Heart Awareness Month: Get To Know Your Heart

by Andrew Pacholyk MS L.Ac

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.


Andrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac.
http://www.peacefulmind.com/heart_health.htm
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