American Heart Month: 3 Ways to Protect Your Heart

February is American Heart Month, so what better time to talk about protecting your heart than in this month’s blog?

At Associates in Family Medicine, Dr. Mahshid M. Hamidi and our staff diagnose and treat cardiovascular problems at our office in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego, California, and we’re committed to providing the best possible cardiac care, from prevention strategies to treatment. Here, we talk about three of the best ways to protect your heart.

The cardiovascular system

The cardiovascular system is a closed loop that’s responsible for supplying your body with oxygen and other nutrients and returning depleted blood to the lungs and heart for replenishment.

The heart is a muscular organ that pumps the blood that travels through your body. The arteries are the conduits that take oxygen-rich blood and deliver it to the tissues, and the veins are the conduits that return the depleted blood back to the heart. If anything compromises the heart, such as narrowed blood vessels or blockages, the entire system suffers.

What is heart disease?

When people refer to heart disease, they usually mean coronary heart disease (CHD), sometimes called coronary artery disease (CAD). It’s the most common type of heart disease. 

When a person has CHD, the coronary arteries, which supply the heart with blood, become narrowed or blocked by a buildup of a fatty plaque on the walls, making it difficult for oxygen-rich blood to reach the heart. This condition is known as atherosclerosis, or colloquially as “hardening of the arteries.”

Several things can lead to atherosclerosis, including:

• Too much cholesterol in the blood
• High blood pressure
• Smoking
• Too much sugar in the blood (diabetes)

When plaque blocks an artery, the heart can’t pump hard enough to move the blood, and this leads to chest pain or a heart attack.

3 ways to protect your heart

Plaque buildup, and the consequences of its presence, aren’t inevitable. There are things you can do to protect your heart and your entire cardiovascular system. Here are three to get you started.

1. Eat a healthy diet

Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. Stay away from, or at least limit, foods with saturated and trans fats and cholesterol, as they can contribute to atherosclerosis, a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke,

Also limit your sodium (salt) and sugar intake, as too much of the former can raise your blood pressure, and too much of the latter can lead to diabetes, another risk factor for CHD.

2. Move your body

Regular exercise makes your heart and your entire circulatory system more efficient, lowers your cholesterol level, and also keeps your blood pressure at a healthy level. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (e.g., walking, swimming, cycling) five days a week, with strength training on the other days.

Since your heart is a muscle, it, like all other muscles, benefits from exercise. A toned heart can pump blood with greater efficiency, keeping your body nourished.

3. Come in for annual physicals

Part of the reason for annual physicals is preventive medicine. It gives the doctor an opportunity to check your heart, lungs, weight, blood pressure, and blood work to determine if there’s anything new and concerning.

For example, if your blood pressure is high, or your cholesterol levels aren’t where they should be, the doctor can prescribe lifestyle modifications or medication to help remedy the problem. Most problems are easier to treat – and treat successfully – when you catch them early.

If you want to learn more about how to protect your heart and your health, call Associates in Family Medicine at 858-565-6394 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Hamidi, or send us a message online. We also accept telehealth appointments.