Showing posts with label Heart Attack. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heart Attack. Show all posts

How to recognize Heart Attack one month before it happens

Heart attack or myocardial infarction occurs all of a sudden and sometimes without a warning, which is why it is referred to as one of the deadliest medical conditions. However, some people could be lucky if they can detect the subtle clues to the impending cardiac attack even a month before the actual attack. The following symptoms can be an indication that a possible attack could happen in the near future.

Cold sweats and dizziness

Poor circulation may restrict proper blood flow to the brain and hinders its smooth operation. This leads to clamminess and dizziness, especially when the person suddenly gets up from the chair or bed. This indicates extreme danger and needs immediate medical attention. Lack of immediate medical attention may be fatal, if the death of the tissue occurs. This symptom is even subtler in women, and it may be too late by the time they may have been discovered. This is why, it is advisable for women to visit their physicians regularly and get the complete check up done at regular intervals.

Excessive fatigue

The narrowing of the coronary artery leads to a dangerous level where the heart received less blood. This makes the heart muscle work harder than normal and leads to excessive fatigue or tiredness being felt. Gradual fatigue is experienced in the beginning and suddenly the plaque ruptures, triggering a chain of events and a sudden attack occurs.

Shortness of breath

When there is a great difficulty in breathing, it may indicate the risk of an impending attack. The heart receives less blood, in turn carrying less oxygen to the lungs, leading to shortness of breath. The cardiovascular and the respiratory systems are completely interdependent and hence, thus is another good indicator of an impending attack. Sometimes it so happens that, in such cases, many people have been treated for anxiety, which later turned out to be a heart attack.

Weakness

The body tends to feel weaker as there is lack of oxygen due to poor circulation. This happens when the muscles don’t receive enough blood, as the narrowing artery hinders the blood circulation. The other may be a gradual progression of the disease, where the artery gets narrower over time. Once it gets narrowed down to more than 70%, the symptoms start showing up especially with physical exertions or weakness.

Discomfort in the chest

A heart attack occurs when a tissue dies due to lack of blood flow and makes a person experience excruciating pain and pressure. This usually occurs when there is a gradual build-up of plaque within the coronary artery, resulting in the loss of blood supply and eventually the attack. This is one of the suggestive symptoms of an impending heart attack. The discomfort in the chest may be minor pain or built up pressure, but will constantly keep increasing till the actual attack occurs.

Flu or cold symptoms

Many people have recorded developing cold or flu symptoms out of nowhere, just before the actual attack. This is also a very serious indication of an impending attack and one must immediately consult a doctor.

If any one of the above symptoms is experienced, it means that it is time to take immediate action and consult a doctor. Cardiovascular health could be the difference between life and death. The best way to prevent an impending attack is to react to its symptoms as soon as they are experienced. These symptoms may show up individually or in combination. It is always recommended to test for problems if there is strange body behaviour, especially if there is a family history of heart diseases. Take care!

How to Survive a Heart Attack When You Are Alone

Heart attacks are the type of condition that comes without an announcement, so many people get struck with it when they are alone and have to struggle without any help. If you suddenly feel that you are about to faint and that your heart beats “wrong”, you have just approximately 10 seconds before you lose your consciousness.
But people actually do not know that they can help themselves. To achieve this, the most important thing is not to lose the consciousness – start coughing, as hard as you can and not to panic.

Take a deep breath every time before you cough. Cough long and deeply enough, as if you were trying to get rid of something from your lungs.

Cough and breathe every 2 seconds, without taking breaks, until the doctors can reach you, or until your heart beats return to normal.
Coughing is a sort of compression,and deep breaths allow the oxygen to enter in your lungs.

This helps your blood flow and heart to function normally. This kind of pressure helps your heart balance its rhythm. This is the perfect way to avoid any further damage, at least until the doctor comes. So share this knowledge with as many people as you can, as you might save someone’s life.
Cardiologists guarantee that at least one life can be saved,if only one person shares this information with 10 people.

5 Foods You Should Be Eating After A Heart Attack To Save Your Life

Having had a heart attack, your lifestyle will change. However, there are easy ways to make those changes without terribly upsetting the balance of your life for a little while, at least. No matter what foods you choose to incorporate or delete from your post-heart attack diet, they will help you a lot.

Food 1: Almond Butter, Unsalted

This is a food that should be added. The unsalted piece is crucial – added salts, sugars, and fats often abound in other nut butter, whether they be peanut or not. However, nut butter themselves are full of fatty acids that are good for the body. Whole-grain toast with any unsalted nut butter makes a great alternative to the white bread toast with butter that is oh so popular.

Food 2: Soft or Sugary Drinks

These should be avoided, or taken out of the diet completely. However, if you must have some sort of sugary drink or a soda, only eight ounces a day are recommended each day. After all, a 12 ounce can or bottle of soda has ten teaspoons of sugar (like what would be put in homemade cookies or cake). In addition, weight gain is a possibility with this as calories are not counted the same way from liquids as they are from solids. It’s quite likely you’ll eat as much as you would with water as the drink.

Food 3: Red and Black Grapes

This is certainly an addition to any diet. Grapes right off the vine are good, anytime. These awesome little fruits contain a chemical called resveratrol. This chemical helps keep the platelets in the blood from sticking together when they should not be sticking together. In moderation, red wine can be good as well. However, if you currently do not drink, it is not suggested that you begin to drink since all alcohol carries some health risks. If you cannot go without your nightly drink of wine, you can ask your doctor if the amount you currently drink is okay for you. It is recommended that a healthy man drinks no more than two glasses in a specific time – and women should not drink more than one.

Food 4: Salmon

This is a good food to add. A serving a little bit bigger than a computer mouse is overflowing with omega-3 fatty acids. This awesome acid does the same thing as resveratrol from the grapes – keeps the blood from clotting. The American Heart Association suggests getting, at least, two servings of fish. If you don’t enjoy salmon, other options include tuna, trout, sardines, and mackerel. Not only do these fun fish have omega-3s that help keep blood from clotting, the acids lower triglycerides. This is a kind of fat that can lead to heart disease and further increase the risks of a heart attack or other issue.

Food 5: Any Highly Processed and/or Refined Grains

This is a big no-no. Whole wheat grains are the way to go, but if no whole wheat is available, the most you should have is seven servings of processed or refined grains a week. Whole grains help to lower your weight over time, lower blood pressure, and lower cholesterol. Refined and processed grains have very few of the good benefits that come from eating a whole wheat alternative. These highly processed grains often also have more added sugars, sodium, and trans fat that make their health value plummet, big time.

A Teaspoon of This Can Cut the Risk of Cancer, Diabetes & Heart Attack

Nutritionists recommend raw cocoa as a very healthy food because it is very rich in antioxidants, which can prevent heart disease, type 2 diabetes and even cancer. It also gives a great taste to smoothies.

Cocoa comes from South America, where it was used to make drinks and even for medical purposes. Cocoa was brought to Europe in the 1500s.

In the 17th century cocoa had a lot of purposes and a lot of different uses, such as it was used together with other spices to improve the taste and later it was used for making chocolate drink together with milk.

Cocoa and cacao – is there a difference?

Nobody really knows if there is a real difference between the two words. The word ‘cacao’ is believed to be the original pronunciation as opposed to the word ‘cocoa’ which is believed to be a mistake in pronunciation which nobody has corrected.

Other opinion is that cacao is the bean that comes from the cacao tree, whereas cocoa is what the bean is called after it has been processed.

Raw cocoa and its health benefits

As we mentioned earlier,  cocoa beans are very rich in antioxidants, much more than any other fruit or vegetables.


  • Their powerful antioxidants can reduce the incidence of several serious illnesses, such as heart disease and cancer.
  • They also have protective effect on the cardiovascular system and reduce blood pressure.
  • Their flavonoids can improve insulin sensitivity, so may help prevent type-2 diabetes.

Cocoa also contains a big amount of neurotransmitters which make us feel good, improve our verbal and visual memory.

Cocoa contains also fiber (33%), protein (20%), all the amino acids, and magnesium – which we all all missing in our daily intake. Besides these cocoa also contains other minerals like iron, calcium, copper, zinc, potassium and chromium.

The center of the bean contains about 54% cocoa butter which contains some vitamin E and is rich in vitamin K.A large percent of cocoa butter is oleic acid, the heart-healthy fat found in olive oil. The beans are also rich in cholesterol-lowering phytosterols.

Cocoa is very bitter so when you take it you must add sugar. The best thing you can do is to incorporate cocoa into your daily meals, put some raw cocoa into your cereal, smoothie or in your hot drinks.

Here are some ways on how to make cocoa drinks:

Chocolate Coconut Smoothie


  • 1 banana, peeled
  • 2 pitted dates
  • 1/2 coconut and all its water
  • 2 tsp raw cocoa powder
  • 1/2 lime, juiced
  • 2 oranges, juiced

Blend all the ingredients together  and is ready to drink.

Chocolate Orange Smoothie


  •  4 oranges, juiced
  • 2 tsp raw cocoa powder
  • 2 bananas, peeled
  • 1 mango, peeled and pitted

Put all the ingredients into the blender and blend them together.

Chocolate Peach Green Smoothie


  • 1 peach, pitted
  • 1 cup fresh pineapple, cubed
  • 2 cups of raw baby spinach (or other greens)
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
  • 2 tsp raw cocoa powder
  • About 1 cup of water

First pour the water into the blender, than add the soft fruit and at the end put the greens. Blend them all together for about 30 seconds.

Chocolate Mango with Goji Berries Smoothie


  • 1 mango, peeled and cubed
  • 2 tsp raw cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup dried goji berries
  • 1 cup red grapes
  • 2 cups (or large handfuls) of fresh baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries (or strawberries)
  • About 1 cup of water

First pour the water into the blender, than add the soft fruit and at the end put the greens. Blend them all together for about 30 seconds.

Chocolate Cherry Green Smoothie


  • 1 cup cherries, pitted
  • 1 banana, peeled
  • 2 cups fresh baby spinach (or other leafy green)
  • 2 tsp raw cocoa powder
  • About 1 cup of water

Add all the ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth.