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

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but Minions seem to disagree. An apple being the fruit of choice for millions of households across the world, recent studies show that apples may not be as good for you as you ve been led to believe. For starters they have high sugar content, for the calorie conscious, which might be a bad revelation. The really high fiber content of apples is known to induce stomach aches. Studies show that most apples in the regular market are laden with pesticides, which are harmful for human consumption. Apples are known to cause allergies too and not to forget, apple seeds contain trace amounts of cyanide.

So if not apples, what is supposed to keep the doctor at bay? The world is going ga ga over bananas. Bananas and papayas are two easy to resource, lower priced alternative as the household fruit of choice. Here s why.

Papayas and Bananas contain fewer carbohydrates and more protein than Apples and hence instantly making them a better choice for calorie conscious.
High levels of Tryptophan, make bananas and papayas a natural antidepressant and stress buster.
Both are rich in Anti oxidants which helps in preventing and fighting cancer.
Bananas protect an individual against type 2 diabetes and aid in weight loss in this new age of morbid obesity that makes it quite a selling point.
Both fruits being rich in vitamin C are known to boost immunity.
Papayas are rich in flavonoids, vitamin A and beta carotene, which protect the mucus membrane of the eye and are known to prevent age related retardation of eye sight.
Bananas and Papayas help prevent swelling of joints and work well to prevent arthritis.
Both fruits are known to help ease menstrual cramps.
Papaya is rich in vitamin E, vitamin C and antioxidants like beta-carotene which helps prevent your skin from free radical damage keeping wrinkles, marks and signs of ageing at bay.
Papaya is known to encourage hair growth and fight against hair fall.
The duo is known to improve overall digestion as well.

Why Is Banana or Papaya Healthier Alternatives for Apple?

Favorite of most Indian households, ghee is indeed a superfood. Apart from being widely used in Indian cooking, it has also been used as a remedy for cough and cold. Sadly, due to the misconceptions that surround the use of ghee, it is often underutilized. While some are worried that it may make them put on weight, others feel that it is bad for their heart. Little do they know that these misconceptions are not true, and ghee actually has limitless health benefits.

Let us read on to know more about the benefits that ghee has to offer:

Packed with nutrients: Many-a-times, people love the taste of ghee but have strike it off from the diet owing to popular belief that ghee is unhealthy and fattening. However, the opposite of it is actually true and the short-chain fatty acids found in ghee offer several health benefits and keep your gut healthy. Ghee obtained from grass-fed butter consists of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K. Fats present in ghee are free of oxidized cholesterol, trans-fats and hydrogenated oils, thus, the fat present in pure ghee is healthy.
Great for immunity and bone strengthening: Including ghee in your daily breakfast not only boosts your physical and mental strength, but also ensures that your body stays fit and gains the potential to fight against several illnesses. Being a rich source of fat soluble vitamins, ghee supports in the growth and development of bones. It is also known to strengthen your muscles and tendons.
Lowers cholesterol: It is considered as an excellent option for people with high cholesterol levels. Since ghee contains Vitamin K2, it prevents plaque formation in the arteries, which in turn prevents the blockag that may obstruct blood flow and lead to complication. It also increases the level of good cholesterol and lowers the level of bad cholesterol in the blood.
Promotes weight loss: An excellent source of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), is known to boost the metabolism which in turn promotes weight loss. It also improves digestion, makes you feel full and increases the oxidation of fat; all of which help in reducing weight.
How to differentiate if the ghee is pure or not?

Ghee is stocked in every Indian household, but the thought of whether it is pure or not often crosses our minds. Adulterated ghee may contain vegetable oils and other greasy elements which are bad for your heart and health. So, here are some methods that can help you check the purity of your ghee at home.

Pure ghee normally melts at body temperature. You can check it by putting a spoon of ghee on your palm if it melts then it is pure, if not, it is best to get rid of it.
Pure ghee melts within seconds and turns brown when heated. If the ghee takes longer to melt and appears light yellow in color, it is impure.

It has been established that ghee is indeed good for your health, but only if it is pure. The simple tests mentioned above can help you determine whether the ghee is pure or not. So, eat safe and stay healthy!

Ghee In Your Daily Diet - Did You Know It Has More Benefits Than You Can Think Of?

The Churg-Strauss disease is a rare medical condition, which causes abnormal and painful swelling of the blood vessels thereby obstructing normal blood flow to the different body organs and tissues. The Churg-Strauss disease generally attacks the blood vessels of the intestine, nose, heart, lungs and the sinuses. In rare cases, this abnormal swelling can damage the kidney and the body joints. If not diagnosed timely, Churg-Strauss disease might lead to further complications such as heart disease, nerve damage, and kidney damage.

Causes
1. As of now, the accurate causes of the syndrome have not been detected; although doctors suspect that hereditary factors and a long-term exposure to allergens might be responsible for the syndrome.

2. Also, the syndrome can be caused as a result of side effects of prescribed medications for asthma and allergies. However, many people who have been diagnosed with allergies do not show the symptoms of Churg-Strauss syndrome.

3. The chances of suffering from this condition increase if you suffer from episodes of chronic asthma, sinusitis (inflammation of the nasal passage cavities) or any other form of allergy in the nose. This syndrome has been generally observed in people within the age group of 30-50 years.

Symptoms
The symptoms of Churg-Strauss syndrome vary among people depending on the affected organ. However, the possible symptoms of the disease are but not limited to:

1. There might be a significant pain in the joints and abdomen along with fever, asthma, sinusitis, and a loss in body weight.

2. Development of scars on the body along with the presence of blood in faecal matters coupled with a tingling sensation in the limbs along with a feeling of numbness if the syndrome happens to attack the nerves.

Treatment
Churg-Strauss disease is an incurable medical condition, but a prescribed dosage of corticosteroids or chemotherapy medications can regulate the symptoms.

All About Churg-Strauss Disease

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

Symptoms of heart attack

A heart attack (myocardial infarction) should not be confused with stroke or heart failure. It is the condition which causes major damage to heart muscles because of sudden blockage by a blood clot. The most common symptom of heart attack happens to be chest pain. Heart failure and ventricular fibrillation are probably the most common complications in this condition. 

Clear symptoms of heart attack are:

1. Feeling vaguely ill - very vague feeling of illness is one symptom. You cannot really put your finger on what is wrong with you, but you do feel unwell.

2. Pain in left arm - pain in the arm, mainly the left arm is also one of the symptoms of an impending heart attack.

3. Sweating and heartburn - a lot of people have reported experiencing sweating, indigestion and heartburn before a heart attack. If you are sweating profusely and without any particular reasons, or having an unbearable heartburn, consult a medical specialist immediately.

4. Chest pain - feeling of fullness or tightness in the chest followed by pain is also a symptom of a heart attack. A lot of people have reported to ignore it; kindly don't.

5. Breathlessness - sudden shortness of breath and inability to do a lot of work at one point of time is not a good thing. This could be an indication of a heart attack.

6. Silent attack - the scariest of all is silent heart attack. At times, it comes with no symptoms at all. A person could be visibly physically fit, and suddenly have an attack. This usually happens with those who are suffering from diabetes mellitus.

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All You Need To Know About Heart Attack Symptoms

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