021
Fried food intake is linked to a heightened risk of major heart disease and stroke and the risk rises with each additional 114g weekly serving.
A pooled analysis of the available research data, published online in the journal Heart involved 17 studies involving 562,445 participants and 36,727 major cardiovascular ‘events’ such as a heart attack or stroke to assess cardiovascular disease risk. They pooled the data from 6, involving 754,873 participants and 85,906 deaths over an average monitoring period of 9.5 years to assess the potential link between fried food consumption and deaths from cardiovascular disease and from any cause.
Fried food as we all know have a high fat content and they generate harmful trans fatty acids from the hydrogenated vegetable oils often used to cook them.
Frying also boosts the production of chemical by-products involved in the body’s inflammatory response, while foods such as fried chicken or chips (French fries) are usually high in added salt and most are accompanied by sugary drinks when served in fast food restaurants.
So this is a huge study going back on data and then analyzing it to tell us what common sense would have us know in an instant. Chips and fried foods were never on any serious health menu.
The blog on this website called Junk Foods | Fast Foods gives great insight into these types of foods and our addiction and craving for such un-healthy choices that we keep on going for again and again.
https://simplelivingglobal.com/fast-food-junk-food/
Do we really need another study to be published or are we going to listen up now and take a look at what choices we are making and where we are ignoring the facts like “serious heart disease and stroke risk”?
We live in a world we call ‘free will’ and that means we call the shots, we eat what we want, how much we want, whenever we want and no one or nothing will stop us Because We Can?
We never question what is playing inside our minds, feeding us these thoughts to eat whatever and ignore the body we reside in every moment of our life. We like to blame or we like to have solutions, but at the same time continue making ill choices. Yes let’s call it that – eating foods that literally will kill us is an ill choice.
Alzheimer’s Research UK – 3 December 2021
https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/a-higher-resting-heart-rate-linked-with-increased-incidence-of-dementia/
Researchers have linked a higher resting heart rate with an increased risk of dementia.
The findings were published in the scientific journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
Resting heart rate has been linked to the risk of heart disease. In this study, researchers investigated whether resting heart rates predicted if someone would go on to develop dementia.
They also found that a resting heart rate above 80bpm was linked with a faster decline in memory and thinking skills.
Evidence suggests that being physically active and eating a healthy balanced diet are some of the things we can do to lower our risk of dementia.
Dear World
Do we all need to look at this more closely and ask some serious questions?
WHY is our resting heart rate elevated and how does this happen to us?
What is going on for us everyday that leads to a higher resting heart rate?
Are we consuming foods and beverages that stop us from resting our heart?
Are we living in ‘fight and flight’ mode daily and this stops us resting our heart rate?
Are we constantly feeling tension and stress and this affects our resting heart rate?
Are we busy getting involved in other people’s stuff and this affects our own heart?
Are we living our life out of balance and this creates the unsettled heart rate?
Are we aware that our elevated resting heart rate could in the future lead to dementia?
Is this enough to warn us or make us stop and take note to start some necessary changes?
Next –
What if staying present with the task in hand – in other words, saying focussed on what we are actually doing can support our minds to not wander off and check out?
What if our movements are important and it comes as no surprise that the elderly who keep going with their daily routine of household jobs, seem to remain active and not deteriorating in the brain and developing dementia?
What if connecting and engaging with other members of humanity is another way to keep us moving in the right direction and stops the withdrawal and contracting away from our fellow brothers and sisters?
What if eating sensibly and eating foods that nurture and nourish our bodies are key throughout our life, but even more so in the latter years?
What if we have a distorted and incongruent view when it comes to the words “healthy balanced diet”? For some that could mean alcohol in moderation and some sugar and caffeine and for others all of those are toxic poisons to the human body, so it would be an absolute no. what is the healthy balance and how do we make the necessary adjustments now like an investment for later life?
What if our lack of commitment to life is what starts us moving away from everyday responsibilities and this checking out status develops and leads to our neural pathways being damaged in the brain, as there is no use for them, so to speak?
This could be way off and dangerous to those experts and kingpins on the topic of dementia but what if there is some element of truth in this and we can no longer ignore or dismiss such ‘what if..’ suggestions?
And finally, is it not time to study those that are showing no signs of dementia and are consistent in their movements and getting on with it in life and learn perhaps from what they are doing and not doing that could help the masses in the future?
One thing we do know and that is dementia is on the rise and accelerating at a fast pace.
If we now know there is a direct correlation between our elevated resting heart rate and dementia, is it not worth considering these questions on this comment, this blog and ALL the blogs on this website?
In the past, dementia was not rising at the pace it is today. This in itself tells us the way we are living is contributing to this.
Do we wait for more and more evidence based research or are we going to say enough is enough, we need to put the spotlight on our own life and see what changes we are willing to make to ensure we are not on the dementia road?
European Society of Cardiology – 11 January 2022
https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/Nearly-one-in-five-patients-with-heart-disease-use-mental-health-drugs
1 in 5 patients with heart disease use mental health drugs.
32% patients had symptoms of anxiety
Among the most commonly used drugs were:
68% Benzodiazepines
55% Antidepressants
Use of psychotropic medications was higher among women, older patients, smokers, widowed patients, those with less education and patients with greater number of co-existing health problems.
Antidepressants and other psychiatric medications are associated with an almost doubled risk of premature death in patients with heart conditions, according to research published today in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
This study shows that the use of psychotropic drugs is common in those with heart disease.
The author of the study – Dr. Pernille Fevejle Cromhout of Copenhagen University Hospital said “it is important to remember that being prescribed a psychotropic drug is an indication of a mental disorder, which might in itself contribute to an increased risk of death.
Previous studies have found an association between symptoms of anxiety and poor health outcomes, including death, in patients with cardiac disease.
Dear World
Here we have an Independent research study and that means the funders played no role in the actual study.
If we simply extract a few important points and present some sensible questions, we have the opportunity to not just read it and put it to one side or forget about it. This is important and this has something to do with how we are living human life. Let us not forget that.
20% of people with heart disease are using some kind of mental health drugs.
Why and are they fully aware of the side effects of these drugs?
Are they so afraid of what has happened to their heart or are they reacting in some way to their heart condition that makes them go down the road of mental health drugs?
Did they have a mental health condition like depression or anxiety BEFORE they were diagnosed with heart disease or did it come after and if so, how long after?
These are pertinent and poignant questions that we must all start to add to our line of questioning instead of just accepting things are happening to our body and seeking a solution to continue functioning, albeit at a lesser quality of life than we had before.
Next –
For those of us that may not be familiar with the word “psychotropic” – these drugs are medications like antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, stimulants, mood stabilizers and antipsychotics.
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-are-psychotropic-medications
The meaning of the word is – having an altering effect on the mind such as tranquillizers, hallucinogens.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/psychotropic
A side note but important to note – Caffeine is a psychoactive drug. A mind altering drug.
This is a serious Question –
WHY are women, older patients, smokers, widowed patients, those with less education and patients with greater number of co-existing health problems taking mind altering drugs?
Why would these types of people choose to alter their perception, mood, consciousness and cognition with these drugs?
What is happening to women and how are they living?
What happens to people who have lost their partner?
Why don’t we dig deep and find out what is going on?
What type of thoughts are going through the minds of widows?
What is it about having less education that gives rise to this?
We cannot afford to just wait for the next research study and then the next and then the next. That is exactly what we have been doing for aeons and it simply is not cutting the numbers or getting to the root cause of WHY and HOW this is happening.
If those more educated are taking the drugs – what intelligence are they subscribing to?
In other words, are they connecting and listening to what their body is communicating or are they reading books, listening to others and going on the bandwagon that the masses do and just take what is given in order to relieve pain or take the symptoms away without any questions?
For those with co-existing health problems, would it be a wise move to at least consider what happened, when did it all start, are there any triggers that may have accelerated those old conditions, ailments, symptoms, illness or disease before embarking on mental health medication that may not be the true way to resolve the issue in hand?
And finally, to wrap up this comment…Anxiety seems to be even more prevalent in our so called modern world than ever before. Have we considered that perhaps the way we are choosing to live human life is incongruent to what our body is showing us and this is WHY we have a whole host of symptoms displaying themselves as a way of the body communicating back something that is simply not right?
Medical X Press – 3 February 2022
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-02-brain-images-injury-healthier-adults.html
Brain images show less injury and look healthier in adults with heart-healthy lifestyle.
On imaging tests, brains were larger and showed fewer signs of injury in adults aged 40 to 69 who had nearly ideal cardiovascular health, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2022.
Developed by the American Heart Association to define ideal cardiovascular health are 7 healthy lifestyle behaviours:
Being physically active
Eating a healthy diet
Not smoking
Managing weight
Healthy blood pressure
Healthy cholesterol
Healthy blood sugar
Consistently adhering to the above has been shown to improve overall health and wellbeing.
Most of us would agree that this would be a great start, but how do we stay consistent and is this really the answer?
Note – Alcohol which is a legal toxic poison with worldwide research confirming there is no safe level of drinking as it has zero health benefits and yet it is not mentioned.
We all know that our heart is affected simply because alcohol alters our natural state.
If a person was reading this news story and they like their alcohol and view it as part of their so-called “healthy diet”, then are we really and truly working towards a healthy heart?
Could we say that ‘eating a healthy diet’ is a broad term and we tend to have convenient narratives running about what is healthy and what is not because it suits us? For some it would be fried foods or junk foods only twice a week and for others it would be green juices and fasting and then binge days where anything goes, because they see the weight is managed and it suits their lifestyle because they can ‘justify’ what they consume in the name of ‘eating a healthy diet’.
For most, the above 7 would be a tall order as we may get one or two things going but to maintain blood pressure and cholesterol and sugar could prove difficult if the word ‘consistency’ is needed.
Another factor that we could consider is how open we are in our expression and that means how heart-full are our conversations and expression when we write or talk to another. Add to this – how open is our heart to allow others to genuinely love us and how open is our heart to love others, without conditions, without judgement and without the needs, expectations and demands that we seem to all have.
Heart disease remains our number 1 killer and we have to realise that how we are living human life is the reason why this is happening.
We now know that reductions in brain volume are associated with aging-related conditions and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia. There is not enough forecast warning us that there will be a high rise in Dementia with the age getting younger.
For those that really want true change then some serious questions need to be presented and this website has done this.
Read our articles on the Heart Category and then our magnificent presentations on High Blood Pressure, Obesity, Diabetes and really consider ALL the questions.
https://simplelivingglobal.com/category/heart/
https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-high-blood-pressure/
https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-obesity/
https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-diabetes/
The author has no symptoms or signs of High Blood Pressure, Obesity or Diabetes and that has been for over 15 years. Worth noting.
And for those that smoke or ingest any form of Tobacco, go to our mini treatise called The Real Truth about Tobacco.
https://simplelivingglobal.com/category/tobacco/
This website is the real deal as it is dedicated to the people and it is about the people and on behalf of the people and that means All of us.
European Society of Cardiology – 19 March 2022
https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/Women-more-likely-to-die-after-heart-emergency-than-men
Women are more likely to die after heart emergency than men.
According to research presented at the European Society of Cardiology, Acute CardioVascular Care 2022 – Women are less likely to receive lifesaving treatment for cardiogenic shock than men.
The findings of this study indicate that greater awareness among health professionals that women have heart attacks and may develop cardiogenic shock could be a step towards equitable management and outcomes.
Cardiogenic shock is a life-threatening condition in which the heart suddenly fails to pump enough blood to supply the body’s organs with sufficient oxygen. It is usually caused by a large heart attack.
Only half of patients who experience cardiogenic shock will survive.
Dear World
Are we all aware what study author Dr. Sarah Holle of Copenhagen University Hospital is saying to us here “Treatment guidelines are based on studies which primarily enrolled men”?
While we wait for more research as that is our standard and has always been, is there anything we can do?
Can we begin to talk about all of this?
There is no point blaming or reacting in any way about this. What we can do is start a new line of questioning and the first one is – how are we living that gives us a heart condition of any kind in the first place?
Let’s bring it all back to us and how we move and that means how we behave and what choices we are making every single day. Add to that a huge dose of honesty and then sit with it and join the dots. We may just find that we have contributed to our current illness or dis-ease that is now showing symptoms.
University of Nottingham and Keele University – 2 August 2022
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/flare-ups-of-gout-are-linked-to-heart-attack-and-stroke
https://www.keele.ac.uk/about/news/2022/august/gout-research/heart-attack-stroke.php
The risk of heart attacks and strokes temporarily increases in the 4 months after a gout flare, according to researchers at the University of Nottingham and Keele University.
This is the first study of its kind.
Gout patients who suffered from a heart attack or stroke were twice as likely to have had a gout flare in the 60 days prior to the event and one and a half times more likely to have a gout flare in the 61-120 days prior.
Gout is a common form of arthritis and affects 1 in 40 adults in the UK.
It is caused by high levels of uric acid, a chemical produced by breakdown of tissues in the body and present in certain foods and drinks.
At high levels, uric acid is deposited in and around joints as needle shaped urate crystals. Once released from their deposits, these crystals cause severe inflammation manifesting as joint pain, swelling, redness and tenderness that often lasts for 1-2 weeks. Inflammation is also a risk factor for heart attack and stroke.
American Heart Association – 31 October 2022
https://newsroom.heart.org/news/marital-stress-linked-to-worse-recovery-after-heart-attack
Marital stress among younger adults (ages 18 – 55 years) was linked to worse recovery after a heart attack, compared to couples with less stress.
Couples with severe marital stress had worse physical and mental health than those with mild or no marital stress one year after a heart attack.
Women were more likely than men to report severe marital stress.
Additional stressors beyond marital stress, such as financial strain or work stress may also play a role in young adults’ recovery.
Heart Disease, including heart attack remains the leading cause of death in the United States.
605,000 new heart attacks and 200,000 recurrent attacks happen in the U.S. each year.
“This study highlights the importance of evaluating the mental health of cardiac patients and is consistent with previous studies that show a greater burden of marital stress on the health of women,” said Nieca Goldberg, M.D. – clinical associate professor of medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
Royal College of Surgeons – 7 June 2023
Deadly heart attacks are more common on a Monday
https://www.rcsi.com/dublin/news-and-events/news/news-article/2023/06/deadly-heart-attacks-are-more-common-on-a-monday
Serious heart attacks are more likely to happen at the start of the working week than at any other time.
10,528 patients data analysed by scientists.
This most serious type of heart attack is known as an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and occurs when a major coronary artery is completely blocked.
The researchers found a spike in rates of STEMI heart attacks at the start of the working week, with rates highest on a Monday. There were also higher rates of STEMI than expected on a Sunday.
Scientists have so far been unable to fully explain why this ‘Blue Monday’ phenomenon occur. Previous studies suggesting that heart attacks are more likely on a Monday have highlighted an association with circadian rhythm – the body’s sleep or wake cycle.
STEMI requires emergency assessment and treatment to minimise damage to the heart, and this is normally performed with emergency angioplasty – a procedure to reopen the blocked coronary artery.
The researchers found that the odds of suffering a heart attack were about 13% higher on a Monday as compared with the other days of the week.
“The cause is likely multifactorial, however, based on what we know from previous studies, it is reasonable to presume a circadian element.
The most likely time of the day to have a cardiovascular event is in the early hours of the morning between 6am and 10am.
This is when cortisol and other hormones in our blood rise as we wake up and these hormones also rise when we are under stress and the general hypothesis is that the finding is related to alterations in hormone levels to do with the circadian rhythm.”
Dr. Jack Laffan, Cardiologist, Lead Researcher, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
12 July 2023
The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC)
New potential link found between Heart Failure and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
https://www.ajmc.com/view/new-potential-link-found-between-heart-failure-carpal-tunnel-syndrome
This new study compared heart failure-related outcomes between adult patients randomly assigned 1:1 by Carpal Tunnel Syndrome status, with the principal outcome being a diagnosis of new-onset Heart Failure.
Investigators say this may be because transthyretin (ATTR) Cardiac Amyloidosis – a disorder in which faulty proteins (fibrils) build up that can be seen on the heart or nerves – is being detected more often in people with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Data on the 163,796 overall patient cohort (81,898 with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and 81,898 without Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) came from 1,284 general practices in Germany for adults who received care between January 2005 and December 2020, and received an initial diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome during that period.
Most patients were women – 66.7% of the group with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and 66.3% of the group who did not have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
The principal outcome was new-onset Heart Failure diagnosis up to 10 years after the index date, which was when the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome diagnosis was delivered.
For the primary outcome, Heart Failure was ultimately diagnosed in 8.4% of the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome cohort and 6.2% of the no Carpal Tunnel Syndrome cohort.
The overall risk of this comorbidity was a 39% greater chance of receiving a Heart Failure diagnosis with a history of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome and the primary factor associated with this outcome was older age; patients aged 61 to 70 years and 70 years and older had a 48% greater risk of developing HF with a history of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome.
Similar associations were not seen for the study’s remaining age groups: 18 to 40, 41 to 50, and 51 to 60 years.
Over the 10-year follow-up, total mean annual physician visits were equivalent between the groups at 8.2 each.
As were rates of different illnesses between the two groups – with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome/without Carpal Tunnel Syndrome respectively
• Diabetes – 15.2%/15.1%
• Obesity – 9.9%/9.7%
• Lipid Metabolism Disorders – 26.7%/26.3%
• Hypertension – 38.0%/37.8%
• Chronic Bronchitis/Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – 7.6%/7.4%
An additional analysis determined that amyloidosis was diagnosed in 0.06% of the study group and 0.02 of the control group, demonstrating that the participants living with Carpel Tunnel Syndrome had a greater risk of developing amyloidosis.
There seems to be a lot of recent studies that are related to areas of the body, showing how Heart Failure is somehow linked to a particular illness or disease, that were never considered before.
Why is this?
Are these illnesses and diseases linked to Heart Failure suddenly new?
Have they always been there but we are, only now, seeing the correlation between the illness or disease and the heart?
Why are these illnesses and diseases being linked to heart issues?
Is it possible that these ‘new’ heart-related illnesses and diseases are showing us how truly disconnected we are from our hearts?
Is it possible that heart issues are so commonplace these days that our bodies show us that the way we are living our lives is so out of kilter, it manifests heart issues via different routes?
• Heart and circulatory disease caused around 1 in 3 deaths globally (20.5 million in 2021)
• An average of 56,000 people each day or one death every 1.5 seconds
• Globally, heart and circulatory diseases killed 9.8 million men and 9.2 million women
• In 1990 – heart and circulatory diseases caused just over 1 in 4 of all global deaths
• Heart and circulatory deaths projected to rise further
https://www.bhf.org.uk/-/media/files/for-professionals/research/heart-statistics/bhf-cvd-statistics-global-factsheet.pdf
Having heart disease may seem to be arbitrary.
Of course, you have those of us who are more prone to having heart disease if we trash our bodies by drinking alcohol, smoking, eating lots of salty, fatty foods etc. but there are those of us, like professional athletes or people who do not trash their bodies that also have heart disease.
Why is that?
Is there a link that researchers have not yet found?
University of Eastern Finland – 23 August 2023
https://www.uef.fi/en/article/sedentary-time-in-children-linked-with-heart-damage-in-young-adulthood
Sedentary time in children linked with heart damage in young adulthood
Hours of inactivity during childhood could be setting the stage for heart attacks and strokes later in life, according to a new research study.
Sedentary time accumulated from childhood to young adulthood was associated with heart damage, even in those with normal weight and blood pressure.
“All those hours of screen time in young people add up to a heavier heart, which we know from studies in adults raises the likelihood of heart attack and stroke. Children and teenagers need to move more to protect their long-term health.”
Dr. Andrew Agbaje – University of Finland
This was the first study to investigate the cumulative effect of smartwatch-assessed sedentary time in young people and cardiac damage later in life.
It was conducted as part of the Children of the 90s study, which began in 1990/1991 and is one of the world’s largest cohorts with lifestyle measurements from birth.
Harvard Medical School – 21 September 2023
https://hms.harvard.edu/news/brain-injury-increases-risk-cardiovascular-disease
Brain Injury increases risk of Cardiovascular Disease.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a leading cause of long-term disability and premature death, especially among military personnel and those playing contact sport.
Increased risk of cardiovascular and cognitive dysfunction likely important drivers of high levels of disability and early death in people with TBI.
After reviewing over 12 recent studies of people who play contact sports, serve in the military and are in the general population, the authors note that the studies they evaluated offer important clues about the ways that nervous system dysfunction, neuro-inflammation, changes in the brain-gut connection and post-injury comorbidities may elevate the risk of both cardiovascular and cognitive dysfunction in TBI survivors compared to people in the general population.
Existing research has identified a strong link between TBI and neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. However, the mechanisms driving neurological disease after TBI remain poorly understood, despite decades of research.
According to the meta-analysis, non-neurological effects of TBI, such as cardiovascular, metabolic and endocrine dysfunction, hyperlipidaemia, Diabetes and hypopituitarism can negatively affect cognitive function and are established risk factors of dementia. These risk factors were all elevated in people who experience TBI.
American Heart Association – 9 October 2023
https://newsroom.heart.org/news/heart-disease-risk-prevention-and-management-redefined
Heart Disease Risk, Prevention and Management Redefined
Interactions among Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, Chronic Kidney Disease and Cardiovascular Disease drive the new approach, says new American Heart Association presidential advisory.
The strong connections identified is why health experts are redefining CVD risk, prevention and management.
The advisory defines CARDIOVASCULAR-KIDNEY-METABOLIC (CKM) syndrome for the first time.
CKM syndrome ranges from Stage 0, or no risk factors and an entirely preventive focus to Stage 4, the highest-risk stage with cardiovascular disease. Stage 4 may also include kidney failure.
The advisory urges use of a new tool that will predict someone’s likelihood of heart attack, stroke and/or heart failure in 10 and 30 years.
According to the American Heart Association
1 in 3 U.S. adults have 3 OR MORE risk factors that contribute to Cardiovascular disease, Metabolic Disorders and/or Kidney Disease.
CKM AFFECTS NEARLY EVERY MAJOR ORGAN IN THE BODY including the heart, brain, kidney and liver. The biggest impact is on the Cardiovascular system, affecting blood vessels and heart muscle function, the rate of fatty build-up in arteries, electrical impulses in the heart and more.
CKM syndrome is a consequence of the historically high prevalence of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes in both adults and youth.
Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity are metabolic conditions that are also risk factors for Cardiovascular Disease.
With multiple conditions to manage, fragmented care is a concern in treating patients with CKM syndrome.
“The advisory suggests ways that professionals from different specialties can better work together as part of one unified team to treat the whole patient.”
Chiadi E. Ndumele, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.S. FAHA – Associate Professor of Medicine
Director of Obesity and Cardiometabolic Research – John Hopkins University, Baltimore
American Heart Association – 25 March 2024
https://www.heart.org/en/news/2024/03/25/bright-outdoor-light-at-night-may-increase-stroke-risk
Too much exposure to bright outdoor lights at night may increase stroke risk, according to a new study.
Researchers found that people exposed to the highest levels of artificial light at night had a 43% increased risk of developing cerebrovascular disease.
Cerebrovascular Disease includes stroke and other conditions affecting blood flow to the brain.
This is the first study to explore the relationship between light at night and brain health.
80% of the world’s population lives in light-polluted environments.
Continuous exposure to artificial light at night can suppress production of melatonin, which is the hormone that promotes sleep.
People with poor sleep are more likely to experience worse cardiovascular health over time.
Participants in the study exposed to the highest levels of the type of air pollution associated with the combustion of gasoline, oil, diesel fuel or wood had a 41% increased risk of developing cerebrovascular disease compared to those with the lowest levels of exposure.
Those exposed to the highest levels of nitrogen oxide from motor vehicle and power plant emissions had a 31% higher risk of cerebrovascular disease compared to those with the lowest exposure.