Winter is the season when heart failure and are most common. What should we do in daily life?
Due to the cold weather in winter and cardiovascular contraction, the incidence of hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart failure, especially acute myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, aortic dissection, will increase. Winter is the season when heart failure is prone to occur or worsen. This is mainly due to the cold weather in winter. Patients with cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, and pulmonary heart disease are prone to upper respiratory tract infections such as colds if they are stimulated by the cold. Infections are an important cause of heart failure. In this regard, if colds, fevers and respiratory infections occur due to cold, it can increase the patient's myocardial oxygen consumption and increase the burden on the heart, which will lead to or aggravate heart failure. So, what should patients with heart failure pay attention to in winter?
1. Keep warm
In an environment with low temperature, it is more likely to cause vasoconstriction of the human body and increase the viscosity of the human blood. Normal people can overcome this, but for cardiovascular patients, it is easy to induce heart failure. In addition, once patients with cardiovascular disease catch a cold, they are often complicated by organ and lung infections, making it easier to induce heart failure. Therefore, patients with cardiovascular disease must do a good job in keeping warm from the cold in winter, and treat them promptly if they catch a cold.
2. Reasonable diet
Limit sodium intake, which is a low-salt diet. The daily sodium intake is 2-3g. Severe heart failure patients should limit their daily sodium intake to about 2g, and no more. Water restriction, the daily water intake needs to be limited, and the water intake needs to be adjusted according to the patient's weight changes. Generally speaking, the daily fluid intake should be less than 2L. Nutrition and diet, patients need low-fat diet , and at the same time, they must be given foods that are easy to absorb and rich in protein and make corresponding adjustments. Because the nutrition of patients with heart failure is often insufficient, it is beneficial to the patients to supplement some protein foods that are easy to digest and absorb and are rich in amino acids .
3. Maintain moderate exercise
Choose appropriate exercise methods based on personal physical conditions and tolerance. In winter, when the weather is cold, people do not exercise enough, and the heart tolerance of cardiovascular patients is already very low. Long-term inactivity will reduce the heart tolerance again, and may also cause heart failure, so you should still insist on a certain amount of exercise every day.
4. Quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption.
Avoid smoking-induced vasospasm and alcohol damage to vascular endothelium. Smoking and drinking are very harmful to the body. Especially patients with heart failure should not smoke or drink, because smoking will cause the nicotine and tar in tobacco to be rapidly released into the blood, causing damage to the function of vascular endothelial cells, thus causing pericardial cell dysfunction. Smoking can also cause excessive sympathetic nerve excitement, resulting in accelerated heart rate, increased myocardial oxygen consumption, and cardiovascular contraction, which will increase the preload and postload of the heart. Drinking alcohol can also cause some functional decline, so it is best for patients with heart failure to quit smoking and drinking, and develop good living habits.
5. Mental balance
Fear, fatigue, excitement, heavy meals and cold weather are all predisposing factors for cardiovascular disease. When providing psychological care to patients with chronic heart failure, one should maintain a peaceful mind and not seek trouble. Don’t rely too much on others in life, but don’t be pushy either. You should pay attention to your own illness, but do not pay too much attention to avoid being too nervous and inducing acute heart failure. Family members should try not to make heart failure patients unhappy and try to meet the reasonable requirements of heart failure patients in life and study.
It is worth noting that patients with cardiovascular disease at home should pay attention to monitoring blood pressure and regularly detect blood lipids . Prepare an electronic scale at home and measure it every morning. If the weight increases rapidly within 1-2 days, you should consider whether there is water and sodium retention, and increase the dosage of diuretics under the guidance of a doctor. Record daily water intake and output.Prepare a notebook. Heart failure patients should develop the habit of recording their water intake and output every day. Not only can they control their daily intake and intake, but they can also provide reference for doctors when seeking medical treatment. The basic balance of intake and output is conducive to preventing or controlling heart failure. Let’s talk about the drug treatment of heart failure below.
For the treatment of heart failure, in addition to classic western medicines such as diuretics, there are also auxiliary treatments from traditional Chinese medicine, such as Qili to strengthen the heart. It is a Chinese patent medicine that has the effects of promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, , diuresis and reducing swelling. It has a good effect on patients with palpitation, shortness of breath, inability to lie down at night, edema of the lower limbs, tiredness, weakness and other symptoms. It is especially suitable for patients with mild to moderate congestive heart failure caused by coronary heart disease and hypertension.
Qili Qili strengthens the heart, and its clinical effects have always been well evaluated. It is a very good auxiliary treatment for patients with heart failure. However, patients with heart failure can only use Qili as an auxiliary treatment. It is recommended to use cardiotonic, diuretics, or vasodilator drugs under the guidance of a doctor for symptomatic treatment.
