Heart
disease increases the risk for life-threatening cardiac emergencies like a
cardiac arrest or heart attack. Ensure good health of your ticker by keeping
your blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check. High blood pressure and
high cholesterol are the biggest heart disease risk factors. Tests to diagnose
heart/cardiovascular disease depend on the condition that your doctor thinks
you might have. A doctor will likely perform a physical exam and ask about your
personal and family medical history before performing any tests. Apart from
blood tests and a chest X-ray, tests to diagnose heart disease include
Electrocardiogram (ECG), Echocardiogram, Holter Monitoring, Stress Test, Cardiac
Catheterization, Cardiac computerized tomography (CT) scan and Cardiac magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI).
Treatment:
Cardiovascular
disease treatments vary by condition. For example, individuals with heart
infection are likely to be given antibiotics. Treatment usually includes
lifestyle changes, medications, medical procedures or surgery.
Home
Remedies to Improve/Prevent Heart Disease:
By adopting
certain lifestyle changes, cardiovascular disease can be improved or even
prevented. The following changes can help you improve the health of your
ticker:
Quit
Smoking- Smoking is
a major heart disease risk factor, especially atherosclerosis. You can
significantly lower your heart disease risk and its complications by quitting
smoking.
Manage
Blood Pressure-
Every two years should you be asking your doctor for a blood pressure measurement
who may recommend more frequent measurements if your BP is higher than normal
or you have a history of cardiovascular disease. The optimal blood pressure is
less than 120 systolic and 80 diastolic, as measured in millimeters of mercury
(mm Hg).
Manage
Cholesterol- When
you are in your twenties, ask your healthcare provider for a baseline
cholesterol test, which should then be conducted every 5 years. Your doctor may
recommend more frequent measurements if your test results aren’t within
desirable ranges. Start testing early if high cholesterol runs in your family. Aim
for an LDL level below 130 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or 3.4 millimoles
per liter (mmol/L); aim for an LDL below 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L) if you have
other risk factors of cardiovascular disease.
Physical
Activity- Exercise
not only helps achieve and maintain a healthy weight but also controls
diabetes, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure. Talk to your doctor
prior to starting with an exercise routine as there may be some restrictions on
the activities you can do if you have a heart arrhythmia or ticker defect. You
should aim for 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week with
your doctor’s approval.
Eat Healthy- Control your weight, blood pressure
and cholesterol by eating a heart-healthy diet based on fruits, vegetables and
whole grains — and low in saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and added sugar.
Keep your
diabetes under control, manage stress, deal efficiently with depression and
practice good hygiene. Experts recommend getting regular health check-ups as early
detection and treatment can set the stage for a lifetime of better ticker health.
It can be
frustrating, upsetting or overwhelming upon learning you or your beloved has
cardiovascular disease. The good thing is there are ways to cope with it or
improve your condition which include cardiac rehabilitation(it can improve
treatment and speed recovery for individuals who’ve cardiovascular disease that's
caused a heart attack or has required surgery to correct), support groups and
continued medical checkups.
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