Improve Heart Health

Sahil walked into his office and declared to his co-worker: "It's going to be a great day!”

Moments later, he almost died — from a cardiac arrest.

When he crashed to the floor, he wasn't breathing. There was no pulse. Without proper care, he would be dead within minutes. But co-workers responded quickly. Sahil woke up in a hospital bed three days later. Sahil was among the lucky ones, but such stories are all too common and in most cases patients are not so lucky.

Some facts about Heart Diseases:

• In the US heart diseases kill two times more people than all kinds of cancer.
• 12.5 million of an estimated 32 million heart attacks worldwide are fatal.
• 40-75% of all victims die before reaching hospital.
• 50% wait for 2 hours or more before getting help.
• Morning is peak time for heart attacks.

Majority of us today either already have heart disease or are at high risk for developing heart disease during their lifetime unless we start taking precautionary steps to improve heart health now.

Some very simple steps can help improve heart health to a great extent.

• Cutting back on salt and sugar. Salt increase blood pressure by causing the body to retain water. Sugar increases weight (which causes the heart to work harder.
• A daily walk or yoga has also proved very beneficial.
• A healthy diet which includes lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Keeping a positive attitude. Stress and anger releases stress hormones into the body making arteries susceptible to plaque.

Some encouraging facts about Heart Health:

• Even long time smokers can benefit by quitting smoking. Within three years of quitting, the risk of heart attack for former smokers is the same as it is for lifetime non-smokers.
• The risk of heart disease doubles in inactive people versus people who get regular exercise.
• Taking care of your teeth can have a dramatic impact on heart health. If you develop gum disease, your chance having a heart attack or a stroke increases by 50%.
• Laughing can be a great workout for your heart. Whenever you laugh, the blood flow in your heart is increased for up to 45 minutes, which in turn improves your heart health.

Regular health checkups help in identifying abnormalities if any at an early stage when the condition is reversible. Greatest wealth is health.