Coronary Health Is Managable

Whenever you see words like coronary artery and disease, everyone gets all serious and defensive, but actually being diagnosed with CAD does not mean that you can’t live life to the fullest. It is a “wake up“ call though to take charge of your health.

The first thing to do is to learn all you can about the condition. Coronary Artery Disease is a blockage or a narrowing in one or more of the blood vessels that transport oxygen to the heart.

If you are at risk for CAD, take some time to learn which medicines and supplements are used to treat the condition and what options there are to save money purchasing them.

A low dose of aspirin helps keep platelets from sticking together and forming clots. Statins like Lipitor lower the LDL or bad cholesterol which clog the arteries. They also increase the good or HDL cholesterol which keeps the arteries clean by carrying away the excess.

Beta Blockers help lower blood pressure so your heart doesn’t have to work as hard. ACE inhibitors are another form of medication used to lower blood pressure and lessen the chances of heart failure.

If you have medical insurance for your medicine, each plan is different but choosing a generic form of the medication is cheaper than the brand name drug. Ask your Pharmacy if they have a generic medication program. Another way to save may be to order your medicine by mail for 3 months at a time instead of every 30 days.

Even if you don’t have insurance be sure to take good care of yourself. As much as possible, eat a nutritious balanced diet, keep your weight within the BMI normal parameters and get plenty of exercise. There are natural healthy supplements that can assist in weight loss, cholesterol support and essential vitamins.

Find yourself a good doctor and maybe even a cardiologist who knows how to treat CAD. Know what questions to ask them.

Keep your cholesterol under control and know why it is important to do so. Your total cholesterol should be less than 200. The HDL or good cholesterol should be greater than 60 and the LDL or bad cholesterol needs to be less than 100. Triglycerides need to be less than 150. These are made when you consume more calories than you need, and your body stores them as fat.

Understand what tests you need and which ones you don’t. If you are not at risk you don’t need an ECG, or stress test. In fact if you over test you can get false positive results and put more stress on yourself than you need. Get your blood pressure tested regularly. It should be 140/90 or lower. If you have diabetes or kidney problems your blood pressure should be 130/80 or lower.

So to summarize how to keep your heart healthy with or without CAD remember to:
Visit your Doctor
Take your medications and/or supplements
Don’t smoke
Eat good food (fruits & veggies)
Keep moving (exercise)
Manage anger and stress
Watch for signs of depression
If you’re diabetic control your blood sugars