Heart Attack

Of Heart Attacks and Ways to Avoid It

Heart Attack image courtsey: nonstandardized.com

Tom and Susan.

Tom and Susan a happily married couple were leading a life like everybody in the locality. Tom worked overtime with a view to earn early promotion and Susan helped him with good tasty foods while he worked at home or when returned home. They liked to spend the hard earned money like every other couple shopping and eating ‘good foods’ from expensive restaurants.

Somebody squeezing my chest.

One day Tom came home on Friday evening with some symptoms like chest pain. Susan to whom he generally does not discuss his illness could guess something unusual with her husband’s rather unusual early homecoming and a weary look. On her repeated enquiries he had nothing specific to say “it feels like somebody is squeezing my chest with a vise, so I thought of going home early bring me a cup of coffee, I forgot it at office perhaps that would have caused it”.

Myocardial infraction.

The hot tea could not cheer him up but his chest-pain, it hardened and was spreading to his left arm, at this point Tom started to panic, fear flashed through his head. His wife called a doctor and as advised he was taken to the clinic. There the ECG revealed that Tom was a victim of ‘myocardial infarction; to put it plainly the common heart attack. Tom was shocked to hear about his disease, to him it was rather improbable as he had no bad habits except occasional smoking and spent whole of his time before his computer either it is in office or in home!

Lifestyle.

Tom was out of the ICU (intensive care unit), next day he enquired about his own prospects to the doctor who came for a round and was near his bed. “You are over weight and have to shed 5 kilograms”, then looking at his wife he remarked “your husband had a healthy body which he ruined by utter carelessness and neglect, if you want to see your husband live long; take note of all these, he should change his whole life style”, (taking note of a habit of using cigarette) “stop smoking from this moment otherwise there is no use in going to any physician”.

Less food the better.

Apple and Pear body shapes image courtsey: gpnow.ie

Both Tom and Susan were not aware that working on computer for hours was that bad and occasional smoking was such a great issue. Tasting some snacks was so far taken as a boost to the body had to be scrapped altogether! A small paunch; kept by Tom as an asset had to be dispensed with, because “a fat man can be like a pear but cannot be like an apple, fat under the naval is less harmful than that above the navel”. Since the upper fat cannot be brought lower; it had to be eliminated. “Less food the better”

To heal the heart.

She was called in to the doctor’s room and explained things in detail that “Tom’s disease was ‘atherosclerosis’ in scientific terms an insidious, painless and symptom-less illness where arteries of the heart narrows down gradually and finally gets clogged leading to the death of patient. When the attack takes place the first 24 hours are usually critical in that case your husband is out of danger but the problem is that his heart’s muscle has received some slight injuries and has to heal, it may take some time”.

Susan gets a promotion.

From the role of an innocent (say ignorant) house wife who went on refilling her husband’s empty plate with fresh snacks and replacing his pack of cigarettes Susan was getting promoted to the post of a life-style manager to her husband. So far Tom knew everything under the sun and Susan was proud of her husband’s ‘vast knowledge’. Tom did not know anything of what was going on in his own body as his blood vessels were getting clogged by fatty foods he consumed and his arteries getting constricted due to his ‘occasional’ smoking.

Dos and don’ts.

The doctor instructed her all the do’s and don’ts “you should be aware about certain things as the wife of a heart patient, the symptom of his attack has been subsided there is no need to panic, Tom should be engaged in some good exercise as a computer engineer his job required less movement. He can supplement it by helping her in the kitchen or take her for a walk as a routine! (What else can make a wife a happier lot)! For her husband walking away from beneath the computer itself was a treat to her.

Keep walking.

“Walking is the most underestimated form of exercise; it renders all the benefits of sweating it out in an expensive gymnasium. Fitness walking tones and strengthens bottom, thighs, stomach and hips, it burns about 200 calories every half hour! Walking let blood flow smooth inside and refreshes the whole body. A walk with spouse through a surrounding street breathing fresh air gives far more enjoyment than wandering in crowded shopping mall burning cash. It can render much pleasure that a million dollar can’t” give.

Walk and talk.

It was for the first time Susan come across the words like fibrous food, atherosclerosis, calorie, myocardial infarction etc, it is first time she hears that walking was that great! Tom was discharged from the hospital as he was alright and next day onwards Susan has turned out to be an old generation dietitian coupled with a physiotherapist and her first ‘victim’ turned out to be Tom! In the early morning he was woken out of bed and dragged to a walk in the cold streets around, she kept on cracking jokes on the way to keep him in good spirits! In the evening (as he started to come home earlier) after feeding with a cup of carrot juice Tom was ‘taken for an evening walk’.

Slimmer the happier.

Fruits and vegetables image courtsey: healthier-harvest.com

“A healthy diet may not only be good for your heart but also may make you happier as recent studies have revealed that people who have opted for a ‘healthier diet plan’ were more pleased with life than those participants who didn’t change, Fat’s share should be restricted to 20% of the total calorie intake and the rest should come from vegetables and fruits”. Poor Tom had to live on a diet made of carrot and cabbage gratings!

No salt! Not fat! Eat the humble pea.

“Use salt as less as possible (people generally use thousand times of salt than what was required) avoid fatty food like meat, butter and fried foods” Tom’s cabbage gratings was devoid of even salt, but generously sweetened with 5 grapes and one apple as a consolation! One recipe Take a white clean plain clothe; soak 100 grams (for one man) peanuts in water for 10 hours (any sort of peanuts) put the nuts in the cotton bag and hang it like a bag on a string somewhere, add some water occasionally. Take the bundle after 24 to30 hours by then all the nuts would be germinated. This wonder food can be had raw or add some boiled beans or chilly in to it for taste. This diet will keep your body as fit as a fiddle”, Success guaranteed by the author who had used it!

Incentives.

“People can generally stick to such routine exercises better only with some incentives, they strike deals to themselves, like after 15 days if Tom weigh 2 lbs less you (Susan and Tom) can allow yourself some incentives; like go for a trip to Victoria Falls or something similar. These are treats which give extra motivation but the game should not be one sided Susan also should weigh less –even though she is not overweight”. Susan was only happy to oblige as she could not munch delicacies denied to Tom.

Last, but not the least.

“Last, but not the least a good sex is a far better treatment to your heart than anything I prescribed before, because it releases numerous hormones in the body all act like unheard of medicines and thinking Tom as a heart patient never abhor sex, instead use this therapy lavishly” This was the real consolation worth a million dollar gift to Tom who was so far a couch potato not knowing the pleasures of life.

Last the best, doc!

He could forgive Susan for everything (dragging him for morning and evening walks, (even for breaking jokes on the way to keep him happy), feeding him with carrots and cabbages and breaking his ‘raise and promotion dreams’ and virtually everything for the success of the ‘final therapy’s’ worth! Now Tom and Susan are elderly with grown up children and lead a happy life. They met the old doctor on the way (on an evening walk) his query was how are my therapies working? Excellent was Susan’s reply with a smile, the last is the best, added Tom!

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Article on the difference between heat attacks in men and women by Vic Grace.