If you are concerned about your heart s health, it is important for you to make some dietary modifications. Simple changes in your everyday diet may offer benefits, which help in preventing future heart problems. If you suffer from high blood pressure or high cholesterol or have atrial fibrillation.

Here are some tips regarding the best diet for protecting your heart:

Believe in the food hype: Having healthy meals is certainly beneficial and makes a big difference to your heart health. Consuming meals which contain vegetables, grains, low fat dairy and lean meat will allow you to live a longer and healthier life.
Avoid crash diets: A crash diet may be effective, if you want to fit in a dress within one month. However, for improving your heart health, undertaking different fad diets is not useful. Meals in which a certain type of nutrients such as carbohydrates or fats are ruled out are not beneficial as well. You should have a sensible approach towards your diet and focus on food products such as vegetables, whole grains and lean meat.
Do not overeat: Overeating will lead to weight gain and commonly, many people get heart attack after taking a big meal.
Eat less salt: You should consume less amount of salt in your diet and do not eat more than one teaspoon of salt a day. Avoid any food item which contains high amounts of sodium. Salt is responsible for increasing blood pressure.
Limit your intake of alcohol and caffeine: In case you suffer from atrial fibrillation, you should avoid caffeine and any other stimulant as they tend to trigger the symptoms. You must drink moderately as consuming more than one drink a day increases your risks of having heart problems.
Choose meat wisely: You should avoid red meat, which contains large amount of saturated fats as these are not good for the heart. You should choose the leanest cuts of meats and trim all fat from it. You should opt for cuts such as flank, rump roast, tenderloin and sirloin. Pork tenderloin, chicken and turkey breast are other alternatives.
Add fish to your diet: Fish is essential for improving your heart health. Try to avoid having deep fried fish and choose grilled fish or roasted fish, which are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Consume fishes like tuna, salmon, trout and sardines.
You should also add whole grains to your diet. They are effective in controlling blood sugar and lower the chances of diabetes. Hence, the risks of heart diseases are less if you do not have diabetes. Whole grains also help with weight loss, which is beneficial for the heart.

7 Tips for a Healthy Heart

The news of Sridevi's sudden and unexpected demise was a shock for the entire nation and left a number of questions in the minds of the people. However, there are multiple reasons which are under speculation and can be attributed to her death - cardiac arrest, heart attack and death due to accidental drowning. Usually, cardiac arrest and heart attack are two things which most people use interchangeably, however, there is a big difference between the two. 

Difference between cardiac arrest and heart attack: 
A cardiac arrest is far deadlier considering that it comes without a warning or any prior indication of a problem. Here, the heart just stops beating and immediate first-aid can make a lot of difference between life and death. Electrical shock is the best way to revive a patient and should be given within a few minutes of such an arrest. 

On the other hand, a person suffers a heart attack when there is a blockage in the artery which prevents the smooth flow of oxygen-rich blood from reaching the heart. It is important to note that unlike a cardiac arrest the signs of heart attack start slow and persists for long. 

A heart attack is one of the common causes of cardiac arrest, but not always it is the case. A cardiac arrest happens most commonly when the heart is receiving more than 300 impulses per minute or due to absent electrical impulses. In the first instance an electrical shock is a lifesaving technique and in the second, the patient can be treated with certain medications and a temporary pacemaker. 

Symptoms of cardiac arrest:
The symptoms of cardiac arrest are immediate and extreme.

A fainting spell or a sudden collapse
Loss of consciousness
No pulse or breathing 
Symptoms of a heart attack 

Discomfort along with chest pain 
Shortness of breath
Nausea with vomiting
Sweating
Headache and jawpain
Prevention of a cardiac arrest:
What makes this a deadly condition is that you cannot tell your risks of having one and therefore the next best thing to do is to lower your risks. 
The best way to do that is to:

Follow a diet that is balanced and nutritious
Alcohol should be consumed in moderation 
Quit smoking
Stay physically active
How can you prevent a heart attack?

Keep yourself fit and exercise regularly
Keep your cholesterol level under check 
Limit your alcohol intake 
If you are obese, control your weight
Intake a heart-friendly diet.
Now that the distinction is clear between the two, it is recommended that everyone should get themselves screened for potential heart problems on a regular basis. In case of a query or concern consult an expert and get your answers. 

Cardiac Arrest And Heart Attack - Understanding The Difference Between The Two!

In today s time, modern lifestyle certainly has made a living a lot simpler, but it has also invited early death rate.

What does study say?
As per the data made by the National Healthcare Center, it has been found out that over the past few years, the number of death rates is increasing due to heart attack and the prime reason for the same is stress and an unhealthy diet. Often we tend to search online for what things can be done to prevent such early death due to a heart attack. In that case, you have to make up your mind and ensure that the diet regimen, workout session and changes in lifestyle are followed in the right manner.

Preventive measures to reduce risk of a heart attack:
It does not matter what is your current age, looking at the changes that a human is going through with the lifestyle there is no doubt that even young people are prone to this problem.

Here are some important tips that can help you from a heart attack.

A healthy diet is the best option: Avoid eating junk food, cholesterol based food, or the do no drink much as these slowly reduce your life quality. Cholesterol based or high-fat food increases the risk of heart attack. Junk food is all about taste, and there is nothing healthy included in it. Instead switch to healthy diet plan rich in fibre, vitamins, and minerals that can regulate the body. Choosing healthy meat with the leanest cuts and restricting down the sugar intake will have a good impact on your overall health.
Workout is another answer for All Your Problem: It is always better that you are physically active so that you can keep the heart rate at a good speed. This will speed up metabolism rate, burn unnecessary calories, and increase the rate of your heart so that you can lose weight at the same time stay active. Besides, physical activities like aerobics and swimming are some high-intensity workout that reduces the risk of heart attack to a great extent. Right from kids to adults above 60 years of age should perform a workout of at least 30 minutes even a walk is fine, but staying physically active is extremely important.
These are just some of the tips that can help you improve your quality of life. Your doctor is your life saver. He is the one who can guide you at every step and help you understand the right way to stay fit and healthy in the long run. Instead of just ignoring the symptoms, if you notice any make sure you speak with your doctor about the same and take necessary preventive measures as advised. 

Heart Attack - Can You Prevent It?

Coronary artery disease is one of the major killer diseases of the modern society. It is not a solitary problem but brings with it a multitude of issues including obesity, diabetes, stroke, and other metabolic disorders. A thorough understanding of what causes it and how to manage it can help save thousands of lives.

Causes: The circulatory system is mainly made up of the heart and a complex network of arteries and veins. The inner walls of these are lined with smooth muscles, allowing for free flow of blood. Gradually, over a period of time, given the density, the fat from the blood flowing through these vessels settles along the walls of these vessels. This attracts more fat, lipoproteins, and other inflammatory cells and so the process continues. This reduces the diameter of the blood vessels, therefore reducing the amount of blood supply to the target organs. If the target organ is a vital one like the brain or the heart, then it could lead to stroke or heart attacks.

Main causes for coronary artery disease include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, smoking, diabetes, and stress. Men are more prone than women, and family history and age puts them at higher risk.

Symptoms: Reduced blood supply to the target organ causes the following symptoms:

Shortness of Breath: A person with coronary artery disease will feel short of breath and tired with most activities, even like walking a few meters.

Chest Pain: A strong pressure sensation on the left side of the chest is an indication of coronary artery disease. Known as angina, it comes with stress and goes away once the stress is removed. It could sometimes radiate to the shoulder, down the arm, or up into the jaw also. These are classical symptoms of angina or heart attack and is considered an emergency. Of note, this is often mistaken for indigestion.

Palpitations: A sensation where you are able to hear your heartbeat.

Nausea and Excessive Sweating: Nausea and excessive sweating are also seen during angina.

Treatment: There are 3 modes to manage this.

Medications:

Aspirin to reduce the viscosity of the blood.

Statin to control the cholesterol levels.

Beta blockers to control hypertension.

Nitroglycerin for temporary relief of angina pain.

Surgical Procedures:  Surgical procedures including balloon angioplasty followed by placement of drug-eluting stents and coronary artery bypass surgery are done to manage more severe cases.

Lifestyle Change: Lifestyle changes including reduced fat consumption, decrease body weight, stop smoking, increased physical exercise, and reducing stress are highly important in preventing further damage.

Once suspected, coronary artery disease can be effectively managed and the extent of damage controlled using the above techniques.

Coronary Artery Disease   Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Some people have a sore throat which they think will go away sooner rather than later. Well, while it may not seem serious, rheumatic heart disease means that it could potentially be! But, how exactly?

A sore throat usually comes about on account of bacteria affecting the region of the throat.

Sometimes what can happen is that the same bacteria can go all the way to the heart and damage the valves of it. This is very serious as the health of a person fundamentally depends on the health of his or her heart!

When a sore throat does not seem to be getting better even after about three days go by, the first thing which is to be done is to see a doctor. This is due to the fact that delays can result in the situation getting worse. As a result of this, treatment can get more complex. And who wishes to compound their own miseries, after all?

Children who are aged between five and fifteen years of age are at risk of rheumatic heart disease. Now, while it is true that children are likely to fall sick more often than adults as their immune systems may not be all that strong, a special eye is to be kept out for rheumatic heart disease. The general symptoms which a parent should look out for are a sore throat, a cough and a fever. The tough part is that these symptoms appear which a range of other conditions!

When it comes to knowing that rheumatic heart disease is what is affecting a person, a special blood test is taken and if there is a need, an ECG and some other measures confirm rheumatic heart disease. Penicillin is a wonder drug and it is used in the treatment of rheumatic heart disease, as well. It is the general form of treatment, in fact, and people with the disease are often put on a course of injections. This means that they need to have an injection every 28 days for a month so as to make sure that there is no further damage which can affect the valves of the heart. The importance of this cannot be impressed enough.

It is unfortunate that in many cases, people only discover that they have rheumatic heart disease once they reach adulthood. The valves of the heart may be leaking or significantly damaged by the time that the discovery is made. Is it not a lot better to save oneself from this sort of situation?

Things To Know About Rheumatic Heart Disease

There are valves in the each of the four chambers of the heart. These valves make sure that blood flows in one direction only. The blood flows from the atria into the ventricles through the mitral and the tricuspid valves. The pulmonic and the aortic valves allow the blood to flow out of the ventricles. Valve problems occur when the normal functioning of the valve is impaired. 

Impaired valve function leads to blood flow obstruction, which in turn can lead to stenosis of the valve. This puts lot of strain on the heart muscles, forcing it to work harder. It may also lead to the blood flowing backwards through the valve and back into the heart.

The various causes of valvular heart disease are:

Valvular heart disease: If you are suffering from rheumatic fever, it may lead to valvular heart disease
Congenital heart disease: Congenital heart disease refers to various defects in the heart which are present since birth. In some cases, these defects may include being born with abnormal valves.
Heart attack: If you have suffered a heart attack, your heart muscles may be damaged or impaired.
Cardiomyopathy: This is a genetic disorder that is characterized by an inability of the heart to pump blood efficiently.
Age: Ageing may cause certain changes in the body that lead to valvular heart disease. 
Valvular heart disease is treated by various homeopathic remedies that do not have any side effect. It takes a holistic approach to healing the body as it gets to the root of the disease. The various homeopathic remedies for valvular heart disease are:

Cactus grandiflorus: This remedy is used in a number of heart complications such as stenosis of the valve. It helps in getting rid of the inflammation in the heart muscles, so that the heart can pump blood efficiently.
Digitalis: Digitalis is another remedy that helps in healing the muscles of the heart by regulating the pulse. 
Kalmia latifolia: Kalmia latifolia is a homeopathic remedy that is used in treating various complications of the heart. It also helps in symptoms of rheumatic fever that may lead to valvular heart disease.

Valvular Heart Disease - Homeopathy Medicines to Treat It?

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