Stress is also a major factor in heart problems in the western world. In today's stressed-filled environment, it is next to impossible to avoid being affected to anything less than a moderate amount.

But what is stress, and why is it bad for us? Well, stress is not a simple definition to give as it covers a wide area in our lives at different levels, some of which are good or positive to our well being.

Put in a simple way, stress is the pressure, wear and tear that our emotions, mind and body face, when we attempt to cope with our continually changing environment. Many people think of stress as the pressure of work, the child that is ill or the flight on the plane that we are worried about.

This, however, is not stress but the trigger to activate stress and et in motion the body's internal reaction procedure to such factors. It is the so called fight or flight response that we hear about. This is nature's way of bringing us to a position that we can deal with life's dangers as they come our way. In today's way of life this activation comes about much more than it was intended too. Some of us are living in the fight-or-flight syndrome almost all of the time. Hormones such as adrenaline are constantly being pumped into our blood to keep is on our toes.

This becomes too much for our bodies, and eventually it takes its toll. This can be in many forms, but in all cases it puts a great strain on our hearts.