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Caring for your heart

Caring for Your Heart

Mar 3rd, 2022

Archive for the ‘ Healthy Heart ’ Category

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Caring for Your Heart

Thursday, March 3rd, 2022

What’s your excuse for ignoring your heart’s health? A hectic schedule, a fondness for junk food, or a lack of will to exercise? According to the World Health Organization, India accounts for one-fifth of all deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease. Every year, about 3 million people die from strokes and heart attacks around the world. In Indian men, 50% of all heart attacks occur before they reach the age of 50, and 25% of all heart attacks occur before they reach the age of 40. Indian women also suffer from high mortality rates due to cardiac disease. Indians have a higher genetic risk of heart disease and get the condition a decade earlier than their western counterparts. It is critical to raise public awareness about heart disease and to take preventative actions in order to lower the country’s cardiovascular disease burden.

What is Heart disease?

The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions affecting the cardiovascular system and each affect the heart and blood vessels in different ways. The most common ones include angina, heart attack, heart failure, cardiac arrest, congenital heart disease to name a few. Watch out for these heart attack symptoms:

  • Tightness or a squeezing sensation in your chest.
  • Nausea, indigestion or heartburn.
  • Shortness of breath.
  • Cold sweat.
  • Pain in the left arm or the jaws.
  • Fatigue.
  • Light-headedness or sudden dizziness.

This is a medical emergency and needs urgent medical care.

Heart Disease: Know your risk

Knowing your heart disease risk and consulting a cardiologist for precautionary measures is the first step towards a healthy heart. Do not wait for any symptoms to show up, regular cardiac health checkup is a must for all. Speak to your doctor at the earliest if you have any of the below risks:

  • Have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes.
  • Are a smoker.
  • Are overweight.
  • Live a sedentary lifestyle.
  • Eat a poor diet.
  • Have a family history of heart disease.

Heart Disease: Preventive measures

Certain heart disease risk factors, such as age and family history, cannot be modified. However correct lifestyle choices can help reduce your risk of heart disease. The preventive measures include:

  • Get Moving
    Studies suggest that watching TV for two hours a day increase your risk of developing heart disease by 15 percent. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends being active for at least 30 minutes daily. Regular exercise also helps you lose weight faster, which is crucial because obesity raises your risk of heart disease.
  • Quit Smoking
    Cigarette smoking has been linked to cancer, lung disease, stroke, and heart disease, among other potentially fatal health issues. Smoking increases your chance of heart disease by two to four times, even if you have no other risk factors.
  • Manage Stress
    Stress causes strain on the heart, increasing the likelihood of cardiovascular disease. Learn to cope better with stress. Exercising, listening to music, pursuing a hobby, reading and meditating are all good strategies to handle stress.
  • Maintain a Healthy Weight
    Maintaining a healthy weight is critical for preventing damage or fatigue to your heart. When you maintain a healthy weight, your blood circulates more efficiently and necessary fluid levels are maintained, reducing cardiac strain.
  • Eat Better
    Cut out sugary, salty and fatty foods from your diet. Eat a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains daily to keep your heart healthy. Ensure that you eat home cooked meals and avoid ordering in or using processed or packaged ingredients.
  • Manage Blood Pressure
    Know your numbers. A blood pressure of 120/80 is considered normal, if your blood pressure levels exceed 130, you should see a doctor.
  • Reduce Blood Sugar
    High blood sugar damages the lining of your blood vessels, making them more vulnerable to plaque formation. Control your diabetes levels by making healthy lifestyle changes or take medications if prescribed.
  • Manage High Cholesterol
    The “bad” cholesterol is low-density lipoprotein (LDL), whereas the “good” cholesterol is high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Plaque can build up on the walls of arteries if there is too much bad cholesterol and not enough good cholesterol. This can lead to heart disease. Control your cholesterol levels with the help of your doctor.

Heart care at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital

Wondering if your heart is healthy and strong? Meet our highly efficient team for preventive cardiac care, prompt diagnosis and world-class treatment options. One of the pioneering medical institutes in western India Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital is equipped with a top notch Centre for Cardiac Sciences. With highly trained cardiologists and cardiac surgeons our specialists have the know-how to identify heart ailments early and take action as required. Our experts have performed more than 3700+ Coronary Angioplasties and 8500+ Cardiac Surgeries in the past. Please find below the link for our website details: https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_cardiacsciences.html

Heart Disease Prevention

Wednesday, September 29th, 2021

Cardiovascular diseases claimed the lives of 17.9 million people worldwide in 2019 and caused 32% of all deaths. According to the Indian Heart Association, cardiologists have witnessed an upsurge in young adults suffering heart attacks in the last decade. In Indian men, 50% of all heart attacks occur before they reach the age of 50, and 25% of all heart attacks occur before they reach the age of 40. Cardiovascular disease is also a leading cause of death among Indian women.

The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. The most common one being coronary artery disease (CAD), which affects the blood flow to the heart. Decreased blood flow can cause a heart attack. While heart disease can be fatal, an estimated 80% of all heart diseases can be prevented by adopting healthy lifestyle habits.

What are the Different Types of Heart Disease?

Several diseases and conditions fall under the umbrella of heart disease. Types of heart disease include:

  • Arrhythmia
    An arrhythmia is a heart rhythm abnormality.
  • Atherosclerosis
    Atherosclerosis is a hardening of the arteries.
  • Cardiomyopathy
    This condition causes the heart’s muscles to harden or grow weak.
  • Congenital heart defects
    Congenital heart defects are heart irregularities that are present at birth.
  • Coronary artery disease (CAD)
    CAD is caused by the build-up of plaque in the heart’s arteries. It’s sometimes called ischemic heart disease.
  • Heart infections
    Heart infections may be caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites.

Difference in heart attack symptoms for men and women

Research suggests that there are significant differences in how men and women experience a heart attack.

Warning signs in men

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for men. Men exhibit the following symptoms during a heart attack:

  • Chest pain/tightening
  • Upper body pain in the arms, left shoulder, back, neck, jaw
  • Rapid heartbeats
  • Indigestion
  • Shortness of breath
  • Dizziness
  • Cold sweat

Warning signs in women

Most women don’t experience the classic symptoms of heart attack like chest or arm pain. Here are the symptoms women experience:

  • Unusual fatigue lasting for several days
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Light-headedness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Indigestion
  • Upper back, jaw or shoulder

If you experience any of these signs or symptoms, seek emergency medical help. Try to stay as calm as possible and take deep, slow breaths while you wait for emergency care.

Prevention of Heart Disease

Risk factors of heart disease like age, gender, family history and ethnicity cannot be changed. However, there are many other risk factors that can be controlled. Follow theses heart-healthy steps to reduce your risk of heart disease:

  • Quit smoking
    You’re more than twice as likely to have a heart attack if you smoke than if you don’t.
  • Improve cholesterol levels
    It is important to manage your cholesterol levels and keep your LDL, HDL as well as triglycerides in control.
  • Control high blood pressure
    Adequate exercise, dietary changes and limited salt intake will help control your blood pressure levels. Take your medication regularly if prescribed.
  • Exercise regularly
    A minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of strenuous physical activity each week is recommended. Staying fit can help you manage your weight, lower your cholesterol, control your blood sugar, and reduce stress, all of which are beneficial to your heart health.
  • Say “No” to alcohol
    Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure. It also adds extra calories, which may cause weight gain. Both of those raise your risk of heart disease.
  • Follow a heart-healthy diet
    Try to limit saturated fats, foods high in sodium, and added sugars. Consume a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to keep your heart healthy.
  • Watch your weight
    It is beneficial to your heart to lose excess weight. It can also aid in the treatment of high blood pressure and diabetes, factors that increase your risk of a heart attack.
  • Get a good night’s sleep
    Sleep deprivation has been linked to a range of heart disease risk factors, including high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and heart failure, as well as a sleep disorder known as sleep apnoea.
  • Learn to manage stress
    Being stressed all the time due to professional and personal commitments is unhealthy for your heart. It raises your blood pressure levels and increases your risk of heart disease. Find ways to cope better with stress.
  • Be regular with Health checkups
    Track your health numbers by regular preventive checkups. This helps manage any risk factors of heart disease with lifestyle changes and medications.

Treatment at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital

The Centre for Cardiac Sciences is equipped with cutting-edge technology, world-class infrastructure, and a highly skilled team of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons. We offer a comprehensive programme for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of heart disease in people of all ages, from infants to adults. The team also conducts high-end treatments that include minimally-invasive surgeries, beating heart coronary artery bypass grafting and awake cardiac surgery. Please find below our website link for further details: https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_cardiacsciences.html

Living heart healthy

Friday, January 24th, 2020

Our heart works beat by beat, second by second for 24 hours a day, never resting. Over the average lifetime, our heart beats about 2.5 billion times, pushing millions of gallons of blood to every part of the body. This steady flow carries with it oxygen, fuel, hormones, other compounds, and a host of essential cells. When the heart stops, essential functions fail, some almost instantly.

The most common cardiac problem is atherosclerosis. This is the accumulation of pockets of cholesterol-rich gunk inside the arteries. These pockets, called plaque, can limit blood flow through arteries that nourish the heart — the coronary arteries — and other arteries throughout the body. When a plaque breaks apart, it may cause a heart attack or stroke. A healthy lifestyle, especially when started at a young age, helps prevent cardiovascular diseases. Lifestyle changes and medications can nip heart-harming trends, like high blood pressure or high cholesterol, in the bud before they cause damage.

Reduce your risk of Heart disease:

Apart from the hereditary factors which are not in your control, here are a few ways to improve your lifestyle and minimize your risk of heart disease:

1. Get moving.
Step one of a heart-healthy plan is to make time for physical activity. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends being active for at least 30 minutes each day. Regular exercise helps speed up weight loss, which is important as obesity can increase the risk of heart disease.

2. Quit smoking.
Smoking cigarettes raises your risk of developing heart disease by two to four times as it causes plaque build-up and hardened arteries, both of which make your heart work harder.

3. Manage stress.
Stress causes strain on the heart, which creates a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Exercise or practice meditation can help you keep stress in check.

4. Maintain a healthy weight.
Obesity can increase the risk for heart disease even if you have no other risk factors. Maintaining a healthy weight is important to protect your heart from damage or fatigue. When your weight is in a healthy range, your blood circulates more effectively and necessary fluid levels are managed, preventing strain on your heart.

5. Eat a healthy diet.
The foods you eat play a huge role in whether you gain too much weight and develop high cholesterol, both of which can increase your risk for heart disease. To prevent or manage high cholesterol, steer clear of foods that are high in saturated fats — such as processed foods, and desserts like packaged cookies, cakes, and candies. The fat in these foods raises levels of bad cholesterol, which can lead to plaque in your arteries. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables daily.

6. Manage high blood pressure.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure is one of the most deceptive risk factors for heart disease because there aren’t any physical symptoms — you need to have your blood pressure checked to know if you’re in the heart-healthy range. Left untreated, high blood pressure can cause damage to arteries and organs like the heart.

7. Manage high cholesterol.
High cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the “bad” cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is the “good” cholesterol. Too much bad cholesterol and not enough good cholesterol can result in plaque building up on the walls of arteries. Over time, arteries harden and become narrower, which can lead to heart disease.

8. Control diabetes.
Diabetes is an example of how one health condition can start a chain reaction of other medical issues, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. More than 65 percent of people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke.

Eat Heart Healthy

Eating a varied diet of healthy foods can help with your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. Here are a few changes to make to your diet to help prevent heart disease:

  • Eat less salt: Reducing your salt intake is good for your blood pressure.
  • Replace unhealthy fats with healthy fats: Replacing saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats can reduce your risk of heart disease.
  • Limit alcohol: Read about alcohol recommendations and tips for cutting down on out.
  • Eat a rainbow: Include fruits and vegetables of various colours in your diet.
  • Eat whole grains: Choose whole grains over refined grains.
Prevent Heart disease

Heart disease is the #1 cause of death globally. The 3 major risk factors for heart disease are high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and smoking. Preventing high blood cholesterol begins with understanding your risk. Get yourself and your family regularly screened for these crucial numbers.

Consult our expert cardiologists at our Centre for Cardiac Sciences to know more about preventative heart care and about cardiac health check-up. Please find the below link for more details:

https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_cardiacsciences.html

Healthy Heart, Happy Heart

Tuesday, February 14th, 2017

Valentine’s Day is here, and everywhere you go, everything you look at, is covered with bright, red hearts! Though it is the symbol of love, the heart is undoubtedly the most important organ in our body. Today, show some love to your heart, and invest time in making sure it is healthy and happy. Embark on a heart-healthy lifestyle to fight heart disease by taking the following measures.

Schedule a Yearly Checkup

Each year, schedule a checkup to have your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels checked, and ask your doctor to help you reach or maintain a healthy weight. These tests will give you insight into your risk for heart disease. Be sure to follow your doctor’s recommendations, including taking prescribed medications as directed.

Book one now: https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/manage/shop/executive-health-checkup

Get Moving

Step, march or jog in place for at least 15 minutes a day while watching TV or doing household chores. Increase your activity by five minutes each week until you’re getting a minimum of 30 minutes most days of the week. Exercise lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and other medical conditions.

Eat Healthy

A diet high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and olive oil – consistent with the Mediterranean diet – can decrease the incidence of heart disease by 30 percent, whereas diets high in saturated fats and simple sugars can increase the risk of heart disease by 30 percent. Be sensible about what you take on your plate.

Keep your diet in check: https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/clinicaldepartments/nutrition.html

Cut Down on Salt

To help lower high blood pressure, watch your salt intake. It may be disguised in food labels as sodium alginate, sodium sulfite, sodium caseinate, disodium phosphate, sodium benzoate, sodium hydroxide, monosodium glutamate (MSG), or sodium citrate.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Excess weight increases your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. To achieve steady, painless weight loss, take it easy. Each day, if you eat 200-300 calories less than you would normally consume, and exercise at least 30 minutes on most or all days of the week, you’ll get closer to your goal and be able to achieve weight loss that’s steady and painless.

Stay Positive and Stress-Free

Stress takes a toll on the heart, increasing hormones throughout the body that are associated with the ‘flight-or-fight syndrome,’ leading to an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. It can also increase the stress hormones, such as cortisol, which causes inflammation, all leading to heart disease. Managing stress is a large part of being heart-healthy.

If required, get help: https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/clinicaldepartments/psychiatry.html

Keep a check on your medical history

If you’re a woman, consider your pregnancy history. If you had high blood pressure or elevated sugars during pregnancy, you are at higher risk of heart disease. Get information about your family’s medical history, as that may play a part on your risk of getting heart diseases.

Your heart is in your hands. Value it, and take care of it. Start this Valentine’s Day.

For all cardiac solutions, contact our Cardiac Sciences Department: https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_cardiacsciences.html

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