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A sharp chest pain is usually considered to be fatal by the victim, though it’s not always so. It is true that a pang in the chest usually calls for immediate attention. A chest pain can often result in heart attacks; it can be due to cardiac or non-cardiac causes.

The Cardiac Causes

- The main cause of a sharp chest pain is heart attack. The pain can spread to neck, shoulders, back, left arm and jaws from the heart. Along with the sharp chest pain, one may also experience sweating, dizziness, and shortness of breath.

- Fatty deposits growing in the arteries can reduce flow of blood to the heart. This may force a chest pain or angina, which implies tightness in the chest.

- Chest pain may also be caused due to the fatal aortic dissection. If the inner layers of the chief artery leading from the heart let blood flow between them, excruciating chest pain is experienced.

The Non-cardiac Causes

- A panic attack or intense fear can result in a sharp chest pain, breathlessness and fast heartbeats.

- Heartburn is a burning sensation felt behind the sternum (breastbone). This happens due to a stomach acid that travels upwards from the stomach to the esophagus. This usually happens after a meal.

Chest pain may also occur due to non-cardiac problems like injured ribs, swallowing disorders, and problems related to gall bladder.

What is to be done

Denote the exact cause of the sharp chest pain. Consult your doctor in case of acute chest pain immediately. Remember, the more you ignore, the more harm you will do yourself.

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An unhealthy heart can result in death, so why not try and keep heart diseases at bay? The heart is an important organ in the human body; take care of it and ensure a long life for you.

Check the medical history of your family. In case, you have someone in the family with heart ailments, you might be prone to heart diseases also. Apart from your genes, one can be prone to heart problems with age also. The best you can do for yourself is taking the preventive route for avoiding heart illnesses.

Keys to having a healthy heart

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a good habit. Exercise regularly, and in all probability avoid smoking or best is absolutely abstain from smoking. The presence of more than 4,800 chemicals in tobacco smoke damages blood vessels and disrupts the normal functioning of your heart. With smoking, you unconsciously let in carbon monoxide into your body; thus your heart is forced to struggle for getting enough oxygen.

Do not be obese and be fit. Start working out and indulge in regular physical activity; this keeps your body weight in check and keeps heart problems at bay. Armed with physical fitness, you will be able to keep away from health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.

Remember that proper exercising helps in increasing the flow of blood to your heart. If you think that strenuous workouts will be better for your heart, you are wrong. You may increase the frequency, duration and intensity of your workouts, but make sure you are comfortable with the workout regimes.

Laugh a lot and be cheerful. If you are merry, you will have a happy heart which will be healthy too.

What to eat

Intake a lot of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and dairy products low on fat content. The quantity of health food that you intake throughout your life will show results through your healthy heart and body. Take care to eat fish of certain kinds, legumes and low-fat sources of protein. If you care for your heart, make sure you do not include any kind of junk food and fatty food in your diet.

Even if you are eating healthy and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, it is advisable to go for regular heart check ups. When you know that there is nothing wrong and that your heart is functioning fine, you will be at peace.

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