Cardiology

Fight Heart Disease with an Experienced Cardiologist

Keeping up with your heart health is extremely important. Heart disease is the most common cause of death in the United States, and patients rarely exhibit any symptoms before a heart attack or stroke occurs. The good news - heart disease is manageable. So long as you stay up to date on your heart’s condition, you can take many measures to reduce your risk of suffering a cardiac event.

Your primary care physician can keep track of your heart’s condition, such as blood pressure, cholesterol level and cardiovascular fitness. If they believe you have reason to be concerned about heart disease, they will refer you to a cardiologist who can help you manage your risk factors.

Heart Disease Risk Factors

Most people won’t experience physical symptoms of heart disease until it has progressed to a dangerous point. Thankfully, a doctor can still assess your risk for the condition from your medical history and the current state of your cardiovascular health. Some risk factors you can’t change, but others you can manage with exercise or lifestyle changes.

Your risk for heart disease increases withthe following:

• A family history of heart disease
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Excessive alcohol use (more than two drinks per day for men; one drink for women)
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Diet high in sodium and “bad” cholesterol

Medical professionals recommend everyone undergo at least 30 minutes of vigorous exercise per day - five days a week - to improve cardiovascular health. This can be any sort of cardiovascular exercise, from a fast-paced walk to biking. If you are pressed for time, you can break the exercise up into smaller blocks of time, such as two 15-minute sessions or three 10-minute sessions throughout the day.

Recovering from a Heart Attack or Stroke

If you or someone you love has already had a heart attack or stroke, then now is the time to take cardiovascular health seriously. Heart surgery can help improve blood flow to and from the heart, but this is only a temporary solution if the patient does not start incorporating heart-healthy habits.

Cardiac rehabilitation is a comprehensive program focused on improving cardiovascular health and helping patients recover from cardiac events. In this program, patients work one-on-one with a rehabilitation specialist who guides them through exercises that are safe for them to perform with a weakened heart. It is important to have your exercise routing approved by a doctor, as engaging in intense cardio exercises can put too much strain on a weakened heart.

Methodist Health's cardiologist provides treatment for patients at our Multi-Specialty Clinic.
Call 270-830-4756 for more information.