More than 650,000 people in the United States die every year from heart disease. Health experts estimate that 80% of those deaths might have been prevented. Eliza Codd, ARNP, FNP-BC, AG-ACNP-BC, CLS, is a double board-certified nurse practitioner at Woodlands Vein Center & Preventative Medicine Clinic in Shenandoah, Texas. Also serving Woodlands, Conroe, Spring and North Houston, Texas. She works with you to develop a preventative cardiac care plan that helps stop the onset of heart disease or reverses its effects on your overall health if you’ve already been diagnosed. Schedule an appointment today by calling the office or booking your visit online.

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How can I prevent heart disease?

Heart disease is a general term that describes numerous conditions that affect your heart health. The most common are coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure, and abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia).

Most of the time, these conditions are tied to poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and other lifestyle habits and choices that are under your control.

You can help prevent chronic disease by making a conscious effort to:

  • Follow a heart healthy diet, which may be tastier than you think
  • Exercise regularly most days of the week
  • Lose excess weight
  • Stop smoking
  • Avoid overindulgence in alcohol
  • Get seven to eight hours of restful sleep every night

Preventative cardiac care also includes controlling medical conditions that increase your risk of heart disease, such as diabetes, hypertension, and elevated cholesterol.

What if I already have heart disease?

If you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease, had a heart attack, or required angioplasty to address plaque formation in an artery, preventative cardiac care becomes even more vital to your overall health.

Your provider may recommend cardiac rehabilitation to speed your recovery and help prevent a second heart attack. Cardiac rehab may include monitored exercise, nutritional counseling, and education regarding lifestyle changes you can make to improve your heart health.

Routine follow-up visits, periodic lab studies, and medication checks are also part of preventative cardiac care, especially following a diagnosis of heart disease.

What are the benefits of medically managed preventative cardiac care?

Your Woodlands Vein Center & Preventative Medicine Clinic provider offers significant medical expertise as well as education and motivational support to help you achieve improved heart health.

That may include monitoring your medications, controlling your blood pressure, lowering your cholesterol levels, and managing your risk factors for diabetes and other cardiac related illnesses.

For instance, many people with heart disease also have peripheral artery disease (PAD), which narrows arteries that supply blood to your legs. It’s often caused by the same plaque formation that restricts blood flow to your heart.

Often asymptomatic until it has progressed, PAD can eventually cause lower extremity swelling, severe cramping pain (claudication) in your legs, and even tissue death (gangrene) and amputation.

As part of your preventative cardiac care plan, your provider may suggest an ultrasound to evaluate your peripheral artery health. If necessary, the team may recommend treatment, such as angioplasty and stenting, to improve blood flow to your legs and avoid the health effects of untreated or advanced PAD.

For more information regarding preventative cardiac care, schedule an evaluation today by calling the office or requesting an appointment online.