How to Prevent Heart Attacks

How to Prevent Heart Attacks

More than 1 million Americans suffer heart attacks every year. Many of them do not survive. Some never even make it to the hospital. The good news is that having a heart attack is not inevitable. Here is a step-by-step process that will help you improve your health, strengthen your heart and reduce your heart attack risk. Have a question? Get an answer from a Doctor now!

What is Heart Attacks?

Heart attacks most often occur as a result of coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease. CHD is a condition in which a waxy substance called plaque (plak) builds up inside the coronary arteries. These arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to your heart.
When plaque builds up in the arteries, the condition is called atherosclerosis (ath-er-o-skler-O-sis). The buildup of plaque occurs over many years.
Eventually, an area of plaque can rupture (break open) inside of an artery. This causes a blood clot to form on the plaque's surface. If the clot becomes large enough, it can mostly or completely block blood flow through a coronary artery.
If the blockage isn't treated quickly, the portion of heart muscle fed by the artery begins to die. Healthy heart tissue is replaced with scar tissue. This heart damage may not be obvious, or it may cause severe or long-lasting problems.
Have a healthy diet to prevent heart attack. A primary component of a heart healthy lifestyle, and the prevention of a heart attack, involves a healthy diet. This means replacing fatty foods that you might normally eat with a variety of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. Low-fat or fat-free milk products should be substituted for more healthy choices and a healthy diet should also include beans, fish, poultry, and lean meats.

• It is also important for an individual to keep an eye on the amount of saturated fat, cholesterol, trans fat, salt, and sugars that are added to the food that they eat. This is especially important if you are accustomed to eating processed foods.

What are the symptoms of Heart Attack? How to prevent Heart Attack.

Learning how to prevent heart attack starts with knowing the symptoms. Some common signs include:

• Persistent fatigue
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Heart palpitations
• Coughing up blood, or a prolonged, unexplained cough
• Swelling in the legs
• A bluish tinge to the skin (known as cyanosis)

While these are some of the most common symptoms of heart attack, sometimes the signs aren’t as obvious. Heart attack pain can often be brushed off as heart burn or a minor ache. Even if you have already had a heart attack, the symptoms may be different the second time around. With heart disease, your motto should be “better safe than sorry.” If you are experiencing one or more of these signs, talk to your doctor right away.

Some tips for how to prevent heart attack.

• Exercise to prevent heart attack.
• Sleep well to prevent heart attack and stroke
• Take Aspirin to prevent heart attack in winter
• Lower Your Cholesterol to prevent heart attack while sleeping
• Lower Your Blood Pressure to avoid heart attack and stroke
• Chill Out to reduce heart attack and stroke risk
• Stop Smoking to stop heart attack by yourself
• Undergo Preventive Screenings to reduce heart attack chances
• Know Your Family Medical History to prevent heart attack from happening
• Adopt a Heart-healthy Diet to prevent heart attack when alone