Signs of a Heart Attack

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Over 100 suggestions on how to get started taking your health and your body back to the best it can be. Choose just one and work on it for a month. In a year you'll have learned 12 new healthy behaviors that could save your life.

Surviving a Heart Attack

Many heart attacks are survivable if you take action in a timely manner and not ignore symptoms. Know your risk by getting a medical evaluation. Be prepared with a plan on what to do. Taking emergency training and make sure those closest to you also know what to do in case of a heart attack.

The information below is far from everything you need to know, but will help point you in the right direction.

Be prepared

Limit your risk. Listen to your doctor and make changes in your lifestyle to lower your chances of a heart attack. Stop smoking, get regular exercise, improve your diet and reduce stress.
Beware of advise not endorsed by medical professionals. A widely circulated e-mail recently advocated a procedure called cough CPR as a way to treat a heart attack. The American Heart Association does not recommend that the public use this method in a situation where there is no medical supervision. Research anything you are planning to do and if not sure ask a professional.
Buy a device such as the LifeAlert unit (lifealert.net), which automatically links you to rescue or hospital personnel when you press a button.

What to do

Recognize heart attack symptoms. Shortness of breath, pain or pressure in the chest, and pain in the neck or radiating down the arms are all associated with an attack.
Pull over if you suffer an attack while driving. You may only have seconds before you lose consciousness. Don't try to drive to the hospital no matter how close you are.
Call 911 and describe what symptoms you're feeling and where you are located.
Take an aspirin (325 mg) at the first sign of an attack. Aspirin makes blood platelets less likely to stick to each other, assisting blood flow and reducing clots. Chew it up if no drink is readily available--the time and oxygen you waste in waiting to get a sip of something isn't worth it when you're acutely symptomatic.
Take a beta-blocking drug immediately upon feeling an attack. This is a prescription-only drug; if you have a heart condition, you probably already have this medication.
Administer oxygen to yourself. You are likely to have bottled oxygen available only if you have a diagnosed heart condition.
Thump yourself on the chest as hard as possible. This is very effective when administered by someone else but can be hard to do to yourself.

Tips & Warnings

For more information, contact the American Heart Association (american heart.org).
If you have a defibrillator, educate your family or neighbor on how to use it. Most have explicit voice and text prompts to guide users through the process. Many businesses also stock defibrillators and CPR kits.
This advice is not a substitute for proper medical care. Consult your physician if you have concerns or questions.
Don't be confused by indigestion. If an antacid doesn't work in a few minutes, call 911 immediately. You could be having a heart attack-- the doctors won't mind if it turns out to be "just gas."

Lifestyle choices

Choose organic foods whenever you can. Get the freshest possible by going to farmers markets and/or growing your own. Limit meat consumption and choose organic grassfed as first choice.
Focus on high fiber foods with organic vegetables being the best food choice. Try and replace animal choices with plant choices whenever possible. Eating beans on a regular basis is a habit in groups that live the longest.
Dr. Charles Benbook's research showed that organic whole milk was better for your heart than low fat or non fat conventional milk. Grassfed dairy is always the best. The high sugar content is not good for your heart, where Omega 3 fatty acids are good.
Drink water when you first get up in the morning, before, during, and after a workout, throughout the day, and before bed to reduce risk by as much as 50%.
Realize that beverages high in sugar, energy/caffienated drinks are dehydrating and change viscosity/clotting risk that can trigger a heart attack.

Pure water's ability to protect us from a heart attack or stroke by as much as 50% comes from the research, "Water, Other Fluids, and Fatal Coronary Heart Disease The Adventist Health Study." Published in the Journal of Epidemiology. To read the full research click here. The research found that all beverages are not created equally due to higher osmolality, such as from sugar, and the ability to pull water from the blood into the intestinal track making the blood thicker and more viscous therefore increasing risk for a heart attack or stroke.

Many heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or stabbing pain.
NOT ALL HEART ATTACKS ARE PRECEDED BY CHEST PAIN

Heart attack symptoms include the following:

Chest discomfort
Discomfort in other areas of the upper body; one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort
Pounding heart, change in heart rhythm
Heartburn, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain
Breaking out in a cold sweat
Nausea
Dizziness or lightheadedness

Warning signs can be different for women:

Sudden onset of weakness, shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, indigestion, fatigue, body aches, overall feeling of illness (without chest pain)
Unusual feeling or mild discomfort in the back, chest, arm, neck, or jaw (without chest pain)
Sleep disturbance

More Tips To Prevent Dying From #1 Killer:

The best way to survive a heart attack is not to have one in the first place! Make sure you lead a healthy lifestyle. Eat healthily, get sufficient exercise and avoid smoking at all costs. If you are getting old, consider talking to your doctor about taking a very minute amount of aspirin on a regular basis. This may help reduce the likelihood of a heart attack occurring.
It's always a good idea to keep yourself prepared for a heart attack even if you yourself have no heart issues. A single (80 mg) aspirin can mean the difference between life and death for many people and an aspirin takes up very little space in your wallet or purse. Also make sure to carry a medical card on you that states your allergies, current medications and any health issues you may have.
Occasionally heart attacks are not accompanied by any symptoms at all. These can still be harmful or deadly, however, especially since you don't get much warning.
Try and keep calm and cool. Use a wet cloth or some sort of cold compress on your groin or under the armpits to cool your body temperature. It has been shown that lowering body temperature even slightly increases survival rate in many cases.
If you are present when someone suffers a heart attack, call emergency services immediately. In addition, it's a good idea for everyone to know how to treat a heart attack.
Keep an emergency contact name and number with your medical card.
Be especially vigilant if you are in a high-risk group, for example if you are elderly, obese, have uncontrolled diabetes, have high cholesterol, are a smoker or if you drink heavily, or if you have a history of heart disease. Talk to your doctor today about ways to reduce your risk of heart attack.

VITAMIN D AND HEART HEALTH

IS CRITICAL FOR HEART HEALTH

THERE IS AN EPIDEMIC OF VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY

DEFICIENCY CAN LEAD TO MANY HEALTH AND DISEASE PROBLEMS

Choose just one suggestion under any one of these categories and work on it for a month. In a year you'll have learned 12 new healthy behaviors that could save your life! Easy to do.