HealthBeat

Doctors Miss Unusual Heart Attack Symptoms, Study Finds

It's a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless. If your symptoms are "non-typical" - that is, unless you are complaining of the classic "crushing" sub-sternal chest pain accompanied by pain in your left arm, your heart attack might not be recognized quite as quickly. If you don't fit the preconceived image of someone who could be having a heart attack, that is, an overweight middle-aged male, you might have to work a little harder to convince the emergency room doctor that it really is possible that you are in trouble.

So, what to do if you "experience atypical symptoms of fainting, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, or nausea and vomiting"? (to which I would add "heartburn" that is unrelieved by an antacid - a favorite symptom of those who would be in denial...) Dial 911 (or have someone call for you) and have yourself taken to the hospital right away. Do not try to drive yourself! Once there, do not let anyone minimize your symptoms - it might be just a simple fainting spell, or it might not! You might be just a little short of breath because you are out of shape, or not - you and the E.R. doc won't really know until the EKG and blood tests are done.

Meanwhile, what can you do to keep yourself from having to go there in the first place? Here are some suggestions from the Heart Disease page at Dr. Myatt's Wellness Club:

Follow the Ten Rules of Good Health

Practice stress reduction techniques and anger management. People with "hot tempers" are at higher risk for cardiac events.

Do NOT SMOKE! Smoking is one of the most damaging habits to the heart and cardiovascular system.

Maintain a normal body weight.

Exercise regularly. Be sure to consult your doctor if you are over 30, highly deconditioned, or have already-established heart disease. He/she can tell you how much exercise is safe for you to begin with.

And some suggestions for additional supportive measures:

Maxi Multi: 3 caps, 3 times per day with meals. This daily "multiple" contains high potency antioxidants. Optimal (not minimal) doses of antioxidants (ACES), magnesium, B complex vitamins, and bioflavonoids are particularly important for the heart. Take additional B complex vitamins if your multiple does not contain optimal doses. B vitamins, (especially B6, B12, and folic acid) lower homocysteine levels, an independent risk for heart disease that many researchers feel is more important than cholesterol levels.
Max EPA (fish oil): 1-2 caps, 3 times per day with meals to prevent or reverse inflammation. Take higher doses as directed if your hs-CRP tests are elevated. Flax oil is also beneficial but requires a biochemical conversion in the body, which is deficient in many people, so fish oil is more certain.
CoQ10: 50-300mg per day. This powerful antioxidant, produced by the body, diminishes with age. It is especially valuable for all types of heart disease. CHOLESTEROL-LOWERING DRUGS deplete CoQ10. (Amounts will depend on the severity of the disease. Lower doses may be used for health maintenance; higher doses in cases of arrhythmia, angina, and atherosclerosis).
Magnesium: 2 taps, 3 times per day with meals (Target dose: 500-1500mg per day. Maxi Multi contains 500mg).
Grape Seed Extract: 1 cap, 3 times per day with meals. (Target dose: 150-300mg daily). Proanthocyanidins in grape seed extract act as a potent antioxidants and ACE inhibitors. They also help prevent platelet aggregation (blood cells sticking together) and protect blood vessels from damage.

Looking forward to having you with us for a long time...
Cheers,
Nurse Mark

Wellness Club website:
www.DrMyattsWellnessClub.com