1. There are somethings which make even the strongest of men to shudder. Among them
are heart attack and its cousin heart failure. The fear is understandable because the
organ affected is the one which is most essential for survival; and of course, the drama
which is implied by the way the condition is named – ‘attack’. So what exactly happens in
an attack? What does heart failure mean?
The heart is made up of a large number of heart cells. When the cells collectively
contract and relax, the heart is able to pump the blood around the body. Like any other
organ, the heart is nourished by blood flowing through its blood vessels. The raw
materials for the cells to survive and work – oxygen and glucose are supplied by the
arterial blood vessels.
There are two main arteries which by dividing repeatedly, ensure adequate blood supply
to all parts of the heart. If either of the artery or any of its divisions gets blocked,
then, obviously, the cells supplied by that particular blood vessel are cut off from the
supply of raw materials, and become weak; and if the block persists for sufficiently long
time, then the cells die of starvation. This process of an artery getting blocked with
bad effects on the heart cells is called heart attack (In French attaque cardiaque).
The commonest cause of a block is a blood clot. The chances of having a blood clot
increases due to smoking, diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol abnormalities and
sedentary life style.
Alternatively, when small arteries get blocked, the remaining cells are enough to keep
the heart pumping. If a major artery gets blocked, or multiple small ones, then the
remaining cells fail to keep the heart pumping. This failure of the heart to do its
pumping function is called heart failure (In French insuffisance cardiaque) . Though the
most common cause of a failure is an ‘attack’, there are other causes too, like alcohol
intake, nutritional deficiency, hormonal problems, genetic abnormalities.
There is a tendency to associate a diagnosis of heart attack or failure with a bleak
outlook. But that is not necessarily the case. Advances in science have improved our
understanding of the basic process and increased the options available to manage these
conditions, enabling most sufferers to live a productive life.

2. Everyone wants to live a life free from stress and diseases but not many of us
understand the importance of exercise and heart care in the young age itself. Heart is
actually a muscular organ pumping and delivering pure blood to all the organs of human
body. Proper diet and apt life style should be followed in order to prevent from the life
threatening heart attack disease and it is vital to maintain a fit body and protect
ourselves from heart failure.
All of us agree that we do take the drugs prescribed by famous physicians without
questioning him /her about its ingenuity and yes we trust a doctor and his prescription.
However the recent news from the Toronto Clinical studies has shocked millions and we
need to ask ourselves are we talking in the approved safe medicine for preventing heart
failures. This is because the studies have clearly revealed the name of popular heart
failure (In French insuffisance cardiaque) prescription drug as contagious and deadly.
This truth might be unknown to many heart patients as they on their part would
exercise, stick to proper diet and take in the prescribed drugs to stay away from the
heart disease. All of a sudden this healthy person might experience massive heart
attack (In French attaque cardiaque) and he/she might pass away. Those who were
near and dear to the dead person would mourn and later leave the whole issue. Now if
one is very prudent and skilled in checking all the prescribed drugs he/she had taken
they might come to know that the dead person would have unknowingly taken in a
prescription drug named Spironolactone and this would have triggered the slow but
steady failure of the heart. The deadly nature of this drug was unknown until last year
and when studies and research from Toronto Medial Studies proved about the drug’s
harmful nature it is indeed surprising to see that not only many common people but even
the famous physicians stood for the drug.
“I have no doubt that this drug when used in the right patients and with more careful
monitoring is still a good drug combination…..”
These are the words of a researcher who advocates the Spironolactone .This drug has
caused more than 30% of heart failure death in many countries and more than 27,000

3. hospitalizations each and every year. So we, the ones affected by the drug should not
remain idle.
We the general public should voice and raise campaigns against the pharmaceutical
manufacturer of this drug .This drug should be yanked off from the consumer market
and ignorant people should be made aware and they need to be very sure if they take in
the correct as well as safe drug for their heart failure prevention.
Having a heart attack can dramatically change the lifestyle of an individual. It is
considered as the habit changing and life changing event which can be a difficult event
to recover. Though the attack is a very terrifying event but it is extremely necessary
that, after the attack one must start the recovery process at an immediate basis. The
two most important factors that contribute in recovery are diet schedule and exercise.
Diet is one of the most effective and simple way of recovering from this kind of ill
health and that is the reason why proper and disciplined food habit needs to be
implemented. The primary aim after such a difficult disease of heart failure is to
maintain proper weight with correct amount of nutrition which helps to maintain the
healthy heart and lower the risk of similar situations in the future. The first important
inclusion in dieting habit is good amount of fresh fruits and vegetables. It should be
consumed at least 5 times in a day, keeping in mind that it shouldn’t be processed food
as they cannot match the nutritional value of the fresh ones. Secondly, high fat
consumption should be avoided and it should be replaced by lower versions of meat, fish
and dairy products. For an heart failure (In French insuffisance cardiaque) patient
consumption of sodium, cholesterol and fat is not at all healthy so the third initiative
would be to take read the labels while purchasing food and try to avoid as much as
possible those foods which contains the mentioned nutrients. Even if it cannot be
avoided, the consumption level should be lowered. Fiber intake is always a good option
to keep heart and body healthy and fit. So the fourth diet inclusion would be the intake
of whole grains as it has more nutrients that processed breads providing better
nutritional value.
The fifth important step towards making a healthy diet chart for these patients would
be to restrict much alcohol intake as it can be injurious to a heart attack (In French

4. attaque cardiaque) patient. About one or two glasses of red wine may be good for heart
but the same is not true for other drinks. Lastly one must also lessen down the intake
of fried, oily, salty, sugary and breaded foods as this will hamper the heart functioning.
Following these habits one can surely improve heart functioning. These are proven facts
as discussed by different eminent doctors and as per them only, maintaining this is
bound to fetch results.
Contact
VDM Group S.A.
Houten Schoen 24
9100 Sint-Niklaas
Belgique