Life After Surviving A Heart Attack

Surviving a heart attack is just the big hit before the long life-changing journey. If you’ve suffered a heart attack before, then you’ll know what I’m talking about.

You get into questioning your own morality, you find that family is closer than ever, and serious life changes have to be made. Depending on the seriousness of the kind of heart attack you get, things are all going to be different.

A major heart attack will have you watching your blood pressure a little closer while certain normal activities take a different angle. Surviving a heart attack means a change all ‘round. It’s not asking your friends to ask you to believe in yourself; it’s more of you asking them to believe in themselves, who believe in you. A little too much concern over a heart attack can … believe it or not, be smothering.

Being the one to face the change, you have to realize that it is a shock that you’ve just come from. It helps if family is there to talk about it, but only if you really want to.

If you smoke tobacco or cigarettes, then it’s time to stop, if you haven’t already. The greasy foods have to be held several weeks after one another. Check-ups after surviving a heart attack is going to be the new routine.

Unfortunately, many people have a 50% chance of getting struck with another heart attack within 12 months, should they choose not to change their lifestyle or habits.

Your home life will change too --- having lived through a traumatic physiological / psychological experience, your family has experienced the scare too --- they’ll tend to be more refrained, and rightfully so --- a bad argument can end horribly, when it’s been just weeks from the original heart attack.

You need to reaffirm with your family that you’ve just been through a major ordeal that you won’t want to go through with again. The family, in turn, should be a little more giving to the whims of the patient, while keeping a tight lid on things that are prohibited.

Basically, life after surviving a heart attack is a challenging one, but take it as a warning sign to change your health habits.

An Ounce Of Prevention is Worth A Poind of Cure

Let’s not sugarcoat things: after you hit the big 4-0, life only gets a lot more complicated. Alzheimer’s, Macular Degeneration and Heart Diseases start sounding like everyday concerns, on top of thinking about the bills, the kids or the PTA meeting.

All three of the diseases mentioned above are going to be your biggest concerns when you are over 40, for the reason that, there is no widely-available cure for any of them. Should there be, then by the time you are reading this, it will still be in the experimental stages, or its price range is going to be out-of-reach for people like us.

Here are a couple of tips to fortify your defenses against those diseases with.

Alzheimer’s – Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia, which is, in essence, permanent damage to the brain. To date, there is still no known cure for this disease and the number of factors for contracting this disease simply hits most of us like a random flash-flood. We’ll never know. The best ways for staving off Alzheimer’s disease is by mental and physical activity. This strikes people who don’t undergo physical or mental challenges on a daily basis. Sociable interaction is also a plus. Foods that carry antioxidants, and vitamins C and E are also linked to lesser known cases of Alzheimer’s.

Heart Disease – There are several forms of heart diseases --- but most of them can be stopped by restraint. Restraint from living a relatively physically inactive life, restraint from cholesterol and restraint in front of alcohol or tobacco is all that is needed to lower the risks of getting heart disease. Love your heart and it will love you back.

Macular Degeneration – Unfortunately, there are still not enough studies to completely fight off macular degeneration. However, in the few guaranteed controlled observations concerning macular degeneration, a smoke-free and a fruits-and-vegetable-rich lifestyle has been shown to be less likely to develop the severe effects of macular degeneration.

It’s especially frightening to know that there are diseases that we are completely vulnerable to after 40, but the knowledge of lessening risks is key to living a disease-free life that doesn’t need cures --- for there will be no sickness.

the Symptoms Of Heart Disease

Fact: heart disease strikes the best of us on a daily basis -- whether we are over 40 or not. Sadly, as simple as a healthy diet or minor change in lifestyle can decrease the chances of getting it, many individuals our age aren’t even aware that they have heart disease!

While the symptoms will inevitably vary from case-to-case (given a person’s unique medical history, history of family disease, lifestyle choices) --- there are several symptoms that are found to be common among those who suffer heart disease.

Angina – Angina comes from the Latin word for chest pain. It is the tightness of the chest which seems to radiate to the neck, shoulder, jaw and arms most especially after strenuous activity. This symptom is most-commonly mistaken for a full-blown heart attack.

Heart Palpitations – This is when the heart feels like it’s going to explode. When the heartbeat starts feeling like the heart could just thump out of a person’s chest at any minute. This is most peculiar because it doesn’t require being active to trigger --- and it may often cause a shortness of breath.

Fainting, Dizzy spells, Nausea, Heavy Sweating – When a person suffers angina or heart palpitations, not enough blood gets pumped into the body, causing several functions to just screech abruptly to a halt, thus causing dizzy spells. These are usually warded off by adequate rest, but use that time to recuperate or get yourself checked out.

Have you experienced chest pain after exercising? How about palpitations after drinking an energy drink? Maybe its time to go see a doctor --- what you may shrug off today can bite you tomorrow.

How Do I Find Out If I Have A Disease?

There are dozens of serious diseases that often go unnoticed, even by the people who are closest to us. But what if we, ourselves start doubting our own well-being?

The phrase “better safe than sorry” comes to mind --- would you, dart off to the nearest hospital and get yourself checked up over nothing, or would you rather wait it out and have potential serious diseases do more damage in time?

Now that we’re over our 40s, something as minor as a discoloration, a headache or a sensation of sharp, sudden, immediately-disappearing pain could be indicators for serious diseases. But what could you do? Wait it out to get either better, or worse, or take up somebody’s time?

Here are a couple of ways to find out if you have a serious disease. The big three for people who are in their 40s:

Alzheimer’s Disease

A form of dementia, this serious illness starts off as absent-mindedness. This happens because of the natural aging process --- it also changes a person’s mental functions. Do you notice yourself forgetting more and more things frequently? Have you suddenly become moody? Couple that with light disorientation and feeling generally irritable, and you might have Alzheimer’s.

Heart Disease

This is in general --- the symptoms that are common in a number of serious diseases that are classified as heart disease. Do you feel extraordinarily fatigued, even if you haven’t done much during the day? Do you feel a sudden tightness in your chest? Do you sometimes have trouble breathing? Are you a smoker/drinker/unhealthy eater? If you answered “yes” in 4 of the last questions, then you may have heart disease. If you answered “yes” to 2-3 symptoms, then it’s time to let go of some bad habits, and actively seek out a healthier change.

Macular Degeneration

This affects the eyes. Along with the heart, the eyes are affected by the aging process. When you squint as hard as you can and is still unable to read the fine-print on anything, or, when you have blood-shot eyes even after a full night’s rest --- it’d be time to see a specialist --- one of a number of serious diseases could make your eyes permanently blurry, or damaged.

Bottom line is --- it shouldn’t matter if you prefer to go to the hospital if you’ve got even the faintest suspicion that you have one of the serious diseases --- doctors and nurses and hospitals are employed to look after the welfare of their patients, and should there be a consultation/check-up fee, it’d be a small price to pay for what might go wrong down the road.

7 Risk Factors That Are Killing Your Heart

“How at risk am I?” That’s the question you should be asking yourself on a daily basis. There are three major risk factors that cannot be changed --- age, gender and heredity. If you are older than 40, belong to the male gender or have someone in your family suffer heart problems, you are more at risk of a coronary heart disease.

How at risk is that? Let’s say that’s 30% of a heart disease … and that’s assuming that you are at 100% health, adding more risk factors would increase that risk and put your life in danger.

Here’s a list of the 7 risk factors that are killing your heart --- for each one you have, add 10% to the 30% you already have.

Smoking – Smokers tend to have 2-4 times the likelihood of developing coronary heart disease as compared to people who are non-smokers. Exposure to the poisons of smoke can increase the risk factor of a non-smoker, even.

High blood cholesterol – The percentage of blood cholesterol that a person has is directly proportional to the added risk he’s putting on his life. This can also be affected by age, gender and heredity.

High blood pressure – Not to be confused with blood cholesterol, a higher blood pressure increases the workload of the heart, making for a more dangerous living.

Too much alcohol – Fun fact: moderate drinkers have a lower risk of heart disease than non-drinkers. Too much, however can contribute to obesity, depression and/or accidents, which are also fatal.

Physical inactivity – A sedentary lifestyle is a contributor to heart disease. Participating in vigorous physical activity may even help curb the effects of the other risk factors, such as blood pressure.

Obesity – People who are overweight are twice as likely to develop heart disease. It raises blood pressure, and may sustain a diabetes in the long run.

Stress – Studies have noted the relation of stress to a person’s well-being. This is truly a risk, not only for heart disease, but for a person’s mental breakdown.

What was the total of your risk factor? “How at risk am I?” for those over 40 can now finally be answered.

Heart Disease and It's Symptoms

There are several different types of heart disease: coronary heart infection, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, heart valve disease and angina. There are also different symptoms for each.

Coronary Heart Infection is when fatty deposits develop along the coronary arteries. This may have developed in youth, and thicken and enlarge during adulthood. Symptoms may include heaviness, tightness, and/or chest pains.

Myocardial Infarction, also known as a heart attack happens when the heart experiences a prolonged lack of oxygen caused by a blocked blood flow. The symptoms may include severe pressure in the chest area, a pain that spreads from the shoulders, neck, arms and/or jaw. Patient may also experience sudden sweating, paleness and shortness of breath.

Congestive Heart Failure is when the heart isn’t supplying the body with enough oxygenated blood. This may be caused by a high sodium intake, high blood pressure or a heart valve disease. Patient may experience weight gain, fatigue, loss of appetite, a persistant cough and/or constant nausea.

Heart Valve Disease is when the heart doesn’t function as well as it used to. Malfunctioning heart valves prevent bloodflow in and out of the heart. It may be caused by a previous heart attack Symptoms include chest pains, palpitations, fatigue, migraine and dizziness.

Angina is when a part of the heart doesn’t get enough blood. It’s a sign of coronary heart disease. Symptoms include a squeezing or crushing pain in the chest, and pain in the arms, shoulders, jaw and back.

Are you experiencing any of the symptoms? Remember to get regular check-ups from your doctor to confirm or read more about it. Heart health is crucial to a person’s longevity and therefore plays a role in anti-aging.

7 Risk Factors That Are Killing Your Heart

“How at risk am I?” That’s the question you should be asking yourself on a daily basis. There are three major risk factors that cannot be changed --- age, gender and heredity. If you are older than 40, belong to the male gender or have someone in your family suffer heart problems, you are more at risk of a coronary heart disease.

How at risk is that? Let’s say that’s 30% of a heart disease … and that’s assuming that you are at 100% health, adding more risk factors would increase that risk and put your life in danger.

Here’s a list of the 7 risk factors that are killing your heart --- for each one you have, add 10% to the 30% you already have.

Smoking – Smokers tend to have 2-4 times the likelihood of developing coronary heart disease as compared to people who are non-smokers. Exposure to the poisons of smoke can increase the risk factor of a non-smoker, even.

High blood cholesterol – The percentage of blood cholesterol that a person has is directly proportional to the added risk he’s putting on his life. This can also be affected by age, gender and heredity.

High blood pressure – Not to be confused with blood cholesterol, a higher blood pressure increases the workload of the heart, making for a more dangerous living.

Too much alcohol – Fun fact: moderate drinkers have a lower risk of heart disease than non-drinkers. Too much, however can contribute to obesity, depression and/or accidents, which are also fatal.

Physical inactivity – A sedentary lifestyle is a contributor to heart disease. Participating in vigorous physical activity may even help curb the effects of the other risk factors, such as blood pressure.

Obesity – People who are overweight are twice as likely to develop heart disease. It raises blood pressure, and may sustain a diabetes in the long run.

Stress – Studies have noted the relation of stress to a person’s well-being. This is truly a risk, not only for heart disease, but for a person’s mental breakdown.

What was the total of your risk factor? “How at risk am I?” can now finally be answered.

Do you have a heart problem? Or perhaps, do you want more tips on how to prevent them? go to
http://over40andfighting.com/theworld.asp