Can health supplements prevent myocardial infarction? If you feel uncomfortable in your heart, just take a rest? Don't believe these misunderstandings about the heart anymore

Myocardial infarction has become one of the major hidden dangers threatening the lives and health of the people. It not only takes away precious lives, but also brings heavy burdens to families and society. However, in daily life, there are still some misunderstandings about myocardial infarction and heart disease. These misunderstandings may delay the best time to treat the disease and even lead to irreversible consequences.

November 20, 2024 is the 11th "China Myocardial Infarction Treatment Day". On this day, let us analyze some rumors related to myocardial infarction and heart disease to help everyone better understand and deal with them.

If there are plaques in the arteries, do you need to take health supplements to prevent myocardial infarction?

Don't be fooled by the false propaganda of health care product advertisements. Whether it is the coronary artery or the carotid artery, the appearance of plaques is a common phenomenon as people age. As to whether plaques require medication, this depends on the patient's blood lipids, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and whether there are concurrent diseases, and a comprehensive judgment will be made by a professional doctor. However, many unscrupulous businesses will deliberately exaggerate the harm of plaques, saying that it is a blockage of blood vessels and will cause myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction, and then sell a large number of health care products or even "three-no products". Not only do these things fail to "remove plaques", but they also have the risk of inducing liver and kidney failure. Copyrighted library images, unauthorized reproduction

Can a sudden myocardial infarction be treated by simply raising your legs?

Don't do this. If a sudden myocardial infarction causes the patient to suffer from cardiac arrest and lose consciousness and breathing, then those present should quickly call 120 and immediately start cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Simply raising the legs will not form artificial circulation and artificial respiration, and will delay precious rescue time. If the patient is suspected of having an acute myocardial infarction but is still conscious, he should lie down and rest, and immediately call 120 for help, and try to get help within 120 minutes. This is what we often call two 120s. In short, if a myocardial infarction occurs, you must quickly seek help from a doctor, the sooner the better, and don't listen to so-called emergency remedies.

Can coughing save a heart attack?

Don't do this. Diseases such as myocardial infarction or certain accidents may lead to cardiac arrest and sudden death, but it is difficult for most people to accurately predict cardiac arrest or sudden death before it occurs. During an attack, the patient often experiences blacking out or even fainting. At this time, consciousness is close to loss. How can one control his cough? Therefore, the statement that "coughing hard during cardiac arrest or sudden death can save lives" is unscientific. The cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines have never recommended violent coughing as a method of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and some scholars even believe that coughing may be harmful to patients. In the face of sudden death or imminent cardiac arrest, those present need to call 120 as soon as possible. If it is judged that the heart or breathing has stopped, cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be started immediately. Copyrighted library pictures, unauthorized reproduction

Does drinking coffee affect your heart health?

Drinking coffee in moderation will not increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, but long-term excessive drinking may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Because high doses of caffeine can significantly increase heart rate and blood pressure, put pressure on the cardiovascular system, and increase the risk of coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction and other diseases. Generally speaking, if a normal person consumes more than 400 mg of caffeine at a time, the risk of discomfort symptoms will increase significantly, so it is recommended that the daily caffeine intake should be less than 400 mg. Taking a portion of instant coffee as an example, the caffeine content is 50-70 mg, so it should not exceed 6 portions per day. The caffeine content of a cup of hand-brewed coffee is about 100 mg, so it is more appropriate to drink 3-5 cups a day.

Is heart disease the same as coronary heart disease?

This is not the case. Heart disease is a general term for all heart-related diseases. Many diseases can be generally referred to as "heart disease", such as coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, heart failure, cardiomyopathy and other diseases are all within the scope of heart disease. It's just that coronary heart disease (coronary atherosclerotic heart disease) accounts for the vast majority of the total number of heart diseases and is the most common, so many patients equate the two in terms of name. Coronary heart disease can be divided into stable angina pectoris, unstable angina pectoris and acute myocardial infarction based on the characteristics of the disease. Therefore, "heart disease" is just a general term and cannot be directly understood as coronary heart disease. Copyrighted library pictures, unauthorized reproduction

If you feel uncomfortable in your heart, just take a rest. No need to rush to see a doctor?

Don’t be careless, heart discomfort may be a warning sign. For most patients with coronary heart disease, especially acute myocardial infarction, if they can go for a check-up when they just find heart discomfort, early intervention can often effectively delay the progression of the disease. Many patients have clearly developed symptoms of angina pectoris after fatigue, but because the symptoms are mild and short-lasting, they don’t care at all; when it develops into unstable angina pectoris or even acute myocardial infarction, they have to undergo surgery for treatment. In fact, if you pay attention to it earlier, you can completely delay or even avoid this deterioration. In summary, myocardial infarction has serious consequences, and we must not take it lightly. If this article unfortunately fails to leave a deep impression on you, then just remember one sentence "Don’t believe in online rumors, call 120 as soon as the disease occurs."

Author: Science rumor refutation new media

Reviewer: Wang Qian, Chief Physician of the Emergency Department, the Third Medical Center, PLA General Hospital