8 Simple Ways to Prevent a Heart Attack

A heart attack also known as a myocardial infarction in the medical parlance occurs when the heart muscle gets damaged or is not able to receive enough oxygen. Many cardiac related disorders occur due to blockages in arteries that carry purified blood away from the heart to different parts of the body. Another important cause that gives rise to heart attacks is the formation of blood clots.

Quite often it almost becomes difficult to differentiate between a heart attack and heartburn. The common signs of a heart attack are a tightness, pain, or discomfort in the chest and sweating, nausea, and vomiting that are accompanied by intense pressure in the chest. This is usually followed by a radiating and intense pain that extends from the chest to the left arm. There is also a shortness of breath for more than a few minutes.  If you have any of the above symptoms you must consult the doctor or rush to the emergency rooms.

If you feel that your body is giving signs of a heart attack you must call for a cardiac care ambulance, and put under your tongue a sorbitrate or chew an aspirin. If you are allergic to aspirin don’t take one. At the hospital, doctors may administer measures such as rapid thrombolysis, cardiac catheterization, and angioplasty. They will also administer intravenously clot busting medications.

The risk factors for a heart attack include smoking, diabetes, high levels of cholesterol, hypertension, family history of heart diseases, atherosclerosis, lack of exercise, obesity, and consumption of fast foods.

Following are the 8 simple ways to prevent a heart attack:

• Eat a healthy diet. Avoid fatty foods, excess salt, and red meats.

• Quit smoking.

• Choose to live a healthy lifestyle and try to control your blood pressure and diabetes.

• Ensure that you exercise regularly for at least 30 minutes a day. Walking is most beneficial. Also try to practice meditation for some time.

• Regularly practice pranayamas such as anuloma- violma under the guidance of an expert yoga teacher.

• Prevent obesity by maintaining a proper weight balance.

• Include foods that are rich in anti-oxidants in your daily diet.

• Do not forget to undergo periodic cardiac evaluations.

According to the American Heart Association approximately 59 million people in the US suffer from heart diseases. And, a major population of the world dies of heart ailments each year. Heart diseases and death from it can be prevented by maintaining your health. Find a balance in life between work and other activities, abandon the couch for the outdoors, don’t watch sports on television play sports instead and you can hope to live a long and fulfilled life.

Thus it can be concluded that heart attack is a killer disease which can be avoided by following a healthy lifestyle and taking a nutrient rich diet.