Are You Faint of Heart?

The muscle cells of your heart can become weak, damaging its rhythmic pumping action. This condition is known as Cardiomyopathy.

Cardiomyopathy can occur when you have a nutritional deficiency, genetic disease, take certain medications or for no conceivable reason at all.

There are four common types of Cardiomyopathy:

Congestive Cardiomyopathy - Usually directly resulting from heart damage stemming from a heart attack, high blood pressure or a particular infection. This form of Cardiomyopathy causes the ventricles of the heart to swell. This condition requires treatment similar to that of congestive heart failure.

Toxic Cardiomyopathy - Heart damage caused by chemotherapy, certain types of medications and industrial toxins, even at approved "safe" levels of exposure. Treatment and cure is possible once identified.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy - This condition, if left untreated, can lead to heart failure and/or death. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is the decreased efficiency of the heart’s pumping action due to swelling of the central heart cells. As these cells swell up they block the path of blood. This blockage causes the heart to work harder to force the blood through as the cardial walls thicken. The exact cause of this condition is not known, but heredity is strongly suspected. If not detected early, a heart transplant may be the only option.

Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy - The consumption of excessive alcohol poisons the heart and robs the body of nutrition (due to little or no value caloric absorption). Constant high levels of alcohol can bring about the onset of this condition at a relatively early age.

Forms of Cardiomyopathy may be detected through blood tests, a chest x-ray and an electrocardiogram, or EKG. Further testing may be done via an echocardiogram. These tests can reveal rhythmic changes in the heart.

Prevention of some types of Cardiomyopathy is possible. Limiting alcohol intake to no more than one glass a day for women and two glasses a day for men, along with a proper nutritional diet can eliminate the risk of developing Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy. Be cautious around chemicals and pollutants. Learn the side effects of various chemicals. Ask your doctor about possible side effects of any medications that you are currently taking.