How can i avoid a heart attack?

Answer 1

HOW TO AVOID HEART DISEASE

The American is in the highest risk category for coronary disease, especially if he is in the social segment that emphasizes a sedentary way of life and a rich and unwholesome diet. There are some countries of the world where the risk of having a heart attack is quite low. By studying their lifestyles we have discovered many things to help us make our way of living more healthful. In some countries of the world, the blood fats are quite low, cholesterol being around 90 to 120, whereas in this country we have not been excited if an adult shows a cholesterol level of 200 to 250. We now believe, however, that a cholesterol level below 180 is beneficial and the lower the better. The heart attack rate is four times greater if the cholesterol is above 260 than if it is below 200. A mere 10% reduction in cholesterol reduces by 25% one's likelihood of having a heart attack. The same can be said generally of triglycerides, another type of blood fat. The ideal for triglycerides is surely below 140, and probably below 100 is safer. Many people can achieve an enviable triglycerides level the same as their age. The heart attack rate is two times higher if the triglyceride level is above 250 as compared to below 170. Ninety percent of overweight people have increased triglycerides. Other causes of increased triglycerides are alcohol, sugar, the fatty acids in dairy products and the refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white flour products, white pastries, and white starch. Even large quantities of fruit juices or very sweet or dried fruits (dates, raisins, and figs) may increase triglycerides.

One can bring the cholesterol down by reducing the fat content of the diet, by increasing exercise, and by learning to deal with tension. One good way to deal with tension is through vigorous exercise. Exercise neutralizes tension. Face squarely those things that trouble you and deal with each one dispassionately and kindly.

The fat content of the diet can be effectively lowered by decreasing all animal products, and by omitting margarine, mayonnaise, fried foods and cooking oil. There are excellent substitutes for spreads that have no oil. At Uchee Pines Institute, we find that a total vegetarian, low-fat diet will invariably lower the blood cholesterol by up to 200 points within a month's time (the higher the original level, the more the drop). Drug companies are overjoyed if their cholesterol-lowering products achieve a 10 to 15 point decrease in six months.

There are two sources of cholesterol in the body: those that are manufactured from any food including foods of plant origin, and preformed cholesterol which is only of animal origin. No plant food contains cholesterol. Stress hormones use cholesterol as a part of their molecule, and those who are under much emotional tension will rind that this matter of itself can cause the blood cholesterol to go up.

The way that high blood fats increase the likelihood of having a heart attack is that the fat in the blood can enter the walls of the arteries. One way a plaque develops in an artery is that over a small area of injury, which may occur from using tobacco or other irritating substances, a microscopically thin layer of clot forms. At the same time fat and cholesterol pour through the break and are deposited in muscle fibers within the vessel wall. During the next few hours or days the clot "organizes" and eventually forms a scar. That injury is now healed, but there is weakness characterized by the presence of the scar. The next time the body encounters that same or another injury, the weakened area is most likely to be the site of a second microscopically thin clot with the disposition in the same way as previously. Now the scar itself may be large enough to take on a few globules of fat, not yet big enough to bulge, but just big enough to be seen on a microscopic section. Through the years with layer upon layer of clot, then scar, and then fat, cushions of plaques are built up in many arteries in the body. When all the arteries of the body are affected, certain arteries are more involved than others. Because of the disseminated nature of the disease, however, the replacement of the few arteries that are the most severely affected is not the answer to atherosclerosis. The answer is to be found in the change of lifestyle that will decrease one's cancer risk.

The three top factors are increased blood fats, increased blood pressure, and smoking. You now know how to keep your blood fats low, and you learn how to keep you blood pressure low by a proper lifestyle. Anyone can stop smoking (I know because I did it).

Several other things increase one's risk of having a heart attack, such as being overweight, having poor posture especially stooping, having a low vital capacity (the ability to blow out a large volume of air after taking a full inspiration), hypertension, reduced exercise, increased intake of sugar and alcohol, a pulse over 80, emotional stress, hereditary predisposition, and coffee. Our campaign to reduce heart attacks is being successful and the death rate from heart attacks has fallen approximately 30% in the last thirty years, at least in the United States. This is not true in many other western nations, however, who have not had as vigorous health education campaigns as we have. But the total deaths from all heart disease still hovers at around a half million a year, which is a totally unacceptable level. We still have much work to do.

Answer 2

The classic symptoms of a heart attack include intense, sometimes squeezing, chest pressure or pain, often radiating to the jaw or left arm, and frequently accompanied by profuse sweating, or a nearly overwhelming sense of fear or impending doom.
Unfortunately, many patients with heart attacks do not have this classic presentation. Their discomfort may be relatively mild, and may be localized to the back, abdomen, shoulders, or either or both arms. Nausea and vomiting, or merely a feeling of heartburn, may be the only symptom. These less classic symptoms may not make patients think of a heart problem, and may keep them from seeking medical help. Indeed, up to 30% of heart attacks are diagnosed by taking a routine ECG long after the fact.

This is why people with one or more risk factors for coronary artery disease need to pay close attention to any unusual symptoms involving the upper half of the body. This warning would apply, for instance, for any middle-aged or older person who is obese, sedentary, a smoker, a diabetic, overweight, has high cholesterol, or has a family history of heart disease. (Ideally, of course, such people will have been evaluated by a competent physician who will have screened them for the presence of coronary artery disease, coached them on risk factor modification, and heightened their awareness of potential cardiac problems.)

What should you do if you think you might be having a heart attack?
If you experience any symptoms suggestive of heart attack, especially if you know you have risk factors for coronary artery disease, your key to avoiding death or permanent disability is to get yourself to medical help as soon as possible. If you live in an area where paramedics can get to you within a few minutes, then call for them. If it would be quicker to have someone drive you to a hospital, then do that. But get help right away. If you are having a heart attack, every minute is vitally important. And while you’re waiting for the paramedics, or while being driven to the hospital, take an aspirin.
The patient’s reluctance to get medical help is the most common reason for critical delays in therapy for heart attacks. It is probably coded into all of our genes to want to say, “This can’t be my heart. It’s got to be something else. I’ll just wait a little while and see if it goes away.” As difficult as it is to push aside this natural tendency toward denial, if you know you’ve got an increased risk of heart disease, that’s what you need to do. This is one time you really need to listen to your body; if it feels like there is something terribly wrong, there probably is.

What medical personnel should do when you arrive
They should be taking your symptoms very seriously. This is not one of those times when you should expect to show up in the emergency room and sit around for two hours waiting for a sullen, gum-snapping clerk to take your insurance information. Instead, this is one of those times when they should immediately place you into a treatment room, and several individuals should simultaneously hook you up to a cardiac monitor, start an I.V., give you some oxygen, get an ECG, draw some blood tests, and begin asking you questions about your symptoms and examining your heart.
To make sure you elicit the correct response from emergency personnel, you’ve got to say the magic words as soon as you arrive. The magic words are, “I think I’m having a heart attack.”

Don’t tell them you’re here because your shoulder hurts, or you think you have heartburn, or that you have any of the other alternate possibilities you’ve imagined for yourself. Your attitude should not be, “It’s probably nothing, so I won’t make a big deal. Let them figure out if it’s my heart.” If that’s your approach, you’ll get the sullen, gum-snapping treatment, precious minutes (or even hours) will be wasted, and you’ll pay a heavy price

Answer 3

Please read all of this, I wouldn't waste your time.

I would very much like to add my 2 cents in on this one. I like a lot of what I have been reading and I have learned some. I think that one of the most important things to keep in mind is: your body is not designed to fail. That includes your heart. Also, you should remain positive and happy. I like the idea I read about not stressing out. Stress raises the blood pressure and is a predisposing factor to heart disease. But instead of repeating everything that everyone else said, I will tell you this: Do not take an aspirin a day without talking to your MD. That is a treatment without a diagnosis and it's stupid. Find an exercise you like and do it (Providing it's okay with yer doc or particular health practicioner) There is no way humanly possible to avoid stress completely but exercise will enable your cardiac system to endure it better. If you smoke, good for you. Just so long as it doesn't interfere with your ability to exercise. Also, there are natural thrombolytics, things that destroy blood clots, in your blood right now. When you exercise their numbers grow markedly. God is not stupid, or cruel or mean or any other bad thing. HE WANTS YOU TO MOVE!! It doesn't matter why, we should just trust His judgement. The Chairman of the department of Kinesiology of the University of California said, "The body was designed to move right up to the end." Hmmmmmm. More info: Dr. Matthias Rath in his book, "Why animals don't get heart attacks but people do!" He says to eat vitamin C for cardiovascular health. It's really a fascinating book because he sites neato examples. Bears have an average cholesterol of 600mg/dL. The reason they don't have heart disease is because they produce endogonous vitamin C. Now, vitamin C does some interesting things. Chief among them, it allows your vasculature to create collagen, a substance that makes them flexible. Why is this important? Dr. Rath seems to think that arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries is the main cause of cardiac related deaths. Now put the two together and what do you get? To flesh it out a bit more. When your heart contracts, it sqeezes your coronary arteries flat. This is normal. But if your coronary arteries are rigid, what do you think would happen over time? Ever step on a cold garden hose? Yup, it cracks, in comes cholesterol to plug the leak and you people want to get rid of it?!!!!! It's got it's finger in the dike yelling, "Help!" Again, read the book but doctor R also says 600 to 3000mg of vitamin C a day is the help the cholesterol needs. Now, I have saved the best for last Chiropractic. According to the liturature and lectures I have heard and read and I also undergo chiropractic treatment myself regularly: Misalignments in your spine cause adipose tissue to impinge upon nerves, causing neurological dysfunction. Neurological dysfunction causes end-organ, cellular derangement which causes organ dysfunction which could possibly lead or contribute to heart disease and other diseases.

P.S. All of the preceding information Max has acquired through tireless hours of pestering his doctors and reading medical journals Written by MD's and PHd's . He is not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. DO THE RESEARCH IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH ANYONE'S EXPLAINATION!. Talk to your doctor.

Answer 4

On the lower plains
avoid:
booz/tobacco/meat/fat stuff/ heavilly processed foods/drugs weather recreational or prescribed/coffee/sugar cholesterol high products. lots of fat dairy
embrace:
ayurvedic cooking (Morningstar), the anti aging plan (Walford)


On the higher plaines
And please open your heart, follow your heart that's an order!
you have a spiritual/mental and physical health.
all three should be adresses by their own belief systems

If you do not follow your heart and simply exist without having any religious pattern, your heart will not open, therefore you will be subject to the degenerative patterns that can cause a heart attack
yes, meditation/ yoga/ sports, good food do help, but its useless without the will to return to the inner happyness.
Good luck my friend

Answer 5

No. A heart attack can happen for any reason. But exercise is helpful. It reduces the risk of heart attacks. Drink tea for the stress. It'll help you calm down a bit. (:

Answer 6

There are never any guarantees, since, as the ad says, many heart events are caused by something smaller than the head of a pin. (blood clot)

Take a preventative aspirin (81 mg a day), reduce if you are overweight, and hope for the best.

Answer 7

Start eating healthy and exercise daily and you will be on the right track. If your on medication check to see if you can have an aspirin becuase some medications you can't take aspirin with.

Answer 8

Stop eating fast food. Quit smoking, and drinking. Excercise regularly. Practice a healthy balanced diet.

Answer 9

Lizzet: it depends upon your health ! well what is the best way
to avoid heart attact ? "Keep colristrial levels down"
cut down on latino acids , eat good healthy foods, get plenty of
sleep, check blood pressure make sure it's normal,
see http://www.personalhealth.com

Answer 10

Exercise and eat healthy. Develop a health/exercise plan with your doctor. Don't eat so many transfatty/fatty foods.