Ways to identify and treat Angina pain

Angina or angina pectoris is the pain, discomfort or tightness in the chest that occurs when the blood flow to the heart muscle cells is not enough to meet its energy needs. It is not a disease itself but rather a symptom of the coronary heart disease.

What are the different types of angina?

1. Stable angina: It is the commonest form of angina. It can be triggered by stress or physical activity and usually only lasts a few minutes.

2. Unstable angina: It happens when you're resting or aren't very active. The pain is strong and long lasting, and may keep recurring. It may be a signal of an impending heart attack.

3. Variant angina: This might take place when you're asleep or at rest. This sudden tightening or narrowing of the heart's arteries causes a lot of pain.

How u know what your are experiencing is an angina pain?

You might be having angina pain if you suffer from one or more of these symptoms:

- Chest pain
- Heartburn
- Breathlessness
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Restlessness
- Fatigue
- Pain in your arm, neck, jaw and back
- Numbness or loss of feeling in your arms, shoulders or wrists

Immediate Relief from Angina

If previously advised by a certified doctor, patients can take antiplatelet medicines which are blood thinners and prevent unstable angina. Final treatments include angioplasty (repair of a blocked blood vessel through surgery), insertion of a coronary artery stent (a tube that is used to treat weakened arteries) or a heart bypass surgery for serious complications.



Ways to Identify and Treat ANGINA PAIN?

The coronary arteries supply the heart with oxygen-enriched blood and nutrients. If these arteries become damaged or diseased; they could cause Coronary artery disease or CAD. Plaque deposits on the walls of the arteries are the most common cause of this disease. This plaque is usually the result of high cholesterol levels. As the plaque builds up, the passage of blood flow is reduced. This reduces the amount of blood that reaches the heart. In cases of a complete blockage, CAD can even cause a heart attack. Because of its slow progression, this disease is often not diagnosed until it reaches a dangerous stage. However, it can be prevented and treated if diagnosed in time.

In the early stages of CAD, symptoms are not very noticeable. Symptoms become visible only when blood flow to the heart reduces and the heart has to pump harder than normal. The most common symptoms experienced include:

Chest Pain: This is also referred to as angina. It may feel like a tightening of the chest or pressure on the chest as though someone is pressing against it. This type of chest pain may be triggered by emotional or physical stress. It is usually relieved within a few minutes of stopping the activity. Women may experience this pain as a sharp, fleeting pain in the back, arm or neck.
Breathlessness: When the heart does not receive enough blood, it has to work harder to pump blood through the body. This may be translated to breathlessness of shortness of breath when performing any type of physical activity. It can also cause extreme fatigue.
Heart Attack: A heart attack is the most severe symptom of coronary artery disease. This is caused by the complete blockage of a coronary artery. A heart attack can occur without any symptoms or be preceded by slight symptoms. The signs of an impending heart attack include pain in the chest and shoulder, shortness of breath and extreme sweating. The chest pain may also travel to the lower jaw. These symptoms are more pronounced in men as compared to women. Women have a higher tendency of experiencing atypical signs such as extreme fatigue.
Other symptoms that might indicate coronary artery disease are dizziness, nausea and an irregular heartbeat. The good news is that this disease can be prevented. Staying physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, reducing stress and eating a low fat and low salt diet can help reduce the risk of CAD.

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) - What Are The Symptoms?

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?

Why Do You Get Palpitations? How to Get Immediate Relief?

Palpitations is the feeling that you experience when your heart beats abnormally. Heart palpitations can be felt in the form of rapid, fluttering or pounding heartbeats. They can be frightening as when you palpate, you heart beats so hard that it even skips a beat and the sensations are so strong that they can be felt all through your chest, neck, and throat.

Palpitations are also common especially in young people because of abnormal electrical circuits in heart from birth. However, they may have normal hearts on Echo. Such palpitations are curable by a nonsurgical methods called Radiofrequency Ablation.

Palpitations can be triggered as a result of a number of reasons like stress, certain medications, exercise etc.

Here are a few prominent causes of heart palpitations.

Causes unrelated to the Heart -

- Anxiety, fear, and stress
- Consumption of alcohol and drugs like caffeine, nicotine etc.
- Consumption of street drugs likes cocaine, amphetamines etc.
- Certain medical conditions such as thyroid, anemia, dehydration, low blood pressure and low sugar levels etc.
- Hormonal changes that occur as a result of menstruation, pregnancy, menopause etc.
- Certain nutritional and herbal supplements
- Certain medications like asthma inhalers, diet pills etc.
- Abnormal levels of electrolyte
- Sensitivity to certain food items like some carbohydrates

Causes related to the Heart -

- Coronary artery disease
- Prior instances of heart attack
- Congestive heart failure (a condition wherein your heart's chambers get affected)
- Problems associated with the heart valves or the heart muscles

Immediate Relief Mechanisms-

It is crucial to go to the most easily available doctor to get an ECG done during palpitations as ECG will give an exact diagnosis, which helps in identifying the clear line of treatment.

Here are a few techniques that can help you in getting immediate relief from heart palpitations until you are able to visit a doctor in case of a serious condition.

- Cough it out
- Splash cold water on your face or take a cold shower
- Practice slow, deep breathing exercises



Why Do You Get Palpitations? How to Get Immediate Relief?

Hypertension is a condition where the blood has to exert extra pressure to flow through the blood vessels. While there is a genetic component to it, the more strong contributing factors are modified lifestyle and dietary changes. There are also a lot of environmental changes that have contributed to this new epidemic. While earlier people in their 50s and 60s would be diagnosed with hypertension, now there are people in 30s and 40s taking hypertension pills. Excess fat accumulation is the major cause of hypertension in younger patients.

There begins the complexity of the issue. Hypertension which requires medications to control it, they lead to side effects and bring in a host of other diseases like diabetes, and obesity which in turn bring in a whole lot of complications. A more easy way to manage would be to prevent and of course, after onset, look at how naturally it can be managed.

Ayurveda has numerous substances that have been proven to have beneficial effects in controlling blood pressure over the past 1000s of years.

1. Celery or ajwain helps blood vessels to dilate and reduces concentration of stress hormones in the blood.

2. Ashwagandha has a wide range of actions and improves the body's ability to handle physical and mental stress. This in turn improves blood pressure, obesity, and depression.

3. Citrus fruits contain vitamin c which prevents fragility of the capillaries (thinner blood vessels).

4. Cow's urine prevents hardening of blood vessels and is of curative value in those who have blood pressure due to hardening of blood vessels. 

5. Triphala which is a combination of amla, haritaki, and bibhitaki helps reduce inflammation that leads to blood pressure, thereby helping to control it.

6. Jatamansi - by helping the free radical damage on the arteries, it protects the arteries and prevents cholesterol accumulation. It also is a very well-proven stress reliever and has additional benefits on hypertension.

7. Arjuna - by helping the metabolism of the bad cholesterol in the liver, this protects the inner lining of the heart and thereby helps control hypertension.

8. Calcium and potassium containing substances help remove sodium and thereby improve blood pressure.

9. Natural herbs like brahmi, sarpagandha, shankhpushpi, and chandana are effective ayurvedic cure and treatment for hypertension.

10. Rasayana treatment from ayurveda is having excellent results, however everyone requires unique rasayan as per their body types.

11. Watermelon helps in dilation of the blood vessels.

12. Aloe gel, barberry, calamus, valerian, skullcap, gotu kola cayenne, myrrh, motherwort, hawthorn and jatamansi have all been shown to help manage hypertension over thousands of years.

13. A glass of warm milk mixed with saraswat powder is also helpful for patients with high blood pressure.

These are natural remedies which were a part of diet since times immemorial. Including them in the diet, reducing processed foods, regular exercise, avoiding alcohol and smoking can be some natural ways to prevent and if required control hypertension. Stress is here to stay, but can definitely be managed with a little conscious effort.

Control Blood Pressure With Ayurveda

A heart attack does not always have obvious symptoms, such as pain in your chest, shortness of breath and cold sweats. In fact, a heart attack can actually happen without a person knowing it. This condition is known as a  silent heart attack , medically known as  silent ischemia , occurring due to the shortage of oxygen supply to the heart muscle. The causes of a silent heart attack are similar to that of a heart attack. 

They include- 

Conditions like: 
Obesity or excess weight 
Diabetes 
High Blood pressure 
High cholesterol 
Heart Diseases 
Lack of exercise 
Age, usually above 65 
Consumption of tobacco or smoking 
High consumption of alcohol 
A silent cardiac arrest makes one more vulnerable to another heart attack that could be fatal. Diagnosis: The only method to diagnose if you had a silent heart attack is through imaging tests, such as echocardiogram, electrocardiogram, Holter Monitoring or others. These tests can show certain changes which might be indicative of a heart attack. An analysis of one s overall health and the symptoms can aid in deciding whether few more tests are required. 

How would you prevent a silent heart attack? 
1.   Get your cholesterol and blood pressure count tested regularly. 
2.   Refrain from smoking. 
3.   Get your VO2 max checked regularly. 
4.   Live a healthy lifestyle: Refrain from smoking and excessive alcohol consumption; exercise daily, eat healthy. 
5.   Control high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes 
6.   Be aware of your body and call on a doctor if you feel there s anything which is bothering you. 

If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor and ask a free question.

Know Everything About Silent Heart Attacks

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