Ischemic Heart Disease – Aiding Treatment With Lifestyle And Diet Modifications

Ischemic cardiomyopathy is a term that doctors use to describe patients who have reduced heart pumping (squeezing) due to coronary artery disease. These patients often have congestive heart failure. “Ischemic” means that an organ (such as the heart) is not getting enough blood and oxygen. “Cardio” means heart and “myopathy” means muscle-related disease.

Ischemic cardiomyopathy results when the arteries that bring blood and oxygen to the heart are blocked. There is usually a buildup of cholesterol and other substances, called plaque, in the arteries that bring oxygen to heart muscle tissue. Over time, the heart muscle does not work well, and it is more difficult for the heart to fill and pump blood to the body.

Risks For Ischemic Heart Disease Include

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• High-fat diet
• Obesity
• Personal or family history of heart attack, angina, unstable angina, atherosclerosis, or other coronary artery diseases
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Smoking

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Patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy often have symptoms of angina or heart failure. Symptoms may include chest pain, fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, swelling of legs and ankles, nausea, vomiting, cold sweat, feeling of heart burn or indigestion, palpitation and loss of appetite.

Aiding Treatment With Lifestyle & Diet Modification:

The goal of treatment is to relieve symptoms and treat the cause of the condition. If symptoms are severe, patient may need to stay in the hospital.

The best way to prevent ischemic cardiomyopathy is to avoid getting heart (cardiovascular) diseases like for example, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease.

Not that anyone wishes to catch diseases, but then there are various lifestyle and dietary modifications that can help you timely prevent many a conditions or diseases. Least, these diet and lifestyle changes help in slowing the progress and restraining from further aggravating the existing ones. Some of these ways are listed below:

• Avoid excessive drinking
• Eat a healthy diet full of whole grain cereals, pulses, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, low fat milk and milk products and occasionally lean meat.
• Exercise as much as possible
• Maintain a healthy weight
• See your doctor to control blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes
• Stop smoking