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

The heart is one part of your body that pumps blood relentlessly; to be grateful to the most important organ, it s your duty to look after its health. Cardiovascular diseases and heart ailments can be prevented by making minor changes in your lifestyle.

Here are a few tips to keep your heart healthy:

Add fiber to your diet: Making fiber a part of your regular diet is a great idea as the heart works best when it runs on natural fuel. You can achieve this by adding more raw fruits and vegetables in your meals as they are an excellent source of fiber and nutrients.
Engage in physical activity: Your heart is a muscle and to make it healthier, you need some form of physical exercise. Engaging in cardiovascular forms of exercise for an hour daily keeps your heart in good condition. Engaging in physical activity also reduces the risk of getting a heart disease and acts as a stress buster.
Cut down on the salt intake: The sodium content in salt disrupts the balance of fluids in your body leading to high blood pressure. This can affect the functioning of the heart; that is to pump blood, which is a major cause of a heart attack. So, cutting down on salt can reduce stress and the risks of heart attacks.
Manage your weight: People on the overweight side run a risk of getting heart diseases more often than fit and leaner ones as they tend to be more inactive and sluggish. The heart diseases caused due to obesity can be avoided by making minor changes to your diet and exercising on a daily basis.
Quit smoking: If you are a regular smoker, quitting is the best thing you can do for your heart. The main reason for coronary heart diseases is nicotine present in the cigarette. Once, you quit smoking completely, you will be 50% less likely to run the risks of a heart attack as compared to a regular smoker.

5 Tips to Keep Your Heart Fit!

A heart attack is caused if the blood flow to the heart is somehow obstructed by fat deposits, cholesterol or other substances, thereby, forming a plaque in the arteries. The disruption in this flow of blood destroys a part of the heart muscle and may prove to be fatal if not treated right on time.

Not every heart attack starts with a sudden crushing pain in the chest. In fact, about 30 per cent of the cases haven t yielded any such symptom. However, the signs may vary from one person to another:

Heart attack might start slowly causing only mild discomfort or pain initially. The symptoms happen to be sudden and intense, persisting for several hours.
Mostly heart attack induces pain on the left side or the center of the chest. The discomfort generally persists for a few minutes. It can even result in a feeling of indigestion or heart burn, fullness, squeezing and pressure which can turn from mild to severe.
One might also experience an aching sensation in the upper stomach, jaw, neck, shoulders, back or both of the arms.
Shortness of breath is one of those very common symptoms.
Other common symptoms include excessive sweating, exhaustion, vomiting, nausea, sudden dizziness or light-heartedness.
How can you tell a heart attack from a mere panic attack?
Panic attack occurs even more suddenly and induces intense fear, extracting extreme reactions for something relatively harmless. Once the attack subsides, one usually feels week on the knees and tender near the gut. Some of the symptoms exclusive to a panic attack include a feeling of detachment, numbness, hot flashes, chills and tightness experienced in and around the throat, tremors (primarily of the hands) and a constant fear of losing control or of an impending danger.

Although many indications of a heart attack might happen to overlap with those of a panic attack, there are still a few noteworthy differences between the two. Watch out for those signs and get yourself diagnosed properly.

Heart Attack - Signs to Watch Out For!

While heart attacks are commonly experienced by men and women, the symptoms experienced by them are different. Symptoms of a heart attack in women are much more subtle as compared to signs of a heart attack when experienced by men. 

Many women even compare the symptoms of a heart attack to the flu or acid reflux. Hence it is important to be able to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack and be able to distinguish them from symptoms of other less fatal conditions. 

Some of the characteristic symptoms of a heart attack that a woman should look out for are:

Discomfort or chest pain: Chest pain is one the characteristic symptoms of a heart attack but this is not experienced in the same way by me and women. While men may feel pain in the left side of their chest, women can feel pain in any part of their chest. This may be accompanied by a feeling of the chest being squeezed in a vise.
Pain in the jaw, neck, arms and back: Men consider pain in the chest and left arm to be a symptom of a heart attack but women can experience this pain in their jaw and back as well. This pain can develop gradually or come on suddenly. It may also wax and wane before it becomes intense. In some cases, this pain can even wake you up from a deep sleep. Hence, do not ignore any unexplained pains in the upper part of your body.
Stomach ache: A stomach ache is one of the most subtle signs of a heart ache. This may feel similar to that caused by heartburn or a stomach ulcer. It may also feel like a great weight is on your stomach.
Shortness of breath: Feeling lightheaded or having trouble breathing even when you are not exerting yourself could be a sign of a heart attack. At times this could also make you feel like throwing up. This symptom is usually also accompanied by one of the other more characteristic symptoms of a heart attack.
Excessive sweating: Perspiration as a symptom of a heart attack is not the same as perspiration caused by exercise. When sweat is a symptom of a heart attack, it is more of a cold sweat that can be compared to the sweat caused by stress. If you do not sweat heavily but suddenly find yourself sweating excessively, you should not ignore it but consult a cardiologist immediately.
Tiredness: Feeling tired even when you haven t exerted any energy can be a sign of a heart attack. Sometimes, this fatigue can be so much that it can keep a woman from even moving from the chair to the bed.
It is therefore advised to not ignore any above-mentioned symptoms and see a doctor immediately; stay healthy and stay happy!

Heart Attack In Women - Signs You Must Watch Out For!

Loving relationships are known to improve more than just your mood, it improve your looks and your health. Researchers believe that it might just be the best medicine for most people, as it helps keep your heart healthy, beat cancer and recover faster, boosts athletic performance and leads to spiritual and emotional growth. Mentioned below are a few of the ways, in which love may lead to a healthy heart and life. 

1. Better heart health: research has shown that women in healthy and loving marriages are less prone to contracting cardiovascular diseases, in contrary to those in stressful marriages. It has also been discovered that love reduces the likelihood of chest pains and suffering from angina despite having high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes in men.

2. Lengthens your life: the national longitudinal mortality study studied a million subjects and concluded that couples in a loving marriage tend to live longer and have lowered risk of getting heart attacks, pneumonia, cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. Their chances of committing suicide are also reduced by almost half.

3. Faster cancer recovery: after extensive research, university of iowa proved that patients of ovarian cancer, who were in loving relationships, had stronger wbcs i. E. White blood cells that kill cancerous cells, as compared to those in unhealthy relationships. They also concluded that patients in love recover quickly or completely eliminate cancer. 

4. Lowers blood pressure: studies show that when couples are together, their blood pressure is significantly lowered. This research even proved that spending time with loving and supportive friends results in lower systolic numbers. 

5. Keeps you slim: being in love is a much healthier and better option than juice cleanse, when it comes to losing that extra weight. People in loving relationships produce more adrenaline i. E. An appetite suppressant and are more likely to hit the gym and make healthier lifestyle choices to look their best. Apart from that, sex is one of the best ways to lose calories and reduce your weight.

Being in Love Will Lead You to a Healthy Heart and Life

Heart Care Tips For a Heart Patient

A heart patient has to always live with caution. This World Heart Day, let us understand what it takes to keep our heart in good health. In fact, by following certain rules, one can lead a smooth life despite being a heart patient.
The major risk factors of heart diseases are smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, physical inactivity, obesity, and high cholesterol. In addition to these, there are factors which add to the heart condition. They are stress, alcohol, sleep apnea and C - reactive protein.

Food and exercise play a major role in the well-being of a heart patient. It is important to engage in exercises as prescribed by your heart specialist. Follow these dos and don’ts with respect to food.

Say YES To:

1. Poultry and fish for the requirement Omega 3 and Protein
2. Raw nuts, flax seeds, avocados, olive oil, fish oils etc which make up the body's need of healthy fats.
3. Fruits and vegetables for the body's nutrient needs.
4. Whole grains and legumes which provide energy and fiber to the body.
5. Protein and calcium which come from unsweetened yoghurt, egg whites, low-fat/non-fat cheese and skimmed or double toned milk.

Say NO To:

1. Fried foods, cakes and pastries, since they have trans-fats or other harmful fats.
2. Foods high in sodium and sugar, especially packaged goods.
3. Rice, pasta, white breads, sugary foods.
4. Sausage, bacon and red meat.
5. Full cream milk, whole milk cheese and sweetened yoghurt.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

 Heart Care In Your Hands: World Heart Day Special Tips

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