Ways to Never Have a Heart Attack

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6. Avoid trans fats.

Trans fatty acids have been linked to adverse lipid profiles and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This includes most margarines. The role of other fatty acids, including monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and marine omega-3 fatty acids, remains controversial.

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7. Consume alcohol only in moderation. 

Moderate intake of alcohol is related to reduction of cardiovascular disease — but may raise blood pressure and increase risk of breast cancer. Early surgical menopause is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, which appears to be negated by the use of estrogen therapy.

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8. Arm yourself with risk-reducing vitamins.

Antioxidant vitamin supplements, particularly vitamin E and homocysteine-lowering agents such as folate and B6, have promising roles in prevention of cardiovascular disease, but conclusive evidence may hinge on the results of several ongoing randomized clinical trials. When it is found in unusually high levels, homocysteine brings the same degree of risk as having high cholesterol does. The B vitamins, especially folic acid and B12, will drive elevated homocysteine levels down to normal, often without the need of any prescription medication.

Lifestyle changes such as losing weight, lowering cholesterol and quitting smoking reduce certain risk factors. But did you know that drinking tea and laughing might also be beneficial?

Maryland Heart Center physicians are studying some of these preventive measures.

“Our research revolves around trying to attain a greater understanding as to how important those positive influences are in reducing heart attack event rates,” stated Miller.

He says that two of the most protective factors against heart disease are high levels of HDL (good cholesterol) and also factors that may reduce stress, such as laughter.

In fact, a recent study by cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center found that laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect against a heart attack. The study, which was the first to indicate that laughter may help prevent heart disease, found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.

Reduce Stress with a Good Laugh

So why do stress reduction techniques — laughter in particular– reduce the risk of heart disease?  To answer that, it helps to know how mental stress can potentially damage your heart.

“When you’re under a lot of stress there are chemicals that are released that cause blood pressure and the heart rate to go up, cause platelets to clump together and all of those set up a series of reactions that could enhance the process of plaque formation and development,” said Miller. “So people that appear to be under lots of stress all the time are at increased risk [for heart disease] even if they don’t have a family history of heart disease or if they don’t have diabetes.”

Conversely, reducing stress, with laughter in particular can have the opposite effect.

“We think laughter is an active process and may have a direct impact on improving the lining of the blood vessels,” explained Miller. Reducing stress also benefits the heart by lowering the blood pressure, and heart rate.

“The ability to laugh may have important implications in societies such as the U.S. where heart disease remains the number one killer,” Miller said. “We know that exercising, not smoking and eating foods low in saturated fat, will reduce the risk of heart disease. Perhaps regular, hearty laughter should be added to the list.”

Other stress reduction methods can also help.

“Limiting stress in ways that are accomplishable, that don’t take up a lot of time and are easy to do would help to facilitate the process of stress reduction,” said Miller.  He says that any of stress-reducing methods, including yoga and meditation, may be “quite helpful in reducing the risk of coronary events.”

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A New Reason to Drink Tea

In addition to laughter, drinking tea and eating antioxidant foods can also protect you against heart disease.

In fact, cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center have concluded that drinking black or green tea (which contain antioxidants) may help reduce a potentially harmful constriction of blood vessels after a high-fat meal. Their study adds to a growing body of research that suggests antioxidant-rich foods (such as vegetables and fruits) and beverages may help to prevent heart disease.

“We’re talking about foods that contain anti-oxidants such as fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, which contain lycopene or broccoli that contain other protective antioxidants,” noted Miller. “Vegetables and fruits have natural antioxidants which are probably going to be more protective than supplements.”

If you’re going to drink tea, you might want to skip the milk. A recent article cited new research which has found that adding milk to tea negates the health benefits. The study findings were published in the January 9th, 2007 online edition of the European Heart Journal. Dr. Robert Vogel, a University of Maryland Medical Center cardiologist and professor of medicine at the University of Maryland Medical School who was quoted in the article, advises his patients not to have milk in tea.

Home Remedies for Heart Attack

Listed below are few home remedies for heart attack:

• Vitamin C is an effective home remedy. It protects the heart from high blood cholesterol. Consume citrus fruits as they are rich in vitamin C.
• Vitamin E improves the circulation and muscle strength. It also promotes heart functioning by improving oxygenation of cell. Intake foods rich in vitamin E such as outer leaves of cabbage, whole meal products and green vegetables.
• The herb alfalfa taken in juice form is very helpful in treating diseases related to heart and arteries. The juice can be taken along with carrot juice two times a day.
• Grapes are very effective in treating heart pains. Grapes taken in the form of juice is also very effective remedy.
• Asparagus is a very good remedy for heart diseases. Prepare a juice of it and mix it with honey in 2:1 ratio. Take a teaspoon of this mixture three times a day.
• Honey is effective in treating the cardiac pain and improves the circulation. Take a teaspoon of it daily after the food to prevent all sorts of heart troubles
• Apples are very rich in heart stimulating properties. Consuming a fruit daily or taking it in the form of jam is very beneficial.

Home Remedies from the Cupboard

Bran. Bran cereal is a high-fiber food that will help keep your cholesterol levels in check. Other high fiber foods in your cupboard include barley, oats, whole grains such as brown rice and lentils, and beans, such as kidney beans and black beans.

Olive oil. The American Heart Association and the American Dietetic Association recommend getting most of your fat from monounsaturated sources. Olive oil is a prime candidate. Try using it instead of other vegetable oils when sautéing your veggies.

Peanut butter. Eat  2 tablespoons of this comforting food and you can get 1/3 of your daily intake of vitamin E. Because vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin (other antioxidant vitamins are water soluble), it is found more abundantly in fattier foods like vegetable oils and nuts. If you’re watching your weight, don’t go overboard on the peanut butter.

Pecans. These tasty nuts are full of magnesium, another heart-friendly nutrient. One ounce of pecans drizzled over a spinach salad can give you 1/3 of your recommended daily allowance of this vital mineral.

Whole-wheat bread. Slather some peanut butter on a slice of whole-wheat bread and you’ve got a snack that’s good to your heart. One slice of whole-wheat bread has 11 mcg of selenium, an antioxidant mineral that works with vitamin E to protect your heart.

Wine. Research is finding that drinking a glass of alcohol a day may help in the battle against heart disease. Health experts are quick to note that alcohol in moderate amounts is helpful. They define moderate as one glass a day for women and two glasses of alcohol a day for men. What’s in one drink? Twelve ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of whiskey.

Home Remedies from the Refrigerator

Broccoli. Calcium is another heart-healthy nutrient, and milk isn’t the only calcium-rich food. In fact, there are lots of nondairy foods that are rich in calcium, such as kale, salmon, figs, pinto beans, and okra. One cup of broccoli can supply you with 90 mg of calcium.

Chicken. Three ounces of chicken will give you 1/3 of your daily requirement for vitamin B6, a necessary nutrient for maintaining heart health.

Salmon. Adding fatty fish to your diet is a good idea if you’re at risk for heart disease. Three ounces of salmon meets your daily requirement for vitamin B12, a vitamin that helps keep your heart healthy, and it’s a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been proven to lower triglycerides and reduce blood clots that could potentially block arteries in the heart.

Spinach. Make yourself a salad using spinach instead of the usual iceberg lettuce and get a good start on meeting your folic acid needs (1/2 cup has 130 mcg of folic acid). Along with the other B vitamins, B6 and B12, folic acid can help prevent heart disease.

Strawberries. Oranges aren’t the only fruit loaded with vitamin C. You can fill up on 45 milligrams of the heart healthy vitamin with 1/2 cup of summer’s sweet berry. Vitamin C is an antioxidant vital to maintaining a happy heart. Strawberries are also a good source of fiber and potassium, both important to heart health.

Sweet potatoes. With double your daily requirements for vitamin A, a heart-protecting nutrient, sweet potatoes are a smart choice for fending off heart disease.

Home Remedies from the Spice Rack

Garlic. Chock full of antioxidants, garlic seems to be able to lessen plaque buildup, reduce the incidence of chest pain, and keep the heart generally healthy. It is also a mild anticoagulant, helping to thin the blood. The advantages may take some time: One study found that it took a couple of years of eating garlic daily to get its heart-healthy benefits.

Home Remedies from the Supplement Shelf

Coenzyme Q-10. This nutrient, found in fatty fish, has a bit of an identity crisis. It’s not classified as a vitamin or a mineral. But studies have found that it is a necessary nutrient for heart health. It seems co-enzyme Q-10 re-energizes heart cells, especially in people who have already been diagnosed with heart failure. It blocks the process that creates plaque buildup in the arteries and helps lower blood pressure. Coenzyme Q-10 has been used to treat congestive heart failure in Japan for decades. Talk to your doctor before trying the supplement. If you get the go-ahead, buy supplements from Japanese manufacturers.

More Do’s and Don’ts

• Don’t be a smoke stack. People who smoke are twice as likely to have a heart attack.
• Get moving. Your heart is a muscle, and if you don’t exercise it, it will get weaker and be less able to rebound from heart troubles.
• Watch your weight. The American Heart Association (AHA) says that if you’re overweight, losing as little as 10 to 20 pounds can work wonders on your heart.
• Eat healthy. The AHA suggests getting less than 30 percent of your calories from fat, and less than 10 percent of that fat should be the saturated kind. You should get no more than 300 mg of cholesterol a day.

[sws_green_box box_size=”600″] Article by,

Dr. NS Rajesh Kumar, BHMS, CFN MSc (DFSM)
Homeopathic medical officer in Holistic Medicine & Stress Research Institute, Medical College, Trivandrum.

Email : rajeshdr6600@gmail.com
facebook.com/drrajesh.kumar[/sws_green_box]

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