Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease is a condition in which hardening and narrowing of the coronary arteries diminish blood flow to the heart. Coronary artery disease occurs when the coronary arteries develop atherosclerosis which is a build up in the arteries of plaque and fatty deposit that narrows the artery thus reducing the amount of oxygen rich blood that the heart must have. The heart must have a continuous flow of oxygen to function normally and the clogged up arteries prevent this, which weakens the heart muscles. As this develops, it causes ischema that damages the heart muscles. The two major complications that may occur from coronary artery disease are angina and heart attack.

Angina is a heart condition in which chest pains develop when the heart is not getting enough oxygen from the coronary arteries. This is usually severe chest pain that can also cause pain in the arm and shoulder. A heart attack occurs when a blood clot cuts off most of the blood supply to the heart. If the coronary artery disease continues over a long period it could cause heart failure. Heart failure is not an emergency condition but over time it is dangerous. Heart failure is when the heart muscles are weakened to the extent that the heart is not able to pump enough blood for the entire circulatory system. Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

The cause of coronary artery disease is a sedentary life style, smoking, no exercise and no weight control. The most effective preventative and most effective treatment is a change to a healthy lifestyle of proper nutrition, exercise and weight control. Healthy nutrition means to eat no refined sugars or carbohydrates, eat fruits, vegetables, lean protein, cold-water fish, sprouted grain bread and fiber. The exercise program should be thirty minutes, three to six times per week. Helpful food supplements are multivitamins, CoQ10, and fish oil. For fiber eat two tablespoons daily of ground flax seed mixed with water, fruit juice, or soymilk.

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