Man selecting fresh vegetables and fruitReduce Your Risks For Coronary Disease L Mensah

February is heart health Awareness Month.

Have you had a heart attack? 

Do you want to prevent coronary artery disease? 

Are you worried about your heart's health?

If you have been diagnosed with coronary artery disease, it is related to chronic arterial issues. The diagnosis may also occur because of the sudden breaking apart of arterial plaque with a resultant heart attack.

Careful management of your heart's health is essential to prevent coronary artery disease and its complications. Both attentive self-care and professional care contribute to the best functioning of your heart.

Self-care improvements implement lifestyle changes. Professional care provides medical treatments through prescribed medications and procedures for treating coronary artery disease.

Self-Care Lifestyle Improvements Include:

  • Engaging in physical activity, being less sedentary, doing regular exercise.
  • Maintaining a healthy weight, not being overweight.
  • Eating a balanced heart-healthy diet and cutting down caloric intake. 
  • Quitting smoking.
  • Joining a smoking cessation program to help you stop smoking.
  • Managing stress. 
  • Learning to relieve stress by participating in a stress management program.

Medical Treatments:

  • You may need angioplasty or coronary artery bypass grafting to treat coronary artery disease. 
  • Angioplasty is a procedure to remove arterial plaque on the walls of the heart arteries. An arterial tube opens narrowed or blocked coronary arteries. 
  • Coronary artery bypass grafting is a surgical procedure bypassing narrowed arteries. It relieves chest pain, restores, improves blood flow to the heart muscle.
  •  Prescription heart medicines can be useful.

Cardiac rehab:

The Cardiac-rehab program is a medically supervised program to improve heart health and wellbeing. It is a two-component program of Exercise training and Counselling Education.

  1. Exercise training teaches how to exercise to strengthen heart muscles and improve stamina.
  2. Counselling Education is about the heart's condition, the warning signs of coronary artery disease, and complications. Learn how to cope with stress and adjust to a new lifestyle. Deal with fears and concerns about the heart condition. Make appropriate choices to reduce risks of future heart problems.

Keep your heart functioning strong. Discuss your diagnosis and treatment options with your physician to determine which treatment options are best for you.