About the Heart
The heart is about the size of a fist, and it beats an average of 120,000 times a day, generally without fail, until the day we die.  As a vital organ, the heart requires a constant supply of oxygen-rich blood for nourishment. The coronary arteries deliver this required oxygen and nutrients directly to the heart. However, when the arterial walls become blocked, due to plaque and fatty build up, these functions struggle and/or cease, and the heart suffers damage as a result.

Heart Disease is the number one killer in the United States, for both men and women (heart disease causes six times the number of deaths of breast cancer), and the most common cause of heart disease is the narrowing or blockage of the arterial walls, the vessels that supply oxygenated blood directly to the heart. This is called atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. This narrowing happens very slowly over time, it’s a slow progressive disease that results in either a heart attack or a stroke.

Six Main Risk Factors for Heart Disease

There are six controllable risk factors for coronary heart disease (and nearly 40% of us have at least 2 of the 6): high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, current smoking, phyiscal inactivity, and obesity), but this is a condition that you can control, so stop taking chances with your life and learn the facts. The first step is knowing where you stand, and here are a few websites that offer free assessments of your risk for heart disease:

American Heart Association - Risk Assessment
Stanford University - Health Assessment for Women
Cardiosmart.org - Heart Disease Risk Questionnaire

If you know of a site that you think we should include, please send an email to info@inshapellc.com.

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