Prevent Heart Attack

Heart attack, also known as myocardial infarction or MI for short, is a type of heart disease that falls under the category of coronary artery disease.  This is because it is the coronary arteries that become completely blocked during a heart attack.  So to help you prevent heart attack, this means decreasing the risks that cause narrowing of the coronary arteries in the first place.  And if you have had a previous heart attack or have angina, making changes will also help you decrease the chances of having another heart attack or a first heart attack, respectively.

Preventing heart attack should begin early on in childhood, and it is important to teach our children healthy lifestyle habits.  No matter our age, though, we can still make changes that affect our heart in a positive way.

To decrease your chances of having a heart attack, your physician may be monitoring your medical status closely or may even have prescribed medications to tackle some of the known risk factors for heart attack (such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol or diabetes).

In addition to medical interventions, there are things that you can do to prevent heart attack or at least lower your risk of having one.  These include:

• Exercising at least 30 minutes per day.  You must consult with your physician before beginning an exercise program to ensure you know what is safe to do for you.
• In addition to exercising, plan to lose weight if necessary.  This can often help with lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol, which are risk factors for heart disease, including heart attack.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.  Eat less fat, and eat the right kinds of fats (fatty acids and Omega 3’s).  It is highly recommended that you take a quality fish oil supplement. Click here to learn more.  If you have problems with clotting or on blood thinners, however, you may want to check with your doctor first to make sure it’s okay.  Decrease the sodium in your diet.
• Stop smoking.