Heart Health - Part 1
Definitions
This short section is a guide to the terminology of the cardiovascular system and cardiovascular diseases. If you’ve already got a pretty good handle on the ins and outs of cardiovascular conditions, skip over to Part 2 :).
Atherosclerosis – narrowing of the arteries due to plaque and is the main cause of poor circulation. Angina, heart attacks, stroke, and thrombosis are usually caused by atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis responds really well to diet and lifestyle changes and can even be reversed in some cases. WOO! See more about this in Part 3.
Stroke – blood flow to the brain is restricted, leading to damage in the brain.
Heart attack/Myocardial Infarction – reduced or blocked blood flow to the heart, leading to damage to the heart muscle.
Silent heart attack – this is a heart attack without any classic symptoms, you might not even know you’ve had it, but the heart damage is found during an electrocardiogram or an echocardiogram.
Hypertension/high blood pressure – higher than normal pressure in the cardiovascular system, triggered by stress or atherosclerosis (or both)
Hypotension/low blood pressure – lower than normal pressure in the cardiovascular system, triggered by low sodium, dehydration, or adrenal fatigue (often caused by a combination of all three factors)
Heart Arrhythmias – This is when the heart stops keeping a steady beat and starts to have some anomalies.
Tachycardia – an abnormally fast heart rate
Bradycardia – way too slow heart rate
Atrial fibrillation – rapid and irregular heartbeats
Aneurysms – a dilation of a segment of an artery due to a weakness or defect in the arterial wall. They tend to happen in major branching places, especially in the brain or in the chest area.
Raynaud’s Phenomenon – cold exposure and emotions can cause small arteries (mostly in the fingers) to restrict. It causes whiteness, numbness, and pain. It’s more common in women than men.
Varicose Veins – swollen, weaken veins, commonly found in the legs but can be in the rectum and scrotum
Thrombosis – the formation of a blot clot in a vein.
You’ve made it through the jargon! Woo! Let me know if there’s a condition or a term I’ve forgotten and I’ll add it :)
Got any questions or comments? Comment below, jump to our private Facebook Group, or the Ask Lisa page :).