Heart attack is caused when heart muscles are deprived of blood and oxygen. This occurs if a blood clot develops in any of the blood vessels leading to the heart muscles. A big enough clot can block blood supply to the heart. Another cause is a spasm narrowing the arteries of the heart, blocking blood supply.

Symptoms of Heart Attack

• Mild pain, chest discomfort
• Sweaty and clammy feeling
• Vomiting
• Restlessness
• Nausea
• Awful feeling
• Face may become grey
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Coughing
• Diabetics and seniors may experience no pain during a heart attack

Causes of Heart Attack

• Age: Men above 45 years and women above 55 years have higher risk of heart attack
• Angina: This condition blocks oxygen supply to the heart. The patient feels better a few minutes after taking medicine.
• High blood cholesterol levels: can lead to development of blood clots in the arteries which stop blood supply to the heart muscles and cause a heart attack.
• Diabetes: Diabetics have greater risk of contracting many diseases which can contribute to a heart attack.
• Diet: High amounts of saturated fats in the diet lead to greater risk of heart attack.
• Genes: Heredity is another cause
• Heart surgery: Patients who have undergone heart surgery face higher risk.
• High blood pressure: is caused by factors like genes, diabetes, obesity and lack of exercise. This is another major cause of heart attack.
• Obesity: Obese and overweight people are more at risk.
• Lack of Exercise: A sedentary lifestyle is a major risk factor.
• Smoking: Regular smokers have higher risk of heart attack. Those who quit smoking can reduce their susceptibility to this condition.

Diagnosis of Heart Attack
Tests like ECG (Electrocardiograph) and chest x-ray are done to reveal the extent and damage caused by a heart attack.

Treatments for Heart Attack

• It is crucial to treat the patient as soon as possible.
• Doctors use CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) to revive the patient.
• A medical device called defibrillator is used to give electric shocks to the patient’s heart to restore activity.
• Aspirin is given to patients to block the growth of the clot in the artery.
• Thrombolytics like streptokinase and alteplase are given to dissolve the blood clots.
• To control discomfort and pain and reduce anxiety, morphine is used.

How to Minimize the Risk of Heart Attack

• Stop smoking if you are a smoker
• Eat a healthy and balanced diet
• Exercise regularly
• Get at least eight hours of sleep at night
• Try to control conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and blood cholesterol
• Avoid or minimize alcohol intake
• Maintain an optimum body weight for your age and height
• Manage stress by practicing effective relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation

Home treatment of palpitation

Palpitation can be treated at home using simple home and natural remedies.

We give here some of the effective home treatment for palpitation.

• Herbal powder

  : Take equal amounts of aniseed, dry coriander and jaggery and prepare their powder. Take 6 grams of this powder after each meal to get relief from heart palpitation.

• Indian spikenard

  : The heart is stimulated by this herb. Take 2-3 grams of this herb with a pinch of camphor and cinnamon. This is a beneficial home remedy for palpitation.

• Honey

  : Mix 1 tbsp of honey and 1tsp lemon juice in a glass of water. Take this combination before going to bed. This is also beneficial for the home treatment of palpitation.

• Guava

  : On an empty stomach, eat a ripe guava daily. This is an effective home remedy for palpitation caused by nervousness.

• Grapes

  : Juice of grapes is very effective in treating this condition. Take the juice at frequent intervals for getting relief.

• Snake gourd leaves

  : Extract of the snake gourd leaves is very effective in palpitation treatment. Take 2 tbsp of this juice thrice daily.

Symptoms

Causes

In doctor talk, a heart attack is called a myocardial infarction. It means that the supply of blood to a part of the heart muscle has been cut off. When the heart muscle is deprived of blood, the muscle cells suffer irreversible injury and die.

Depending on how much of the heart muscle has been affected, the heart attack victim suffers disability or even death. About two out of three heart attack victims do survive; they are often those who receive quick medical attention. Heart attacks are usually caused by coronary thrombosis, the formation of a blood clot in a narrowed artery that blocks the flow of blood to the heart.

Heart attacks do not occur out of the blue. They are often the end result of atherosclerosis, a slow degenerative process that clogs the coronary arteries with fatty deposits and other debris. In a way, a heart attack is not too different from an earthquake. In one case, slow changes underneath the earth’s surface eventually result in a serious shock to things up above. In the other case, slow changes along the walls of the blood vessels eventually result in a serious shock to the heart.

• Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT)
• Atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia (AVRT), which includes Wolff – Parkinson – White Syndrome.

Actually when the episode of supraventricular tachycardias occurs, it is an indication that electric system of the heart is not working properly. Which results in rapid heart beat at least 100 heart beat in one single second.

Causes For Supraventricular Tachycardis:

The causes of Supraventricular Tachycardis includes:

• Faulty electrical connections in the heart
• High levels of heart medicine can also result in this condition.
• Sometimes this condition can be genetic which can be transferred from the parents to their off springs.

Symptoms Of Supraventricular Tachycardis:

The symptoms of supraventricular tachycardis includes:

• Pounding pulse
• Palpitations
• Feeling of light headed
• Fainting of the patient can be possible
• Shortness of breath
• Pain in the heart
• Sweating
• Tightness in the throat

Steps To Prevent Supraventricular Tachycardis:

The following are the steps required to prevent Supraventricular tachycardis. These are:

• Avoid intake of alcohol in excess amount.
• Try to limit the intake of caffeine. Sometimes even the decaffeinated tea or coffee can result in this condition.
• Avoid smoking this will also prevent this condition from occurring frequently.
• Intake of herbal remedies, diet pills, decongestants in excess amount can result in this condition. So, avoid their intake in excess amount.
• Illegal drugs like cocaine heroine etc. can also result in this condition. So, intake of such drugs must also be avoided.

This condition can be corrected by immediately providing the patient with a shock from an external defibrillator or an ICD. The function of defibrillator is to stop the chaotic electrical activity and restores normal rhythm of the heart.

Causes Of Ventricular Fibrillation:

The causes of ventricular fibrillation includes:

• Any injury to heart
• Minor or major heart attack that has taken place previously
• Disease in the muscles of heart
• Surgery in heart
• Drowning
• Low levels of potassium in blood
• Sudden trauma or cardiac arrest
• People suffering from high BP, diabetes, excessive smoking also are on risk

Symptoms Of Ventricular Fibrillation:

The symptoms of ventricular fibrillation includes:

• Pain in chest
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Shortness of breath or rapid heart beat.

The presence of this condition will immediately cut blood supply to brain and other parts of the body which make the person unconsious immediately. Thus, the person collapses and turns white with dialted pupils, undetectable heart beat or pulse.

Treatment Of Ventricular Fribrillation:

This condition can be with a shock which can be given with an external defibrillator or an implantable cardioverter defrillator (ICD). ICDs are the devices which are mostly used for treating life- threatening ventricular arrests or attacks.

High levels of salt increases the blood pressure thereby increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.

The salt intake recommended by the Food Standards Agency depending on the age groups are: for 1-3 yrs, 2grams a day; for 4-6 yrs 3 grams a day, 7-10 yrs 5 grams a day; 11 and above 6 grams a day. The food manufacturers are also advised to limit the amount of salt in their products. To know the amount of salt content in a product, just multiply the amount of sodium by 2.5.

The study says, “Garlic supplements or dietary garlic in reasonable doses are unlikely to produce lipid benefits in people with moderately high LDL cholesterol levels.”

According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the total cholesterol should be below 200 mg/dl. The LDL or bad cholesterol should be below 100; and the HDL or good cholesterol should be 60 and higher. Too much of LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) can clog your arteries and increase the risk of heart attack. HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) protects your heart by carrying cholesterol away from your arteries.

Robert Borris, vice president of botanical science and regulatory affairs at the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a Washington, D.C., trade group, said other studies suggest garlic has complicated effects, and over time does help ward off high blood pressure in healthy people.

Cholesterol is not the only factor that can cause heart disease. The team has not tried to find out if garlic has other benefits for cardiovascular diseases. Garlic slows down the plaque formation in the coronary artery. According to Gardner, one of the researchers in the team, if garlic is consumed in very high doses, it could help lower blood cholesterol level.

Here we give you some simple tips to lower your risk of heart disease.

Move your body

A moderate blast of aerobic exercise helps in reducing blood pressure, cholesterol and stress, which are the major risk factors of cardiovascular disease. You can try out the following exercises

• Take a brisk walk
• Try a nearby hiking trail
• Work out with an exercise DVD for at least 30 min, four days a week.

Enjoy a Mediterranean dinner

Make garlicky dishes made with seafood, lamb and poultry or pastas with black olives and feta cheese into your diet. These dishes can cut your risk of heart disease by 80%.

Quit smoking

If you are a smoker, it’s time to stop this habit. Smoking is one of the major risk factors for heart diseases and staying away from it helps your heart a lot.

Get to know your genetics

Genetics play a major role in heart diseases. So, check the medical history of your mother and father. Check whether they have high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol. The sooner you learn about their medical history, the earlier can identify your own genetic risk factors. This way you can take smart steps to ward off serious heart diseases.