if you feel you maybe prone to a heartattack ie chest pain etc?

Question

can you still prevent a heart attack by dieting and stoping smoking or if you have the symtoms is it to late by then and it is in evetitable you will have one or can it be prevented by the above please

Answer 1

If you have " chest pain etc" your only proper course of action is to consult a doctor or ER to diagnose an impending heart attack or not.

The doctor is the best person to advise you in addition to dieting and quitting smoking. There are lots of simple measures in the medical armamentarium to avoid or limit the complications of a heart attack.

Leave it to a professional to sort out.

Best Wishes.

Answer 2

Do you mean if you already suffer from angina, is it too late to reverse the condition & prevent a heart attack? If you suffer from angina you should go & see the doctor to be put on medication. A diet low in fat & rich in vitamins & minerals, plus regular exercise & a stress free life style are some of the best things to prevent this condition in the first place. Also you should cut down on your salt intake & not smoke or drink excessiveley. Look the web up & you will find there are different herbs that can prove also beneficial for your heart, i.e hawthorn & motherwart! If you have already started with the chest pains then drink 2 glasses of red wine with an aspirin tablet straight away as the alcohol will cause vasodilation which wil open up your arterys to allow more blood flow to your heart, whilst the aspirin will thin your blood.

Answer 3

Many myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) can be prevented with a healthy diet and lifestyle. Sometimes medication is needed as well. Chest pain in and of itself is not a symptom of a heart problem. If you are already having symptoms of an MI, then yes, it would be too late because you're having an MI. If you have concerns, you'd do well to direct them to your phsyician.

If you were alone and were having an MI, you'd be better off calling 911, taking an aspirin, loosening your clothing and sitting upright rather than coughing. The coughing CPR does not work for MIs. It has been tested on a limited experimental number of patients who experienced arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) and these patients were in a hospital setting with back up medical personnel, equipment and meds.

The person below me has no idea whether or not you have CAD (coronary artery disease) or CHD (coronary heart disease). Where did they get this idea?

Answer 4

Hi Wendy...

As long as you have a pulse it is not too late to make the changes you have mentioned. I can't say whether or not it will prevent a heart attack, I am no Dr or nurse but what I am is a person who has had to deal with what you are describing. I almost waited too long.

As for Tweety belittling the response by Vegan, she was wrong to do so. Discussing coronary artery disease in a question like this is completely acceptable. We are talking about taking preventative measures. Combatting coronary artery disease is probably one of the most important ways to fend off a future heart attack and Vegan is completely right, CAD can be reversed and as long as you aren't already pushing up daisies, it isn't to late to start..

Most important part of my message to you, if you are experiencing symptoms that you feel may be heart related, don't look for the solution here in this Forum. Contact your Dr ASAP and be perfectly honest with him/her and tell them exactly what is happening. Not knowing and anticipating an undesirable diagnosis is alot worse than knowing there is a problem and dealing with it.

Answer 5

Having a heart attack or even an angina attack means a complete life style. It is never too early or too late to change bad habits, and they will always make a difference.

My Aunt sent me an email which said, if you are on your own, and you have the symptoms of a heart attack, you should cough deep from your diaphram once, and then take 3 long deep breaths, then cough again, and keep repeating this. What this does is; the coughing forces the heart to contract, making the same pumping action it does when it is beating. The breathing makes sure you have oxygen going around your body.

I dont know if this would work or not, but it couldnt hurt.

Answer 6

Lifestyle changes such as changing your diet, and stopping smoking are good things to do to prevent heart disease, but you will not get immediate postitive results from these. They take time. If you are already having chest pains and symptoms of an MI, you need to go to the hospital. The improvements from lifestyle changes aren't going to come along fast enough to reverse your MI.

Answer 7

Coronary artery disease can be reversed. It is much better to reverse it before a heart attack than after! Dean Ornish has had a lot of success with a very low fat vegetarian diet combined with other lifestyle interventions. Of course quitting smoking is a very important thing to do.

Here is some more information about reversing heart disease:

http://www.pcrm.org/resources/education/nutrition/nutrition1.html

Answer 8

It is almost never too late to make changes which can have an amazing impact on your life. You will start to feel the benefit of eating a healthy diet and exercising immediately and your body will start to benefit too. Blood pressure and cholesterol levels can alter dramatically in as little as two weeks.

Answer 9

anyones guess but chest pains and smoking gets you well on the way for a heart attack

Answer 10

yeah, stopping smoking, a balanced diet, regular excersise and of course less stress and more relaxing can help. Also taking half an asprin a day will help further, unless you have had past stomach ulcers/ problem, you really are best conulting your doctor, there are specialist cardiac nurses who could also help