Heart attack, also known to the medical community as myocardial infarction, occurs when the supply of blood to the heart gets blocked, causing some of the cells of the heart to die. The muscle of the heart is supplied with blood through small arteries known as coronary arteries.

In other, larger blood vessels, there are often buildups of cholesterol and other substances that form a structure known as a plaque. Sometimes, plaque becomes dislodged and travels through the bloodstream until it encounters a coronary artery, which is much smaller in diameter than most other arteries.

This causes the coronary arteries to be blocked, damaging some heart cells and causing the entire heart to die if left untreated. There are certain factors that place a person at greater risk of developing a heart attack. Among these are excessive consumption of alcohol, high cholesterol levels, drug abuse, tobacco usage, high levels of stress, and obesity.

All of these factors make it much more likely that a person might suffer from a heart attack at some point in their life. Some of the most common symptoms of heart attack include sudden onset of pain in the chest area, usually starting around the left side of the neck or arm, nausea, vomiting, breathlessness, sweating, heart palpitations, and anxiety. A heart attack is medical emergency, and anyone who suffers from a heart attack should waste no time in contacting emergency services the moment the heart attack occurs.

Home Remedies for Heart Attack
Whole-wheat bread
Slather some peanut butter on a slice of whole-wheat bread and you've got a snack that's good to your heart. One slice of whole-wheat bread has 11 mcg of selenium, an antioxidant mineral that works with vitamin E to protect your heart.

Wine
Research is finding that drinking a glass of alcohol a day may help in the battle against heart disease. Health experts are quick to note that alcohol in moderate amounts is helpful. They define moderate as one glass a day for women and two glasses of alcohol a day for men. What's in one drink? Twelve ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of whiskey.

Olive oil
The American Heart Association and the American Dietetic Association recommend getting most of your fat from monounsaturated sources. Olive oil is a prime candidate. Try using it instead of other vegetable oils when sautéing your veggies.

Peanut butter
Eat 2 tablespoons of this comforting food and you can get 1/3 of your daily intake of vitamin E. Because vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin (other antioxidant vitamins are water soluble), it is found more abundantly in fattier foods like vegetable oils and nuts. If you're watching your weight, don't go overboard on the peanut butter.

Pecans
These tasty nuts are full of magnesium, another heart-friendly nutrient. One ounce of pecans drizzled over a spinach salad can give you 1/3 of your recommended daily allowance of this vital mineral.