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Top 10 Tips for Heart Health

by Rashmi Gulati, MD

Think for a minute about the human heart—your heart. It is actually pear-shaped, weighs less than a pound, and is a little larger than the size of your fist. So while it is small in size, it is mighty. It supplies the body with oxygenated blood. The heart is one of the most important organs in your body.

The heart is nothing more than a pump composed of muscle which moves blood through the body, beating about 72 times per minute. It pumps about 5 liters per ventricle, or about a total of 10 liters per minute. Every time the heart contracts it does so with all its force. The entire cycle lasts about eight-tenths of a second, with the heart resting for about four-tenths of a second. And it performs this cycle repeatedly, day and night, year after year. That’s a lot of work for a small organ.

Every year, the U.S. president declares February American Heart Month. Did you know that cardiovascular disease, including stroke, is the number-one killer of Americans? Nearly 750 million people die of heart disease every year. Heart disease accounts for approximately 29% of all U.S. deaths. This saddens me because cardiovascular disease is, with the proper knowledge, preventable, often reversible with lifestyle changes and effective therapies, and many times manageable, with the proper care, reducing risks while improving outcome and quality of life.

Top 10 Tips for Optimal Heart Health

Regularly see a physician who supports your overall health.
Get tested annually for markers of inflammation, diabetes, heart disease, elevated cholesterol, triglycerides, and hyperlipidemia.
If you are over 40 years old, get a baseline echocardiogram (EKG) from a certified sonographer.
Eat a healthy breakfast to get the day started right.
Eat a plant-based diet of healthy foods high in lean protein, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, and fiber, and low in sugar and saturated fats.
Maintain an ideal body weight.
Limit alcohol intake.
Don't smoke.
Exercise regularly, at least three days a week, taking your heart rate to a cardio workout level.
Get plenty of rest, and take measures to alleviate stress from your life.

Is it Too Late to Focus on Heart Health?

The answer is no! When the physicians at Patients Medical began practicing medicine, placing stents in patients with clogged arteries was standard protocol. Unfortunately, stents can become blocked over time. We have found a number of alternatives for treating patients with heart disease holistically using integrative techniques.

Patients Medical works hard to find customized solutions to a patient's health concerns. Achieving optimal health is our goal. Our approach incorporates the whole person—their body, symptoms, and feelings. The expert physicians at Patients Medical apply an integrative approach using alternative and complementary modalities such as acupuncture and Chinese medicine, osteopathic manipulative treatment, advanced nutritional support, phytotherapy, and supplements, together with leading-edge modern medicine to diagnose, treat, and support each patient's unique health goals.

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Begin Your Journey to Wellness with Patients Medical

Our first job at Patients Medical is to listen, to connect the dots between a patient's medical history, their symptoms, and the underlying causes of their cardiovascular concerns. Patients Medical is a superb place for men and women to secure integrative and holistic cardiology health care from providers who provide personalized care, partnering with the patient to support their health.

For those that can make the journey, we are happy to welcome new patients to our medical center in New York City. Call us at 1-212-661-4441. We are here to listen and to help.

We are located at: Patients Medical PC, 800 Second Avenue, Suite 900 (Between 42nd & 43rd Street), Manhattan, New York, NY 10017.

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