Your diet plays a major role in the health of your heart, so eating healthy should be somewhere on the top of the list for keeping your heart healthy as well. There are numerous heart disorders that occur due to unhealthy food patterns and consumption. Lifestyle factors are the major causes of heart disease, and diet occupies an almost compelling spot when lifestyle factors are taken into consideration. Here is a list of foods that keeps your heart healthy:

Salmon: Omega-3 fatty acids are very important for your heart to function optimally. Fishes such as salmon and sardines are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which lower the risk of heart diseases such as arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and atherosclerosis (accumulation of plaque in the arterial walls).

Oats: Like oats and milk for breakfast!? Congratulations! You are in luck; oatmeal has soluble fibers which help in lowering bad cholesterol levels. Just make sure that there is no added sugar in your oatmeal, as it will defeat the entire purpose.

Blueberries: Blueberries are rich in antioxidants that reduce the risks of heart attack and also decrease your blood pressure. So go ahead! Toss some blueberries in your oatmeal to get your daily dose of antioxidants which are such pre-requisites for supreme health.

Dark Chocolate: This will probably bring a smile to your lips. Dark chocolates contain polyphenols, a type of flavonoid, which is very good for your heart. Dark chocolate is known to reduce the risks of strokes and heart attacks. Watch the portion size as no matter what its benefits are, dark chocolates are still rich in calories.

Citrus Fruits: Citrus fruits such as lemons and Indian gooseberry are rich in compounds that lower cholesterol levels in the body. Tip   Start your day with a lemon juice and warm water. This betters your metabolism and also keeps your heart in fine shape.

Soy: Lo Behold Vegetarians! (and non-vegetarians as well). Soy is a protein rich food that is so good for your heart. It also contains heart-healthy fats and fibers that help bring down and normalize cholesterol levels.

Tomatoes: Tomatoes are rich in an antioxidant called  lycopene , which is very effective in getting rid of bad cholesterol. It thus helps in keeping your arteries healthy and reduces the risks of heart attacks.

Nuts: Nuts such as almonds and walnuts are rich in Vitamin E which helps in lowering bad cholesterol in the body. Avoid nuts that come with added salt.

Foods That Help You Maintain A Healthy Heart

The heart may sometimes face excessive fluttering or a throbbing sensation, which may make you feel uncomfortable. Such sudden throbbing sensations resulting in discomfort are called 'palpitations'. Homeopathy has some great remedies depending on the cause of these problems.

Let s have a look at these:

Palpitations caused by anxiety: This is one of the top causes for palpitations which occur before sitting for an exam, interview or before important events of your life. However, they may tend to stay longer and it is advisable that you control them with the use of Aconite or Arsenic Album.
Palpitations caused by Physical exertion: If you have a weakened heart or if you smoke and thus tend to feel a lot of exertion even with the slightest of physical efforts, then Spigelia, Iberis and Digitalis are good medications. Digitalis is especially good for palpitations caused by the slightest of movements, while spigelia is very good with palpitations that cause arm pain as well.
Anemia: Anemia or the lack of red blood cells can be very dangerous for your health as it can damage your vital organs. It can also cause palpitations along with other symptoms such as paleness, lack of strength and drowsiness. Natrum Mur and Ferrum Met are two of the most effective remedies in such cases.
Use of tobacco products: Another reason for palpitations developing is the use of tobacco products, such as cigarettes or chewing tobacco. In such cases, palpitations may occur even with the slightest of exertions or at rest. Medications effective in such situations are Kalmia, Tabacum and Convallaria. These variations may be required depending on the types of symptoms you may show such as a quick heart rate or a slow heart rate.
A palpitation caused by hyperthyroidism: Excessive secretion of thyroid is called hyperthyroidism and can cause a host of problems within the body including palpitation. Iodum and Spongia are two excellent medications in treating variations of palpitations caused by an over active thyroid gland.
Palpitations caused by acidity or gastric problems: This is possibly the most common cause for palpitations and Lycopodium as well as Abies Can are two very effective homeopathic medications, which can easily remedy the situation, depending on the type of problems you are having.

Palpitations - How Homeopathic Remedies Can Help You Manage Them?

Bradycardia is a condition which in basic terms means slow beating of the heart. In most cases, the typical rate is 60 to 100 beats in a minute when the person is at rest. In case your heart beats less than 60 times in a minute, then it is slower than normal. But a slow heart rate is not always a health concern even though sometimes it could indicate issues with of the heart.

What could bradycardia mean?
Some people with slow heart rate or bradycardia tend to be very fit, and they have no underlying health issues. Athletes and healthy young adults often have a heart rate lower than 60. But in others, bradycardia indicates that the natural pacemaker of the heart is not working well, or the electrical pathways have been disrupted. In severe forms of the problem, the heart may beat so slowly that it fails to pump adequate blood for meeting the needs of the body. This may show some symptoms and could be fatally dangerous.

What are the causes of bradycardia?
There are various causes of bradycardia, and some of them include:

Alterations in the heart which results from aging
Health conditions that slow down the electrical impulse through the heart. This may include electrolyte imbalance, low thyroid levels, and others.
Diseases which may disrupt the electrical system of the heart including heart attack, coronary artery disease, and myocarditis.
Certain medications that are used for treating heart problems like high blood pressure or hypertension, arrhythmia, and beta-blockers, and digoxin.
What are the symptoms of bradycardia?
When a person has very slow heart rate, he or she may experience lightheadedness or dizziness, feeling short of breath, having difficulties in doing normal activities or exercising, having chest pain, feeling tired and fatigued. In some cases, it is seen that the person may have palpitations, feeling confused, trouble in concentrating and fainting.

What s worse, some people don t have any symptoms at all, or their symptoms are so negligible that they think they are caused just because of aging. The best way to understand whether you have this problem is to take the pulse, and in case, it is slow or uneven, you must talk to a doctor.

How is bradycardia diagnosed and treated?
Bradycardia tends to come and go from time to time, and therefore, a standard EKG is not always able to detect it. A standard ambulatory electrocardiogram is used for detecting the condition, and sometimes, blood tests are also necessary.

The treatment of bradycardia is entirely dependent on the cause of the problem and its symptoms. It is worthy of mention here that in case the problem is not causing any symptoms, then they would not be treated under usual circumstances.

An Effective Guide To Bradycardia!

How many of us have heard about Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) before Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister late J Jayalalithaa was put on it for recovery? Hardly a handful. Patients who are placed on the device have 50-50 chance of survival and while it could not help the late Chief Minister, her condition put a spotlight on ECMO.

What is ECMO?
ECMO is a life support device that is put in place when a patient's heart and lungs stop functioning completely post a cardiac arrest. When the patient does not respond to Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), the patient is put on ECMO.

Function of ECMO
The core function of the device is to separate carbon dioxide from the blood and add oxygen into it. It takes the load off from heart and lungs, providing critical time to the body organs for its treatment and recovery.
Patients are only put on ECMO, if there is a chance that the condition can be reversed.

How does ECMO work?
The device drains blood from a vein, which is attached to an oxygenator machine. The machine then removes carbon dioxide from the blood and adds oxygen to it. Depending upon the condition of the patient, the warm blood is either pumped into the body with the help of the machine or is transferred back into the body through an artery.

How long a patient can be on ECMO?
After seven days of being put on ECMO,there are chances of patient getting an infection.
In case the patient contracts an infection, it is recommended to take the patient off ECMO support.

All About ECMO - Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation 

Breathing is life, without breathig, there is no life. Who knows this better than an asthmatic or someone with breathing problems like wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath 24/7? If you have breathing problems, read on about possible causes and treatments for them

Causes

There can be a number of causes of breathing problems. They can happen due to colds, acute sinusitis or inflammation of sinuses. This usually subsides in a week or two with the inflammation going down and the sinuses draining out.
But if you are still experiencing breathing problems, you could be in more dangerous territory.
Breathing difficulties can happen in a case of asthma, allergies, and infections of the lungs, bronchitis and even heart problems especially if you feel a shortness of breath during exertion. These can all be long-term problems that need proper management.
Symptoms
Chronic issues that cause breathing problems, especially asthma and allergies have a number of symptoms like

Nasal and chest congestion
Runny nose
Itchy or watery eyes
Cough
Wheezing
Laboured and/or shallow breathing.
A number of virus and allergens like pollen reach the lungs via the nasal passage. Any inflammation in the nasal passage due to an allergy is a major cause for concern because the number one trigger for asthma is allergies. If left undiagnosed and untreated, these can make life hell for you.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, also causes breathing problems. Breathing issues can also stem from other serious diseases like lung cancer, tuberculosis, and pneumonia. Most of these can be diagnosed by a specialist.


How are breathing problems treated?



Breathing problems caused due to asthma and allergies are usually treated by avoiding allergy triggers like air pollutants, pollen, dog hair, dust, mites or dander.
Wearing masks, avoiding peak traffic, staying indoors during low air quality days, all make a significant difference to allergy and asthma sufferers.
Medications are another way to treat breathing problems due to asthma and allergies. Allergy drugs such as antihistamines and decongestants can make it easy to breathe for some.
Inhaled steroids are also given to people with chronic allergies and sinusitis for reducing inflammation in the airways. Allergy shots to reduce sensitivity to allergens are another option.
Asthma is treated with inhaled or oral drugs that help open nasal airways and reduce inflammation. These cut down on breathing difficulties because the airways are cleared of excess mucus and inflammation.
If you have more serious issues like cancers, heart disease and lung diseases, the medication will vary according to your diagnosis. Your specialist will diagnose the problem first and set you on a proper course of medication.
The last piece of advice before we go, don t ignore breathing difficulties especially if they persist beyond 2-3 weeks, get yourself a doctor s appointment.

Breathing Problem - Common Causes Behind It!

With recent lifestyle changes, more and more people, younger in age, are falling prey to heart attacks. While some silently suffer the attack during their sleep and never wake up, others have symptoms which they dismiss as acidity or muscular pain and ignore them. There are multiple media programs that are trying to create awareness about how to identify a heart attack. If done at the right time, there is a good chance that the person can be saved.

What is a Heart Attack?

The blood vessels gradually narrow, reducing the blood flow to the target organs. This reduces the efficiency of the target organ, and if this happens to be the heart, it is known as a heart attack. The area that should ideally receive blood does not, leading to its  death.  If the damage is not severe, it can be reversed. However, if this attack happens in one of the critical areas of the heart, it can even be fatal.

Symptoms To Watch For: Very few attacks happen suddenly. Most start slowly and progress, and if identified on time, a life can be saved. The episode takes about an hour, and if you are well-versed with the symptoms, it could help identify the condition correctly and save a life. Most people use antacids and muscle relaxants to ease the situation, which does provide immediate relief, but not a proper cure.

There is a central pain which is constant, nagging, and has a squeezing like sensation. This causes discomfort and most often, this pain is in the center of the chest area, which lasts for just a few minutes. Sometimes the pain can go and come back. This pain radiates down into the arm, up into the neck area, and also into the jaw and is almost always indicative of a heart attack.

With chest pain, there is always shortness of breath which the person will experience. This is due to reduced oxygen levels in the body.

Associated symptoms include fatigue, exhaustion, nausea, dizziness, light-headedness.

There is almost always profused sweating where the person breaks into a cold sweat.

If the attack happens during sleep, the person may be snoring and may feel, as if something is choking his airway.

Due to reduced return of blood from the peripheral organs, there could be swelling of the feet and ankles.

If there is irregular heart beat (palpitations) very often, talk to your doctor about it.

When you suspect a person of having a heart attack, check for these signs. Very often, a heart attack is detectable and can be managed with timely intervention.

Signs Of A Heart Attack

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