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 Any condition that affects the blood vessels
and/or heart is cardiovascular disease. Are you
recognizing the signs and symptoms? It can be caused
by atherosclerosis or commonly know as, hardening
of the arteries. Your heart or brain arteries may
be clogged by fatty deposits which cause them to
become narrow or clogged. The fatty deposits
restrict the blood flow and cause the following
risk factors:
- High Blood Pressure
- High Cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Family History
- Lack of Exercise
- Obesity
- Smoking
All of the above mentioned factors can increase
your risk for heart attack, stroke and/or death.
Changes in lifestyle and making healthier choices
may help control some of these risks.
Cholesterol is found in the blood stream and is
a type of fat or lipid. Low Density Lipoprotein, LDL,
are the "bad" cholesterol because as they travel
in the blood some pieces stick together and can
restrict blood flow in the heart and brain and
lead to heart attack or stroke. High Density Lipoprotein,
HDL, are the "good" cholesterol because they carry excess
cholesterol out of the arteries. Triglycerides are other
fatty substances which prevent HDL from removing the LDL
from the bloodstream.
Here are some links regarding cholesterol which
will increase understanding and diagrams.
High Blood Cholesterol
Your Guide to Lowering Cholesterol with TLC
Improving Cardiovascular Health in African Americans--
Package of Seven Easy-To-Read Booklets
Empower Yourself! Learn Your Cholesterol Number
Be Heart Smart! Eat Foods Lower in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol
Learn Your Cholesterol Number (Spanish/English)
Protect Your Heart--Lower Your Blood Cholesterol (Spanish/English)
In regards to obesity and maintaining a healthy weight,
here are some additional support sites:
Aim for a Healthy Weight Web Site
Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator
Menu Planner
High Cholesterol is only one of the main
ingredients for cardiovascular issues. Asking
your health care provider for a fasting blood
test to check your cholesterol numbers will be
a jump start to avoiding heart attack, stroke
or death. I'll provide additional links and
information for the other risk factors soon.
Peace and Blessings,
Donna
Donna is an inspirational and business
development speaker. Areas include psycho-social
issues, sales, marketing and customer service.
She is currently a primary care pharmaceutical
sales representative. Contact Donna at
Donna4RealityChk@aol.com
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