Q. 1 What heart attack is all about?

Angina pain is actually the pain of the heart. The pain starts from the center of the chest or sometimes from both the arms even. It may start from both the arms even. It may start from the throat & reach the jaw. When the pain is troubling you continuously, it should not be ignored. You should go for the medical aids as soon as possible, because such pains may cause the heart attack. If timely actions are not taken, the attack is definite.

Q. 2 What are the reasons behind a heart attack?

The basic reason behind the heart attack is your food. Highly oiled food increases the cholesterol level, which subsequently leads to heart troubles. The other main reasons are, irregular life, diet sedentary habits, irregular sleeping habits, cigarette smoking (chain smokers), too much intake of alcohol etc.

If you are suffering from blood pressure or diabetes, the risk of heart attack is quite higher. So the patients should try to control them & in no case should they be careless towards their food & medicine.

HEART TROUBLES AMONG WOMEN

People have a misconception that the women generally do not suffer from heart troubles, because their bodies generate such chemicals that save them from heart attacks. But this is true to an extent only. They too need to take care to prevent it totally.

As you reach the age of menopause, the risk of heart attack gets higher. The only difference between men & women is that the symptoms do not appear at an early stage among women, which rather makes it more dangerous. According to a study, every year, out of  the total women that have died, half  die of heart attack. Though the men suffer the attack all of sudden, among women it develops gradually.

Among women, the situation is rather worsened when the symptoms of heart trouble are confused with the results of hormonal imbalance.

Today we have started relying on technology, too much. That is why, when the Angiogram report of a woman is found to be OK, it is taken for granted that she is not suffering from any heart troubles, even if she is intensely in pain. But this matter should be tackled seriously. The foremost thing is that we should trust ourselves. If you are getting recurrent pain in your chest, make sure your Doctor takes it seriously.

To protect yourself from this disease, you should take enough preventive measures. Reduce salt & fat in your food. Exercise at least three times in a week & try to reduce your weight.

You are prone to getting heart troubles in the following circumstances: -

1. If somebody in your family has ever suffered from the heart troubles, you too can suffer from it.
2. If you have become pregnant for over five times or you have the diabetes or kidney trouble, you may risk the heart problem also.
3. On getting older, the chances of heart related problems are increased in both the sexes.
4. Your body structure also contributes. If you have put on more weight on the upper part of your body, and then you are more prone to the risk of heart attack, than if your lower part has put on more.
5. Cigarette smoking increases the risk of heart problem.
6. Too much oily food & a luxurious life style increase the risk.

 PRESCRIPTION FOR HEALTHY HEART

• Cook your meals in vegetable oil, but rotate the medium to make up for the deficiencies in each of the four preferred oils – mustard, safflower, sunflower and corn.

• Start you main meals with a fruit salad. That will take care of your excess appetite.

• Don’t soak your rotis in ghee. Just have them plain. And if you have to have a pizza, compensate the excess with a vegetarian salad – that way, you’ll eat less of the pizza and build up your anti-oxidant reserves to counter its negative effects.

• Avoid cocktail kebabs – they only compound the harmful effects of alcohol. Instead, have a vegetarian salad with a low-fat dip.

• Substitute sweets with a fruit after meal to avoid excess sugar in blood, which ends up by coverting into cholesterol in the liver.