Article 2 America Over Prescribed Heart Disease

As we look at the medicating of America, we must look at it realistically. Our people are destroying ourselves needlessly. Our physical health is deteriorating and our lives are being abruptly ended simply due to the consequences of our everyday decisions.

In this series, a review of the most common chronic medical conditions affecting America and her people will be revealed and discussed. We will look at how we are causing, treating, and failing to curb their afflictions on us. As you will see throughout this series, the chronic conditions that are plaguing America are majorly a result of poor performance in taking care of ourselves. It may seem like a daunting discussion to embrace, however, it is asked of you, now that you have read this far, to please commit to keeping an open mind as we discuss this topic.

While not opposed to structured physical fitness programs, in general, this series is focused on physical movement in general. Small changes every day in life, which will lead us to a brighter, healthier, and more productive future. Our actions today will substantially affect our lives of tomorrow. We will discuss how we can prevent and combat the most common, chronic, and financially draining illnesses, in which a simple "prescription" of physical movement or exercise would alleviate.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2012, nearly half of all adults in America suffered from one or more chronic health conditions! These adults and their chronic health conditions accounted for eighty-six percent (86%) off ALL health care spending in 2010!

The most prominent chronic health condition in America, Heart Disease, kills more of us a year than cancers. Not every case of heart disease is a result of poor physical movement and fitness. However, when you learn that only 48.2%, coincidently, nearly the same amount of American adults who suffered one or more of the chronic conditions, meet the Physical Activity Guidelines as recommended by Health.gov, it becomes evident that there is blood on our own hands. Our actions, or lack thereof, are harvesting premature death trends.

Heart disease, and its companion, stroke, cost America $315 billion dollars in 2010, with $193 billion being DIRECT medical expenses (American Heart Association!

Failing to meet these standards set us up for a multitude of health complications. Our bodies are naturally aerobic in nature, meaning we need oxygen in order to properly function. When our heart, the muscle we rely on to sufficiently supply our body with oxygen, is exposed to inactivity and underuse, it progressively will become weaker and less efficient. Our blood flow succumbs to the increased plaque (cholesterol) build up in our arteries. Less blow flow will lead to less oxygen being circulated. An inadequate supply of blood to any part of our body results in poor function, and eventually, disease or death of the organ.

While heart disease encompasses a wide variety of other chronic health issues and risk factors, some which we will discuss in this series, when grouped together as one, heart disease is responsible for our untimely deaths.

If we are not promoting a healthy heart through our daily actions and habits, we are opting for a game of roulette with our lives.

Simple physical and habitual actions today can foster health in our hearts:

• Meeting the minimum recommendation standards for aerobic activity on a daily basis (Routine, regular exercise) 
• Improve diet and eating habits 
• Decrease stress 
• Cessation of cigarette smoking 
• Decrease or eliminate excess alcohol consumption

According to WebMD, these are some of the medications used to treat symptoms of Heart Disease (and some of their side effects):

• ACE inhibitors: Artery dilator to allow blood to flow easier (headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, low blood pressure

• Aldosterone Inhibitor: For swelling and water retention due to heart failure

• Beta Blockers: Decrease promotion of adrenaline to increase heart efficiency (fatigue, nausea, constipation, dizziness, shortness of breath)

• Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs: Reduce cholesterol affecting the body (nausea, cramping, muscle break down)

• (PCSK9) Inhibitors: Lowers the amount of "bad" cholesterol (LDL) that is present in the body

• Vasodilators: Relaxes blood vessels to allow for easier blood flow (chest pain, rapid heartbeat, fluid retention, headache, dizziness)

This non-inclusive list represents the myriad of remedies to treat heart disease and its symptoms. The side effects are plentiful and appear discomforting. Yet, we rely on these to ease our ills reactively.

Instead of embracing this standard of living, what if we get in front of the trend? What if we respond proactively? Instead of concreting a dependence of these drugs for nominal quality of life in the grand scheme of things, how about we seek a high quality of life? What if we became dependent on the "Exercise More" pill and took that daily? (See Article 1 of this series, "America: Over-Prescribed & Mis-Prioritized")

Of course, there are side effects to the "Exercise More" pill:

• Better Moods 
• Better Sleep 
• More Confidence 
• More Energy 
• Less Stress 
• Improved Overall Health

Which pill would your prefer?

This is Article 2 of the series. In this series, we will continue to discuss common ailments that are often medically treated or maintained with medication. Those that, if physical movement and activity, or exercise, were prescribed, would provide a natural remedy to eradicate the problem in its entirety. We will take the time to discuss medication versus physical exercise as the alternatives for a remedy.

Which "pill" would you prefer? Please share your choice in the comments below.

And remember, inn the competition of responsibilities in life, we tend to forget about what is most important to our health... us. In a world of confusion and chaos, it can be a lonely journey to optimize your health journey. We can do it together and persevere.