Jan 21 2009

Why You Need to Discuss Heart Disease With Your Physician

Posted by Ana Dupuis in Heart Disease Prevention

by Ana Dupuis

A critical first step in dealing with heart disease is to learn to talk to your doctor about your questions and worries. You’re not alone when it comes to difficulties in talking to a medical practitioner about your health concerns. But when it comes to heart wellness no question should be left unanswered.

There are those who hope that their questions will be answered through the course of an examination, rather than having to actually voice them. Physicians don’t always have as much time as they would like with each patient due to their demanding schedules and long waiting lists. In particular, women need to voice their concerns, since heart disease isn’t as readily associated with women, even though they are equally at risk.

Questions that you should ask your doctor include what your blood pressure is recorded as and what is normal for you. You need to know what your blood cholesterol and glucose levels are and if they are considered normal. Ask your doctor which tests are suggested for people of your age, both currently and in the future.

If medication has been prescribed, do not hesitate to ask if there are side effects, what the drug is supposed to do, and whether you should take other medication, even over the counter, with your prescribed medicine. Also find out if this is a long term medication or temporary. Tests to monitor the effects of the medication you are taking should be conducted at a later date if it is recommended by your doctor. The liver is one organ that most doctors consider testing when a patient is on certain medicines.

If you always get home and remember something that you forgot to ask the doctor, make a “need to know” list and take it with you on your next visit. Do not forget to bring with you the medications that you are presently on as well. If you have more than one health care provider, this is a must.

Include your recent history of illness and surgery. This should be in your medical chart so that the doctor can be aware of anything that might cause a problem.

In conclusion, if you think that you may forget what you physician has told you, you can always write it down or record the appointment for later referral. Do not be afraid to check around for a second opinion if you are not comfortable with the treatment that your doctor recommends or if you do not feel that he or she listened to your worries or questions.

About the Author:

Heart disease kills more people each year than all of the cancers combined. Learn more about the causes, effects and treatments of this epidemic problem at Heart Wellness.

Nov 07 2008

Heart Disease Prevention

Posted by Dave in Heart Disease Prevention

Are you are at risk for heart disease? Have you already developed heart disease?  It’s possible that it may still not be too late for a little heart disease prevention. Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death but there are things you can do to escape it. Lifestyle changes do always make a positive impact on heart disease, and can keep it from getting worse or have been known to prevent it altogether.

How to Prevent Heart Disease

A major choice in the prevention of heart disease is changing your lifestyle to something that promotes excellent health. This will require you to be a little pro-active by learning the correct diet to promote good health. It will require an exercise routine that gets your heart rate up. And just over all being a little more health conscious.

Effective Heart Disease Prevention

To be effective at heart disease prevention can be accomplished by controlling what foods you eat.  Stay away from foods that contain trans-fats and saturated fats. The very best idea is to eliminate or reduce the amount of red meats, dairy products and oils as well as the amount of eggs that you have in your daily diet.

Trans-fat is a Real Killer

Trans-fat is something you we must cut back on because it is one of the leading reasons of a number of different types of heart disease. Processed baked goods and greasy, fried foods are examples of foods that contain trans-fat and saturated fats.

Regular Exercise for Prevention

The very best option that is a highly recommended way to go about heart disease prevention is with regular exercise and particularly aerobic exercise. It is not always required to use a gym to get this kind of exercise. There are many easy ways to come up with a routine that will fit into your lifestyle to better than do the job. Some people will just take a long walk still others will do calisthenics. A new craze that is taking America by storm is a Wii Fit game to help you do the job. The most important thing is to get your heart rate up for your weight and height a few days a week, every week. By doing this you will reach the goal and accomplish this, you will be on your way to excellent health.

What Does Heart Disease Prevention Mean?

Heart disease prevention means taking charge of your own health being pro-active with how you care of your health. That means doing things like quitting smoking, stop drinking alcohol drinking, and doing what you need to do in lowering your stress levels. People think this is easier said than done, but it really can be if you will just think about it that way. There are a lot of available relaxation techniques that will keep your stress level under control. There many simple things like breath in deep and exhale 3 times in a row the take a deep breath and hold it to count of ten. Then release it with force like forcing all the stress out of your body. If you will just learn to be aware of it you can counter act it with ease. It is not as hard as you might think. Hard to concentrate, the muscles get tight all over your body you will notice the ones in your shoulders first but it happens to your whole body.

Start With a Positive Frame of Mind

If you will start by thinking it will be easy to learn about heart disease prevention and keep a positive frame of mind, it will be easy for you. It’s just like anything else you believe it is tough and it is sure going to be. It really is not that hard to avoid the development of heart disease or reverse it. You just need to make little changes in your lifestyle. By beginning to do the right things, you will be healthier and your chances of having heart disease or reversing it will be considerably lessened.

Reversing Heart Disease