Heart Awareness Month: Get To Know Your Heart

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Heart Awareness Month: Get To Know Your Heart

February is Heart Awareness Month. Over the next 30 days we will be

discussing the best ways to keep your heart healthy, 'hearty' and

strong!

The heart provides the power we need to live. Arguably the most

important muscle we have. In an average lifetime, the heart beats

more than two and a half billion times, without ever pausing to rest.

The heart supplies the force to circulate blood throughout the body.

The blood transports oxygen and nutrient to the cells of the body and

carries waste and other substances from the cells. It pumps an

average of 6000 quarts of blood daily.

The heart is made up of four chambers. There are two chambers on each

side of the heart. One chamber is on the top and one chamber is on

the bottom. The two chambers on top are called the atria. The atria

fill with the blood returning to the heart from the body and lungs.

The heart has a left atrium and a right atrium.

The two bottom chambers are called the ventricles. The heart has a

left ventricle and a right ventricle. They pump out blood to the body

and lungs. Running down the middle of the heart is a thick wall of

muscle called the septum. The septum separates the left and right

side of the heart.

The atria fill with blood, then pump it into the ventricles. The

ventricles then pump blood out of the heart. While the ventricles are

pushing, the atria refill for the next contraction. Four valves

control the flow of blood through the chambers.

Two of the heart valves are the mitral valve and the tricuspid valve.

They let blood flow from the atria to the ventricles. The other two

are called the aortic valve and pulmonary valve. They control the

flow as the blood leaves the heart. These valves all work to keep the

blood flowing forward. They open up to let the blood move ahead, then

they close quickly to keep the blood from flowing backward.

The heart is monitored by two vital statistics; checking the blood

pressure and the pulse. Your doctor could also do an Echocardiograph

and Electrocardiograph, which are two techniques that provide

detailed information about the heart without causing any discomfort

to the patient. If these procedures do not provide enough

information, exploratory procedures may need to be performed. Cardiac

catheterization and angioplasty are two common methods for exploring

the heart.

Heart disease is still the number one killer of both men and women.

Awareness is the first step. Know your cholesterol, blood pressure

and ideal weight. Lower risk factors and prevent early disability,

illness or even death from heart disease or stroke.

Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac.

http://www.peacefulmind.com/heart_health.htm

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