{"id":10733,"date":"2021-10-03T19:58:43","date_gmt":"2021-10-03T19:58:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ovadiahearthealth.com\/old-site\/?p=10733"},"modified":"2022-03-11T06:54:32","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T06:54:32","slug":"the-top-3-questions-to-ask-your-cardiologist-about-improving-heart-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ovadiahearthealth.com\/old-site\/2021\/10\/03\/the-top-3-questions-to-ask-your-cardiologist-about-improving-heart-health\/","title":{"rendered":"The top 3 questions to ask your cardiologist about improving heart health"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a lot of conflicting information out there when it comes to improving heart health, even among the medical community. Not a week goes by without someone telling me they\u2019re so confused they end up doing nothing, or that they believed they were making healthy decisions only to later find out they weren\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

We live in a noisy world. That\u2019s beneficial at times, but it also makes it incredibly easy to get overwhelmed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The media tells you one thing on Monday and the opposite on Thursday. Your friends and family all gladly tell you \u201cthe best thing you can do is\u2026\u201d. And social media will have you trying every diet variation under the sun: veganism, carnivore, paleo, keto, low fat, or throwing out real food entirely and knocking back a powdered drink a couple of times a day.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s impossible to get clarity with so much conflicting information coming at us every day. Instead, it\u2019s often better to have the conversation with a trained professional.<\/span><\/p>\n

So if you want to increase heart health and stay fit and healthy for as long as possible, here are three questions that I recommend asking your cardiologist either in person or through an <\/span>online consultation<\/span><\/a>:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Can heart disease be prevented?<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/h2>\n

In many, if not most, cases, the answer is yes – and you don\u2019t have to give up butter!<\/span><\/p>\n

For years, saturated fat and high cholesterol have been blamed for heart attacks and heart disease. And when statins became available, many people simply stopped worrying about preventing heart disease because they could just take a pill and reduce their cholesterol.<\/span><\/p>\n

The truth is that focusing on cholesterol is a fool\u2019s errand. Many victims of heart disease do not have high cholesterol, and many people with high cholesterol never develop heart disease.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heart disease prevention<\/span><\/a> begins with your lifestyle and improving your <\/span>metabolic health<\/span><\/a>. Eat real foods: things that grow in the ground or eat what grows in the ground. Avoid foods made in a factory – yes, even that box of cereal promising you that it\u2019s \u201cheart healthy\u201d (it isn\u2019t). This simple decision will help to reduce inflammation in your body, you\u2019ll feel more satisfied and not always hungry, and if you\u2019re overweight you\u2019ll find that your body naturally starts to shed the pounds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Exercise is also essential. Anything is better than nothing so don\u2019t obsess too much about the type of exercise, just do it regularly and have fun doing it. But if you want my recommendation, I\u2019m a fan of HIIT-style workouts and strength training.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the symptoms of heart disease?<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/h2>\n

Your cardiologist should be able to answer this, and if their only answer is \u201chigh cholesterol\u201d then it\u2019s time to find a new one.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are <\/span>multiple types of heart disease<\/span><\/a> and the symptoms can vary widely. Unlike something like the flu, which has very obvious symptoms, it\u2019s often very easy to overlook symptoms of heart disease because they can be mild or dismissed as something else:<\/span><\/p>\n