Dear Readers,

Jon D. is a 48 years old construction supervisor who resides and works in St Catherine. He fell ill earlier this year with dizziness and heartburn and felt weak while at work. It affected him for a couple hours before the other workers took him to the doctor. The doctor did a heart test (ECG) and a blood test and told him that he had experienced a slight heart attack. Jon finds this fact almost unbelievable as he says he didn't feel all that ill at the time. He says he was not ill enough to have had a heart attack!

He is a reader of LIFELINE and asks us how to keep his heart healthy. He figures he gets a good amount of exercise daily on the job so this heart attack was not because of being a couch potato. He is now back at work but worries a lot about his heart. The doctor found out that he also has high blood pressure and he is now taking a lot of medication for the pressure and the heart every day.

A heart attack may come on suddenly or develop over a period of time. It usually involves some of the following symptoms:

A feeling of pressure or squeezing pain in the chest.

Chest pain that spreads to the shoulder(s), neck, upper back and arm(s).

Chest discomfort associated with faintness or dizziness.

Profuse sweating, nausea, shortness of breath.

Anyone experiencing these symptoms should see a doctor urgently. However, there are times (especially in diabetics) when the symptoms are so mild as to not elicit undue concern, or be confused with a pre-existing disorder such as acid reflux disease.

There are times when a heart attack occurs silently and is only discovered later on by a routine screening test (usually the ECG).

In people who are at risk of a heart attack (eg diabetics, hypertensives, persons with dyslipidemia ie high blood cholesterol, people with heart arrhythmias), physicians often prescribe a daily ASPIRIN as a preventive measure as aspirin thins the blood.

Keeping the heart healthy involves a certain amount of discipline in life. Fulfilling the following guidelines will certainly help a lot to keep the heart healthy.

If you are overweight then adopt a healthy weight reducing dietary plan and stick to it! Being overweight puts a lot of strain on the heart. Avoid fattening foods like cake, bulla, sweets and chocolate, and as a rule, just EAT LESS.

Cut down on fatty foods. Eat a low-fat high-fibre diet which will help reduce blood cholesterol levels and help to clear any blocked arteries in the body, especially in the arteries in the heart. Make sure to consume only good monounsaturated fats. Stick with plant products. Bad fats are found mainly in animal products such as meat and dairy products.

Eat a diet rich with fruits and vegetables. Grill rather than fry foods.

For the "Naturalists" Ginkgo biloba enhances circulation while "white willow bark" contains Salicin, an aspirin like compound. Coenzyme Q10 improves the oxygenation of tissues including heart tissues and magnesium supplements may help stabilise an irregular heart beat.

Exercise regularly and maintain a body that is as lean and fit as possible. Exercise increases good body cholesterol and studies have shown that people who practise aerobic exercise have a 50 per cent lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who don't. Cycling, swimming, walking, playing tennis or basketball and jogging are just a few enjoyable, good for the heart, methods of exercising. Exercising is also a good way to relax and lessen stress.

Lessening stress in one's everyday life is important in preventing a heart attack. The pressures of everyday life, dealing with the utility bills to be paid, the school fees, the rent, the interpersonal relationships keeps our stress hormones high and puts yet another pressure on the heart. Accepting that these pressures are a part of life, having an outlook which takes one day at a time and a belief in God and his ultimate control can help put problems in a perspective which defuses the stress. Hobbies are important and adequate sleep hours are important.

Do not smoke cigarettes. Smoking causes disease in the blood vessels of the heart (atherosclerosis).

People with diseases such as hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes should maintain tight control of their disorder and keep the disease at acceptable normal levels.

Write to:

LIFELINE

PO Box 1731

KGN 8