Heart disease

What is heart disease?

Heart disease (also known as cardiovascular disease) is an umbrella term for conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels.

When your heart is not working effectively, it has trouble sending enough blood, oxygen, and nutrients to your body, which can cause adverse symptoms. 

Different conditions fall under the category of heart disease. These include:

• Arrhythmia
• Heart infections
• Angina
• Coronary heart disease 
• Valvular stenosis
• Congenital heart disease
• Atherosclerosis
• Cardiomyopathy
• Heart failure
• Heart attacks (as a result of coronary heart disease)
• Stroke

Risks

Many modifiable factors can put you at risk of developing heart disease. These include:

• Inactive lifestyle
• Having a BMI (body mass index) higher than 25 (being overweight)
• Eating unhealthy foods
• Smoking
• Illegal substance use 
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes

Some non modifiable factors can put you at risk, including a family history of heart disease, connective tissue disorders, age, ethnicity and sex. 

Diagnosis

During your initial appointment, we will assess your symptoms and evaluate your medical and family history. This will help us determine your risk of heart disease and decide whether you may have the condition.

If we suspect a heart issue, we will investigate further to determine what may be troubling you. Some initial tests we may perform include blood tests and an ECG to check your heart’s health and detect any signs of abnormalities. If we detect anything unusual with the heart, we may conduct further tests.

Treatment

Treatment will depend on the type of heart disease discovered and your individual needs. We may suggest options such as medications or surgery to help tackle your condition.

However, our first suggestion will be to implement key lifestyle changes to make sure you are as healthy as possible and tackle your heart concerns naturally first. These changes may include:

• Implementing a healthy diet and regular exercise routine
• Quitting smoking, drinking, and taking recreational drugs 
• Building a healthy sleep routine
• Implementing stress management techniques such as yoga, meditation, and tai chi

Maintaining a healthy heart can be challenging, especially if you have a busy schedule and no time to change your routine. We are partnered with Anthem Healthcare, which offers a series of expert-formulated health plans focused on improving the heart and achieving your fitness goals. Learn more here and start your journey to becoming your best self.