Stay Smart, Protect the Heart! Practice natural remedies for a healthy heart

The heart is a muscular organ in the human body that functions as it's circulatory pump. It takes in de-oxygenated blood through the veins and sends it to the lungs for oxygenation. Then it pumps the oxygenated blood into various arteries which provide oxygen and nutrients to body tissues by sending the blood throughout the body. As evident, our heart is a very important organ and thus requires utmost care from our end.

But in today's day and age, we ignore the health of such an important organ leading to an acute increase in number of heart patients. Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease. This condition results from accumulation of plaque covered on the inner layers of the arteries, which reduce the blood flow to the heart and increases the risk of a heart attack like irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), congenital heart defects, weak heart muscles, heart valve problems, heart infections and other cardiovascular diseases.

So where do we get these heart diseases from and how to avoid them? The following are the natural remedies for the heart.

 Smoking : Smokers have more than twice the risk for heart attack as nonsmokers. Smoking leads to reduced amount of oxygen to the heart. Also, this leads to accumulation of tar inside arteries and creates more blood clots which leads to strokes. Keep a record of your smoking habit. You'll learn what triggers you to smoke.

Alcohol : There is a major paradox in this forte. Moderate drinking has actually been seen as a good source of protection against heart diseases as it lowers Blood pressure and stops blood from clotting. But this is still under research so one shouldn't venture into it. Heavy drinking can make you prone to serious health problems like liver disease, cancer and peptic ulcers among other heart problems.

High cholesterol, high BP and stress:  Ideally, the liver makes all the cholesterol the body needs. But it also enters your body from animal-based food like milk, meat and eggs. Excessive cholesterol in your body is a risk factor for heart disease because it leads to accumulates in the walls of the arteries thus narrowing them down and decreasing the blood flow. There are two kinds of cholesterol- bad" cholesterol (LDH) and good cholesterol (HDL). Our diet should include HDL because it helps unclog the arteries. Also, manage stress and maximize your support network.

No exercise and lethargic schedules: Inactivity is a risk factor comparable to smoking or obesity. Our body needs exercise to help all organs work properly but people these days are walking less and spending more time driving in cars and sitting on desks with computers. Inactivity causes an estimated six percent of coronary heart disease cases among other diseases. So, include a healthy workout period in your daily schedule. Start with 150 minutes a week and keep increasing. Also, Yoga between work sessions in a good balance creator. Yoga is one of the most efficient natural remedies for heart.

Obesity: This is one of the results of lethargy and laziness. Obesity is a common problem in young kids these days. Also, inactivity leads to obesity and as explained above exercising regularly is the optimal solution. 

Uncontrolled Diabetes: India has the maximum number of type 2 diabetes patients. People who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes can develop Diabetic heart diseases (DHD). The higher a person's blood sugar level is, the higher his or her risk of DHD. The best solution is physical activity because it can lower your blood pressure and help control your blood sugar level thus solving two issues.