Friday 15 June 2012

Diet for healthy heart along with reasons for chest pain

The heart is considered as the one of the most essential parts of a human body. It is the healthy heart which not only provides oxygen to the body but also purifies the blood. If the heart stays away from a disease it means the secret of leading a healthy life is known to everyone. A diet plays an important role in making a healthy heart. Diets with low calorie and cholesterol level or foods without fats are recommended to be taken for healthy heart. The recommended diet for healthy heart includes wholesome diet like Blueberries, Green vegetables, Soya protein, Apples, Almonds, Walnuts, and Oatmeal. Heart diseases are the eventual stage caused by chest pain. There can be multiple reasons for chest pain. Reasons like consumption of food with high cholesterol level such as oily food, food with animal fat, may cause a chest pain. These types of foods create blockage in the heart vessels obstructing the flow of blood and oxygen to heart, causing chest pain. It has been found that there are more than 100 million people fall into the category of heart patients, which comes out as one out of every ten is a heart patient. This is a significant reason for higher mortality rate in India. There is a great need to curb heart disease and decrease number of heart patients which are increasing at a very fast rate.

Monday 4 June 2012

Heart Attack : What is Heart Attack?

A heart attack (also known as a myocardial infarction) is the death of heart muscle from the sudden blockage of a coronary artery by a blood clot. Coronary arteries are blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood and oxygen. Blockage of a coronary artery deprives the heart muscle of blood and oxygen, causing injury to the heart muscle. Injury to the heart muscle causes chest pain and chest pressure sensation. If blood flow is not restored to the heart muscle within 20 to 40 minutes, irreversible death of the heart muscle will begin to occur. Muscle continues to die for six to eight hours at which time the heart attack usually is "complete." The dead heart muscle is eventually replaced by scar tissue.
Reasons for heart attack
  • Smoking
  • High blood pressure (hypertension)
  • High cholesterol
  • Diabetes
  • Family history
  • Peripheral artery disease
  • Obesity
Symptoms of Heart Attack
  • Chest pain (angina)
  • Shortness of breath
  • Palpitations (skipped beats or a racing or pounding heart)
  • Leg swelling
  • Bluish skin color (cyanosis)
  • A prolonged, unexplained cough
  • Coughing up blood
  • Persistent fatigue or feeling unwell
  • Resource: TropT