Change your drinking habits to stay safe from Hypertension!

Hypertension has emerged as one of the biggest health problems that modern day people are facing. The fact that lifestyles have become highly sedentary and physical activity has become negligible has further aggravated this problem. However, apart from all the above mentioned factors, the major contributors behind this severe health trouble is unhealthy food and drinking habits. Wondering how? Let us discuss that in detail.

Alcohol consumption can be good for your health, but only if taken in controlled amounts. Research has shown that if taken regularly and in low amounts, alcohol could even lower the blood pressure to a certain degree (2 to 4 mm of Hg). On the other hand, if taken in uncontrolled amounts, it can prove to be the biggest evil for heart and may contribute to congestive heart failure.

In fact, people (men and women) who are younger than 65 years of age should take 2 drinks per day, while for people one drink per day can be enough to reduce the chances of high blood pressure, as recommended by a heart doctor in NYC. But if you are a heavy drinker, then you must take these steps in order to monitor your blood pressure:

• Taper off your drinking habits- tapering off means to reduce the alcohol consumption under the supervision of a heart care specialist, rather than quitting it instantly.

• Track your drinking pattern – if you are a heavy drinker, the first thing a cardiologist in NYCwill do is ask you to track your drinking pattern. If we talk in technical terms, then you must keep this on the back of your mind that I drink is equal to 12 ounces of beer. So consult the doctor to know whether you should cut back on the drinks or not.

• Do you binge? If you are a party lover and usually consume more than 4 drinks at parties, then you need to cut it down, as this much alcohol will lead to a sudden rise in the blood pressure and could be distressing to your health.

These are some of the major changes, in the drinking habits, which you must make to ensure a safe health for your heart. At the same time, if you are also obese (overweight), then the doctor would advise you to bring changes in your diet as well. These changes may include cutting down on the sodium content, reducing the amount of processed food you take, as well as eating more raw vegetables. However, remember just like alcohol, do not bring drastic changes in your diet instantly, rather ease into it and see how effective it can be for you.

Well, with all the above mentioned changes concerning your drinking patterns you could make sure that you stay safe from high blood pressure. However, you must keep in touch with a heart care specialist to be on the safer side.

Questions you need to ask your cardiologist in NYC while getting the treatment

For people who are facing a serious heart condition, it becomes important to be aware about the various aspects concerning the health of their heart. Although these experts will always offer you great advice and suitable treatment to treat the health problem, still there might be a few questions that you would want to ask your heart experts in NYC in order to ensure that you are on the right track to diagnose and treat heart trouble. These questions are:

• Is there any blockage in the blood vessels? Heart problems are associated with arterial blockage (blocking of arteries, the blood vessels that carry blood to different organs of the body), most of the time. In case you are visiting a cardiology specialist, you need to ask about the blockage in the vessels. With the help of some regular scans, the doctor will be able to detect whether the arteries are blocked or not.
• Do you need to make any changes in your diet? In case there is any blockage in the arteries, the first thing that you must ask the doctor is regarding what changes you need to make in your diet, if needed (as many times unhealthy food habits & an increase in weight are the most common causes of heart trouble). The cardiologist might advise you to add fibrous food to your diet as well as cut down on the sodium content in the food intake.
• Are the medications suitable to use with other medications? If you are already suffering from a medical problem, then you need to make sure that you discuss with the cardiologist the type of medication you are using. There is a possibility that the medications may produce unfavorable results called side effects.
  
• Do you need to adopt any changes in lifestyle? Well, another important thing you need to ask your medical professional is what sort of lifestyle changes you need to make, in order to avoid any future risks of serious heart trouble. There is a possibility that the cardiologist may ask you to add some light exercise to your daily schedule.

Apart from these, a number of other questions have come to you while interacting with the cardiologist, so make sure you note them down and get answers for them. After all, this can be a matter of life and death for you.

Coronary heart disease is the major reason for seeking a cardiologist in NYC

Heart Troubles are one of the major reasons for clinical deaths all across the world. Heart attacks, hypertension, and coronary heart diseases can prove to be nightmares for any individual. The fact that these heart conditions are now common in people from younger age groups, has made it even more important to keep track of your health. Of all these, coronary heart disease is regarded as the most dangerous one, as it is the root cause of other troubles related to this organ. Let us discuss about these in detail.

What is this medical condition? 
 
Well, to begin with, Coronary heart disease or CHD is a term that is associated with blockage of blood vessels that supply blood to the heart. The reason for the blockage could be anything from the deposition of fatty tissue within the vessels to the loss in the elasticity of arteries (usually associated with people from higher age groups).

The deposition of tissue in the lumen (the cavity) of blood vessels is termed atherosclerosis and is the biggest reason behind angina (chest pain related to heart trouble). This is also a major contributor to high blood pressure as well as stroke.

Reasons behind this problem
 
There are a number of factors that can lead to CHD and these can be categorised into genetic and lifestyle factors. The genetic factors include family history, if there was incidence of this disease in any of the blood relatives in the family, and then the individual is at a higher risk of suffering from this medical condition. At the same time, the second factor includes the poor eating and drinking habits of people. When you go for high blood pressure to a doctor, the first thing the professional would do is to ask you for your lifestyle habits. If required, you would also be advised to make some changes in the diet as well as living patterns. In fact, obese people are at a higher risk of facing serious medical conditions related to this. So, you might also need to adopt a healthy and vigorous lifestyle by adding regular exercise to your daily schedule.

Treatments

Though this medical condition has been causing trouble to the people since long ago, and the medications, changes in lifestyle and some other surgical procedures have been used for treating this disease, some of the innovative ways that have been brought forward for the treatment of this disease are –

1. EECP– this is the short form for Enhanced External Counterpulsation, and is an experimental treatment for treating those patients who have chronic angina.
   
   
2. Angiogenesis – this is the most advanced form of experimental therapy that a cardiologist in NYC can eventually perform. The technique makes use of stem cells that are injected directly into the damaged part that will lead to the budding of newer blood vessels and restore the damaged tissue of the organ.

3 major health conditions when Heart Care Doctors in NYC can prove to be a lifesaver

Heart attack is a silent killer in the field of medical science, simply because of the fact that there are no clear cut diagnostic symptoms of this medical condition it. It has emerged as the biggest health concern amongst people from all across the globe. In fact, many of the troubles related to the heart can prove to be life threatening.

Some of the most important cardiac troubles where heart care doctors in NYC can prove to be potential life savers, include –

• Congenital Diseases – well, contrary to the belief that most of the problems related to poor cardiac condition, occur due to lifestyle habits, the majority of these troubles have a genetic background and people are born with them. People born with these congenital (present at the time of birth) defects need specialized cardiac diagnostic evalutation. The factors behind these by birth defects are yet to be understood clearly, however, most of the researchers consider chromosomal abnormalities behind them. Commonly occurring congenital defects include defective valves, blockage, or abnormality in the structure of the blood vessels, and poor signal conductivity in the heart tissue due to birth defects.
• Mitral Valve Prolapse – if you are not aware about the structure of human heart, then the first thing you need to know is that it possesses certain valves in its structure. These valves perform the most critical task of regulating the blood flow pumped to arteries and veins. In case there is any deformity or damage of these cardiac valves, the life of the person could be at stake. Studies have shown that people, especially men, who keep extra weight on the upper portion of the body like chest and shoulders, have greater chances of suffering from poor arterial health. This affects the valves present that regulate the blood flow in them. One condition is called ‘mitral valve prolapse’ and may lead to severe fatigue, as well as cardiac palpitations.
• Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) – as the name implies, this disease is related to the blood vessels. One thing that needs to be mentioned here is that the lumen (the cavity of arteries) is very narrow and any obstruction in them can lead to serious health troubles such as ‘Hypertension’, ‘Arrhythmia’, ‘Arterial Blockage’ as well as ‘Cardiac Arrest’. The most common symptom related to CAD is regular chest pain, which doctors refer to as ‘Angina’. Obese people are at higher risk of developing CAD, as cholesterol is a major deposit in the arterial cavities. People who are overweight generally have increased cholesterol levels. This is the reason; the moment you visit a cardiologist in NYC for heart related issues, they will ask you to get you get your cholesterol levels checked.

All these conditions can prove to be life threatening if you do not monitor your cardiac health on a regular basis. Visiting heart doctors New York is necessary for you, if you feel that you are at a risk of any of the above mentioned health troubles.

3 common tests that are used for pre diabetes diagnosis!

Most of us are familiar with the disease 'Diabetes' and the ill effects it can cause on a person's health. However, there is a condition in which, the person does not suffer from any form of diabetes, but the blood glucose levels are constantly above the normal levels. This medical condition is called prediabetes. It is thus considered as a precursor to diabetes type 2 as well as many of the problems related to heart such as heart attack and stroke. It is estimated that a person suffering from prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within a span of 10 years.

Therefore, it becomes critical to detect this medical condition in an early stage so that future precautions can be taken to avoid any serious illness. Looking at the seriousness of this medical condition, the International Diabetes Federation, the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the study of Diabetes recommended that the following  tests to be used in prediabetesdiagnosis.

A1C Test 

The test is also called as Glycated Hemoglobin test, as it measures the percentage of sugar molecules that are bound to hemoglobin, Hb (oxygen carrying pigment in the blood of human beings). As the percentage of sugar attached to Hb is directly proportional to the blood sugar levels, the test gives a good idea about the average sugar levels for the past couple of months. Under a normal set of conditions, the blood sugar levels in this test should come below 6%. Any value above 6 to 6.5% is considered as a prediabetic stage.

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test 

It is an early test that is employed to detect blood sugar values. In the test, the patient's sugar levels are measured before and after drinking a sweet solution. The levels are checked after 2 hours of the consumption of the solution. A healthy individual will have sugar levels in the range 140mg/dL (milligrams/deciliter) or less, whereas in pre diabetic condition, the glucose level is between 140 mg/dL and 199 mg/dL.

Fasting Blood Sugar Test  

As the name suggests, the test measures the blood sugar levels after the patient fasts for approximately 8 hours. The blood sample of the patient is taken and treated to find out the sugar levels of the blood. A healthy individual not suffering from this condition has 100mg/dL value of blood glucose. Whereas in case of prediabetes, the value increases from 100 to 125 mg/dL.

Things you must discuss while going to a cardiologist

A cardiologist is a medical professional, who holds expertise in heart related disorders. The fact, that heart troubles are on a quick rise all across the globe, has made it really important to stay in touch with a heart specialist nyc in order to ensure the wellness of your heart.

If you have even the slightest of doubts about your heart's health, then you must plan a visit to an experienced heart specialist. As they say, prevention is always better than the cure. You would not want any critical situation to arise just because you were careless enough to forget to pay a visit to the cardiologist. To make sure that you are healthy and your heart is also in good working condition, it is really important to visit a cardiologist for check up.

However, if you are going to visit the best cardiologist in New York or for that matter any heart care professional in the city, there is a list of important things that you must discuss along. Let us have a look at the list that you need to review:

Family History

Although heart problems are generally related to the physical well being of a person, they can have a genetic root cause as well. This is why it becomes so important, for the cardiologist, to know about the medical history of your family. It may include any incidences of occurrence of any major heart related complication amongst family members. With a prior analysis of the family tree, which in medical language is known as 'pedigree analysis' (the genetic representation of a medical condition being passed on from one generation to the other in a family), the cardiologist can get a good idea about the reason for heart problem. So, the first thing that you need to discuss while going to a heart specialist is to list the medical record of heart troubles in your family in the past.

Personal Disease Details

Now that the cardiologist has a brief idea about the family history, it becomes important for the professional to know about your medical background as well. It includes the details of any major surgeries that you might have undergone or any complex health issues that you might have in the past or present. Knowledge about all this can help the cardiologist plan the suitable diagnosis and prescription for you.

List of medications

Another important thing to mention here is that you must bring along a list of the current medications that you are using for any reason. There are a number of medications that can cause an allergic reaction when taken alongside other medicines. Hence, the cardiologist must know about the current status of your medications in order to prescribe those drugs that will not cause any allergic response.

The above mentioned things and their importance are clearly justified. Hence, if you plan to visit a cardiologist, you must review these to avoid any miscommunication and complication in the diagnosis and treatment.

Is Angina One Of The Possible Causes Of Chest Pain?

The chest covers a large part of the body and many of the vital organs located within our body are contained within the chest. The organs are physically protected by the presence of the rib cage and these organs are very delicate and even a slight physical injury to them might lead to life threatening consequences. The most common problem that leads people seeking emergency care is chest pain. Although causes of chest pain are far more intricate than physical injury, injury can be one of the reasons as to why one would face pain in the chest and thoracic region of the body.

Apart from physical injury, there can be a number of other reasons of chest pain. The patient might suffer from chest pain due to any of the following mentioned reasons:

• Indigestion
• Shortness of breath
• Heavy sweating
• Nausea
• Cramping
• Heartburn

However, the most common causes of chest pain are related to heart disease. These causes of chest pain can be the early symptoms of a heart problem. Amongst these the most common one is Angina; let us have a look at this medical condition and its role in chest pain:

Angina Pectoris is a medical condition where there is shortage of oxygen supply to the heart that might lead to pain in the chest. This condition reflects the symptoms of coronary heart disease due to arterial blockage that may cause a heart attack. Chest pain caused due to angina can be differentiated from the usual chest pain. The pain due to this medical condition is generally felt across the chest behind the breast bone in particular and is usually felt as heaviness/tightening and squeezing across the chest with pressure. It is generally observed that the radiating pain might spread to even the neck back, arms and even the teeth & jaw as well.

A slight awareness and an early diagnosis as to what is the cause of chest pain could work as an alarm bell against a deteriorating health condition. If any of the above mentioned signs related to chest pain are faced by you, then you must get in touch with a medical specialist to ensure that your heart remains healthy and vigorous. With common diagnostic tests like ECG, (Electrocardiogram) and a stress test, the doctor will be able to detect whether there is the possibility of heart disease or you need not to worry about your heart’s condition when the chest pain occurs.

Shortness Of Breath-Is It One Of The Symptoms Of Heart Disease?

Feeling short of breath is a common situation after a vigorous walking. Most people tend to overlook this; however, it can be a serious issue if you face this situation without doing any strenuous exercise.

If we talk about the medical terminology then, this condition of shortness of breath is called Dyspnea. The word by definition of “Dyspnea” according to American Thoracic Society is “A subjective experience of breathing discomfort that consists of qualitatively distinct sensations that vary in intensity.” However, in a layman’s language it is termed as difficulty in breathing that gives a feeling of breathlessness.

Air hunger, another common term used for this situation, in the majority of cases is associated with diseases like pneumonia, asthma and other pulmonary diseases. However, in many cases, shortness of breath is considered as the first symptom of ‘cardiac ischemia’ or ‘congestive heart failure’ or problems related to improper functioning of heart.

Wondering how heart and breathing are related, because breathing is something that is related to lungs? Well, friends you must know that the heart acts as a blood-pumping organ, while lungs distribute oxygen to all the body parts.

Nevertheless, are you aware of how this oxygen is transported? The blood is oxygenated by entering the lungs and is then pumped to different parts of the body. If there is some problem in the heart, then there would be a hindrance in blood supply directly affecting oxygen transport in the body.

A good example of this is ‘Congestive Heart Failure’ (CHF), a medical condition where the heart is unable to deliver an adequate amount of oxygenated blood to the body because of improper pumping action, leading to shortness of breath that could be one of the causes behind this symptom.

Shortness of breath due to CHF was the reason that led to Elizabeth Taylor’s death in March 2011, one of the great actors of Hollywood’s Golden age.

Although shortness of breath is associated with panic attack sometimes, it is also one of the early symptoms that your heart needs a bit more care. As we all know, “prevention is always better than the cure”, therefore, it is always a wise step to find out the exact reason as to what was the reason behind your shorteness of breath, rather than waiting for any perilous situation to arise. In case you have any heart related issue, you can get in touch with a medical professional to ensure no life-threatening situation comes up.

Contact The Best Of All New York Cardiologists To Live Better With Every Heartbeat!

It all ultimately boils down to your heartbeat, and that is what life is all about. No matter how rich or poor, happy or unhappy, married, single, or intelligent you are, in the end it is all about the ticking of your heart.

One minute you are alive and happy and worrying about the day-to-day melodrama in life, and the next, you lay stone cold, unmoving and with no heart beat. This explains that no matter who we are and what we do, heart health is very important. New York is a place full of the ruckus of normal life, with stress and tensions and deadlines. This is why there is need for even more attention to be paid towards what that fragile heart of yours must be going through in this process.

Everyone need to understand that the heart needs to be taken good care of, and caring for it begins with simple steps. Eating nutritious food that does not clog the arteries and walls of your heart, as well as having a good routine for exercise and maintaining good health are essential. Working out is as important as eating food and should not be overlooked at any time. Obesity is one of the main reasons for a number of diseases and heart disease is no different. This is why one needs to be careful that they maintain an ideal body weight according to their BMI, so that they do not have to fall prey to diseases.

New York Cardiologists are some of the best in the world and you can benefit from consulting them about your health.Going for routine health check-ups with these doctors, will inform you about the sort of health your heart currently is in. Besides this, the doctors will be able to guide you through the appropriate way for caring or the heart. You can find out the risk factors that you might be suffering from, that might be posing a threat to your health, whilst making it possible for you to keep a proper track of your health needs and requirements.

You can find aid from the top-notch doctors in the city, without any hassle. It is really simple these days, because there are many doctors available who work towards enhancing not only the current health of the patients, also, help in building a stable future for them, in terms of providing ample knowledge about heart care.

One can easily find doctors by looking up local directories and searching on the internet, for the top clinics, and individual practitioners in town. Making appointments with them also is not a problem considering the flexible options available.

Cardiac Calcium Score- A Measure Of Your Blood Vessel Blockages!

Heart disease is generally associated with unhealthy eating habits. A major cause of heart attacks is arterial blockage, due to excessive deposition of cholesterol that narrows the lumen of the blood vessels. A scan of these blood vessels can thus help in detecting the narrowing of the blood vessels.

The field of disease diagnostics has seen progress in recent times, with technology making it possible to detect even the minutest of changes in the functioning of organs. If we talk about the diagnostic techniques for heart problems, then a number of new techniques have been discovered. One of the most trusted techniques amongst these is a cardiac calcium score test, which gives the measure of calcium deposition in the blood vessels. This score can help in the prediction of any heart trouble in future and thus prepare you for the future.

Coronary arteries are the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart, and even a slight blockage in them could have life threatening consequences on the health of the person, which is why you need to go for coronary calcium scan.

So what exactly is a coronary calcium scan? 

We all are familiar with the term x-ray technology used as a diagnostic tool. Now, a coronary scan can be considered as a special x-ray test used to check for any calcification inside the walls of blood vessels coming from heart. The test uses a specialized technology which is known as Computerized Tomography, commonly called a CT-scan. The results of the scan are in the form of calcium scores and the scan is also referred to as calcium scoring test most of the time.

Generally there is no calcium deposit in the blood vessels, so even a slight detection of calcium in the arteries can give an indication of trouble in the future. Deposition of calcium in the vessels supplying blood to the heart can lead to coronary heart disease. The calcium deposits in the form of plaques can be a serious cause of worry. The plaques can cause the blockage of blood vessels and that can lead to a lack of oxygen supply and in severe cases could lead to heart attacks as well.

The mortality rate in the case of heart attacks is significant so early prediction of heart blockages can prove to be lifesaving. That is why it is important that one must get the heart scans done at an early stage. It is considered by physicians that a coronary scan can predict the risk of heart trouble for the coming years, making it a reliable tool for detecting any heart disease at an early stage.

Once any risk is predicted, the cardiologist can guide you to a change in eating habits as well as any alteration needed in lifestyle, after all it is matter of life and death.

If you need any assistance in regard to Heart diseases and their diagnosis, you can rely on the New York Cardiac Diagnostic Center. Just have a look at www.newyorkcardiac.com and see the services they provide. With the team of skilled cardiologists working there, the center has gained an unmatched reputation.