Keep On Circulating
Good Blood Flow Is Important To Good Health
Every single day, blood flows throughout our bodies. From a personal perspective, it
seems effortless. We don’t even think about it. It just happens. However, from the
heart’s perspective, the job can be getting more difficult, and even strenuous. This is
especially true if plaques (fatty deposits that harden) build up on arterial walls, narrowing
the pipeline or creating obstructions to the smooth flow of blood.
Poor blood circulation is not something that will happen over night. It takes
time...years. That’s why this problem commonly affect seniors more than it affects youth.
Fortunately, there are actions a person can take to
improve circulation, including the use of medications and therapies, and making lifestyle
changes. It is important to first speak with your doctor and develop a
"workable" plan for keeping blood flowing as freely as possible.
In the pulmonary circulation subsystem, the heart and lungs
work together to take waste out of the bloodstream and return oxygen-enriched blood to
the body.
Types Of Circulation
Signs Of Poor Flow
- Arterial - Carries nutrient-rich blood away from the heart to all parts of
the body. The pathways are arteries and arterioles which are strong and flexible.
- Venous - Carries oxygen-depleted blood and waste back to the heart.
The pathways are veins, which have thinner walls than arteries.
- Capillary - Connects the arterial and venous systems with the body.
The pathways are very small blood vessels with very thin walls that allow for the exchange
of nutrients and waste between the blood and parts of the body.
- Pulmonary - Utilizes all three systems above to clean and enrich blood.
Arteries take blood into the lungs for replenishment. Capillaries make the exchanges.
Then veins return oxygen-rich blood back to the heart.
Since blood flows throughout the body, signs of poor circulation can appear in many
forms.
- Limbs - Numbness in arms, hands, legs, hands, ankles and feet. In
addition, leg cramps, varicose veins, and blue or black patches of skin (cyanosis) can be
signs.
- Heart - Chest pain, a rise in cholesterol level and high blood pressure.
In addition, feeling breathless and exhausted when performing common tasks can be signs.
- Brain - Lethargy, lack of clarity and loss of memory. In addition,
sudden dizziness and unexplained headaches may be symptoms.
- Liver - Dull appearance of skin, lack of appetite and weight loss.
- Kidneys - Swelling of appendages, increase in blood pressure, altered
heart rate and feeling tired all the time.
(Sources: National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute,
HealthGuidance.org)
