Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. In fact, it accounts for one in every four deaths. Furthermore, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds in the United States and more than one person dies from a heart disease-related incident every minute. Lastly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates heart disease costs the health care system almost $200 billion per year. This includes costs for health care services, medications, and lost productivity.

Heart disease is an umbrella term that includes several different diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels to the heart. These include abnormalities in your heart’s structure which you are born with, diseases of the blood vessels to and from the heart, abnormal heart rate, and heart attacks.
If you think you or someone you know is suffering from heart disease, here are some common questions you might have.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disorder that causes brain cells (neurons) to degenerate and die. It is the most common cause of dementia, a continuous decline in thinking, behavioral and social skills that disrupts a person’s ability to function independently. In fact, it accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases of dementia. Additionally, Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Contrary to popular belief, it is not only a disease of old age, as almost 200,000 Americans have early-onset Alzheimer’s.

Diabetes is a group of disorders that are characterized by elevated blood sugar (glucose) levels, or hyperglycemia, in the body. Fortunately, you can learn everything you need to know about diabetes with a search online right now.  The more you understand about this common condition, the better off you’ll be. So take the time to […]

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease of unknown cause. RA not only affects your joints but also affects a wide variety of body systems, including the skin, eyes, lungs, blood, nerves, and heart. RA affects just over 1.3 million Americans — approximately 0.6 percent of the population — and approximately one percent of the world’s population.

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is referred to as a “silent killer” because it can develop slowly over time without any signs or symptoms, meaning it can often go unnoticed. Rather than treating their hypertension with pills more and more people are adopting the DASH Diet, which has been proven to lower blood pressure naturally through healthy eating.