Intro

Hello! I’m Harley, a doctor working in Victoria.

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Today, we are talking about the big one, the dreaded Heart Attack.

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So, What is a Heart Attack?

The heart is basically a big muscle. It has two jobs:

1. To pump blood into the lungs so that the blood can be loaded with oxygen, and
2. To pump this oxygenated blood to every millimetre of our body so that our organs have energy to keep us working properly.

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In the process of pumping fresh blood to our whole body, the heart keeps some of this blood for itself. This is essential so that the heart has energy to continue pumping.

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A heart attack occurs when there is blockage in the heart’s own blood supply.

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One of the heart’s own arteries becomes blocked and this prevents fresh blood and energy getting to the muscle.

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Now, heart muscle uses a lot of energy, and the heart can’t just stop pumping to wait for more energy to arrive. So it just keeps going. And the heart muscle that isn’t getting enough blood begins to starve and die.

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When the heart muscle starts to starve and die, it releases inflammation chemicals which cause the chest pain we associate with heart attacks.

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This pain represents the muscle of the heart dying, which is a heart attack.

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Are There Warning Signs Before I Might Have a Heart Attack?

Often! Things to look out for and discuss with your doctor:

1. Chest pain/tightness/pressure with exercise/walking
2. Shortness of breath with exercise/walking
3. Increasing tiredness with exercise/walking

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Things to get immediate medical attention for:

1. Chest pain/tightness at rest
2. Pain in the chest that may also move to your left arm and up to your left jaw

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How Do I Prevent Myself From Having a Heart Attack?

I hope you’re getting as sick as I am about hearing the same things each month!

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Things to do:

• Stop smoking
• Get into a healthy weight range
• Exercise
• Intermittent fasting
• Get 7-9hrs of sleep each night

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With your doctor you can also check your blood pressure, and the cholesterol level in your blood. There are medications which can help to manage these.

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Thanks for Reading This Month’s Article!

Please write to About Time with any questions you have or suggestions for future topics. Trust me, nothing is off limits – most of my day is spent asking whether people have opened their bowels or farted.