Managing A Healthy Heart; It’s Never Too Early To Start!

Authored by Emmanuel Nketiah, MD, Cardiologist, Mary Kate Revella, RN, BSN, Director of Cardiology Services, Garnet Health

February is Heart Month, and we take this great annual opportunity to educate our community about the importance of taking care of our hearts.

Like everywhere else across the country, the Hudson Valley’s number one cause of death is heart disease. From diagnoses to treatment, the expert doctors of Garnet Health Doctors and the Cardiovascular Services team at Garnet Health Medical Center – including the Peter Frommer, MD Heart Center – are here to help.

Before you are diagnosed with heart issues or, worse, an emergency situation develops, the key to maintaining a healthy heart is prevention from an early age. It surprises some people to hear that people should start having screening tests as early as 18 years old.

That means having:

• Your blood pressure checked
• Your cholesterol checked
• Being screened for diabetes

These three things in particular make up an equation for increased risk of heart disease, including what we call coronary disease, a build-up of plaque in the arteries of your heart. Positive lifestyle changes should also be enacted at a young age, especially including quitting smoking.

Here are four main tips we suggest for moving immediately toward a understanding and managing a healthier heart!

If you use tobacco, quit

Going cold turkey is effective for some people, but tobacco and nicotine make for a powerful addiction, and quitting is not easy. Talk to your primary care doctor to see if assistive prescription medications may be right for you. Nicotine patches or gum can be helpful, as can oral medication.

Know your blood pressure

Everyone should visit their doctor every three months or so to get their baseline vitals. Having your blood pressure checked is the only way to make sure it is in a healthy range, and that there are no developing issues. The current guideline for healthy blood pressure is 120/80. If you have surpassed that level, it can be difficult to get your blood pressure back down and maintain that healthy level. Again, while it may take multiple visits, your primary care doctor can assist with this.

Watch your cholesterol levels

In our practice, as in most, we use a standardized risk calculator to determine patients’ overall risk for cholesterol issues. Again, the best course of action to assess your risk is to visit your doctor for an assessment and screening. Age, race, smoking, the presence of diabetes and other factors all figure into the assessment. A cholesterol screening will determine whether medical intervention is required to manage your cholesterol. Statins (a class of lipid-lowering medications)work very well at lowering cholesterol on the blood, and can be prescribed at a number of different intensities based on a patient’s ability to tolerate them.

Watch what you eat

A healthy diet is important for heart health, and each person’s diet should be individualized for their specific needs. For example, if you’re diabetic you will need to cut back on sugar levels by avoiding excess carbs – breads, rice, pasta, etc. If your cholesterol is high you shouldn’t be eating foods high in saturated fats. For high blood pressure, lowering sodium is one of the key dietary changes to make. So, we have to look at each patient and devise their own diet plan for them and their needs.

Don’t wait to seek treatment

With these tips in mind, there is one more critical thing that we urge anyone reading this not to do: Wait! 

Do not wait to begin screenings. Do not wait if you experience symptoms of developing heart issues. Make an appointment with your primary care physician and get started. Symptoms of heart-related issues are not always specific, and certainly not as dramatic as you may see on TV. In fact, high blood pressure rarely shows any outward signs at all. At Garnet Health Medical Center we see, quite often, patients coming to the emergency department or rushed into cardiac catheterization after they already had an issue or reached an emergency state.

Make an appointment with your primary care doctor, or see a cardiologist. Know your baseline numbers and current state of heart health. Contrary to what many think, heart disease and heart issues are not just older persons’ diseases; it spans all age groups. Don’t wait for damage to be done. Only your doctor can make sure you’re on the right path for optimal heart health.

For an appointment with an Garnet Health Doctors physician, call 845-333-7575

All content presented are provided for informational and educational purposes only, and are not intended to approximate or replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.  Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice because of something you have read within the website content. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.