Heartwarming Heart Health Hacks

Happy Valentines Day: Heartwarming Heart Health Hacks

              Celebrate Heart Health

February is a special month for many reasons, but it’s especially important to remember that it is Heart Health Month.

While Valentine’s Day may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the February holidays, it’s also a great time to focus on your heart. After all, your heart is the most important organ in your body, and taking care of it should be a priority.

So, at Your Private Physician, we’re sending you this newsletter as a Valentine to wish you and your heart love.

What is Coronary Heart Disease?

Coronary heart disease (CHD), or ischemic heart disease, is a type of cardiovascular disease that affects the coronary arteries, which are the blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to the heart.

CHD occurs when these arteries become narrowed or blocked due to a buildup of plaque, a fatty substance made up of cholesterol, calcium, and other substances. This buildup can lead to poor blood flow to the heart muscle resulting in chest pain, heart attack, and even death.

How Can You Protect Your Heart?

The best way to protect your heart is to make healthy lifestyle choices. Eating a balanced diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, exercising regularly, not smoking, and managing stress are all important steps to keep your heart healthy.

Additionally, getting regular check-ups is important to monitor your heart health.

Passing a Stress Test Doesn’t Equal a Healthy Heart.

Getting a stress test is one way to assess your heart health and identify potential risks. A stress test, also known as an exercise stress test or treadmill test, is a diagnostic procedure that measures how well your heart responds to physical activity.

During the test, you will be asked to walk on a treadmill at increasing speeds and inclines while your heart rate and blood pressure are monitored. The test results can help your doctor determine if you are at risk for heart-related conditions.

A stress test measures how well your heart works during physical activity. It can help detect any blockages or other problems in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. However, a stress test doesn’t always uncover heart issues and only detects those with 70% or more artery narrowing. 

It is estimated that 50-80% of heart attacks have NO symptoms but cause heart muscle damage, which slowly leads to the progression of heart failure.

At Your Private Physician, we delve deeper into heart disease and its prevention. We offer a screening test known as Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA), a non-invasive XR type imaging procedure to detect coronary artery disease in its earliest stages.

A CCTA outperforms stress tests in uncovering narrowing or clogged arteries. This allows us to uncover the narrowing of the heart arteries early, start acting on it early, delay progression, and prevent future complications such as heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure.

So, this Heart Health Month, take care of your heart. Schedule check-ups, eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and don’t smoke. Consider getting a CCTA to identify any potential blockages and take advantage of  advanced heart health related blood tests  (Cleveland Heart Lab or Boston Heart Lab) to clearly define your risks for potential heart attack and stroke.

At Your Private Physician, we provide those services to identify the earliest stage of heart disease and prevent its progression. Utilizing advanced, scientifically proven diagnostic tools enables us to develop  personalized, scientifically designed nutrition, lifestyle program,  and recommended specific and focused treatment. We stay at the forefront of heart disease prevention, diagnosis and the treatment. We use the most advanced tools and change the way we  communicate about heart health with our patients. We go above and beyond and help our patients keep their hearts healthy.