You’ve done it; you’ve survived a heart attack. Now what do you do? There are a lot of things you need to learn and change, but where do you begin?
Medications: The doctor will most likely give you quite a list of prescription and over the counter medications. Alpha and beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, statins and anticoagulants may be needed to prevent further damage to your heart.
When taking these, it’s very important to discuss with both your doctor and your pharmacist if you wish to take other over the counter medications and herbal supplements. Some medications and herbs will interact with those prescribed.
Cardiac Rehab: This often ignored step is critical to helping you survive…and thrive. Counseling and education in various aspects of your care will help you see areas to improve and point out things you can and can’t do.
This is important in many ways. For instance there will probably need to be changes in your diet. The counselor will teach you how to read the nutrition labels, what a portion size is and other aspects of nutrition.
Exercising is another area addressed in cardiac rehab. We all know we need to exercise, but after a heart attack there may be limitations on what you can do. This will be discussed, but more important will be the monitoring. The first several times you exercise, the rehab specialist will be watching to make sure you don’t do too much too soon.
Lifestyle Changes: It’s not just that you can’t eat that megaburger from the local fast food chain, there will be other changes. If you smoke, stopping is an imperative. I know it’s difficult. That’s another area rehab can assist you…there are less painful ways than cold turkey.
You may find some odd things on the “do not consume” list. If you count on a morning dose of caffeine too wake you up, you may have a problem. Caffeine may not cause heart problems, but it can make them worse.
Thinking of switching to herbal tea? Here again you’ll need help. Some herbs in popular teas contain ingredients that could interfere with your medications. It’s very important to check with your pharmacist and/or a qualified herbal practitioner familiar with interaction problems.
Supplements: There are many phrases that irk me, but two of them can make a difference between your life and your death. If you look at herbs and say “It’s all natural,” and/or “herbs don’t have side effects,” you could be in serious trouble.
Extreme care must be taken when choosing herbal supplements if you have heart disease. As an example, garlic and omega-3 fatty acids are blood thinners. Pair them with prescriptions that cause blood to be thin or to not clot and you could have serious bleeding from a paper cut, let alone a regular cut.
Don’t get me wrong here; these supplements may also help prevent another heart attack. What I’m pointing out is that even simple supplements can cause problems. Never be afraid to ask questions before taking either a medication or a supplement. That question cold save your life.
I've studied herbal remedies since 1981 and have been a Master Herbalist since 2004. I've written five eBooks on various herbs and the conditions they can help, including one on gout.
Visit this link for more information on healing home remedies and home remedies for it. There are articles and posts on a variety of topics including stress, headaches, back pain and cholesterol.
While there, you can also download my free report, the Top Ten Herbs. This discusses the uses, side effects, precautions and side effects of these popular products.
If you wish to contact me, you can e-mail: mary@healing-home-remedies.com
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