Heart Attack. It happened to you. Now what?

You know that gut feeling you get when something is tremendously wrong.
                    
Excruciating pain like someone squeezed your heart.
Hope the pain will go away, and everything will be just fine.
Fear you are not going to make it to the emergency room.
Your senses heighten, and mind is racing.
You are caught in the bizarre cycle of events:

•    Riding ambulance with blasting horn, and it’s not a movie.
•    The shamefully-helpless feeling of being stripped of your clothes in ER.
•    Yes, you have to sign paperwork if you are conscious.
•    Cold operating room, dull shaving razor scratching your groin.
•    You are praying for a second chance.

And suddenly it’s over. The pain is gone. The sound of beeping monitor in Cardiac Intense Care Unit.

​  How did we manage?

My dad didn’t survive a heart attack. I’ve seen the devastating results. Heart disease prevention was a part of my everyday life. One day ten years ago, I ended up in a hospital with a heart attack and a few stents in my arteries.
What now?

The surreal feeling of disbelief.
Is it happening to me?
A mix of emotions and physical misery.
What do I do now?  What can I do?  

The first astonishing thing to realize you got a second chance.
You are still here, in this world.
Lucky, broken piece of human flesh on a hospital bed.

Thousands of survivors are facing the same heart-wrenching  questions:

•    Will I have another Heart Attack and die?
•    Is it how I spend the rest of my life, weak and dependent?
•    Can I work and provide for my family and myself?

After the 1st shock of Heart Attack, you start coming back to your senses. Things are not so bad. Many others went through that. There are guidelines, food pyramids, doctors, medications, Internet.

A few days later, Internet research throws the cold truth into your face. The tsunami of generic, misleading information.

We know these heart-healthy  beliefs since the 1960s,  they are deeply ingrained in our minds:

•    High cholesterol in the blood is the cause of heart disease
•    Eating saturated fat raises cholesterol levels in the blood
•    Take statins for the rest of your life
•    Eat low-fat diet and exercise more to lose weight

     How did we manage with these guidelines?

Heart disease is the No. 1 global cause of death with 18 million deaths each year. That number is expected to rise to 24 million by 2030.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S., a ranking it has held for decades. 790,000 people have a heart attack each year. Of those, about 114,000 will die. 580,000 new attacks and 210,000 recurrent attacks. Heart disease is far from rare in younger adults, 30- or 40-year-old.

A Heart Attack is one of the most expensive conditions for hospital stays and maintenance of heart disease. 15 percent of patients hospitalized for heart attacks do not have health insurance and are facing devastating health care costs.

Nearly 50 percent of Americans are taking prescription drugs for “cardiometabolic syndrome”  - high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes. The number of prescriptions filled rose 80 percent for the last 20 years.

We spend billions of dollars on medications to prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. Billions of dollars buying vitamins, supplements, and diets.

  How did we manage with these investments?

We are taking more medications, are getting sicker and fatter, are eating ourselves to death.
Conventional medicine is still operating on outdated 50 years-old science.
Coronary artery disease is one of the most mistreated conditions in medicine.

    You have a choice

Everything in your life now has changed, became unique, every single thing.
How you eat, sleep, maintain weight, exercise, work, react, communicate.
How you manage stress and emotions, listen to every change in your body.

Heart attack survivors are drowning in the overwhelming amount of confusing recommendations, conflicting scientific reports, and controversial advices:

What should you eat? Keto or vegan diet? Eggs are good now but forget about wheat. No fat… wait, that fat is good for you.
How the heck to lose weight? Eat less and exercise more, drive yourself insane with counting calories?
Can you hide from toxins, pesticides, antibiotics in food and in your home? 
Which strategy to follow to detox your body without exploding your guts?
Where to run from stress around us, how to calm your mind and emotions, deal with depression?
What about high blood pressure, insulin resistance, sleep problems, low energy, natural remedies, medications?

The feeling of confusion, frustration, betrayal. Not precisely the condition to have after a Heart Attack.

You have to make a ton of decisions every day how to proceed with your healing after a Heart Attack, with your life. Crucial decisions affecting your survival,  current and future health.
           
After years of researching, learning, digging, investigating and experimenting, I got my life back. Healthy, active, enjoyable and exciting life without medications.

The healthy life is :

•    without fear to drop dead in the middle of the street
•    forget about your digestion and body aches
•    be full of energy, bright thoughts, and ideas
•    have clear thinking and make decisions easily
•    wake up rested every day and in a good mood
•    be self-sufficient and not a burden to your loved ones
•    make plans for your future, not live day by day

More energy, fewer pills, prevent and treat heart disease is easier to achieve than you think.

Can you:  

•    Lose weight without a diet?
•    Control blood pressure naturally?
•    Continue your successful career?
•    Feel great with no medications?
•    Keep your blood vessels open?
•    Have a clear mind and sleep well?
•    Stop and reverse heart disease?

The answer to all these questions is YES.

You need a simple plan. Take small steps, one step at a time. Be consistent and in no time you’ll see superb results.

       By changing nothing, nothing changes.” – Tony Robbins

You have a choice to take the easy route – follow mainstream guidance, make a doctor’s office your 2nd home, blow most of your money on cardiovascular drugs and become a statistic.

               OR

You can invest in yourself, learn to treat your body like a sophisticated self-healing ecosystem. Start eating living food as medicine to fix poor digestion and perfectly absorb the nutrients. Get rid of toxins, use natural herbs to reduce high blood pressure and inflammation, lose weight, have abundant energy. Unleash extraordinarily capabilities of your mind, remove the barriers to healing and drastically improve your health and quality of your life.

Here are the simple steps to start your blitz to healing and exceptional health:

    Know Your Risks

If you made it home safely from the hospital some serious risks are already behind you. They include:
·    Heart failure - the heart muscle fails to pump as much blood as the body needs
·    Ruptured artery during the procedure ( dissection )
·    Cardiac arrest - heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating
·    Allergic reaction to the stent, dye or medication
·    Bleeding or infection  at the insertion of  the catheter

When you are home, there are still serious but manageable risks:

·    Restenosis - scar tissue can grow within the stent; a repeat procedure is required
·    Stent thrombosis – a blood clot is formed inside the stent, can cause a heart attack

     Healing Stages

The 1st stage of healing starts when you get back home after the hospital. Once you've had a Heart Attack, you're at higher risk for another one. Your goal is to reduce risks and long-term complications.

Our bodies are miraculous self-healing systems. We must provide the right conditions for this amazing machine to start the natural repair process. Unfortunately, this sophisticated machinery comes with no manual. You have to learn how to be a smart and skilled operator.

Heart disease didn’t stop for a moment after Heart Attack. You are starting serious changes at this stage, building a foundation to stop the progression of coronary artery disease.

Drastic changes put extra stress on your body, go steady and moderate. The smaller changes make the biggest difference.


     Mindset

Healing after Heart Attack is not just about exercise, the perfect diet or other health noise. It’s about bringing your entire life into balance, growing as a person. It’s to have a bulletproof mindset that keeps you motivated and pushes past obstacles. Mindset separates triumphant, vibrant people and those who struggle.


     Food

Food provides nutrients. Nutrients provide energy for all functions of the body – breathing, digesting food, growth, and repair. Food is a cornerstone of healing.

Nobody is average. What is good for one person is not suitable for another. The perfect eating plan is unique to you.

The quality of food and the source is the most important. Eat real, whole foods:

·    close to its state of nature
·    not manufactured and have no additives as sugars and flavorings
·    don’t have a label with ingredients
·    like vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, pasture-raised meat, wild-caught fish

Organic food is grown without harmful chemicals and contain more nutrients. Buy at least organic from “Dirty Dozen” list published by Environmental Working Group.

The eating plan should start with minimizing and eliminating food that causes inflammation: refined sugar and industrial trans fats. They are deficient in beneficial nutrients and contribute to oxidative stress.

Refined sugar is hidden in :

·    drinks – any form of soda or fruit drink, flavored coffee
·    processed food – ketchup, sauce, dressing, packaged food
·    white bread, cereals – made from wheat, corn, rice, refined flour
·    sweets – candy, cake, doughnut, cookie

Industrial trans fats are in highly refined vegetable oils like soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower and can be found in:

·    margarine, spreads, shortening
·    baked goods, French fries, frozen pizza
·    packaged and fast food

Gluten intolerance is a common problem and associated with a wide range of serious conditions. Gluten-containing foods are wheat, barley, and rye.  Remove these foods and reintroduce in 30 days to see if you feel better in elimination phase and worse after reintroduction.

Food digestion consumes a lot of energy; proteins take the most. Eat light, give your body as much energy as possible for healing and repair.

How we eat makes a huge difference. The brain needs time to process signals of fullness. The faster you eat, the higher the chance of overeating. Eat mindfully:

·    Don’t check phone, watch TV, read or talk
·    Sit down at the table and take a few moments to observe your food
·    Chew each bite thoroughly before swallowing
·    Pause between each mouthful

Consider preparing your meals, so you have control of ingredient quality and how it was cooked.

Clear the pantry and fridge of all the foods you won’t eat to avoid any temptations.

      Mind

Your body is the subconscious mind; it doesn't know the difference between the experience that's creating the emotion and the emotion that you're creating by thought alone.

We can teach our body emotionally what the future healing will feel like ahead of the actual experience.

Closing your eyes, feeling emotionally elevated and mentally repeating affirmation of your choice. Like that:

“All arteries and vessels going to my heart are wide open. Blood is easy flowing. My stents are in perfect shape; there’s no obstructions. Every deep breath is slowing my heart rate and reducing blood pressure. My body is healing every moment, every second, every minute, every hour, every day. I feel better and better.”

Do it like you absolutely mean it, like it’s heartfelt, like what you genuinely desire.

Feel you start breathing easier, feel the energy infiltrating every cell, feel gratitude for the future.

Visualize every thought, find pictures of wide opened arteries and happy humans in peaceful surroundings. Recall them during affirmations.

Just 5 minutes of quiet time a few times a day. Great practicing when you are walking in a park or on a trail.

This way your thinking starts changing an outcome of your healing.


     Exercise

Exercise is a vital component to speed up your healing. Regular activity, simple movements increase your fitness levels, improve cardiac risk factors and mental state, keep you relaxed.

Recovery pace is related to your activity level before Heart Attack and the amount of damage to your heart muscle.

The key with exercise is to start slowly, do something every day and gradually build up your level of activity.

Being active has huge effects, and doing even light activity is much better than doing nothing.

Workout is not solely happening in the gym or fitness class. There are a myriad of opportunities each day to get moving: household chores, some gardening, walk to the store or your car in the parking lot, everywhere in the workplace as often as you can, take your dog for a stroll, take the stairs.

Tiny bits of very light activity throughout the day can make a meaningful difference.

Start with simple home exercises, movements, and stretches. Feel you are confident and in complete control. Then go outside.

Walking is the safest and most natural exercise; your body and brain know what to do. You can walk as much as you like, and as long as you feel comfortable. You can easily adjust your walking pace as needed, or as soon as you want more benefits.

The benefits of walking:

·    Improve the circulation, artery stiffness, blood pressure, and inflammation
·    Reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease
·    Relieve the symptoms of anxiety, mental stress and boost mood
·    lower impact exercise – good for people with knee, ankle, back problems
·    better form of exercise for overweight and obese people

As soon as you gain more strength and confidence, you can add more exercises for muscle strengthening, balance, and flexibility.


       Stress 

All obstacles and worries of everyday life are multiplied after Heart Attack. It is normal to feel anxious, angry, guilty, confused, sad, lonely, hopeless. Emotional and mental factors greatly affect your recovery and future health.

Most of the stress comes from uncertainty, fear for the future. Feeling overwhelmed like you lost control of your life.

You do have control of your life and health! You have control of what you eat, how you exercise, the way you adjust and respond, make decisions, manage what you can’t control.

Stress management is the significant need of your healing:

·    Take charge of your feelings, build resilience, ability to recover from emotional challenges. Most destructive for the heart emotions like anger, hate, rage, unfairness sends a chaotic and irregular signal to the brain. The body interprets these signals as stress, will sabotage all of your best efforts, increases the risk of another Heart Attack.

·    Avoid confrontations, pointless arguments, toxic situations and people. Limit your interactions with a co-worker, or a colleague who consistently annoys or lowers your mood. Your mood has a huge impact on the quality of your sleep, what you eat, and energy level. Reduce exposure to non-stop negative news and social media debates.

·    Make sleep a priority. Sleep affects every system of the body and is one of the most powerful factors for healing. Sleep in a dark, cool room, go to bed at the same time. Have a light dinner. Avoid using electronic devices like computer, phone, tablet or watch TV at least one hour before bed time. Remove anything in your bedroom that emits electric and magnetic fields (EMF) such as an alarm clock, cell phone or other wireless devices.

·    Exercise and walk outdoors whenever possible, breathe fresh air, get exposure to sun. Spending time outdoors, contact with nature, is as important as sleep and a healthy diet. Reduce your sedentary time and increase non-exercise physical activity throughout the day.            

·    Change your perception of stress. Become the absolute positive attitude machine. Reframe any situation for the better. Be like a cat always land on their feet!  See people you can’t stand – turn around and walk away. Stuck in traffic – enjoy your favorite music and sing. Boss giving you a hard time -  just accept how it is and smile. Whatever happened, find some good in it!  

·    Treat yourself with empathy. No negative self-talk, you are doing the best you can. Give yourself permission to let go of worrying, to take better care of yourself, be loved and cherished. Identify your needs and feelings. Don’t blame your body – it is the only one you’ve got.

·    Stop wasting time and energy on decisions, the burden of choices - what’s for lunch or dinner, when to exercise, what to wear, how to find time to meditate. Make it simple and schedule it into a calendar. Do a grocery shopping and prepare meals for the whole week on a weekend. Package lunch and just grab it from a fridge on your way to work. Do the same for clothes. Leave for work and appointments 15 min earlier to reduce anxiety of being late. Develop a simple morning routine you can be easy follow.

·    Get serious about pleasure and play. Pleasure releases endorphins that mitigate the stress response and encourage better adaptation to a changing environment. Enjoy the company of friends and family, play with the dog, watch your favorite comedy and laugh, or just quiet walk in the park. Create an opportunity for joy every day. Bring your attention to what you are grateful for in your life.

·    Find a good health coach to help you make real, lasting lifestyle and behavior changes. Assist to improve your self-knowledge, set personal goals, create and maintain new habits. Provide the support and encouragement. Create an optimal vision for your healing and well-being. Help to become your best self.

         Takeaway

You can see Heart Attack as the loudest wake-up call of your life, have a fresh start and take care of longtime ignored health problems. You can unleash the healing potential you already possess.

The stakes are high. You can refuse to have your life end too soon, slowly disintegrate. It can be life to survive on medications, or it can be high-quality, happy life.

The only person who can change is you. Take the first step now.

It’s beautiful there, in the land of health!