The Heart

Your heart doesn’t suddenly fail one morning. Before it gives up, it adapts.

When faced with high blood pressure, damaged valves, or weakened muscle, the heart enlarges. Its walls may thicken or its chambers stretch so it can continue pumping enough blood to meet your body’s demands.

What we often call an “enlarged heart” is, at first, is a sign of sacrifice. The heart is working overtime to keep you alive.

Even more fascinating, the heart makes its own medicine. As pressure builds and the chambers stretch, it releases a hormone called BNP (Brain Natriuretic Peptide) into the bloodstream. BNP tells the kidneys to get rid of excess salt and water, helping to reduce the workload on the heart.

Elevated BNP is therefore not just a marker of heart failure; it is evidence that your heart has recognized the danger and is desperately trying to protect itself.

Before the heart fails, it fights and by the time it fails, you have really made it to overwork.