Angina pectoris, typically chest pain, is a common presenting symptom among patients with coronary artery disease, caused by an imbalance between myocardial blood supply and oxygen demand. Myocardial ischemia can result from a reduction of coronary blood flow, abnormal construction of coronary vessels or a reduced oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. Causes of angina pectoris include atherosclerosis, coronary spasm and inflammatory vascular disease.

Why do I get angina? Angina occurs when one or more of the coronary vessels are narrowed. As a result of that, the heart muscle receives less oxygen than it needs for it to pump normally. The blood supply may be adequate when you are at rest, however, this may not be adequate when your heart starts to pump faster.

Treatment:

1. Try to manage stress as best you can, perhaps by learning a relaxation technique such as meditation. And find s bit of serenity whenever and wherever you can. Be kind to yourself and never underestimate the power of a loving spouse and faith in something bigger than yourself. Happiness that comes from within is healing.

2. Take your time when you get up in the morning. Don't hop right out of bed. Stretch, get acclimated to being awake, and give yourself enough time to eat a nice breakfast and read the paper. Why the early morning slow down? Because the early hours of the day are the most dangerous for your heart. As people get older, their bodies can't handle the jump-out-of-bed-grab-a-quick-bite-rush-to-work routine. If you force it in the morning hours, you might put a lot of unnecessary pressure on your heart, and that additional pressure could jumpstart an angina attack. Get up a little more slowly and don't rush around.

3. To have a healthy heart, you need a healthy lifestyle. Plenty of water is essential; try to get 8-12 cups daily. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Your heart can't run on empty, so get a high fiber diet to keep the blood supply running like it should. Also, get moderate exercise and maintain a healthy weight. Avoid the major enemies of your heart: alcohol, unhealthy fats, and tobacco smoke. Also, avoiding stress may result in major improvements for angina sufferers.

4. Changes in your lifestyle will also help with symptoms of angina. Stopping smoking and beginning an exercise regime will be beneficial, when commencing on a new exercise regime it is best to consult your doctor and exercise within your limits.

5. Food therapy also helps. For extreme cases, a low fat vegetarian diet may just save your life. Eating salads with dark green leaves such as spinach, kale, mustard greens and turnip greens are advised. Also stay away from too much dressing.

6. Smoking cessation is a very important factor which can result in a significant reduction of acute adverse effects on the heart. Patients should be educated to adopt a healthy life style, stop smoking and alcohol consumption, adopt a healthy and balanced diet and increase regular physical activity. Exercise training results in improvement of symptoms, increase in the threshold of ischemia and improvement of patients' sense of well being.