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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffBecause heart disease is often the underlying cause of most forms of angina, you can reduce or prevent angina by working on reducing your heart disease risk factors. Making lifestyle changes is the most important step you can take:
- If you smoke, stop smoking.
- Eat a healthy diet with limited amounts of saturated fat, lots of whole grains, and many fruits and vegetables.
- Talk to your doctor about starting a safe exercise plan.
- If you're overweight, talk to your doctor about weight-loss options.
- Take anti-angina medications as prescribed and follow your doctor's directions closely.
- Treat diseases or conditions that can increase your risk of angina, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.
- Because angina is often brought on by exertion, it's helpful to pace yourself and take rest breaks.
- Avoid large meals that make you feel really full.
- Try to find ways to relax. Talk with your doctor about stress-reduction techniques.
References
- Angina. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Angina/Angina_All.html. Accessed May 21, 2009.
- Angina pectoris. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4472. Accessed May 21, 2009.
- Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center. Steps to heart health: Angina and heart attack. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2006.
- ACC/AHA management of patients with unstable angina/non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction - Pocket guideline. American College of Cardiology and the American heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/1194979355638UA-NSTEMI.Text.Final.pdf. Accessed May 21, 2009.
- Patient information sheet: Ranolazine. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Cder/drug/InfoSheets/patient/ranolazine.pdf. Accessed May 21, 2009.
- L-arginine. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed May 21, 2009.
- Ruel M, et al. Concomitant treatment with oral L-arginine improves the efficacy of surgical angiogenesis in patients with severe diffuse coronary artery disease: The Endothelial Modulation in Angiogenic Therapy randomized controlled trial. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2008;135:762.
- L-carnitine. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed May 21, 2009.
- Ferrari R, et al. Therapeutic effects of l-carnitine and propionyl-l-carnitine on cardiovascular diseases: A review. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2004;1033:79.
