Top 10 Tips to prevent from Heart attack or stroke for life time

10 Tips to Prevent Heart Disease And Stroke

1. Take responsibility for your health.

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in America, accounting for 34 percent of deaths, many suddenly and almost all of them premature. This is down from 40 percent just four decades ago, mainly due to treatment of common risk factors. If you have diabetes, your risk increases dramatically. The best prevention against heart disease and stroke is to understand the risks and treatment options. The greatest risk is ignorance or misinformation. The first step is to take responsibility for your health.

2. Know your risks.

The most influential risk factor for cardiovascular disease is age – the older you are, the greater your risk. The second is your genetic make-up. Although everyone is excited by the scientific progress in genomics research, conclusive gene tests are still in their infancy. But, as I tell our medical students, “A good family history is a poor man’s gene test.” We have long known that if your parents, grandparents, or other relatives were afflicted with or died of heart disease, diabetes or stroke, your risk is much greater.

3. Don’t smoke or expose yourself to second-hand smoke.

The evidence is overwhelming that cigarette smoking and second-hand exposure to smoke increases the risks of heart disease, lung disease, peripheral vascular disease and stroke.

4. Maintain a healthy blood pressure.

High blood pressure, called hypertension, is known as “the silent killer” as it goes without symptoms in most individuals. High blood pressure causes wear and tear of the delicate inner lining of your blood vessels. The higher your blood pressure (BP) the greater your risk. The risk begins to increase from a pressure of 115/70 mmHg and doubles for each 10 mmHg increase in systolic (the larger number) and 5 mmHg increase in the diastolic (the smaller number). Heredity and increasing age raise the risks. Measuring blood pressures at home reflects more accurately your risk than having the blood pressure taken at a physician’s office. It is worth the investment to get a cuffmeter.

It is best not to rely only on the readings at your doctor’s office as some individuals suffer from “white coat” hypertension – their BP is up only when they are at the doctor’s office. Others have “masked” hypertension – higher when not in the doctor’s office. Prognosis is best related to home BP. But for home blood pressure readings, you should not use finger or wrist units – only regular upper arm units.

5. Monitor your cholesterol (blood lipids).

Abnormal or high blood lipids (fats) are a major contributor to cardiovascular disease. Your blood lipids include the LDL (bad cholesterol; remember as “Lousy cholesterol”), HDL (good cholesterol; remember as “Healthy cholesterol”) and triglycerides. The lower your LDL and the higher your HDL, the better your prognosis. The amount of cholesterol in your blood is determined mainly by three factors: the amount produced by the liver (this is largely genetic), the amount absorbed from the intestinal tract (some from what you eat, but a lot more from cholesterol produced by the liver and excreted into the digestive tract) and, finally, age – your cholesterol increases with age. If you are at risk, medication is almost always necessary to lower the LDL or to raise your HDL. The ideal ratio of total cholesterol divided by HDL cholesterol is 3.0. If higher, you might need diet as therapy. The problem with diet is that, in general, it can only decrease total blood cholesterol by about 10 percent. If you have a strong family history or elevated Lp(a) (a rare abnormal cholesterol that increases the risk), drug therapy is usually needed.

Second Method

1. Take probiotics.

There’s more evidence than ever that the gut microbiome, or the collection of billions of bacteria in the GI tract, is necessary for digestion, strengthens immunity and regulates inflammation. Yet when the bacteria are imbalanced, it can lead to problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and may even lead to heart attack and stroke.

The good news is that taking probiotics daily and maintaining a healthy diet can help. In fact, a study in the International Journal of Cardiology found when patients with congestive heart failure took saccharomyces boulardii, a type of probiotic, their conditions improved.

You can also ask your doctor about the TMAO blood test, which measures how healthy your GI tract is and determine your level of TMAO, a chemical in the gut that directly damages the arteries and the heart, said Dr. Joel Kahn, a clinical professor of medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Mich. and author of  “The Whole Heart Solution.” 

2. Get help for sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea, which affects more than 18 million people, significantly increases your risk for high blood pressure, especially at night. What’s more, people with sleep apnea may also have resistant hypertension, or high blood pressure that doesn’t respond to treatment and significantly increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, said Dr. Peter Jones, an associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Tex. and chief science officer of the National Lipid Association. Sleep apnea can also increase your risk for atrial fibrillation, which can lead to blood clots and stroke.

If you suspect you have sleep apnea or your partner complains about your snoring, talk to your doctor about having a sleep study, which you may be able to do at home, as well as treatment options.

3. Make a dentist appointment.

You already know that brushing, flossing and dental cleanings every six months is one of the best ways to prevent periodontal or gum disease, but it can also prevent heart disease.

Just like your gut, your mouth has bacteria that is either beneficial or bad for the blood vessels and the heart. So in addition to preventive care, ask your doctor about an oral DNA test which can tell you how much of each type of bacteria you have and help him customize a treatment plan for you, Kahn said. 

4. Question cholesterol tests.

A standard lipid panel looks at total cholesterol, “good” HDL cholesterol and “bad” LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Yet if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, are overweight or obese, have a poor diet, are sedentary and have a family history of heart disease, your doctor should also look at the LDL particle count and apolipoprotein B (apoB).

“Those are both better measures of your true risk related to bad cholesterol,” Jones said.

Plus, your doctor may also do a blood test to look at your C-reactive protein (CRP) level, a sign of inflammation.

5. Get help for anxiety and depression.

Studies show that both anxiety and depression not only lead to cardiovascular disease but in patients who already have cardiovascular disease, it can cause recurrent cardiovascular events and death. If you struggle with either, it’s important to talk to your doctor and get treatment and find ways to keep stress at bay.