A diagnosis of angina can be frightening. It is not easy to know that something is wrong with your heart. The heart is a vital organ of the body and when it starts to malfunction it can be a cause of concern. In addition to making sure that you do everything that your doctor recommends, there are a few things you can do at home to help with your condition.
Eat Healthy
One of the first things you will need to do when you have been diagnosed with angina is to examine your diet. If you have previously been eating a lot of unhealthy food you need to speak with your doctor about cleaning up your diet. This means that you will need to start eating a healthy dose of saturated fats, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Moderate Your Activities
It is not that you cannot exercise when you have angina, but you need to be safe about it. Talk to your doctor about how much exercise you can do and exactly what kind of exercise is allowed. Exertion is not good for angina. This means you need to not only moderate exercises, but your other activities as well. Pace yourself whenever you have anything strenuous to do and take breaks.
Smoking and Alcohol
If you are a smoker, once you have been diagnosed with angina you will have to stop. If you continue to smoke you will make your condition worse. You should also avoid secondhand smoke. This means that if anybody in your house smokes they will need to do so far away from the home. Reduce alcohol consumption or avoid drinking altogether. If you do feel like a drink once in a while you should take only one drink a day.
Be Observant
Your doctor cannot be with you 24 hours a day, so this means that you will have to be vigilant in recording any new symptoms that you experience. Even if the symptoms seem unrelated to your angina you should still make a note of them so that you can inform your doctor. Your doctor will let you know if you are to be concerned or not.
A diagnosis of angina can make you start to worry. However, worrying is the last thing you need to do when you're diagnosed with this condition since stress can make things worse. The best thing you can do is to take any medication that has been prescribed to you, follow your angina treatment plan, adjust your lifestyle, and make sure you report any new symptoms that you have.
