Did you know that over the course of an average lifetime the human heart beats approximately 2.5 billion times? Think about it – your heart is a muscle that never gets to rest. But instead of taking care of this continuously working engine, we have a tendency to ignore or abuse it.
The statistics in the United States are staggering when it comes to cardiovascular disease. Someone dies approximately every 30 seconds from coronary heart disease and one in five Americans have some form of cardiovascular disease – high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, etc. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States.
There is lots of available information about the signs of a heart attack or stroke and what to do if you recognize these signs in yourself or someone else. Many people know CPR and most areas have a "911" call system. There are even at-home or workplace defibrillators now. But what about the things you can do before your heart reaches a critical point?
21st century thinking is leaning more towards pro-active health care. Instead of waiting for something to happen to you, do what you can to possibly prevent an attack or a disease from progressing. Learn what the risk factors are and lessen your odds of becoming a number in the cardiovascular disease statistics.
