Heart Palpitations

Heart palpitations are a feeling that your heart is thrashing too exhausting or too quick, skipping a beat, or fluttering. You may notice heart palpitations in your chest, throat, or neck.

Heart palpitations can be annoying or scary. They usually are not serious or harmful, though, and often get away on their own. Most of the time, they're connected to stress and anxiety or to consumption of stimulants like caffein, nicotine, or alcohol. Palpitations also usually occur throughout gestation.

In rare cases, palpitations can be a symptom of a additional serious cardiovascular disease. Therefore, if you have heart palpitations, make arrangements to see your doctor. And seek immediate medical attention if on with palpitations, you experience shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, or fainting.

After taking your medical history and conducting a physical communication, your doctor may order tests that will either make sure or rule out an underlying cause. If an underlying cause is found, the right treatment can cut back or eliminate palpitations. If your palpitations are not associated with an underlying cause, lifestyle changes, including stress management and the dodging of common triggers, can facilitate stop them.

Causes of Heart Palpitations

Many things will cause heart palpitations. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the cause is either related to your heart or is unknown. Non-heart-related causes of palpitations include:

1. Strong emotions such as anxiety, fear, or stress; palpitations often occur throughout panic attacks.
2. Vigorous physical activity
3. Caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, or illegal street medicine such as cocain and amphetamines
4. Medical conditions, including thyroid sickness, a low glucose level, anemia, low blood pressure, fever, and dehydration
5. Hormonal changes throughout period, pregnancy, or the perimenopausal period; sometimes, palpitations during maternity ar signs of anemia.
6. Medications, including diet pills, decongestants, asthma inhalers, ANd some drugs accustomed stop arrhythmias (a serious regular recurrence problem) or treat an hypoactive thyroid
7. Certain flavourer and nutritionary supplements
8. Abnormal electrolyte levels
9. Some people expertise palpitations when ingestion serious meals that ar made in carbohydrates, sugar, or fat. Sometimes, eating foods with high levels of monosodium salt (MSG), nitrates, or sodium will bring them on.

If you have heart palpitations after ingestion sure foods, the problem may well be food sensitivity. Keeping a food diary can facilitate you establish that foods to avoid.

Palpitations can additionally be associated with underlying cardiovascular disease. When they ar, palpitations are additional seemingly to represent cardiopathy. Heart conditions associated with palpitations include:

1. Prior heart attack
2. Coronary artery disease
3. Other heart issues such as symptom coronary failure, heart valve problems, or heart muscle problems.

Your doctor will conduct a physical examination, take your medical history, and ask concerning your current medications, diet, and lifestyle. The doctor also can raise once, how often, and under what circumstances palpitations occur.

Sometimes, a blood test will reveal the presence of anemia, electrolyte issues, or thyroid abnormalities and help establish the cause of palpitations. Other helpful tests include:

1. Electrocardiogram (ECG). An graphical record will be done either whereas you're at rest or whereas you're workout. The latter is called a stress graphical record. An graphical record records your heart's electrical signals and will discover abnormalities within the heart's rhythm.
2. Holter monitoring. A Holter monitor is worn on the chest. It continuously records your heart's electrical signals for twenty four to forty eight hours. It can discover rhythm abnormalities that weren't known throughout a regular graphical record take a look at.
3. Event recording. An event recorder is worn on the chest. You use a handheld device to record the heart's electrical signals once symptoms occur.
4. Chest X-ray.
5. Echocardiogram. This is an ultrasound examination of the center. It provides detailed info concerning the heart's structure and perform.
6. If necessary, your doctor may refer you to a specialist for extra tests or treatment.

Treatment of Heart Palpitations

Treatment of heart palpitations depends on their cause. In most cases, palpitations are found to be harmless and typically flee on their own. In those cases, no treatment is needed.

If palpitations are not as a result of an underlying condition, your doctor may advise you to avoid the things that trigger them. Strategies could include:

Reducing anxiety and stress. Common stress-reducing therapies include relaxation exercises, yoga, tai chi, biofeedback, guided mental imagery, and aromatherapy.

Avoiding certain foods, beverages, and substances. This may embody alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and illegal medicine.

Avoiding medications that act as stimulants. These include cough and cold medicines, and certain flavourer and nutritionary supplements.

If lifestyle changes fail to cut back or eliminate palpitations, your doctor may visit sure medications. In some cases, beta-blockers or calcium-channel blockers are used.

If your doctor finds that your palpitations are connected to an underlying condition, such as anemia, the focus are going to be on treating that condition. If the palpitations are caused by a medication, your doctor will attempt to notice another medication you'll be able to use. If the palpitations represent an cardiopathy, medications or procedures may be needed. You may even be spoken a regular recurrence specialist called an electrophysiologist.

Cardiac Arrhythmia

Cardiac Arrhythmia

Cardiac arrhythmia is caused by conditions where in the heart, the electric activity is irregular, faster or slower than the normal activity. The normal activity of the heart is highly hampered by this condition. Cardiac arrhythmia can cause heart attacks and sudden deaths. In extreme cases there is variations in the heart beats. Some cardiac arrhythmia can cause missing of heartbeats and tachycardia. However these symptoms are nothing about which one should be alarmed. In cardiac arrhythmia, people can experience sinus arrhythmia that is mild acceleration along with normal rhythm of the heart movements occurring by breathing normally. The normal resting of the heart beats ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute in an adult. The heart beats are controlled by sinoatrial node or sinus node that is an area in the upper chamber of the human heart. The specialized cells contains spontaneous electrical activity which starts the normal heart beats in an individual.

In cardiac arrhythmia, tachycardia is when the heart beats faster than the rate of of 100 beats per minute. However the age of an individual is very important in determining this factor. For instance, a younger individual has a faster heart beat compared to older individuals. The sinus node inside the heart has an increased rate of activity when an individual is exercising or doing something that requires exertion of physical activities. The development of faster activities of the sinus nodes are known as sinus tachycardia. When the activity reaches to extreme levels then cardiac arrhythmia occurs. In cardiac arrhythmia, the ventricles of the heart experiences such tachycardia for a longer time and then causes the reaction. The palpitations felt under such conditions are tachycardia.

Tachycardia in cardiac arrhythmia can cause lowering of the blood pressures. This in turn leads to dizziness, fainting or lightheaded sensations. When tachycardia is rapid, the pumping function of the heart is hampered. In extreme cases, tachycardia lead to sudden death. However most of the tachycardia suffered by an individual is not very harmful. The rise in adrenaline too causes tachycardia. The cause of tachycardia can be stress or induced substances like intake of caffeine, alcohol and amphetamines. People suffering from overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) too suffer from tachycardia in cardiac arrhythmia.

People suffering from cardiac arrhythmia should restrict from the agents or activities that cause tachycardia. While the fast movements are called tachycardia, the slow beating of the hearts are known as bradycardia. In this type of cardiac arrhythmia, the heart beats less than 60 beats per hour. The causes of bradycardia are supply of low oxygen, blockage in the heart and electrolyte abnormalities. A pacemaker is required when this condition causes symptoms implantation. In both tachycardia and bradycardia, medical attention needs to be paid. Another form of cardiac arrhythmia is known as fibrillation. In this condition, there is quivering motion inside the heart muscle because of disunity in contractile cell function. There are two types of fibrillation like atrial fibrillation in the atrium and ventricular fibrillation in the ventricles. The ventricular fibrillation is more life threatening than atrial fibrillation.

Causes of Heart Disease

Causes of Heart Disease

Coronary artery disease, the most common form of cardiovascular disease, is one of the leading causes of death today. But thanks to many studies involving thousands of patients, researchers that have been able to shortlist certain factors that are the Causes of Heart Disease in a person. These are called risk factors. These risk factors contribute to two categories: major and contributing. The major Causes of Heart Disease are:

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): High blood pressure increases your risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Though other risk factors can lead to high blood pressure, you can have it without having other risk factors. Blood pressure can vary with activity and with age. A healthy adult who is resting generally has a systolic pressure reading between 120 and 130 and a diastolic pressure reading between 80 and 90.

High Blood Cholesterol: this is another risk factor that causes of Heart Disease is high blood cholesterol. Cholesterol is a fat-like substance carried in your blood. This is found in all of your body cells. Your liver produces all of the cholesterol your body needs to form cell membranes and to make certain hormones. Extra cholesterol enters your body when you eat foods that come from animals

Diabetes: Heart problems are the leading cause of death among people with diabetes, especially in the case of adult-onset. If you know that you have diabetes, you should already be under a doctor's care, because good control of blood sugar levels can reduce your risk. If you think you may have diabetes but not sure, you must consult your doctor for tests.

Obesity and Overweight: Extra weight is thought to lead to increased total cholesterol levels. High blood pressure, increased risk of coronary artery disease. Obesity increases your chances of developing other risk factors for example, heart disease, especially high blood pressure, diabetes and high blood cholesterol.

Smoking: Most people realize that cigarette and tabacco smoking increases your risk of lung cancer, but fewer realize that it is one of the causes of Heart Disease and also other peripheral vascular disease.

Heredity: Heart disease tends to run in families. For example, if your siblings or parents had a heart or circulatory problem before the age of 55. But then you are at greater risk of heart disease than someone who does not have complains for heart disease in their family history.

Age: Older age is a risk factor for heart disease. In fact, about 4 out of every 5 deaths occur due to heart diseases that occur in people older than 65.

In addition to this, there are also certain contributing factor that enhances the causes of Heart Disease. They are: Stress, Sex hormones, Birth control pills and Alcohol. Stress is considered an important contributing risk factor for heart disease. The effects of behavior habits, emotional stress, and socioeconomic status on the risk of heart disease and heart attack have not been proven

Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy

Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy

Large number of people are falling victim to heart disease. One of the main reasons of the increase in the number of heart patient is the changing lifestyle. Various types of heart disease are effecting people in large number. The symptoms of each type of heart disease is different. One of the most common types of heart disease is Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy. It is a disease of the heart muscle. This is caused when the heart muscle becomes weak. Cardiomyopathy or heart muscle disease is a major public health problem. There are 3 million people in United States currently living with cardiomyopathy. Almost 400,000 people are diagnosed with heart disease each year. This disease has become a prime factor in contributing quarter million deaths in the world. In the past few years the incidence of cardiomyopathy is increasing like anything. Many complications of the disease can be overcome if the patient understand their disease. The patient suffering from Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy must take active participation in treating the disease. The heart muscle become very weak in most cases of alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

There are many disorders which cause numerous types of cardiomyopathy. But whatever may be the type ultimately the same thing happen which is the inefficiency of the heart muscle. It reduces the capacity of the heart to meet the needs of the body. The heart failure happens when the heart can no longer pump enough blood. The cases of Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy is increasing day by day. The main cause of cardiomyopathy is the coronary artery disease. The damage to the heart can be on the region of the heart muscles. One must get themselves diagnosed properly. Go for a proper diet and god exercise which can help the patient to avoid certain complications. As alcoholic cardiomyopathy is caused by excessive consumption of alcohol for long time. It is caused by the direct toxic effects of alcohol. In that case the heart become inefficient and the heart become unable to pump the blood. Not only heart is effected by the Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy but other body parts can also be effected by this. The symptoms of alcoholic cardiomyopathy are decreased alertness or concentration, Shortness of breath, decreased urine output, loss of appetite; ankle, feet, and leg swelling; cough containing mucus, irregular or rapid pulse, breathing difficulty while lying down, overall swelling, weakness, fatigue, faintness, etc. The moment patient is experiencing these symptoms it become necessary to take him to the hospital.

One of the most important treatment for alcoholic cardiomyopathy is to improve the lifestyle and take care of the diet. Stop consuming alcohol. The commonly used medications must be used daily like beta blockers, diuretics and ACE inhibitors. The patient who are suffering from congestive heart failure must o for a surgical insertion. The patients of alcoholic cardiomyopathy must frequently consult the doctor and must continue with the medications. With latest drugs and technology coming up now one can easily diagonise the alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

Congestive heart failure diet

Congestive heart failure diet should be focused on avoiding salt, lipids (especially animal fats) and alcohol. Enjoying the food we eat is very important, but in time, patients with congestive heart failure will learn to like foods with lower amounts of salt. Salt is one of the most feared “enemies” for patients with heart disease, because it favors water retention and increases heart labor, edema (water retention in the tissues) and worsens heart failure symptoms.

Why is it so important to know and respect  the congestive heart failure diet?

Congestive heart failure diet is important to be respected in order to increase quality of life and slow down the disease evolution. Everyone who reads the sentence above may wonder how can congestive heart failure diet increase the quality of life, when we suppose to give up on so many daily “pleasures”. It is hard to imagine that after a so called “normal” life, when we could eat everything we wanted, one day we have to change our life and eating style completely with a congestive heart failure diet plan . Many patients are tempted to skip these rules, thinking that their physician wouldn’t notice or that a few exceptions from time to time wouldn’t harm anyone.
A congestive heart failure diet that includes avoiding lipids is a fact well known by everyone, but also by few respected. We read in many articles that there are good and bad fats and that fats will increase body weight, however, many patients with heart disease don’t respect congestive heart failure diet and gain weight even after their physician recommended they should lose weight. Once the patients become overweight, the risk of developing diabetes, atherosclerosis and therefore hypertension, coronary disease (which determines chest pain, a very often symptom among patients with coronary disease), heart attacks or strokes increases. Good fats are a source of omega-3 fatty acids, found mostly in cold-water fish, nuts, oils and seeds, and also in dark leafy greens, flaxseed oils and some vegetable oils. Omega-3 fatty acid is an “essential fatty acid,” which cannot be synthesized by our bodies, the only source for this is food. Congestive heart failure diet should contain Omega-3 fatty acids, because these essential acids can lower blood pressure, combat LDL (bad) cholesterol, also it is thought to play a role in brain protection.
Congestive heart failure diet should definitely exclude alcohol, although this is not a type of food it is often used for different, most of them groundless reasons, like routine, entourage acceptance, digestion, pain relieve. Chronic alcohol consumption can determine a type of dilated cardiomyopathy which in time will lead to congestive heart failure. However, small amounts of wine it is considered to have a favorable impact, due to its antioxidant features.
A correct congestive heart failure diet should also contain limited amounts of foods rich in sugar or carbohydrates (the main source of energy for the body, transformed into blood sugar, mostly glucose, the body’s basic fuel and also the main source of calories) like: cookies, chocolate, candies, biscuits, sweet fruits like banana, pears, strawberries, sugar as such, honey, milk, popcorn, green peas, sweet potatoes etc.

Please consult your medic about a congestive heart failure diet, and don’t eat random.