Heart attack is like a thief in the dead of night; but unlike thieves who only get material possessions that you can replace with again over time, heart attack steals the most important thing in the world: life. We’ll never know when it’s going to come, and how fatal it can be. So it is always best to look out and do preventive measures to avoid this deadly disease.

Truth be told, preventing heart attack is as easy as a pie. However, the circumstances that we put ourselves into become instant hindrances that keep us from having a healthy, happy life. But if you can put close circuit television (CCTV) cameras at home to keep thieves at bay, why wouldn’t you do the same for your health? Here are some ways to keep this dreaded disease from claiming precious lives.

It is never too early to take good care of your health. In fact, statistics have shown that due to sedentary lifestyle, poor food choices and bad habits, heart attack does not only happen to adults, but can even happen in young ones as well.

Finding a doctor to assess your health is very important. We can always say we feel healthy and well, but some of the diseases nowadays come when you least expect it. They can only be detected with tests, so make sure to get an appointment for your heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol and be honest about your diet and lifestyle, so your doctor can give the right diagnosis. Make sure that you also know your family’s health history; this plays a big part in your overall health. Better safe than sorry.

Eat right. You have heard this time and again that eating right is important, but the reason that it has to be repeated is because it’s true. Lowering foods rich in bad cholesterol like trans fat, saturated fats and sweeteners can greatly help in your well-being. Foods rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables and lean meats are best for your body.

Be physically active. Find an active sport that you enjoy so you won’t deviate from doing it. Boxing, running, swimming, are just some of the things that you can do. Mix it up so you won’t feel bored. If you don’t like any of these, walking at least two miles a day is advised. So avoid those elevators and try taking the stairs for a change. Simultaneously, quit your bad habits like smoking, or from secondhand smoke.

Remember, you have to take responsibility for your own body. With the vast information that we can freely get our hands into today, ignorance is no longer an excuse. Keep yourself updated with the latest stories and breakthroughs as well. Be responsible for your body, you only have one of it.

As a secondary precaution, it would also be a great idea to have an AED unit around. This way, no matter what happens or how much you or the people around you know about CPR, you can be sure that someone would be able to administer, at the very least, chest compression.

If you’re watching medical dramas like ER and Grey’s Anatomy, you have probably seen it done a couple of thousand times. Doctors perform hands-only chest compressions to the patient to keep the blood flowing, clear airways and do breathing. It looks easy as the patient comes back breathing for air and the doctors look calm and in control when they do it. You may think you can do it as you have seen it done one too many times, but can you really?

CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation is one of the most basic medical techniques taught to people who do not have a medical background as a first aider. CPR involves doing chest compressions in order to pump blood throughout the patient’s body. This is done in order to keep the blood circulation. Breathing air into the patient’s mouth can also be done to keep air into the lungs. Through this, oxygen in the brain and heart will keep flowing thus preventing tissue damage that will ultimately lead to brain damage as well as organ failure.

In the US alone, hundreds of people die every day due to cardiac arrest. If ever you encounter a person or a loved one suffering from cardiac arrest or drowning that needs immediate medical attention like CPR, you would just need to keep in mind these three steps. First, do not panic and keep your head cool. Call for emergency, 911, or the nearest hospital for rescue. The responders will teach you to effectively do the CPR, if you do not know how, until they arrive. Second, pump the victim’s chest hard and fast. Put your hand over the other and place them between the victim’s chest. Do it at the rate of 100 per minute. Alternatively, studies also say that singing the chorus part in the Bee Gee’s song, “Staying Alive,” has the perfect rhythm. Lastly, tilt the head of the patient, pinch his nose and blow air into his mouth to keep air in his lungs. Do it per second until his breathing returns. Do the chest compressions until the help arrives.

While some others have the ‘gross factor’ in doing the air rescue breathing for people they don’t know, studies show that this can be skipped. According to these, chest compression is sufficient enough when it comes to helping save lives. Patients who received CPR through strangers have minimal brain damage even if they did not receive rescue breathing. However, this is only applicable to teenagers and adult. For kids and infants, blowing air in the patient’s mouth is still advisable.

Learning how to perform the proper CPR is one of the best skills anybody can have. It’s useful and if done correctly, can save actual lives, maybe even your relatives’. After all, we cannot count on always having a McDoctor in every medical situation we find ourselves in.

One of the bet ways to learn CPR is to take advantage of the different CPR and AED management programs being offered by Citywide CPR.

You need it but you may not like it; that’s what exercise exactly is. Aside from being seen as time consuming, it can also be physically challenging to keep a regular exercise regimen. Not many people may realize it, however, that exercise offers a lot of health benefits, especially if you happen to have a heart disease.

Now, not all exercise routines is recommended for those with certain heart conditions. That being the case, keeping in mind the following can help you figure out which cardiovascular exercises are just the right ones for you:

1. Check with your doctor first.

Your doctor would be able to tell you the different kinds of activities you can engage in as well as how often you should do these routines. In order to ascertain this, your doctor would have you undergo a number of physical exams including 2D echo and stress test.

2. Avoid isometric exercises

An exercise routine is considered to be an isometric one if it focuses more on strengthening the muscles. In most cases, these routines do not require much change in position. Some of the more popular forms of isometric exercise would include sit-ups and push-ups. Instead of going for an isometric exercise, choose an aerobic one. Some popular examples of the latter would include your usual activities like walking, running, biking, skipping rope, and even ice or roller-skating.

3. The 30-minute Rule

In order for your exercise routine to be effective, it needs to last for at least 30 minutes. Now, while most people think that you need to spend the whole 30 minutes in one go, that is not always the case. In fact, you can break down those 30 minutes in smaller amounts so that you can have around 5 minutes of break before you start the next routine. Once you have become used to the amount of time that you spend for your activities as well as for your breaks, slowly increase the former while decreasing the latter.

4. The 3-Step Rule

When doing an exercise, you do not immediately jump and start your activities. You need to make sure that you follow three steps in order to avoid straining your muscles – warming up, conditioning, and cooling down. The first step ensures that you would not be suffering from muscle soreness later on. It is known to slowly increase your heart rate as well as your breathing. The second step, on the other hand, is where you get the most out of your routine. Make sure, however, that you do not overdo it. The last one focuses more on allowing your heart and breathing rate to go back to its resting condition.

In all of this, however, you have to keep in mind that your routine should not be one that would have you short of breath. If, at any time, you feel heaviness on your chest or difficulty in breathing, you should stop and take a breather. If the feeling does not go away, it would be best to check with your doctor. Make sure that you have an AED unit on hand so that you can deal with any kind of situation.

For most people, Sudden Cardiac Arrest, or SCA, might seem like a death sentence. After all, it comes without warning and could really cause death within a matter of minutes. As grave as it sounds, however, there is actually a way to survive a Sudden Cardiac Arrest. This “way” is what is known as the Chain of Survival.

The Chain of Survival is actually made up of five steps and was developed by the American Heart Association in the ’90s. It was disseminated by the said organization in the same year in order to arm people with the right knowledge when dealing with SCA cases that occur outside of the hospital.

Link #1: Recognize

As with anything else, you need to ascertain first that the patient is suffering from cardiac arrest. That means, you would need to check on how responsive the patient and if he or she is having difficulty breathing. In case the patient is unconscious or cannot breathe normally, your first step would be to have somebody call 911. While this is happening, you can already proceed with the second link.

Link #2: Chest Compression

AHA now recommends that, as soon as you have ascertained that the person is unconscious and has shallow breathing, you need to make sure that you administer chest compression. It is recommended that the chest compression should be at least 100 in a minute with a depth of about 5 centimeters each. It should also be done until the paramedics arrive. It should be kept in mind, however, that, by itself, CPR is not capable of restoring normal heart beat pattern. The longer the patient has to wait for the paramedics to arrive, the lesser the efficacy of chest compression is. The best way to even out those odds would be to make sure that you also have an AED unit that can help restore the normal beating pattern, which brings us to the next step.

Link #3: Defibrillation

Because SCA is commonly caused by an interruption in the normal beating pattern of the heart, you might need to apply electric shock in order to help it normalize. Now, if you have an AED unit on hand, you need not worry about how to apply electric shock, or if there is actually a need for one. While doing chest compression, you can have someone attach the pads of the AED. This would help you determine whether you need to continue with the chest compression or if there is already a need to administer shocks.

Link #4: ALS

In cases of SCA, time is of the essence. That means, the paramedic has to arrive on time and should be able to administer CPR, do defibrillation, and administer cardiac drugs. In some cases, they might also need to intubate the patient. This is the reason why you need to have someone call 911 immediately, while you start the chest compression.

Link #5: Post-SCA care

Getting the patient to the hospital does not mean that all would be well. Both paramedics and first respondents have to understand that every minute counts when it comes to pulling through an SCA episode. Each minute longer that the patient has to wait would mean a higher percentage of him or her not being able to make it through.

When it comes to First Aid procedures, one of the most important things that you would need to learn is CPR. This is because CPR can be used in a number of cases including drowning and heart attack. That being the case, most people think that getting a CPR certification is the be-all, end-all. In truth, however, it is just the beginning. In fact, once you have been certified, you need to make sure that you constantly re-train and update yourself about the latest in CPR.

So what are the newer procedures when it comes to saving life?

1. Hands-only CPR

Not many people may know it but you actually do not have to do the whole CPR cycle in order to save a life. At the very least, you only need to do chest compression at the rate of 100 to 120 per minute with a depth of about 5 centimeters. By doing this until the paramedic arrives, or until the patient gains consciousness, you are actually increasing the chance of his or her survival.

2. The CAB Cycle

In the past, most first respondents are taught that the correct way of reviving an unconscious patient would be to follow the A-B-C cycle. This means, you would need to check and make sure first that the Airway is open. This is typically done by tilting the head back. You would then need to check for look for chest movement and listen for any sign of breathing. At times, you might also need to feel for pulse. Once you have ascertained that the airway is open, you would need to do a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (or Breathing). When you do this, make sure that you are creating an air-tight seal around the patient’s mouth to ensure that the air is being pushed properly. After that, you would need to do artificial Circulation. This is usually achieved with the help of external chest compression. By pushing on the lower part of the patient’s chest, you are forcing the heart to pump blood around the body.

Currently, however, studies have shown that the ABC cycle is not as effective when it comes to increasing the chances of the patient in pulling through a cardiac arrest or heart attack. What most medical professionals suggest is rearranging the order to C-A-B. This means, you would need to perform chest compression first before checking the airway and doing artificial resuscitation.

3. Focus on the Quality of Chest Compression

If the focus of the CPR in the past is more on making sure that the proper steps are followed, today, medical professionals are putting the highlight more on the quality of the chest compression. That means, you would now need to push harder and more frequently without interruption.

The Bottom Line

No matter how confident you are with your skills, you need to make sure that you still undergo CPR training every now and then. It also helps to ensure that you familiarize yourself, too, with the AED management so that you would have an idea on how to make the most of the said device.

Whether you admit it or not, when it comes to psoriasis, the farthest thing that would come to your mind would be heart problems. After all, psoriasis typically concerns only your skin. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

What is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is the medical term used to define a chronic inflammatory skin disease. It usually shows up as thickened, red skin that appears to scale every now and then. Some of the most common areas where you would probably experience psoriasis would include the area around the elbow, knees, and the scalp. That being case, very few are aware that there are actually different kinds of psoriasis – plaque psoriasis, guttate psoriasis, inverse psoriasis, pustular psoriasis, erythrodermic, nail psoriasis, and Psoriatic arthritis.

While it is clear among medical professionals how to deal with psoriasis, there is still very little information when it comes to what could be causing it. Doctors, however, have ascertained that the predisposition for this kind of tends to run in the family. A number of studies have also shown that the immune system of an individual could have a role in one’s risk for psoriasis.  Not many people may know it but, a number of researches have also found a link between psoriasis and your risk for heart diseases.

First thing’s first. You need to understand that psoriasis is basically your immune system going haywire due to a perceived threat. In most cases, this “threat” causes the immune system to trigger inflammation. In most cases, the inflammation could involve your blood vessels. When this happens, there is actually an increase in the risk for artherosclerosis, or the build-up of plaque along the walls of the blood vessels. Left on its own, the plaque could hinder the flow of the blood which, later on, could lead to s number of heart diseases as well as heart attack. Fortunately, there is a way to better deal with psoriasis:

1. Healthy Lifestyle

You might have heard it a million times but, if your psoriasis increases your risk for a heart problem, you need to make sure that you live a healthy lifestyle. This would mean planning your diet and making sure that you have a regular exercise regimen. Having food rich in Omega-3 fatty acid is a good idea.You might also want to cut down on your smoking.

2. Stress Management

Although studies have shown that stress is rarely the direct cause for a heart attack, it can still increase the risk for one. That being said, you need to make sure that you keep yourself calm in everyday situation. It is also wise to take a breather every now and then from the daily hustle and bustle of your world.

3. Readiness

If you are at risk for cardiac arrest or heart attack, you need to make sure that those around you would know what to do. This would include encouraging them to undergo CPR training or at least having an AED unit at home. At the very least, you should be able to teach them how to do a simple chest compression.

Ask anyone what they think are the things that could keep your heart healthy, and you would probably end up with answers that include dark chocolates, red wine, bottles of aspirin, and even some nightcap. The question now is, are all of these things true for your heart? You might be surprised at the answer:

Myth #1. Dark Chocolate

Now, before you panic, you might want to hear us out first. The reason why dark chocolate is good for the heart rests on the fact that there were actually minor studies made about it. However, you have to keep in mind that there are different kinds of studies involved in the medical field before something could be considered as a reliable practice. In this case, for example, most studies published were merely observational studies. Having said that, there is some truth to these claims though. Unfortunately, while dark chocolates might be good for the heart, its effect is not as significant as what most people presume. It is also good to keep in mind that chocolate itself contains a lot of sugar as well as calories.

Myth #2. Stress

In general, stress is bad for your heart. However, you need to understand that it is not the sole factor for determining whether you are at risk for cardiac arrest. As what most medical professionals would tell you, the human body has the capacity to adapt to changes in his or her environment. That being the case, stress can increase the risk for cardiac arrest but it would most likely be not the sole reason for it.

Myth #3. Fish Oil and other Food Supplement

Not that food supplement is bad for you but, you have to keep in mind that most food supplements out in the market are not regulated by FDA. Having said that, one of the most common food supplements that people buy is fish oil. Unfortunately, although most people believe it to be good for the heart, that is not always the case. In fact, instead of lowering your LDL, also known as the bad cholesterol, it actually increases it. This is aside from the fact that there is a probability the food supplement could have contraindications with whatever medication you are currently having.

Myth #4. Eggs

For quite a long time, people have believed eggs, the whites in particular, to be so laden with cholesterol that consuming more than one each day could lead to hypertension and, possibly, heart attack. Recent studies, however, have shown that there is very little truth to this. Far from it, eggs are actually a natural source of omega-3 which could lower your risk for a heart attack. Of course, it goes without saying that this is only true if you eat in moderation.

No matter the case, however, you need to make sure that you are ready at all times. This can be done by making sure you undergo CPR training programs or, at least have an AED unit on hand. That way, whether you are having a heart attack or someone needs help, you would always know how to deal with the situation.

Whenever you feel unwell or simply need to know if you are still of sound body, your doctor would have you undergo a number of tests. In some cases, you might come across what they call as the CRP test, but what is exactly is CRP?

CRP, or what medical professionals refer to as C-Reactive Protein, is actually kind of protein that can be used by doctors in order to assess the level of inflammation in the body. Generally, a high amount of C-Reactive Protein would mean an existing infection as well as the probable presence of long-term diseases. Now, while the CRP Test could not clearly point to where the infection is coming from, it is typically used by medical professionals in order to monitor the progress of such conditions as Lymphoma, Lupus, Osteomyelitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. There is, however, a certain form of CRP, the hsCRP, or high-sensitivity CRP, that is currently proving to be useful for cardiologists.

Your Heart and the CRP Test

Recent studies have seem to indicate that the level of CRP in one’s body can be used to determine that person’s risk for certain heart diseases. Aside from that it has been shown that CRP tests can also be as reliable when it comes to predicting cardiovascular risk as cholesterol levels. Based on observation, women, especially those who are already post-menopausal, who had high numbers of CRP were four times at risk for heart attack or stroke.

So how does this happen?

Most medical professionals believe that, as the plaque build up along the walls of the blood vessels, the latter becomes injured and could become inflamed. When this happens, the body experiences a rise in CRP. This now allows medical professionals to determine just how high a risk someone is for a heart attack. All they have to do is draw blood from you and have it analyzed. You need to keep in mind, though, that there are also other factors that could affect the result of a CRP Test. This would include obesity, the presence of an IUD, if you are pregnant, and if you have just finished exercising.

How do you treat an elevated CRP?

In relation to cardiovascular disease, there is actually now way to treat CRP itself. Your best move would be to understand the underlying causes and then deal with those. For example, if what is causing your elevated CRP is artherosclerosis, you should consider watching what you eat. It would also be beneficial to you to make sure that you indulge in regular exercise. Depending on the gravity of your case, your doctor might also prescribe medications that would help lower your cholesterol level. Some of the medications which they could prescribe would include aspirin as well as statin.

Now, since heart attack as well as sudden cardiac arrest could both happen with very little to no symptoms, you need to make sure that you are ready for anything. This would mean undergoing CPR training programs so that you would know how to administer one, as well as keeping an AED unit on hand.

One of the signs that you are alive is the presence of heart beat. At about 100,000 beats per minute, however, very few people are aware that one grave hiccup in the normal pattern of the beats can actually prove to be fatal. Here are some more myths and facts about your heart that you should know about in order to keep it healthy:

1. Heart attack happens when you have an abnormal heart beat pattern.

Not many people know it but your heart actually does skip a beat from time to time. This does not, however, mean that you are suffering from a heart attack. In the same line, while skipping a beat might happen every now and then, if it is something that has been happening to you on a regular basis, you should consider visiting the doctor. Keep in mind that arrhythmia is considered to be one of the top causes of Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

2. When you have a fast pulse, you are stressed out.

For most people, having a very fast beating pattern could signal stressful situations. This, however, is not always the case. Consuming coffee as well as experiencing a number of medical conditions including anemia and a number of thyroid conditions can also cause your heart to have a faster beating pattern. One of the cases where you should seek a medical professional would be when you experience faster heart beat even when you are at rest.

3. A heart beat rate between 60 to 100 beats per minute is healthy.

Although the medical profession considers these figures as the normal beating pattern, a heart beat rate that belongs to the higher end of the spectrum could already signal a higher risk for a number of heart conditions. Studies have shown that a heart beat rate of around 80 per minute could already be a sign that you are at risk for obesity and heart diseases later on.

4. If you have a slow heart rate, you might have a weak heart.

Truth be told, a slower heart rate, for as long as it does not fall outside of what is considered a normal range, might actually be healthier. This is because, as with any muscle that is used to constant exertion, it has already managed to pump blood using very little effort. However, this scenario is typically true for younger individuals. In the case of the elderly, a slower heart rate could be a case for concern and should warrant a visit to the doctor.

5. A normal beat rate means a normal blood pressure.

Although the beat of the heart produces the pressure needed in order to get blood going, it is not a good indicator of whether you are prone to high blood pressure. In fact, there are cases of individuals with a normal resting heart rate who are actually suffering from hypertension.

Knowing the different myths and facts about your heart beat is one thing, and being prepared is another. To make sure that you are ready for any problem, it would be a good idea to attend CPR trainings and certification programs.

Although most people relate a broken heart with someone losing their loved one, breaking your heart can happen in more ways than one; and some of these ways can ultimately lead you to a heart attack. Now, while factors such as your predisposition might be beyond your control, the following is actually something that you can work on your own:

1. Sitting for a long period of time on a regular basis.

Not many people may know it but sitting for extended periods of time on a regular basis actually doubles your risk for developing heart diseases. Without exercise, you run the risk of developing hypertension and unhealthy cholesterol levels. This is because the body takes time in burning unwanted fats. What you can do is make sure that you get up every now and then, or at least engage in a 30-minute exercise on a daily basis.

2. Paying little attention to body signs.

More often than not, your own body would let you know that there is something wrong with it. Some of the common signs would include shortness of breath, chest pains, constant tiredness, and an uncomfortable feeling in the extremities. Unfortunately, when these signs do show up, we tend to push them aside and not pay attention. In truth, doing so can actually increase the likelihood of you suffering from a heart attack. This is because most of these are already signs that a heart attack is about to take place.

3. Paying little attention to your weight and waist size.

Recent studies have shown that there is a correlation between your waist size as well as the health of your heart. That being the case, if your waist measurement happens to be more than 94 cm for men and 80 cm for women, then you might want to start taking those exercises recently. Most medical professionals are of the opinion that a waist that measures more than the said numbers is indicative of a high risk for certain heart diseases. It is a good thing to note, however, that this is primarily applicable only to adults, most especially Caucasian men and women.

4. Not taking the effects of smoking seriously.

While it has been told time and again that smoking is bad for your health, there are still very few people who take these warnings seriously. This leads to these individuals having an increased risk for hypertension as well as heart attack. Now, while most people believe that quitting does not have any impact on your health anyways, that is actually not the case. Studies have shown that quitting smoking can actually reverse any harmful effect it had on the body in the first place. Although the reversal does not happen over night, you can still expect to have lower risks for heart attack as well as a longer life span.

5. No regular check-up.

For most people, a visit to the doctor is out of the question especially if doing so would mess up their work schedule. Unfortunately, very few understand that some of the high-risk heart conditions oftentimes do not present any sign or symptom. This underscores more the importance of making sure that you have your regular check-up.

If you have been doing most of these activities for a long time now, you might want to consider making sure that you have an AED unit on hand. Companies like Citywide CPR provide AED management training in order to help you learn how to make use of an AED.