A lot of people have been bombarded with warnings and advice about the heart and how to prevent heart disease that they sometimes no longer listen. Or it is simply because the mere mention of the words heart disease, coronary artery disease, coronary heart disease, or cardiovascular disease, does not mean anything because you don’t know what these conditions mean and how exactly they can be destructive to health. What’s the difference anyway?

These heart disease terms are in one way or another related because of the chain of effects they have on one another. Understanding the different heart disease definition and how they’re mostly used can help you sort through the mess. Knowing more about the various types of heart disease definition and the destruction they do to your body will better incline you to take steps to prevent them. Here are some different types of heart disease definition:

Atherosclerosis Heart Disease Definition
Atherosclerosis is the major form of heart disease and over one half of deaths in the US are a direct or indirect result of this heart disease. In Artherosclerosis, there is a buildup of fatty deposits on the inner wall of the coronary arteries called plaque which is a porridge-like gathering of cholesterol and their compounds within a fibrous coat and is very hazardous.

Coronary Heart Disease Definition
Coronary heart disease happens when some of the arteries that carry blood to the heart muscle become narrowed with fatty deposits called plaque which is composed of cholesterol and fats building up on the wall of the coronary arteries. Narrowed arteries results to the heart not fully supplied with the oxygen and other nutrients it needs, and if the artery becomes severely blocked, heart attack occurs.

Rheumatic Heart Disease Definition
Rheumatic heart disease involves the damage to the entire heart and membranes and is a result of a complication of rheumatic fever occurring after attacks of rheumatic fever.

Congenital Heart Disease Definition
Congenital heart defects are defects of the heart present at birth. In congenital heart condition, the problem is present shortly after birth that causes problems for newborns. Infants with severe acyanotic varieties of congenital hear disease may fail to succeed and may have breathing difficulties.

Myocarditis Heart Disease Definition
Myocarditis is a degeneration or inflammation of the heart muscle that may be a complication during or after various bacterial, viral, or parasitic infectious diseases such as influenza, rubella, polio, or rheumatic fever. It is often caused by a range of diseases such as goiter, endocarditis, syphilis, or hypertension, however it may appear as a primary disease in adults or degenerative disease of old age.

Arrhythmia Heart Disease Definition
Arrhythmias are abnormal rhythms of the heart that causes the heart to pump blood less efficiently. Most temporary and benign arrhythmias are those where the heart skips a beat or has an extra beat which are often caused by strong emotions or exercise. However some arrhythmias are life-threatening and require treatment.

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What is a Medical Assistant?

Known throughout the health care industry as the medical office generalists, the medical assistants play a very vital role in the medical field. They are deemed as the most valuable part of the medical team, so it’s no wonder that today thousands of medical groups and organizations are looking for medical assistants to help them do the tasks and responsibilities entrusted to them as heath care professionals. With this, medical assisting is currently viewed as the fastest growing profession available for more than ten years.

Medical assisting is deemed as an ideal career for those who love working with different people of different personalities, want to make a big difference in the community they’re in, and want to work in a medical office with a medical doctor and other specialists as your big boss. The medical assistants are often employed in private and public medical group offices, but the profession is basically not a licensed career. The truth is, the medical assistants only work under the approval and direct supervision of a licensed physician or other licensed health care specialists.

There are a lot of tasks and responsibilities that the medical assistants are entitled to perform. The most basic involves the task of meeting and greeting people in the reception area of the medical office, sorting and opening a patient file for a new patient, keeping and maintaining the office equipments as well as the appointment books, attending required meetings, ordering and restocking supplies, and dealing with insurance billing and coding, to mention but a few. Perhaps the biggest responsibility that every medical assistant is entitled to do is to assist the medical doctors and nurses with the examinations and treatments both in the clinical and laboratory areas. It is basically in this sense that medical assistants are deemed ‘generalists’ as they perform not only administrative and clerical duties, but also clinical and laboratory responsibilities.

Although the duties assigned for a medical assistant seemed so vast, there are certain limits set for the assistants to note and follow. For instance, the medical assistants have no right over performing clinical procedures unless ordered by the licensed physician. In the same way, the procedure must only be carried out in accordance with the assistant’s professional scope of practice. This simply means that if the assistant has no knowledge about a certain area of treatment, he or she has no right to do the procedure. They are even not allowed to make decisions regarding the diagnosis, treatment and emergency care plans of the patients.

Finally, the medical assistants are required to take a course or training first before they can handle the responsibilities and duties entrusted for the medical professionals. This is true although they do not have to be licensed or certified. Well, it’s no wonder then that today thousands of those who are planning to take such roles, are trained first on the job. Typically, they receive these trainings from colleges and even military and vocational institutions. And, just like a regular education, certain requirements are also set for the inspiring medical assistants to meet.

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Heart Disease Facts

Heart disease is actually a general term that includes a number of diseases which affect the heart. Coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and angina are some of the heart related diseases falling under heart diseases.

The heart’s main function is pumping blood around the body carrying oxygen and other nutrients to areas that need it. When this function or process is broken up, or does not work properly, it can result to serious illness or even death.

A lot of life style factors take part in some causes of heart disease such as cigarette smoking, physical inactivity, alcohol intake, and obesity. Hypertension and serum cholesterol also play a key role in the formation of heart disease.

Risk factors for heart disease can be categorized into two: those that can be changed and those that cannot be changed. Some changeable risk factors for heart disease include hypertension, cholesterol levels, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, diabetes mellitus, and physical inactivity. Unchangeable risk factors of heart disease include family history, personal medical history, race, age (the older one gets, the greater the risk), and sex (men are at a higher risk than women).

Cholesterol although needed by the body as a component of nerve tissue and the spinal cord, needs to be controlled because it is a major component of the plaque that clogs the arteries. There are several types of cholesterol but two of them are most commonly heard about which are ‘High Density Lipoprotein’ (HDL) is and ‘Low Density Lipoprotein’ (LDL). HDL is considered to be ‘good’ cholesterol because it does not tend to clog the arteries and actually helps carry some bad cholesterol out of the body, whereas LDL is called the ‘bad’ cholesterol as they are known to clog the arteries and cause heart disease.

Fats have several types that play an important role in the body too. Some fats however, have a negative effect on cholesterol and needs to be avoided to follow a heart healthy diet. Saturated fats are fats that are solid at room temperature thus they raise LDL levels. Polyunsaturated fats consist of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids which have an opposite effect on cholesterol. Omega 3 fatty acids lower cholesterol and they are found in fish, walnuts, flaxseed, and canola oil. Omega 6 fatty acids on the other hand, can increase the risk of heart disease; they are found in vegetable oils. Monounsaturated fats reduce cholesterol and lower LDL levels, while tans fatty acids are unsaturated fats that tend to raise cholesterol and must be avoided.

Having a heart healthy diet is based on several guidelines as listed by the American Heart Association which includes: eating a variety of grain products; eating a variety of fruits and vegetables every day; balancing the number of calories eaten with the number of calories you use each day; choosing fats with two grams or less of saturated fats per serving; eating less than size grams of sodium a day; limiting the intake of food high in calories and low in nutrients; increasing intake of monounsaturated fat, omega 3 fatty acids and soluble fiber; and maintaining a level of physical activities that keeps the body fit.

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