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Chest Pain

Chest Pain During Cold Weather Exercise!
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D

Exercising in cold weather can cause chest pain in some people who have no problems when they exercise in warm weather. When cold wind blows on your face, your heart rate slows down. This decreases the blood flow to the heart and can cause pain in people with blocked coronary arteries.

The blood supply to your heart muscle comes from arteries on its outside surface. The blood that is pumped inside your heart's chambers brings almost no oxygen to your heart muscle. If you have arteriosclerosis, the fatty plaques in your heart's arteries restrict the flow of blood to your heart. Your heart has to pump rapidly to meet its needs for oxygen. A cold wind slows your heart, reducing the flow of blood. If the heart muscle is unable to get all the oxygen it needs, it starts to hurt.

While freezing your face slows your heart, freezing your fingers makes your heart beat faster. Cold hands will not cause chest pain, but a cold face can. If you have no history arteriosclerosis and have chest pain when you exercise in cold weather, check with your doctor to rule out possible heart problems. If you have heart trouble, it is always a good idea to cover your face when you go out on cold days. You can wear a scarf that you can wrap over your mouth, a knitted ski mask, or a hat with a visor that you can lower when the wind blows. Check with your doctor.

Report Author:

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

Causes of Chest Pain!
By Sven Ullmann

Everyone at some point in their lives will experience chest pain and some times its severe thorax pain. Your chest covers a large part of your body and there is a lot of territory there, so to speak. It also contains most of your bodies vital organs. These vital organs in your chest, are protected by your rib cage, because they are soft and delicate and can be damaged easily. So it is only natural to become alarmed at the onset of chest pain.

Thorax pain is one of the most common reasons people seek emergency help at a hospital. The majority of these people seeking emergency help are concerned that they may be having a hear attack. While mild, to extreme pain, is one of the common symptoms of a heart attack, there are many other common reasons that can be attributed to chest pain. Even a minor injury to the some parts of your body can leave you stricken with extreme pain.

This does not mean that you shouldn't be concerned if you are stricken with serious pain and that you shouldn't seek medical attention. It just means that you don't have to assume you are going to die if it happens to you. Quit often, chest pain seems to come on suddenly and this in itself can be alarming but how sudden thorax pain appears can have little bearing on how serious it is.

A strained back, that leads to swelling around the nerves in the back, causing a pinched nerve, can cause some of the most severe chest pain and it can come on suddenly and also may manifest itself in the center of the chest. This is because an irritated nerve can send a pain signal to other parts of your body and many times does. a bruised or cracked rib, can leave you buckled over with thorax pain, that can make it difficult to breath.

These are both chest pain situations that are not indicators of a problem with any of your vital organs. Both of these can be cured with a visit to your doctor and some bed rest. However, thorax pain can be a warning sign of more serious problems with the vital organs contained in your chest. Pain can be one of the symptoms of a heart attack and you may have other symptoms along with it if it is.

These may include, sweating, dizziness and vomiting. Other symptoms may be pain in you jaw or left arm. You also may experience shortness of breath. Restricted blood flow to the heart, may cause chest pain which may be a symptom of heart disease but not a heart attack. There are several heart related problems that can lead to thorax pain, while not causing a heart attack.

One of these is a viral infection of the tissue surrounding the heart and another is any of several issues with the arteries that connect to the heart. Stomach problems, such as heartburn or indigestion can cause severe chest pain also. Prolonged mental stress and or anxiety, can cause thorax pain. It can also be an indicator of serious life threatening health problems that don't involve your heart at all.

Your chest also contains and protects your lungs and any one of many problems involving your lungs can cause extreme chest pain. Any infection of the lungs, can cause severe thorax pain. Even pneumonia, or even a severe chest cold, or the flu can often cause chest pain. It is also one of the symptoms of lung cancer. There are other vital organs that your chest also contains, that will cause thorax pain, if they are diseased, or malfunctioning.

Your gal bladder and also your pancreas, are both contained in your chest and any one of a number of problems with these two organs, will lead to chest pain. It can be a symptom of gall stones, which is a very painful condition. So if you experience severe pain, you should always seek immediate medical help, but don't try to diagnose yourself because the causes are many.

Report Author:

Sven Ullmann, who runs Deserved Health - information on health for you and your family.
Read more about chest pain.

Business URL:	http://www.deservedhealth.com/
Personal URL:	http://www.weight-loss-and-diet-plans.com/

Chest Pain - When Is It Not Serious?
By Sven Ullmann

You have heard that chest pain can be serious. It can signal a heart attack. It might be a rare, life-threatening problem. But it could be quite the opposite. It could be not at all serious.

When is chest pain not serious?

It is wise to learn when chest pain is not serious. You will want to check your symptoms with a licensed professional, but here are 7 examples of chest pain that is probably not immediately serious.

1. Acid reflux or heartburn: Chest pain can seem to be heart pain when it is related to the digestive tract. When acid refluxes (flows back) into the esophagus, it can cause a burning sensation in the chest. This chest pain can be mistaken for heart pain – the reason it was named as it was, even though it has nothing to do with the heart. This chest pain is not serious if it is occasional. If it happens frequently, you may be developing GERD, a more serious condition. To determine if this chest pain is serious, consider whether it came soon after eating. Try using an antacid. If the discomfort is relieved, it is probably heartburn.

2. Bruising: Chest pain can occur due to bruising of the outer chest. Perhaps you were moving furniture or other large objects. At the time, you didn't realize you had hurt yourself. Later, you experience chest pain, but it is not serious.

3. Nerves: When is chest pain not serious? The roots of every nerve in the body are in the spinal cord. Smaller nerves branch from them along the neck and upper back. Chest pain can occur if one of these nerves is pinched where it leaves the spine. Chest pains caused by pinched nerves are sharp "shooting" pains. They may be triggered by moving your neck or arms in certain ways. They may be felt in the left or right part of the chest. These are not immediately serious chest pains.

4. Rib Injury: Chest pain can be caused by a bruised or fractured rib. This chest pain will be localized, right or left side, near a rib. It will be a sharp pain, and may increase when the rib area is touched. This chest pain is likely to increase when coughing.

5. Strains/sprains: When it is a result of a strain or sprain to one of the many muscles, bones, tendons, and cartilages in the chest, chest pain is probably not serious. These chest pains last for only a few seconds. They may return frequently over a period of days, and may be brought on, or relieved, by moving into certain positions. They are non-cardiac symptoms.

6. Stress: When is chest pain not serious? When it is caused by stress, your chest pain is not serious. As you respond to unusual demands on your body, emotions, or mind, you may tighten the muscles of the chest. This causes chest pain. With the pain, you may experience intense fear. Your heartbeat may increase, your breathing become rapid. You may perspire profusely and feel shortness of breath. This could be an anxiety or panic attack.

7. Ulcers: Another form of chest pain that is triggered by a digestive tract problem is the pain of an ulcer in the stomach or duodenum. This chest pain, like the pain of acid reflux or heartburn, is often felt in the upper abdomen or lower chest. As above, ask whether it was triggered by eating. Try getting relief with antacids. Although ulcer chest pains are not immediately serious, you should seek medical advice.

The Other Side of the Coin

Asking, when is chest pain not serious, should be followed by asking the opposite question: when is chest pain serious?

Chest pain can be caused by heart attack, probably the most life-threatening condition. Other heart conditions can also cause chest pain, and should receive medical attention.

Pleurisy, with its sharp, localized chest pain, is made worse when you cough or breathe in. Pleurisy is caused by inflammation of the membrane lining the chest cavity and covering the lungs. A blood clot can lodge in a lung artery, blocking blood flow to the tissue of the lungs. This condition, a pulmonary embolism, is similar to pleurisy in that the localized chest pain is made worse by a cough or deep breath. Other lung conditions can also cause chest pain.

Shingles, a nerve infection caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, often causes chest pain. This is a sharp, burning pain. It may begin a few hours or a day before a band of blisters appears on your back and chest.

Err on the Side of Caution

If you cannot find an explanation for your chest pain, and it persists, take an aspirin and seek emergency medical care. If your pains feel like pressure or tightness in your chest, do you have these other symptoms?

1. shortness of breath

2. sweating

3. nausea

4. dizziness

5. pain radiating to one or both arms or neck

If your chest pain includes any of those symptoms, seek emergency medical care immediately.

Do not worry about what people will think if your chest pain is not serious. Chest pain is one of the most frequent reasons people call for emergency medical help. Often that chest pain is not related to a heart problem. You may be embarrassed if that happens to you. Don't be. Even if your chest pain is not serious, it is better to go to the emergency room for evaluation.

CAUTION: The author is not a medical professional, and offers the information in this article for educational purposes only. Please discuss it with your health care provider before relying on it in any way.

Report Author:
Anna Hart. Anna is married to a man who suffers from heart disease, and brings to her writing years of experience and research. She invites you to read more of her articles about chest pain and heart disease at http://www.your-heart-disease-blog.com. You won’t want to miss Anna’s additional insights and perspectives on stress chest pains in women. Visit Anna now.

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