Lifestyle and home remedies

To live a heart-healthy lifestyle:

• Don't smoke.
• Achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
• If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation — no more than one drink a day for women and men older than 65 and no more than two drinks a day for younger men.
• Eat a heart-healthy diet.
• Stay physically active.
• Manage stress.

Medication

If you already have heart disease or conditions that make you more vulnerable to heart disease, your doctor might recommend that you take steps to improve your health, such as taking medications for high cholesterol or managing diabetes.

If you have a certain heart conditions that put you at risk of sudden cardiac arrest, your doctor might recommend anti-arrhythmic drugs.

Devices

If you have a known risk of cardiac arrest, your doctor might recommend an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. You might consider purchasing an automated external defibrillator for home use. Discuss this with your doctor. AEDs can be expensive and aren't always covered by health insurance.

Training

If you live with someone who is at risk of sudden cardiac arrest, it's important that you be trained in CPR. The American Red Cross and other organizations offer courses in CPR and defibrillator use.

Being trained will help not only your loved one, but your training might help others. The more people know how to respond to a cardiac emergency, the greater the survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest is likely to be.