You will be surprised to know that what you considered to be a irrefutable fact about heart attacks is actually a myth. Here’s separating fact from fiction on one of the most common conditions in the human system:
Myth:
The heart stops beating while suffering from a heart attack:
Reality: What we call a heart attack happens when the blood flow to the heart muscle is blocked and the blood starts clotting. Because it does not get blood supply, the heart muscle begins to die and this may cause pain in the chest. On the other hand a cardiac arrest is when the heart stops pumping blood and hence the victim will not breathe or have a pulse.
Myth:
Heart Attack can also be called a Stroke
Reality: There is a marked difference between the two: Strokes happen due to decreased blood flow to the brain and heart attacks are due to decreased blood flow to the heart muscle. Heart attacks are accompanied by chest pain and breathing difficulties, while strokes cause weakness to one side of the body, confusion and unconsciousness.
Myth:
Heart Attack Means Chest Pain Always
Reality: Though chest pain often accompanies a heart attack, more commonly it is the feeling of heaviness in the chest. More often than not, patients are weighted down by a feeling of doom, a premonition, which should actually be taken to heart and heed.
Myth:
Women feel heart attacks differently from men.
Reality: This is one of the most common myths and forms the content of several email forwards too! The fact is that a women having a heart attack is more likely to deny chest pain and for men to admit whole-heartedly to it.
Myth:
Heart Disease strikes during middle and older ages
Reality: One of the most dangerous myths, it assumes that in our younger years we are insulated from the killer disease. But the truth is that though manifestations of the disease start showing up in the middle years, the seeds for it have already been sown much earlier. Very often in childhood itself! Please ensure that your children adopt a healthy lifestyle and eating habits – for prevention is indeed the best cure.
Myth:
You have to get hot and sweaty during a workout to keep heart disease at bay
You don’t have to do an intense fitness workout to derive is benefits that go towards preventing a coronary disease. You simply need to become more active than you are, and avoid leading a sedentary lifestyle. Even half an hour or moderate, but regular physical activity is a good goal to have.
More about → Coronary Disease: Take it to Heart
Myth:
The heart stops beating while suffering from a heart attack:
Reality: What we call a heart attack happens when the blood flow to the heart muscle is blocked and the blood starts clotting. Because it does not get blood supply, the heart muscle begins to die and this may cause pain in the chest. On the other hand a cardiac arrest is when the heart stops pumping blood and hence the victim will not breathe or have a pulse.
Myth:
Heart Attack can also be called a Stroke
Reality: There is a marked difference between the two: Strokes happen due to decreased blood flow to the brain and heart attacks are due to decreased blood flow to the heart muscle. Heart attacks are accompanied by chest pain and breathing difficulties, while strokes cause weakness to one side of the body, confusion and unconsciousness.
Myth:
Heart Attack Means Chest Pain Always
Reality: Though chest pain often accompanies a heart attack, more commonly it is the feeling of heaviness in the chest. More often than not, patients are weighted down by a feeling of doom, a premonition, which should actually be taken to heart and heed.
Myth:
Women feel heart attacks differently from men.
Reality: This is one of the most common myths and forms the content of several email forwards too! The fact is that a women having a heart attack is more likely to deny chest pain and for men to admit whole-heartedly to it.
Myth:
Heart Disease strikes during middle and older ages
Reality: One of the most dangerous myths, it assumes that in our younger years we are insulated from the killer disease. But the truth is that though manifestations of the disease start showing up in the middle years, the seeds for it have already been sown much earlier. Very often in childhood itself! Please ensure that your children adopt a healthy lifestyle and eating habits – for prevention is indeed the best cure.
Myth:
You have to get hot and sweaty during a workout to keep heart disease at bay
You don’t have to do an intense fitness workout to derive is benefits that go towards preventing a coronary disease. You simply need to become more active than you are, and avoid leading a sedentary lifestyle. Even half an hour or moderate, but regular physical activity is a good goal to have.
