CVD, Depression, and Eating Disorders: Causes & Care

Cardiovascular Disease: Causes, Treatments, and History

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are largely caused by lifestyle factors, including:

• Poor diet
• Lack of exercise
• Excessive stress
• Tobacco use (snuff)

Understanding Cardiovascular Disorders

CVDs are a group of disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels. These include alterations in:

• The heart muscle itself
• Valves
• Vessels that carry blood to the heart and brain
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Heart attacks and strokes are typically caused by a blockage of blood circulation to the heart or brain. This blockage often results from the narrowing of arteries and veins due to the accumulation of fat (known as atheroma or cholesterol plaques) in their walls, hardening them.

The History and Role of Aspirin

The drug known as Aspirin soon became one of the most popular medications globally. The natural history of aspirin traces back to willow bark. As far back as 400 BC, chewing the bitter bark of the willow tree was recommended to relieve pain and fever.

Modern Treatments for Blocked Arteries

Blocked arteries are treated using several techniques:

1. Bypass Surgery: Grafting a piece of a healthy artery to reroute blood flow.
2. Angioplasty: If the artery narrows, this procedure involves inserting a catheter with a tiny balloon and inflating it at the narrowed site to widen the vessel.

Understanding Mental Illness and Behavioral Health

Feelings like being depressed, elated, sad, anxious, fearful, or confused are common experiences. However, if these situations affect a person's mood daily and persistently, they may be suffering from a mental illness.

Causes and Biological Factors

Medically, such conditions have been linked to:

• Changes in the levels of neurotransmitters (the compounds that carry messages from one neuron to another).
• Alterations in the number and structure of neurons in different brain areas.

In many other cases, the causes remain unknown. Substance abuse can also raise the risk of developing mental illness.

Common Mental Health Disorders

Depression, characterized by a deep, prolonged, and debilitating sadness, is one of the better-known mental illnesses. Another is Bipolar Disorder, where the person alternates between states of intense melancholy and episodes of euphoria and heightened self-confidence.

Eating and Body Image Disorders

Other mental disorders involve an abnormal relationship with food and body image:

• Anorexia Nervosa: Characterized by severe weight loss, often resorting to fasting, driven by an intense fear of gaining weight.
• Bulimia Nervosa: Involves cycles of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting or misuse of laxatives, to eliminate the food.
• Vigorexia (Muscle Dysmorphia): Despite being extremely muscular, these individuals perceive themselves as sickly or insufficiently built, leading to excessive exercise and body preoccupation.

Treatment and Social Context

In some cases, genuine social rejection towards patients exists, which significantly aggravates their condition. Furthermore, the affected person often tends to believe that if there is a discrepancy, they are wrong, rather than others.

Therapeutic Approaches

Treatment often involves a combination of pharmacology and psychotherapy:

• Pharmacology: Medications are used to stabilize mood. Antidepressants, such as Prozac (fluoxetine), increase serotonin levels and improve symptoms of depression.
• Psychotherapy: The patient is encouraged to recognize their problems, and resources are offered to help them address and overcome these challenges.

Nutrition and Health Connection

Adequate nutrition is crucial for enjoying good health, fitness, and an optimal emotional state. Diet and nutrition are closely linked to serious disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and obesity.

The information provided on the label of packaged foods is the main source consumers can use to understand the product's composition and properties.