Coronary Heart Disease: Eight Ways to Avoid the Deadliest Health Problem

According to the World Health Organization, heart failure is the number one cause of death globally.
 

To avoid heart diseases, Dr. Don R. Powell recommends to follow these steps:

• Have your blood pressure checked at least every two years, or as advised by your doctor. To control high blood pressure, follow your doctor’s advice. 
• If you smoke, quit. Nicotine constricts blood flow to the heart, decreases oxygen supply to the heart, and seems to play a significant role in the development of coronary artery disease. 
• Ask your doctor to check you for diabetes, which is associated with atherosclerosis. Follow his or her advice if you have diabetes. 
• Maintain a normal body weight. (People who are obese are more prone to atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and diabetes, and therefore coronary heart disease.) 
• Eat a diet low in saturated fats and cholesterol. (Saturated fats occur in meats, dairy products, hydrogenated vegetable oils and some tropical oils, like coconut and palm kernel oils.) High-saturated fat, high-cholesterol diets contribute to the fatty sludge that accumulates inside artery walls. 
• Follow the “DASH” (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. Access www.nhlbi.gov for information on the DASH diet. 
• Get some form of aerobic exercise at least three times a week for 20 minutes at a time. Sitting around hour after hour, day after day, week in and week out with no regular physical activity may cause circulation problems later in life and contributes to atherosclerosis.
• Reduce the harmful effects of stress by practicing relaxation techniques and improving your outlook on daily events. Stress has been linked to elevated blood pressure, among other health problems. 
• Get regular medical checkups. 
• You should also know the signs of a heart attack so you can get immediate medical attention if necessary, before it’s too late. They are: 
• Chest pressure or pain (may spread to the arm, neck, tooth, or jaw) 
• Feelings of chest tightness, squeezing, or heaviness that last more than a few minutes, or go away and come back. 
• Chest discomfort with: Shortness of breath; nausea; sweating for no reason; fast or uneven pulse; lightheadedness; or fainting. 
• Unusual or atypical chest pain. 
• An uneasy feeling in the chest with; Unexplained anxiety, fatigue, or weakness; persistent cough with pink, blood-tinged mucus; or swelling in the lower legs or ankles.

Used with permission from A Year of Health Hints by Don R Powell, PHD and the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, copyright 2010. www.healthylife.com