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Heart
Attack
A Heart
Attack happens when something has blocked the flow of blood into your heart, and a part of
your heart has died.
What to look for
a dull or heavy pain in
the centre of the chest
breathlessness,
dizziness, nausea, chills, sweating, weak pulse.
cold and clammy skin,
grey pallor, a severe appearance of illness.
fainting
Sometimes there are no
symptoms.
The heart relies on its own
blood supply to provide it with oxygen and nutrients so it can function properly. If the
supply of oxygen to a certain part of the heart is interrupted, that area of the heart
stops functioning. If an attack lasts too long, the starved heart tissue dies. This event
defines heart attack, otherwise known as myocardial infarction.
If you think you are about
to have an attack never wait until it is over before seeking help. Most attacks last for
several hours. The signs of the heart attack may be no more than breathlessness,
faintness, or nausea; and in some cases there are no symptoms. But most heart attacks
produce some pain. The pain of a severe attack has been likened to a giant fist enclosing
and squeezing the heart. If the attack is mild, it may be mistaken for heartburn. The pain may be constant or intermittent.
Usually heart attack
patients have been suffering angina previous to the attack (the pain is very similar and
brought on by exertion or excitement and lasts only a few minutes and the heart is not
permanently damaged).
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Sometimes there are
no warning signs.
There are possible
complications that can occur while in hospital with a heart attack - stroke,
congestive heart failure, formation of blood clots in the legs or heart, and
aneurism in a weakened heart chamber.
It will usually take around
three months to fully recover from a heart attack.
Causes
Most heart attacks are the
result of coronary heart disease, condition that clogs arteries with fatty deposits. It
may also be blood clots which form on top of the fatty deposits which actually cause the
heart attack.
Certain triggers will lead
to a heart attack in certain persons. The predominant ones are high blood pressure, high
cholesterol, obesity, smoking, and an inactive lifestyle. Stress, exertion and excitement
can act as triggers for an attack.
Men over the age of 50 with
a family history of heart disease are predisposed to heart attack.
Traditional Treatment
This condition must be
treated by traditional medicine. Alternative remedies are however helpful in patient
recovery and prevention.
Heart attack victims are
usually hospitalised in special coronary care units for at least 3 days. Special drug
therapy is used and the patient may have to be operated on.
The patient will be
monitored closely for a period of time and administered the appropriate medications and
drugs.
Gentle exercise is
recommended while patients are recovering, but nothing that requires too much exertion.
Long-term recovery from
heart attack requires extreme adjustments: Habits such as smoking, heavy drinking, and eating high-fat foods have to go.
As a preventive measure,
most heart attack survivors take a daily aspirin tablet to thin the blood. Other drugs may
also be prescribed, depending on the individual case.
Alternative Choices
Herbal Therapies - Of
the many herbs used to treat chronic heart conditions, hawthorn
(Crataegus laevigata) is perhaps most valuable as it dilates coronary arteries and
improves the function in the heart. Hawthorn also is thought to speed recovery from an
attack. Of
the many herbs used to treat chronic heart conditions, hawthorn
(Crataegus laevigata) is perhaps most valuable as it dilates coronary arteries and
improves the function in the heart. Hawthorn also is thought to speed recovery from an
attack.
There are other herbs that
are used to treat heart conditions, such as raw garlic,
lime flowers (linden) and nettle. For more information,
see high blood pressure, Blood
Clots, and Cholesterol Problems.
Bach Flower Remedies
- Try willow and holly essences - 4 drops on the tongue, up to 4 times daily.
Try willow and holly essences - 4 drops on the tongue, up to 4 times daily.
Lifestyle
Regular aerobic exercise
greatly enhances efforts to prevent or recover from heart attack. However you must be
extremely careful not to over exert yourself. Exercise under supervision while in the
recovery phase.
Reducing stress by training
the mind and body to relax may help prevent heart attack and can aid in recovery.
Dietary Considerations
to reduce the possibility
of further heart attacks, it is advisable to eat a low fat diet with very little salt,
sugar, alcohol in order to reduce cholesterol, control blood pressure, and weight. Eating magnesium-rich foods such as nuts, beans, bran, fish,
and dark green vegetables may help prevent heart attack.
Antioxidants supposedly
help with heart disease as well as supplements such as B complex, C, E, chromium, calcium,
potassium, Evening Primrose Oil, and garlic.
Personal Care
You can still be fairly
active - just be careful.
Do not take birth-control
pills if you have had a heart attack
Get a pet. Pet owners
recover more quickly from heart attacks
Prevention
When to seek further
professional advice
you or someone you
are with shows signs of a heart attack.
you suffer from angina (chest pain) and begin to experience pain that is similar but
does not respond to medication; this may indicate that a heart attack is under way.
your angina attacks
become more frequent and severe
you are taking aspirin to
prevent heart attack and your stool appears black and tarry.
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