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Coronary Artery Disease |
Prevention |
Early Detection |
FAQs about Coronary CT Scan
Top 10 Ways to Improve and Maintain Your Heart Health
Regular, moderate exercise is vital to your heart health. The heart is a muscle and like every other muscle in your body, it needs regular exercise to remain strong and perform at its peak level. The experts at Hoag Heart and Vascular Institute advise that even moderate exercise, when performed on a regular (that means daily) basis can provide greater long-term benefits than the occasional intense workout. There are opportunities to increase your level of activity and exercise that are part of everyday life, so take advantage of them...park your car at the far end of the parking lot or take the stairs instead of the elevator. The American Heart Association suggests: "For health benefits to the heart, lungs and circulation, perform any vigorous activity for at least 30 minutes, 3-4 days each week at 50-75 percent of maximum heart rate. Moderate intensity physical activities for 30 minutes on most days provide some benefits. Physical activity need not be strenuous to bring health benefits. What is important is to include activity as part of the regular routine.
A well balanced diet is key to a heart healthy life. This includes a diet filled with plenty of fruits, vegetables (minimum of five servings each day), whole grains and moderate intake of meats and fats. In fact, current recommendations suggest that you limit your fat intake to less than 30% of your total diet. The "Food Pyramid" developed by the USDA provides a very good illustration of what comprises a heart healthy diet.
The best thing is to never start smoking. The nicotine inhaled from cigarette smoking is considered the leading preventable cause of heart disease. If you are a smoker, there is just one thing to do...quit now! It's proven that smoking is an addiction and although quitting is never easy, there is a great deal of assistance available to you. Hoag Hospital offers s special "Freedom from Smoking" program from the American Lung Association featuring a positive behavioral approach for becoming a nonsmoker. There are also over-the-counter medications to help you stop smoking and your physician may even recommend a prescription that can aid in the transition. When you stop smoking, you not only increase your heart health, you also lower your risk for other diseases such as emphysema, stroke, and cancer.
Have your blood pressure checked on a regular basis. High blood pressure puts you at risk for heart disease and its strain on the entire cardiovascular system increases your chances of both stroke and kidney disease. If your blood pressure is above the recommended levels, your physician may recommend medication, however, by adopting these 10 guidelines for a heart health lifestyle you may be able to lower your blood pressure without medication and avoid high blood pressure completely. If medication is prescribed by your physician, and there are certainly many different medications available. Work closely with your physician to find one that provides the maximum benefit for you with the least side effects. For more information on blood pressure guidelines, "click" on one of the related links below.
Keeping your cholesterol in the normal range is important to good heart health. Cholesterol is a fat that is found in the blood stream and when there is too much, especially the LDL or bad cholesterol, it interferes with the flow of blood increasing the risk for heart attack and stroke. For many individuals, a healthy diet and moderate exercise are enough to keep their cholesterol in the normal range. For others, a physician may recommend a medication from the wide variety of cholesterol-lowering drugs now available.
First, find out what the ideal weight is for you (click on "AHA Weight Guidelines" listed below). Maintaining a healthy weight is important not only for your heart, but being overweight is also taxing to your lungs, kidneys and other vital organs. If you need to lose weight, work with your health care professional to create a sensible plan for modifying the lifestyle factors (primarily diet and exercise) that will contribute to successful weight loss. Remember, fad diets not only don't work, many actually damage your health.
Do you realize how stress impacts your life and your health? Increased heart rate, depression, anxiety, headaches, even problems with thinking clearly can be the result of too much stress. When stress occurs, your body responds by releasing hormones into your system to help you deal with the stressful situation. Unfortunately, those stress-induced hormones put an additional load on your heart and it is believed that this may be an independent factor that puts you at greater risk for heart attack. Although stress is hard to avoid in our fast-paced world, you can make simple adjustments in your everyday life to reduce it.
If you drink - do so in moderation. Some studies suggest that moderate alcohol consumption (1-2 drinks per day) may reduce some cardiovascular risks. However, excessive alcohol consumption is associated with increased risk for stroke, heart attack and cardiovascular disease. It is also important to state that anyone who meets the definition of an alcoholic should abstain from use of alcohol completely.
The use of low-dose aspirin has shown benefit in significantly lowering the risk for heart attack and preventing the occurrence of a second heart attack. Keep in mind that even low-dose aspirin is a medication and the benefits and possible side effects of daily aspirin therapy need to be discussed with your doctor. Recent studies also recommend taking an aspirin immediately after calling 9-1-1 if you are experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack.
Educate yourself and your family about heart heath by staying informed on the latest news about the prevention of heart disease. The more you know, the healthier you will be, and you will be a better patient, too. From your morning newspaper to the internet, there are many sources to keep you informed about the latest news on heart health. We list a few websites below to provide you with the latest news.
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