EPISODE 1 - HEART ATTACK

FULLY ALIVE WITH MAY program is  one that looks at the HEALTH of the human person in all its ramification namely physical, psychological, social, emotional, and spiritual angles with the aim of directing us to the path of wholesome living.

We will give tips on managing different aspects of stress and health issues, look at midlife challenges like menopausal problems, prostate problems, relationship challenges, forgetfulness and even delve into leadership, gender issues and so on

Today our talk will be on heart attack. The rate of people slumping and dying has gone to an all –time high and the incessant strikes by our health workers do not help the matter at all.

Heart attack is a medical emergency that should be very quickly tackled in the hospital but the rate of surviving it is very much dependent on what the victim and the people around him are able to do within the first few minutes of its occurrence and whether the hospitals themselves are equipped to handle such cases by having defibrillators and the rest. In Europe, for instance, their emergency handlers have made it compulsory that every public institution with about 50 workers and above must a defibrillator and some personnel trained to operate them. This equipment will try to untie the clot that is blocking the blood vessel that has been blocked and hopefully restore blood and normalcy. We in Africa are yet to key into this basic life-saving scheme and so constantly lose those we would otherwise have saved from untimely death.

When there’s a heart attack the heart’s blood supply is suddenly severely restricted or cut off causing heart muscle to die from lack of oxygen. A blood clot in the artery is in the most cases, the cause of this blockade.

Now over 60 percent of persons who have attacks have some warning signals in their body before the big bang but in many cases, these warnings are disregarded or misinterpreted to be some other more minor ailments.

The warning are

1.    Intermittent chest pain

2 .Unusual fatigue even after you have had some rest

3. Restlessness with discomfort around the chest region

These warnings should make anyone to go the hospital for a proper check-up but do we? And if we do what experiences do many of us come back with?

However the case may be if you start feeling faint and having a heavy pounding in the heart plus irregular heart beat and if the restlessness increases and you become sweaty. Then quickly call the hospital, chew an aspirin tab plus raw garlic if they are handy. Do not panic and do not try to drive unless the pain is not yet threatening.

START COUGHING: Repeatedly and very rigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough; the cough must be deep and prolonged as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest otherwise the victims has about 10 seconds before loss of consciousness. A breath and cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until  help arrives or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

Deep breathes get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements exerts squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm.

In the meantime, let’s all cut down on our fatty foods and frying to reduce our cholesterol intake and go for a regular medical check up to make sure all is well.

Mistletoe tea, and garlic are some of the herbal supplements we all need to befriend to keep our hearts healthy.

SUPPLEMENT TIPS—75mg aspirin EC, garlic, mistletoe tea, walnut to clear arteries, sesame seed(has very high lecithin which emulsifies fat)check on cholesterol level, Exercises, gingko Biloba combinations, check on blood pressure regularly and if on drugs don’t just stop suddenly without consulting your doc.