A Complete Guide to Lifestyle Taboos and Prevention for Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: From Diet and Daily Life Details to Cardiac Function Classification Assessment

28. What are the contraindications for patients with coronary heart disease? Like hypertension, coronary heart disease is also a lifelong disease. Preventing its risk factors and cooperating with its treatment involve all aspects of life. Carefully read the following contraindications, and you will surely gain something. (1) Do not overwork. Overwork or excessive exercise will increase the burden on the heart, cause myocardial ischemia and hypoxia, and cause the old disease to relapse. (2) Do not get emotionally excited. When emotionally excited, adrenaline secretion increases, blood vessels constrict, heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, and the burden on the heart can suddenly increase. (3) Do not drink too much water. Drinking a lot of beverages at once will rapidly increase blood volume, and the stomach cavity will be full, causing the diaphragm to rise and affecting the heartbeat. (4) Do not overeat. Overeating can easily cause abdominal distension, diaphragm rise, and restrict heartbeat; since digesting food requires more blood to be concentrated in the gastrointestinal tract, the blood supply to the coronary arteries will be reduced. (5) Do not smoke. The harmful substances in cigarettes will stimulate the central nervous system, causing the heart rate to increase, blood pressure to rise, and myocardial oxygen demand to increase. (6) Excessive alcohol consumption is not advisable. Ethanol in alcohol has a destructive effect on the nervous, digestive, and circulatory systems. Therefore, drinking alcohol can excite the central nervous system, increase heart rate, and increase circulating blood volume, which can easily lead to heart attacks. (7) Spicy foods should be avoided. Stimulating foods such as chili peppers, black pepper, and ginger can excite the nerves and increase heart rate. (8) Overly salty dishes should be avoided. Salt increases blood volume, thus increasing the burden on the heart. (9) Oily foods should be avoided. Frequently consuming excessively oily foods can promote hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. (10) Exposure to cold and wind should be avoided. Exposure to cold can cause a sudden increase in norepinephrine in the body, which can increase heart rate, increase myocardial oxygen consumption, and lead to heart disease.

29. How to prevent coronary heart disease? Coronary heart disease is a common disease that seriously threatens people's health. Therefore, middle-aged and elderly people should pay attention to prevention. "Prevention is better than cure" is the highest level of prevention in medicine. Specific preventive measures are as follows: (1) Strengthen self-care. Cultivate an optimistic mood, combine work and rest, get enough rest, and have a regular daily routine. (2) Strengthen physical exercise. Strengthening physical exercise is beneficial to promoting fat metabolism, lowering blood lipids, promoting blood circulation, and improving blood supply to the myocardium, but excessive activity should be avoided. (3) Quit bad lifestyle habits. Strictly quit smoking and drinking, and moderate sexual desire. (4) Actively treat related diseases. Pay attention to the treatment of hypertension, obesity, diabetes, liver disease, nephrotic syndrome, and related endocrine diseases.

30. How to prevent myocardial infarction? The following measures can be taken to prevent myocardial infarction: (1) Reduce fat intake. Eat less fried foods with a high content of saturated fatty acids and foods with high cholesterol, such as shrimp, liver, and egg yolks. It is recommended to eat fish at least twice a week to obtain unsaturated fatty acids and reduce the occurrence of coronary heart disease events. Control daily salt intake to less than 5 grams and insist on eating a certain amount of fruits and vegetables every day. (2) Do not smoke and prevent passive smoking. Tobacco poisons cardiovascular endothelial cells, damages the function of the endothelial system, can cause myocardial hypertrophy and thickening, affect normal contraction and relaxation, and can lead to a decrease in "good" blood lipids HDL. (3) Physical activity is essential. It is best to insist on at least 30 minutes of activity every day, which can be "completed at once" or divided into 3 sessions of 10 minutes each. Depending on individual conditions, you can do activities such as rope skipping, dancing, cycling, walking, gardening, mopping, and housework. (4) Regulate blood lipids. High blood lipids are still a factor in the development of atherosclerosis or coronary heart disease. Attention should be paid to increasing the level of "good" blood lipids (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and reducing the levels of triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol that lead to atherosclerosis. (5) Release suppressed or tense emotions. Chronic depression or continuous tension can stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, which can easily lead to rapid heartbeat, vasoconstriction, coronary artery spasm, increased coronary vascular resistance, increased blood pressure, reduced blood flow and aggravated myocardial ischemia and hypoxia. The myocardial infarction rate is about 70% higher than that of optimistic and open-minded people. (6) Pay attention to sleep. In life, we should pay attention to "stress reduction" and "relaxation", relax the body and mind, and not let heavy worries weigh on the mind. Good and sufficient sleep can promote breathing and heartbeat to slow down, which is a self-protective measure for the heart. The myocardium's demand for blood oxygen is reduced, which is a good way to nourish and protect the heart. (7) Eat more nuts and kernels appropriately. In countries like the United States, eating nuts is popular. Consuming nuts rich in magnesium, such as almonds, can help prevent arrhythmia and protect the heart muscle.

31. What is the relationship between cardiac function and physical activity in patients with coronary heart disease? Cardiac function is actually determined based on the level of physical activity a heart disease patient can tolerate. Grade I heart failure (also known as compensated heart failure) presents with signs of cardiovascular disease, but physical activity is unrestricted, and there are no signs of functional insufficiency during general activity. Grade II heart failure (Grade I heart failure) has mild limitation of physical activity; more strenuous activity may cause palpitations and shortness of breath. Grade III heart failure (Grade II heart failure) has significantly limited physical activity; even mild activity may cause palpitations, dyspnea, mild lower extremity edema, or hepatomegaly. Grade IV heart failure (Grade III heart failure) is characterized by an inability to tolerate any physical activity. Clinicians often make a rough assessment of a patient's cardiac function by asking about their tolerable level of activity. Therefore, patients should learn this simple method of assessing their cardiac function and provide it to their doctor during consultations.