Coronary artery disease is another name for artery disease. This happens when a condition develop around the blood vessels and arteries. When plaque, which are fatty deposits, build up in the arteries it makes it very hard for them to supply the heart with the nutrients and oxygen that it needs to work properly. The name for this condition is atherosclerosis. This is the most common form of heart disease and it serves as a foundation for coronary disease.

This is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, the second leading cause of death in Singapore, and the UK boasts some of the highest numbers of death due to artery disease in the world. It is not something to be taken lightly, and yet, it is such a common ailment.

Coronary disease is brought on by many factors. You can be born with a congenital problem. If your parents have it, chances are higher that you will develop it, too, when you are older. Stress, obesity, smoking, diabetes and menopause can also figure strongly into whether or not you develop coronary disease. Some of these things can be dealt with so that you can avoid a run in with artery disease.

Other things you can do are eat a heart healthy diet, watch your blood pressure and your cholesterol level. Eating a healthier diet will accomplish two things. Your heart will be healthier because your arteries will be able to carry the much needed oxygenated blood to the heart. Also, if you are over weight, you will most likely begin to lose the excess weight, which will take undue stress from your heart.

There are some definite symptoms that will alert you to the fact that there may be a problem with your arteries. The one that will get your attention the quickest is angina, or chest pain. This pain occurs when you have artery disease. The severity of it depends on how badly your arteries have deteriorated.

The thing that you need to understand is very simple: If you experience ANY type of noticeable chest pain, especially if it travels to your shoulders, back, arms or neck, you need to have it investigated immediately. Whether this is through an appointment with your doctor, or you go to the emergency room in an ambulance, it needs to be done. If it is suspected that you have heart disease, there will be tests conducted to be sure one way or the other.

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WomenHeart was created in 1999, after these three women connected in 1998. They came to know of each other when they were interviewed separately for an article about heart attacks and women for the first issue of More Magazine. They made their own tiny support group and reached out to tens of thousands of women who were facing the same obstacles that they had endured. Out of this grew their national organization for patient advocacy focusing only on women and heart disease.

Nancy Loving became the leader as well as co-founder and executive director and brought the tiny support group of WomenHeart to a large organization that can speak of many accomplishments. Its growth has come about because of the commitment of the Board of Directors as well as the Scientific Advisory Council, corporate supporters and volunteers. These people spend many hours getting the word out about women’s heart health. In its first 10 years of activity, this organization has:

• Expanded its membership to several thousands of women who are currently living with and/or at-risk for heart disease. This includes their family members, friends, health care professionals.

• Created the only national network support groups for female heart disease patients.

• Began a support community online so that women across the country could connect as well as have a support group of other women in WomenHeart.

• Served as community educators to train more than four hundred survivors of heart disease.

These are just a few of the many goals that this special organization has reached. They hope to have an even more successful outreach during the next ten years. Their main goal is to reach even more women of heart disease, offering education, hope, and support. They also want to insure that they will have prevention information as well as early detection, proper diagnosis and treatment. For more information about this great network of women heart attack survivors visit the website at: http://www.womenheart.org/aboutUs/about.cfm

Angina is the chest pain or discomfort that happens when part of your heart muscle is not getting enough oxygen-rich blood. It may feel similar to pressure or a squeezing sensation in your chest. This pain can also spread to your shoulders, arms, back, jaws, and neck. Many people say it feels like really bad indigestion.

The most common type of heart pain is called stable. It happens when the heart is working harder than it normally does. There is a regular pattern to this type of heart pain. If you have been diagnosed with this type of pain, you can be taught to recognize the pattern, therefore, being able to predict when you will have this pain. This is a pain that generally goes away shortly after you take medication or rest. While stable angina is not a heart attack, it does make it more likely that you will have one in the future.

The next type of heart pain is called unstable. It does not follow any pattern because it can happen whether there is physical activity or not. It is also not relieved by medication or rest. This type of heart pain is quite serious and needs immediate emergency treatment. It is telling you that a heart attack may soon be on its way.

The final type of heart pain is called variant and is rare. It typically hits you while you are resting between the hours of midnight and early morning. Variant angina can cause severe pain. There is no medication to help this type of heart pain.

There are millions of people all over the world who suffer from heart pain and more develop it each year. It happens in both men and women equally and can be a sign of heart disease even if the first tests don’t support that. Other things that can cause chest pain include lung problems, a panic attack, heartburn, and, of course, a heart attack. Whatever yours may be coming from, you should have any chest pain check by a doctor.

The American Heart Association is a health agency that is run by volunteers of both medical and non-medical staff. Their mission is: “Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.” Formed in 1915 by a group of doctors and social workers, it was initially called the Association for the Prevention and Relief of Heart Disease in New York City.  These people were worried that there was so little information on heart disease and they wanted to get the word out to people.

Other people became interested in this association and it spread to other cities in the United States and Canada. Six cardiologists that represented several groups of people who saw the need for a way to share findings from research and promote more study formed the American Heart Association in 1924. That was just the beginning.

Members of the AHA began thinking of ways to expand their programs so they could reach the general public. In 1948, it reorganized and started recruiting volunteers who were not medical but instead had skills in business management, public education, communication, funding raising, and community organization. This helped to really start a public outreach and allowed a great many to get involved in the process.

There were a lot of changes in the AHA during the mid 1990s. Their scientific findings started to make their way faster from the laboratories and clinics to the doctors’ offices and American homes. The American Heart Association took public stands on important issues and spoke clearly and plainly about how to control risk factors.

At last, and most importantly, the volunteers and staff of the AHA started to change the organization into something that would become relevant and vibrant in the 21st century. This change was more profound than anything they had done since 1948. At that time, the AHA changed from being a scientific society into becoming a voluntary health agency. The first step for the American Heart Association’s change was in showing that its driving force was to provide believable information on effective treatment and prevention of heart disease and strokes.

Since 1995, they have made it their mission to help all kinds of people understand about the causes of health disease and what can be done to prevent and treat it. When the AHA stands behind something, people believe it and take it seriously. This is only one of the great ways that this organization has helped to keep more people heart healthy.