Cure

Cure

Unfortunately there is no cure for heart disease. Since there is no cure for heart disease we have to look at treatment and prevention.

Treatments

Lifestyle changes

One of the most important treatments for heart disease is lifestyle change to reduce risk factors. If you smoke, quit. Your diet will likely need modifying to reduce cholesterol, keep blood pressure in check, and keep blood sugar in control if you have diabetes. Low-fat, low-sodium, low-cholesterol foods are recommended. You should also get more exercise to help maintain a healthy weight and reduce stress.

Medication

Drugs like digoxin, nitroglycerine, diuretics, ACE inhibitors, and beta-blockers all work in different ways to help improve the functioning of the heart. Your doctor may also give you other medication to help control conditions that are contributing to your heart disease, such as cholesterol- or blood pressure-lowering drugs.

Angioplasty and stent placement

Angioplasty is a nonsurgical procedure that can be performed to open blocked arteries. A stent is a small stainless steel mesh tube that acts as a scaffold to provide support inside your coronary artery.

Bypass surgery

When one or more of the blood vessels leading to your heart is severely blocked or damaged, your doctor can take a blood vessel from your leg and use it to create a new route for blood to reach your heart. This is the same principle as bypass routes built on highways to divert cars away from high traffic areas.

A better way of dealing with heart disease is maybe not to get it. So, one should look at ways of preventing it.

Prevention

Aspirin

Millions of Americans take aspirin to help prevent a heart attack or stroke. But many of them have what experts call "aspirin non-responsiveness," and get little or no protection from aspirin. Researchers continue to study this new problem and argue about its implications. It's not too early to talk with your doctor about being tested to find out if you respond to aspirin.

Aspirin makes small pieces of blood cells less "sticky" and so less likely to clump and form blood clots that can block a blood vessel in the heart or brain. But ongoing research shows that aspirin fails to stop platelets from clumping, or does it only partially, in 5%-40% of people who take aspirin. An individual's response to aspirin can change over time. People who do not respond to aspirin have a higher risk of heart attack or stroke than those who do.

The idea that aspirin doesn't work for some people is so new that many doctors either aren't aware of the phenomenon or are waiting for more research before testing their patients for aspirin non-responsiveness. Patients often must take the initiative.

Smoking

Quitting smoking is important. And today, there's a lot of support available to patients, from counseling to medications, which can help people overcome addictions to nicotine.

High Cholesterol

Reducing saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet, shedding excess weight and exercising can help you lower your cholesterol. If no improvement in cholesterol is seen after these modifications are made, your physician may recommend cholesterol-lowering medications.

High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure should normally be less than 140/90 mm Hg. Blood pressure that stays above this level is considered high. Diet, exercise and medication can help to improve blood pressure. Also, note that blood pressure is highest in the morning, so you need to check it several times during the day to get an accurate reading.

Obesity

Obesity can be treated through proper diet and exercise.

Diet

The relationship between diet and heart disease has been the focus of much debate and scientific research for over a century. Many foods and various diet patterns have fallen in and out of favor almost in keeping with the change of seasons. With each new headline, manufacturers have responded with new products, from fat-free egg substitutes, omega-3 enriched eggs, cholesterol-free margarine to calcium-fortified spreads.

There is no specific 'magic' food that can decrease a person's risk of developing heart disease. The diet has to be addressed overall, not just tweaked here and there. There is strong evidence that plant food is associated with a decreased risk of heart disease - especially wholegrain cereals, legumes nuts, fruits and vegetables. Studies involving supplements of nutrients or phytochemicals have not shown these to be effective in reducing risk of heart disease. The foods that best protect against heart disease include Oily fish - such as mackerel, sardines, tuna, salmon which contains omega-3 fatty acids. This type of fat lowers the levels of both LDL cholesterol and triglycerides (fats). It also improves blood vessel elasticity and thins the blood, making it less likely to clot and reduce the risk of blocking blood flow. Fish oils act further to stabilize heart function during a crisis and to prevent vasospasm or 'twitchy' blood vessels (which can increase the risk of blockage).

Variety of oils - Both polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats can lower blood cholesterol levels, but polyunsaturated fats appear to have a larger impact. Low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) is considered the 'bad' cholesterol. This is because it can stick to artery walls, causing atherosclerosis, which increases the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Studies into LDL cholesterol have suggested that oxidation is an important step in the development of atherosclerosis. It seems that mono-unsaturated fats reduce the capacity of LDL cholesterol to oxidize, which may explain the protective properties of olive oil. However, extra virgin olive oil also contains around 40 antioxidant phytochemicals, including the phytoestrogens called lignans. Antioxidants have been associated with reduced oxidation of LDL cholesterol, so perhaps these phytochemicals are the factors responsible for the health benefits. In one study, extra virgin olive oil was found to prevent the most LDL oxidation compared to other varieties. Once a fatty meal is eaten, it takes the liver around six to 12 hours to scour dietary fats from