home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- $Unique_ID{BRK01954}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Health Cures for Heart Attacks}
- $Subject{Health cure Cures Heart attack Attacks diet diets exercise exercises
- prevent prevention preventions lifestyle life-style lifestyles life-styles
- nutrition stress stresses damage damages damaged artery arteries blood muscle
- muscles fat fats atheromatous plaque plaques cell cells fiber fruit fruits
- vegetable vegetables obstruction obstructions vessel vessels cardiac
- rehabilitate rehabilitation factor factors diet diets dieting}
- $Volume{}
- $Log{
- Atherosclerosis of Arteries*0009301.scf
- Complications of Atherosclerosis*0009401.scf
- Exercise has Overall Benefits*0003209.scf
- Exercise Improves Circulation*0003207.scf
- Exercise Increases Metabolism*0003205.scf
- Exercise Lowers Triglycerides and Raises HDL*0003203.scf
- Exercise Strengthens the Heart*0003202.scf
- HDL Transports Cholesterol Back to the Liver*0002702.scf
- Risk Factors of Atherosclerosis*0009302.scf}
-
- Copyright (c) 1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
-
-
- Health Cures for Heart Attacks
-
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- QUESTION: I am home now after my first heart attack, a moderate one, my
- doctor said. My family has presented me with all sorts of book on health,
- diet, exercise, well you name it and I probably have a copy. It looks like a
- life's work to get through them all, and before I start, I want know if
- changing my diet, and some of these other things, have been proven to prevent
- another attack. Along with my natural anxiety about the future is a skeptical
- attitude about so called health cures. Please reply.
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- ANSWER: You are right, it is a "life's work", your life, and trying to learn
- how to restructure your lifestyle after a heart attack may be a bit
- overwhelming when you are swamped by all the books you have collected. So
- let's take it a bit more slowly, and look at a few basics.
- Don't confuse good nutrition, sensible exercise and removing stress from
- daily living as being a quack "health cure". Heart attacks result from damage
- to the arteries that bring nourishing blood flow to the muscles of the heart.
- When they become clogged by obstacles loaded with fats (atheromatous plaques),
- blood flow is either cut off or diminished, and the muscles can no longer
- function, and die from lack of nourishment. No amount of dieting now or
- exercise is going to bring those muscle cells back to life, but the goal now
- is to get the maximum out of your remaining heart muscles and to prevent
- recurrence of the same problems that led to your first attack.
- Reduce the amounts of fats in your diet, and increasing fiber, fruits and
- vegetables, and you can reduce the size of those obstructions in your heart's
- blood vessels. Start a cardiac rehabilitation exercise program and you can
- get the most from your healed, but scarred, heart. Lose some weight, if need
- be, and reduce the work load on your body. Reduce the stress factors in your
- life and get "a load off your mind".
- I wish I could provide specific proof with absolute affirmation that in
- your case, all these things work as predicted. No one can do that, but the
- odds are so much in your favor (as evidenced by literally hundreds of
- scientific reports), that should you choose not to accept this new challenge,
- it would be equal to putting your life back on the block. Check with your own
- physician who knows your story and accept the recommendations that can bring
- you reasonable expectations that another attack will not occur.
-
- ----------------
-
- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
-