Archive

Posts Tagged ‘heart attack’

Signs of a Heart Attack

August 2nd, 2010 Dan Hicks No comments

If you are concerned about suffering from a heart attack, or if heart disease runs within your family, it is best to know beforehand which signs and symptoms all pinpoint to an impending heart attack.

1. First off, the most common sign is chest pain. Many people who have suffered from heart attack almost always feel chest pain or a tightening of the chest during the onset of an attack. In the event that you feel chest pain, it is important for you to get in contact with a doctor immediately. While pain is often intense there are cases when the pain is mild and tolerable. However no matter how subtle the pain may be, it could be a symptom of a heart attack.

2. Patients also feel a sort of pain from the jaw to the shoulders and the arms. Although oftentimes the pain can come from the chest, you can feel a certain numbness on your shoulders, arms, and jaw which can be intensely painful.

3. Other telltale signs of a heart attack include the following: nausea, fainting, weakness, anxiety, or dizziness. If you suddenly feel apprehensive that you are having all these symptoms, it is best for you to seek help immediately. These symptoms are more common in women.

4. Again, chest pressure is also common, ranging from mild to severe.

5. Palpitations and irregular beating of the heart can also lead to a full-blown heart attack. You can tell this by actually feeling the rapid beating or fluttering of your heart. Oftentimes, people will simply brush this off as an anxiety attack.

6. One obvious symptom is breathing difficulty or shortness of breath. It will be difficult for you to breathe if your heart is not pumping in the right manner. Look for signs of shortness of breath. If you feel breathing difficulties upon waking up or after traveling, consult your physician right away.

7. Heartburn is also a sign. Often the pain is situated in the area where you usually feel pain after eating something incompatible. You should not dismiss the pain of heartburn as simply nothing.

8. Excessive sweating is a sign that you are exerting extra effort without you being fully conscious about it. Thus if you suddenly break in a sweat and you feel somewhat clammy, this could be a real sign.

9. The fist to chest position or the so-called Levin’s Sign is one tell-tale symptom of a heart attack. This is often an automatic response for people suffering from a heart attack.

Symptoms Of Heart Attack

January 27th, 2010 Dan Hicks No comments

The heart attack symptoms are the heart of the matter. Are you overly concerned about the possibility of a heart attack? We all know that it is a very serious lifestyle disease that could end a life in a matter of minutes.

When the attack actually takes place, one might feel feverish, nauseous, short of breath, sweat a lot, chest pain, and excessive tingling in the arms. Many victims-to-be act like they are in denial about their condition. They brush aside the signs that are telling them a full-blown heart attack is happening. Necrosis of a region of the heart muscle caused by an interruption in the supply of blood to the heart, usually as a result of occlusion of a coronary artery resulting from coronary artery disease. Heart disease remains the number one reason for death in both men and women. Because many women don’t even know that they have heart disease, it’s important to know the early warning signs and when it’s time to see your doctor.

For men the feeling of heaviness in the chest is often described. This can be felt by women, but only 30% of women who have heart attacks state they experienced any chest pain at all through this process. You can feel pain in the same area as you do when you have eaten something you shouldn’t have eaten. Don’t dismiss heartburn pain. Silent heart attack symptoms do not resemble the classic heart attack symptoms. A known cause of this condition is Silent Ischemia (Decreased blood supply to the heart muscle). Eat low sodium foods, reduce salt intake, avoid top salt. Check your blood pressure regularly. Take proper medication to control blood pressure.

Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach. Those mostly at risk for a silent heart attack are people who have had a previous heart attack. Also at risk are diabetics and those over the age of sixty-five and people prone to strokes. Stress and heart attacks are correlated. Interpersonal relationships and financial worries may cause stress leading to heart attacks. If someone’s skin suddenly goes an ashen color and their lips go blue, they will probably need your help anyway, but this can also be the symptoms of a heart attack, generally not on their own, but if they also feel faint and dizzy watch out.

Women do have different heart attack symptoms than men do, but heart disease is just as disabling and just as fatal to women as it is to men. Silent heart attacks can be identified by studying one’s medical history, testing the blood regularly for cardiac enzymes, and measuring one’s heart activity via electrocardiograms. Heart attacks may have the symptoms that you see in movies, but there are some that have no clear manifestations or very mild ones, but don’t let them cheat on you and don’t mistake them for indigestion or anxiety. A heart attack is nothing to mess around with. If you have any of these symptoms, even if you are not sure, especially if you are not sure, please have yourself checked out. With a heart attack, time is critical.

Well-Balanced Diet

December 21st, 2009 Dan Hicks No comments

People are naturally conscious about their bodies, whether they admit it or not, which is why thousands of people go on different kinds of diets everyday.

However, what people need to realize is that a good diet is not just meant to give you a great body, but also to teach you how to live healthy. In other words, a well-balanced diet is meant to trigger a lifestyle change that will keep you healthy for the rest of your life.

A diet may be something as easy as eating a couple more servings of fruits and vegetables everyday, or it can involve more drastic adjustments that will require you to count calories before you put anything in your mouth.

People go on diets for many different reasons. These reasons will determine the type of diet you will have to undergo. Obviously, athletes who want to prep up for an upcoming competition will have different dietary needs from an overweight couch potato who is only just beginning to realize that he might be at a high risk for a heart attack.

Although individuals may have different objectives for going on diets, they follow the same basic principle of eating a balanced menu that consists of foods from all the major food groups, because basically, this is the way to a healthier life.

It may seem too easy, but putting these principles into actual practice can be quite a challenge, especially if you are constantly surrounded by unhealthy food temptations. The secret to keeping motivated is to have a positive outlook and keep focused on the rewards you can reap once you do get used to eating a well-balanced diet.

Many people are actually interested in pursuing a healthier lifestyle. One of the things holding them back is the idea that healthy foods are quite boring and not as appetizing as the traditional foods that they are used to.

To counter this notion, all you have to do is head to the produce section of the grocery store and look at all the exciting fruits and vegetables you can buy, a lot of which you probably have never even tasted.

Another interesting way of eating healthy is by searching through low-fat recipes from other parts of the world. These new concoctions will surely be a delight to try, and you can even encounter new and delicious ingredients that you have never heard of before.

While some people take extreme steps towards healthy eating, even doing a 180 from their previous eating habits, it doesn’t really have to be that drastic for most people.

You can begin by simply removing the skin before you cook your chicken or eating more servings of fresh fruits and vegetables. These small changes are essential and can naturally trigger more radical changes as you go along.

Here are some other easy adjustments you can make towards a healthy lifestyle:

* Substitute skim or low-fat instead of the usual whole milk.

* Eat a serving of sherbet or yogurt instead of regular ice cream.

* Use fat-free oil for cooking instead of calorie-rich butter.

* Leave the fatty portions of the meat with the butcher and take the lean cuts.

* Reduce your red meat intake and eat more fish and poultry.

* Limit your consumption of egg yolks, which are rich in cholesterol.

If you want more tips like this, you can search online for websites that advocate healthy eating. As you can see from our list, it’s really not that hard to make the transition from a rather lackadaisical view of eating towards a more health-conscious lifestyle.

As you learn more information about the nutritional value of certain foods, you can even make your own adjustments without having to consult with health magazines or nutrition experts.

In fact, most of the concepts of healthy eating are based on common sense. All you need to do is be attuned to your body because it can tell you whether you are on the right track towards a healthy life.

Once you are able to take the first few steps to healthy eating, everything else will follow naturally. If you tackle each day one at a time, you will soon be living a healthy lifestyle without even realizing it.