What Happens During a Heart Attack?

A heart attack can strike suddenly. Its symptoms are quite common, and many people don't initially realize that they're already having one. At times, there may be only ONE symptom and this makes the heart attack even more difficult to diagnose. But what really happens when you have a heart attack? What Is a Heart Attack? The heart is an extraordinary organ that can still function even when detached from your body, as long as it has an adequate supply of oxygen. It must work relentlessly to pump blood throughout your body. It's vital that your heart receives ample oxygenated blood and the heart muscle can die if it receives an insufficient amount. The loss of blood supply may occur when plaque builds up in your coronary arteries and blocks the blood's flow to your heart. Plaque is made up of cholesterol, fatty substances, cellular waste, calcium, and fibrin. When plaque builds up in your coronary arteries, it can result in coronary artery spasm or atherosclerosis, which is the tightening or hardening that can lead to a blood clot when the plaque ruptures. According to the American Heart Association, a heart attack can also occur when the blood supply cannot reach the heart due to narrowed heart arteries, commonly known as ischemic heart disease. An Unconventional Perspective on Heart Attack. In an article published in December 2014, Dr. Thomas S. Cowan gave us a different perspective on how heart attacks occur. He said that a heart attack occurs not because your coronary arteries are blocked, but rather it is caused by an imbalance in the parasympathetic and sympathetic sections of your central nervous system. Stress is a major reason for the imbalance in your central nervous system. When you experience chronic stress, an emotional sensor will activate your sympathetic nervous system. When your parasympathetic nervous system does not compensate for it, this will result in an unexpected release of adrenalin, a hormone that breaks down the myocardial cells, affecting the blood flow needed by your heart. Hence, a heart attack occurs. The Difference Between a Heart Attack and Cardiac Arrest. It is important to know the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest since people are often under the impression that they are the same. Cardiac arrest happens due to the electrical malfunction of your heart which causes an irregular heartbeat and usually occur without any warning. Cardiac arrest is caused by cardiomyopathy or thickened heart muscle, heart failure, arrhythmias, long Q-T syndrome, and ventricular fibrillation. A heart attack may increase the risk of having a cardiac arrest, and is the common reason for its occurrence. What Happens During a Heart Attack? If your heart has been accumulating plaque over the years, it can thicken enough to obstruct your blood flow. You might not readily notice that you already have a narrowed blood flow, because once a coronary artery becomes incapable of bringing blood to your heart, other coronary arteries expand to take care of the incapacitated artery. Plaque is covered in a solid fibrous cap on the outside but its inside is soft due to its fatty contents. If the plaque in your coronary artery is ruptured, the fatty substances become exposed. Platelets rush to the plaque, forming a blood clot (the same thing that happens when you get a cut). The blood clot formed becomes the main obstruction to your blood flow. Your heart becomes starved of oxygen-rich blood, and your nervous system immediately sends signal to your brain about what's going on. You will start sweating and your heart rate will speed up. You will also feel nauseous and weak. As your nervous system sends signals to your spinal cord, your other body parts start to ache. You will start feeling an immense chest pain that slowly crawls to your neck, jaw, ears, arms, wrists, shoulder blades, back, and even in your abdomen. Heart attack patients say that the pain they experienced was like a clamp squeezing their chest, and may last from several minutes to many hours. Your heart's tissues will die if you're not given proper treatment right away. If your heart has stopped beating, your brain cells will die in a span of just three to seven minutes. If you are treated immediately, your heart will start to heal but the damaged tissue will never work again resulting in a permanent slow blood flow. Heart Attack Risk Factors. Every year, 1 in 4 Americans die from heart disease, making it one of the leading causes of death in the US. About 735,000 Americans suffer from heart attack every year, 15 percent of which succumb to death. With these frightening statistics, you should pay close attention to the following risk factors for a heart attack: • Age. Men who are 45 years old or older and women who are 55 years old or older are at high risk. • Tobacco. Prolonged exposure to smoke puts you on a high risk for cardiovascular disease. • High cholesterol levels. If you have high levels of triglycerides and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL), it is likely that you have a greater risk for a heart attack. • Diabetes, especially if it goes untreated. • Family history of heart attack. If someone in your family has a history of heart attack. • Sedentary lifestyle. Being physically inactive leads to high bad cholesterol and plaque formation. • Obesity. If you lose 10 percent of your body weight, you also lower your risk for a heart attack. • Stress. German researchers found that once you experience stress, your white blood cell levels increase. These in turn raise your risk of developing atherosclerosis and plaque rupture. • Illegal drug use. Using cocaine or amphetamines may cause coronary artery spasm. • Preeclampsia history. If you have experienced high blood pressure during pregnancy, your risk of having a heart attack is high. • History of autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. If you have any of these risk factors, I strongly suggest that you pay a visit to your physician to keep you at bay from heart attack or any cardiovascular disease. Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack. Some people may experience mild or no symptoms of heart attack at all – this is called silent heart attack. It happens mostly to people with diabetes. In order to prevent premature heart disease-related death from happening to you, take note of other common symptoms of this deadly condition: 1. Chest pain or discomfort. This is the most common symptom when having a heart attack. Some people may experience a sudden sharp pain, while some may feel just a mild pain. This may last for a couple of minutes or up to a few hours. 2. Upper body discomfort. You may feel distress or uneasiness in your arms, back, shoulder, neck, jaw, or in the upper part of your stomach. 3. Shortness of breath. Some people may experience this symptom only, or it may happen alongside chest pain. 4. Cold sweat, nausea, vomiting, and sudden dizziness. These symptoms are more common among women. 5. Unusual tiredness. You may feel weary for unknown reasons, and sometimes it will last for days. Older people who may experience one or more of these symptoms usually just shrug these off, thinking that these are just signs of aging. However, if you experience one or more of these symptoms, have someone call an ambulance immediately. How to Prevent a Heart Attack. Most cardiovascular diseases are preventable. I recommend these lifestyle practices to help you avoid a heart attack or any heart disease: 1. Eat a healthy diet. - A heart-healthy diet does not mean entirely avoiding fats and cholesterol. As opposed to popular belief, saturated fats and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are actually good for your body since they are your body's natural source for energy. You also should avoid consumption of processed foods, refined carbs, sugar (especially fructose), and trans fats since they help increase "small" LDL, which contributes to plaque buildup. I recommend the following healthy diet strategies: o Focus on fresh and organic, whole foods. o Limit fructose consumption to 25 grams each day. If you have diabetes, hypertension, or if you're insulin resistant, keep your fructose level below 15 grams per day. o Avoid artificial sweeteners. o Reduce gluten and other allergenic foods from your meals. o Include naturally fermented foods in your diet like dairy and cultured vegetables. o Raise your omega-3 fats by eating wild Alaskan salmon or taking a fish or krill oil supplement. o Always drink pure water. o Eat high-quality saturated and monounsaturated fats from pasture raised animals. o Consume high-quality protein from organically raised animals. Eating healthy may not be enough to keep safe from a heart attack – remember, it's also important to observe how often you eat. That being said, I recommend intermittent fasting that limits your daily eating to an eight-hour window. It helps your body reprogram itself and remember how to burn fat for energy. 2. Exercise regularly. - It is essential that while you are loading up on healthy foods, you are also spending at least 2.5 hours per week doing exercises. 3. Quit smoking. - Smoking causes your blood vessels to narrow and thicken. It also causes blood clots to form that may lead to blood flow blockage to your heart. 4. Avoid alcohol consumption. - Alcohol is high in empty calories and actually makes you fat. Drinking alcohol stops your body from burning fats and calories. As a result, the food that you just ate becomes stored fat. Alcohol also damages your prefrontal cortex, which promotes impulsive eating. 5. Sit as little as possible. - Long hours of sitting have detrimental effects on your health such as a 50 percent increased risk of lung cancer and 90 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes. To maintain an active lifestyle at home or even at work, I recommend walking 7,000 to 10,000 steps each day. Using a fitness tracker also helps track all your activities for the whole day. 6. Optimize your vitamin D levels. - A deficiency of vitamin D increases your risk for a heart attack by 50 percent. In order to get its health benefits, you must maintain a level of 40 ng/ml or 5,000-6,000 IUs per day. I highly recommend sun exposure as your best source of vitamin D, although some foods and vitamin D3 supplements are considered to be good sources as well. 7. Try Grounding. - Walking bare foot transfers free electrons, which are potent antioxidants, from the earth to your body. Grounding also reduces inflammation throughout your body, as it thins your blood and fills you with negatively charged ions. 8. Free yourself from stress. - A study published in mBio showed that when you're stressed, your body releases norepinephrine. This hormone causes the dispersal of bacterial biofilms that result in plaque rupture. Keeping your heart healthy undeniably makes your life more enjoyable and fruitful. Remember these commonsense strategies so you can avoid a heart attack and keep your cardiovascular system performing at its best. Source: mercola.com, 10/28/15.

Go Ahead and Fidget

Fidgeting is widely frowned upon in certain social situations and is often associated with rudeness or lack of concentration, especially among children. Even the definition of “fidget” comes with a negative connotation. It means “a quick, small movement, typically a repeated one, caused by nervousness or impatience.” This widespread disdain for fidgeting may be unfounded, however, especially as Americans spend increasing numbers of hours in sedentary positions. Since 1950, the number of sedentary jobs in the US increased by 83 percent. And while physically active jobs represented 50 percent of the workforce in 1960, it makes up less than 20 percent today. The average American actually spends 9 to 10 hours of their day sitting, and certain occupations, such as telecommunications employees, spend an average of 12 hours sitting each day. Sitting for too long has been found to increase your risk of death from virtually all health problems, from type 2 diabetes and heart disease to cancer and all-cause mortality. But while even regular exercise does not appear to be enough to counteract sitting’s ill effects, small changes in your daily movement might. For instance, people who walked around for just two minutes out of every hour spent sitting increased their lifespan by 33 percent compared to those who did not. Which brings us to fidgeting. While there’s no doubt that sitting less is crucial for optimal health, fidgeting while you’re sitting may not be such a bad habit after all… Fidgeting May Lower Your Risk of Premature Death A recent study followed nearly 13,000 women for a period of 12 years. The women provided information about their daily sitting time, overall fidgeting, physical activity, diet, and other lifestyle habits. Among women who reported sitting for seven hours or more a day and hardly fidgeting, the risk of all-cause mortality increased by 30 percent. Women who reported fidgeting often fared far better – after sitting for five to six hours a day, their risk of mortality decreased. Further, there was no increased mortality risk from longer sitting time in either the “middle” or “high” fidgeting groups. So if you have to sit for a long period, and you’re a habitual fidgeter, don’t feel bad. This regular movement could very well be lengthening your life. If you don’t ordinarily fidget, make it a point to move often while you’re sitting down. Shift your position, stretch your arms, stand up, and change your posture. Even these seemingly small changes may help. 10 Deskercises You Can Do at Work If you want to kick your fidgeting up a notch, try “deskercise.” The 10 activities that follow were compiled by Cedric X. Bryant, chief science officer at the American Council on Exercise, and John Porcari, executive director of La Crosse Exercise and Health Program at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, for TIME. What makes them so useful is you can get away with doing them in your office without causing a scene and they’re challenging enough to hopefully counteract some of that time spent sitting. 1. Paper Pushups - Place both hands on your desk, walk your feet back to a 45-degree angle and do 12 push-ups. This is good for strengthening your arms. 2. Book Press - To work your triceps, grab a heavy book, hold it behind your head, and then extend your arms up. Drop it back down by your neck and repeat. 3. Shoulder Blade Squeeze - Squeeze your shoulder blades together for 10 seconds, as though you’re trying to hold a pencil between them. Release and repeat. This is good for improving hunched posture. 4. Office Yoga - Keep a yoga mat tucked under your desk and try your favorite positions (like plank or downward dog) for stress relief. 5. Chair Squats - Stand 6 inches in front of your chair, then lower yourself until your behind hits the edge, and then pop back up. This helps tone your backside. 6. Tricep Desk Dips - Facing away from your desk, place your hands shoulder-width apart with your legs extended. Bend your arms then straighten them (mostly), keeping the tension on your triceps (not your elbow joints). 7. Wall Sits - Stand against a blank wall then squat down to a 90-degree angle. Slide back up and repeat. This will help tone your quads. 8. Standing Calf Raises - Hold on to the back of a chair with your feet together. Rise up to raise your calves, hold for 10 seconds, and release and repeat. This is good for strengthening your calf muscles. 9. Get a (Leg) Raise - While sitting, straighten your leg and hold for 10 seconds. Lower it almost to the floor, hold, and repeat it on the other side. This will help to tighten your abs. 10. Phone Pacing - Get a headset for your phone. Every time it rings, stand up and pace while talking. This is good for increasing your daily steps. In addition, moving is important too, not just standing still. I recommend using a pedometer, or better yet, one of the newer wearable fitness trackers that can also give you feedback on your sleeping patterns, which is another important aspect of good health. At first, you may be surprised to realize just how little you move each day. Setting a goal of 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day (which is just over three to five miles) can go a long way toward getting more movement and less sitting into your life. This should be over and above any exercise regimen you may have. Tracking your steps can also show you how simple and seemingly minor changes to the way you move around at work and home can add up. Source: mercola.com, 10/14/15.