Many of us view a heart attack only in the classic TV mode where someone clutches his or her chest from severe pain and slumps to the ground. Unfortunately if you wait for such a scenario then you are likely to find yourself in front of the pearly gates long before your appointed time.
A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is interrupted either by a blood clot or spasm of an artery. This may lead to damage of part of the heart. It is often confused with a sudden heart or cardiac arrest where the heart suddenly stops beating. Of course a heart attack can lead to a cardiac arrest.
The severity of heart attacks varies and it is important to listen to your body because it will often give us warning symptoms days or weeks before. Some of these symptoms are so subtle that we may ignore them completely. Classic pointers include:
• Pressure, tightness, pain or a squeezing sensation or aching in the chest or arms that may spread to your neck, jaw or back.
• A feeling of fullness, nausea, indigestion, abdominal pain or heartburn.
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating or a cold sweat
• Fatigue
• Feelings of anxiety or an impending sense of doom
• Trouble sleeping
• Lightheadedness or dizziness
So what exactly puts one at an increased risk of getting a heart attack?
• Age; men greater than 45 years and women greater than 50 years
• Smoking including those who inhale smoke from others
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol and Triglycerides
• Diabetes
• Family History of Heart Attack
• Lack of Physical Activity
• Obesity
• Use of stimulants such as cocaine
• History of high blood pressure during pregnancy
• Stress
Talking of stress brings to mind the pain of seeing ones dear country brought to its knees. It’s not only the politicians who are the problem. We all play different roles in this “comedy of errors” to worsen our case. Lawlessness is rife; event organizers take the whole country for granted and will sell more tickets than the seats available knowing very well that people will pay yet walk away and still buy tickets again the next time round. Why would officials who are supposed to ensure we have safe and continuous electricity throw their weights about as if they are doing you a favour when actually it’s their work? ECG on my mind and maybe when things don’t change soon I will be discussing them in detail.
I am happy God is omnipotent otherwise Ghana will certainly be one of his masterpieces that would totally confuse him; great weather all year, excellent land for cultivation, an abundance of natural resources, beautiful minds and the list continues. Unfortunately in the midst of our seemingly abundance we carry a bowl in hand begging from people who are less endowed than us. It is so heartbreaking but all is not yet lost.
The mention of heartbreaks brings to mind the effect of grief on the heart; loss of a dear one, a relationship gone bad and “losing” a dear country. These painful events literally break your heart. Research shows that losing a loved-one for instance raises the risk of having a Heart Attack by 21-fold and this risk is as high as six times a whole week after. The risk of getting a heart attack when your beloved country seems to be backsliding perpetually has not been determined but my guess is it may rival losing a loved one but the real danger here is that this in our case is persistent. Anyway where do broken hearts go?
You will not be able to modify your age and neither will you be able to change your family to reduce your risk of a heart attack but certainly we all can control our NUMBERS and in addition avoid tobacco in any form as well as resist the temptation to overindulge in alcohol. If you don’t drink alcohol please DO NOT start and begin to cut back if you are already enslaved lest it makes mockery of you.
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
(dressel@healthclubsgh.com)


*Dr Essel is a medical doctor, holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy and fitness nutrition.
Thought for the week – “The myth that carbohydrates are more fattening when eaten later in the day has been strangely persistent.”
References:
• Men’s Fitness Magazine Workout Manual 2014
• TIME ; 100 NEW HEALTH DISCOVERIES
• Mayo clinic