Keep your heart healthy by following ABCs

Q: I am 53, 5 feet 5 inches tall, and weigh 140 pounds. In 2004 I had a heart attack that affected more than one-third of my heart. I exercise, but is there anything else I can do to restore the dead heart muscle? I want to live for a long time. — Suzanne, Ontario, Canada

A: Most heart attacks injure, but may not kill, the affected muscle. The sooner the blocked artery is reopened, the less tissue will die. That's behind the push to get heart patients to the catheterization lab within 60 minutes after pain starts, as we do with more than 97 percent of patients at the Cleveland Clinic and are working hard to do at New York Presbyterian Hospital (our two main hospitals).

Injured tissue can be saved, but there's no way to bring dead muscle tissue back to life. But you can help the beat go on in your heart by following these ABCs:

Avoid cigarette smoke. There are more smoking-related deaths from heart disease every year than from lung cancer. If you or someone close to you needs help stubbing out that butt, check out our YOU Can Quit Smoking Center at RealAge.com.

Be active. A brisk 30- to 60-minute walk every day (no excuses!) will give your remaining heart muscle the workout it needs to stay healthy. It also will lower your blood pressure and lousy LDL cholesterol, raise your good HDL, strengthen your blood vessels and help keep your weight steady. Talk to your doc about an intensive lifestyle program to increase your chances of muscle recovery and pull plaque from your artery walls.

Choose good-for-you foods. Think colorful fruits and vegetables; whole grains, which contain heart-healthy fiber and magnesium; monounsaturated fats like those in olive and canola oils, avocados and walnuts; omega-3 fatty acids from salmon, trout and DHA omega-3 supplements; skinless poultry; high-fiber foods such as beans; a few servings of low- or no-fat dairy products a week; and a little red wine and an ounce of dark chocolate on most days. Your heart will love you. Keep sodium to less than 1,500 mg daily.

Q: I have fibromyalgia. What do you suggest for managing the headaches, muscle and joint pain, and other symptoms? — Anonymous

A: When you hurt all over, are tired but can't sleep and are dotted with exquisitely sensitive "tender points," you need a multipronged relief plan. High on the list is breaking that pain cycle. That may help you sleep well, which will relieve your fatigue and help everything else. Here's what we suggest: