take care of heart yourself

Self-Care at Home

If you think you are having a heart attack, seek help immediately. Do not ignore chest pain or discomfort. Time is of vital importance. Call 911 for emergency transport to the hospital. Do not try to drive yourself or being driven by someone else.

If you have regular-strength or baby aspirin available and you are not strongly allergic, chew and swallow 1 regular aspirin or 2 baby aspirins.

• At this dose, aspirin may help maintain blood flow through a clot-filled artery by inhibiting blood clotting.
  
• Chewing gets the aspirin into your system faster than swallowing it whole.

If you have had angina and been given nitroglycerin, take as recommended by your health care provider. Exact instructions will depend on the form of the nitroglycerin.

If you have had a heart attack before, or if you have several risk factors, the following steps may help prevent heart attacks and save you from severe disability or even death.

• Take a low-dose aspirin tablet (160 or 325 mg) every day. Aspirin increases the risk of bleeding in some people. Ask your health care provider before taking daily aspirin.
  
• If you smoke, quit. This is the single best lifestyle change you can make. After 3 years of not smoking, the risk of heart disease drops to the level of a nonsmoker. Your health care provider can help you quit smoking through behavioral changes, medications, or use of nicotine replacement products.
  
• Lower the cholesterol level in your blood. Lowering your cholesterol, especially the level of "bad" LDL cholesterol, keeps plaques from building up in the coronary arteries. The total cholesterol level should be kept below 200 mg/dL, and the LDL cholesterol level below 130 mg/dL (under 100 mg/dL in those with known heart disease or diabetes). Some people are able to control their cholesterol level by changing what they eat; others require medication.
  
• Keep your intake of calories from fat under 30% of your total calories. This translates to an intake of less than 60 grams of fat per day for an adult. Most diets in Western countries contain more fat than is recommended.
  
• Control blood pressure. Uncontrolled high blood pressure is one of the most common causes of heart disease.
  
• Control diabetes carefully. Uncontrolled diabetes increases your risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and circulation problems.