Tips for preventing heart disease

More than 90% of common acquired heart problems such as coronary heart disease and arrhythmia can be prevented and controlled by a few small things that cost nothing every day. There is no need to pay IQ tax on hundreds of heart-protecting health products.

Last week I went to the outpatient clinic with an old classmate from the Department of Cardiology for two days. I met too many young people who were in a panic: either they stayed up late or had premature heartbeats, and when they came up they asked if they wanted to buy imported Coenzyme Q10.； Either the physical examination showed that blood lipids were slightly high, so I just stopped eating all meat dishes, and I came back for a follow-up consultation feeling dizzy after half a month. To be honest, most people have a deep misunderstanding of heart protection.

Let’s talk about the exercise that everyone is most concerned about first. The previous guidelines from the Cardiovascular Disease Branch of the Chinese Medical Association clearly stated that a total of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by more than 30%. But when we conducted community follow-up visits in the past two years, we found that not even 10% of the people who could really insist on running three times a week were less than 10%. On the contrary, those who usually stood up to get water, climbed two flights of stairs to deliver documents, and took a detour from get off work and walked an extra 10 minutes to buy groceries had much better blood lipid and blood pressure indicators than those who struggled to run 5 kilometers and gave up after running for two days. Oh, by the way, now orthopedics and cardiology departments often argue over this matter. Orthopedic doctors always say that there is no need to force exercise, as injuring the knee will not be worth the gain. As long as you can move a little more every day, any form will do. I really agree with this. After all, habits that can be persisted are useful.

Let’s talk about food. When many people think of protecting their heart, they think that they should be completely low-salt and low-fat, and cook every meal. How can anyone stick to it for a lifetime? I once took care of a 72-year-old patient who had been eating pickled radish all his life. His blood pressure was always at 150/90 and there was a small plaque in his coronary artery. We did not let him completely stop pickling. We told him to cut the pickled radish into thin strips and soak it for 20 minutes before eating. He could take up to 3 small slices per meal and eat an extra mouthful of dark green salad. After half a year, he checked again and found that his blood pressure was stable at 130/80 and the plaque had shrunk a bit. There is a lot of controversy over red meat in the academic world now. Some people say that eating red meat can increase blood lipids, while others say that not eating it at all can lead to iron deficiency anemia. In fact, there is no need to go to extremes. Don't eat fat meat like braised pork ribs and sauced elbows every day. Eat lean beef twice a week, with a slap in the face each time. There will be no problems. On the contrary, anemia will put less burden on the heart than people who are purely vegetarian.

Many people tend to ignore the impact of emotions. Think about it, the heart is like an old water pump that runs every day in your home. Every time you get angry or anxious, it is equivalent to adding twice the voltage to it. How can it not cause problems if it keeps running for a long time? There used to be a 42-year-old female patient who usually eats and exercises regularly, but she gets angry easily and gets chest pain when tutoring her children with homework. Last year, she was diagnosed with mild myocardial ischemia. Later, she found a little trick on her own. She felt her pulse 10 times before getting angry. After counting, most of the anger disappeared. This year's reexamination indicators were all normal. By the way, the view of psychosomatic medicine now is different from before. In the past, I always said that you should have a calm mind and not be angry, but now I feel that you should not hold it in when you have emotions. Even if you complain to your best friend for half an hour or go to the park and shout twice, it is better for your heart than keeping it in your heart.

Finally, I would like to mention the most common pitfalls of health care products. This is not to say that Coenzyme Q10 and deep-sea fish oil are completely useless. For people who have been diagnosed with myocarditis or have muscle soreness after taking statins, taking supplements according to the doctor's advice can indeed alleviate the symptoms. However, if healthy people take it daily, there is no evidence that all domestic and foreign guidelines can prevent heart disease. Last week, my classmate also treated a young man who took Internet celebrity heart-protecting health care products for half a year and developed abnormal liver function. It is really not worth the gain.

After all, protecting the heart really doesn’t have to be so fancy. You don’t need to have any sense of ritual or buy a lot of useless things. You drink half a cup of full-sugar milk tea today, walk an extra stop after get off work, and take a few extra breaths when you quarrel with your family. In fact, you are helping your heart. Of course, if you have frequent symptoms of chest tightness, palpitation, or radiating pain in your left shoulder, don't rely on small tricks to carry it on. Go to the hospital for a checkup quickly, as it will work better than anything else.