Heart Disease Prevention

All of these procedures and medicines have side effects but I tell my patients the risk is less than of a preventable death. Remember the only way to prevent yourself from becoming a heart statistic is for you and your doctor to:

1. Keep blood pressure 120/80 and measure regularly
2. Keep good cholesterol (HDL) greater than 40 and measure regularly
3. Keep bad cholesterol (LDL) less than 100 (70 if you have heart disease /diabetes)
4. Get tested for diabetes and keep your hemoglobin A1C less than 6%
5. Stop smoking
6. Exercise 7 days a week for at least 20 minutes
7. Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night
8. Drink at least 6 tall glasses of water a day
9. Eat less and more selectively with a low fat low cholesterol low calorie low carbohydrate diet-cut down on fast food intake
10. Keep waist size less than 35 inches for woman and 40 inches for a man
11. Follow your body mass index (normal :20-25)
12. Know your c-reactive protein and homocysteine levels
13. Discuss taking vitamins B6, B12, folate, aspirin and alcohol with doctor
14. Don’t think estrogens will prevent a heart attack since they may do the opposite
15. Know heart attack symptoms and ask for advanced testing if you have them
16. When in the emergency room for heart problem, ask for ECG and troponin-T
17. If you have a heart attack, ask how the artery will be opened and when
18. After the heart attack, ask for medicines to prevent another one
19. After the heart attack, ask for cardiac rehab and go
20. Do not stop the medicines suddenly
21. Educate yourself
22. Make sure family does the same
23. Pray, meditate, or just appreciate quiet time