Q I had a recent heart attack. How can I prevent another one?
Heart attack is an emergency condition arised due to cardiovascular disease. So it becomes obvious for its prevention, that you should maintain your blood vessels and heart muscles in good condition and take care of them. Avoiding risk factors for another heart attack is the best way to keep attack away. Risk factors are more if you have been treated with non-invasive or medicational treatment at first time and significant blockage still remain there. You can discuss this thing with your cardiologist about how much is the remenant of previous coronary disease and treatment options for you to remove it completely. Once you have completed with it, you will have to be cautious to stop or delay further damage to your coronary arteries and heart muscles. For this their are certain medicines you will have to live with for rest of the life and many effective diet and lifestyle changes, which are listed beow: 1. Daily exercise is mandatory for a happily living heart. Any moderate exercise, suitable for you as post heart attack patient, can be chosen like brisk walk, running, jogging, swimming, cycling, etc. Aerobic or cardio exercises should be prefered. This will further help you to deal with other risk factors like overweight, coping wih stress etc as a bonus. 2. Keep eye on your unhealthy fat consumption, which in turns incease cholesterol levels of your blood. It does not mean to cut off healthy fat. Just avoid or limit your excess fat intake. 3. Avoid smoking or tobacco in any form. As it can produce havok on your arteries and heart. It tend to cause potential damage to blood vessels and will help to speed up the damage already occured, increasing risk of another heart attack. 4. Get adequate sleep daily and reduce your stress levels. This will help you to stabilise heart function, and will make it live longer. 5. Give emphasis on vegetables, fruits, nuts, lentils, whole grains, fiber rich food, oily fishes like salmon, and least processed food in your diet. Your diet plays an important role in keeping your heart healthy.