BWH My Health




		Animation: How Cholesterol Works
		Podcast: Cardiac Arrhythmias
		Webcast: Minimally Invasive Aortic Valve Replacement

Laurence Epstein, MD

What happens during a heartbeat?

The human heart beats roughly 100,000 times a day, pumping blood through its chambers to the rest of the body. Over a lifetime, that corresponds to more than 2.5 billion heartbeats. A heartbeat is triggered by an electrical impulse that signals the heart's chambers – the upper chambers (atria) and the lower chambers (ventricles) –

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..First Steps to Heart Health

The good news is that many heart disease risks can be controlled. Use the following quick and easy online assessment tools to find out what your personal risks are and what you can do to minimize them.

	The Coronary Artery Disease Risk Assessment covers the major risks for heart disease and offers advice on controlling them.
	Check out the Adult BMI Calculator to find out whether you have a healthy BMI and then use the Calorie Burn Rate Calculator to find an activity to help you get that BMI back into the healthy zone
	Take the Stress Trigger Assessment and the What Do You Know About Stress Quiz to help you recognize stress symptoms and discover what you can do to lower your stress levels.
	Take the Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment to find out whether you’re at risk for developing Type 2 (adult) diabetes, a noted risk factor for developing heart disease.