Angina

What is angina?
Angina, simply put, is heart pain. It can feel differently for different people. It can be a sharp, piercing pain, or a dull, squeezing pain. Angina is not uncommon. Angina can feel like heartburn, too, it can have the burning, unsettled quality of heartburn.
What does angina come from?
Angina occurs when there isn't enough blood flowing to your heart. When your heart doesn't get enough blood, it doesn't get enough oxygen, either. Angina is a feeling of pain in your heart (sometimes you can feel it in your arms and neck and shoulders as well) when your heart isn't getting what it wants and needs.
Why wouldn't there be enough blood flowing to my heart?
Usually, high cholesterol levels account for this. High cholesterol levels mean that fatty substances have built up in your arteries. These fatty substances can build up to the point that your blood, which, when you were healthy, flowed swiftly and hotly through you, now just creeps along, blocked and impeded by all that fat. Imagine a common garden house. Now imagine that a system of dirty pipes has filled up the hose's insides with dirt, debris, leaves, and other gunk. If you turned the hose on, and the water couldn't get through, it would swell, heave, and finally burst. The feeling of pain in the heart can be compared to the swelling, heaving hose. Your blood is trying to get through your arteries in order to feed the heart and brain and body. The fatty substances won't let it; and your body lets you know that something pretty awful is occurring.
How did I get high cholesterol?

Poor diet and lack of exercise are the most common causes, although it may be possible that you inherited it from your parents. High cholesterol, however, most commonly occurs in those who eat too many fatty, greasy foods, too many animal products such as eggs, cheese, whole milk, meat, and cream, and not enough natural foods such as fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds and beans. High cholesterol is also linked to lifestyles that don't get out much; that don't get the blood flowing through hiking, walking, jogging, swimming, playing, gardening, etc.
What can I do to stop angina from bothering me?
In the long run, of course, you want to clear up your arteries so that your blood is no longer impeded as it tries to flow to your heart. The best way to do this is by taking small steps to improve your lifestyle. You should talk to your doctor, set up a blood test, and, once the results are in, work with your doctor to come up with a new, healthy diet for yourself and a new, vigorous exercise program. There are also effective medicines that you can take for the relief of angina.
Are there different kinds of angina?
Yes. There are three different kinds:
1. Stable angina.
2. Unstable angina.
3. Variant angina.
Stable angina, which is the type that angina sufferers most often have, is predictable. You know when it's coming; you know that it'll come after you climb the stairs, for example, or during a scary movie when your heart beats unusually quickly. This sort of angina can be relieved by angina medicine. Unstable angina is a whole different matter: medicine won't touch it: and you have no idea when it's coming, it can occur anytime, it can occur when you're in the middle of a restful nap. This is the sort of angina that's a prelude to heart attacks and other serious things. Variant angina, which is the rarest of the three types, occurs when you're fast asleep. It occurs, in general, between the hours of midnight and dawn. With both unstable angina and variant angina, you'll want to see your doctor immediately.