Is Preventing/Reversing Heart Disease Possible?

The idea that something so deadly may strike without prior notice is unsettling, right?

Half of those who had a heart attack or died abruptly from coronary artery disease had no prior symptoms. It first showed up unnoticed – which is the worst. 

According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death for both gender and members of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Cardiovascular disease claims one life in the US for every 34 seconds.

Despite the dismal numbers, there is one significant upside: We have a great deal of control over the primary risk factors for coronary heart disease through our health decisions.

Heart disease is no exception to Ben Franklin’s saying that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” 

An INTERHEART study which looked at cardiovascular risk factors in 51 nations, found that 9 out of the 10 biggest risk factors for heart disease are changeable by dietary and lifestyle modifications. 

Heart disease cannot be cured, but it can be managed better. You can slow its progression, or you can prevent coronary heart disease from happening in the first place. 

Dr. Baxter Montgomery established Montgomery Heart and Wellness in 2006 to reverse and prevent life-threatening diseases after witnessing numerous patients endure the effects of chronic heart disease. 

If you want to know how you can potentially prevent or reverse heart disease, we love to welcome you to our health and wellness clinic in Houston.  

 

Below are some lifestyle changes you can start even at home to stop coronary heart disease from getting your way:

• Identify a starting point and calculate your risk

Getting a baseline reading of your blood pressure, average blood sugar, and cholesterol levels is a smart first step.

Because three of the most prevalent risk factors for heart attacks — high blood pressure, diabetes, and abnormal cholesterol levels — are sometimes present without any symptoms, these figures are occasionally the only indicators we have of a patient’s risk of heart disease.

A primary care physician can assist you in learning what these measurements are currently, how frequently they should be examined, and how to assist them in reaching (or maintaining) the ideal numbers. 

If you are searching for “the best Houston heart doctors” for a while now, time to stop because you’ll find them waiting at Montgomery Heart and Wellness, we will help in your taking care-of-the-heart journey! 

• Follow a healthy diet (ditch packaged foods!)

A simple method to improve your health is to switch to a heart-healthy diet. A heart-healthy diet excludes foods that elevate cholesterol like trans fats and saturated fats. You avoid consuming excessive amounts of red meat, fried foods, full-fat dairy items, and foods prepared in coconut or palm oil to put it another way.

Your meals should instead include heart-healthy foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean meats, and fish.

• Stop SMOKING

Smoking is one of the riskiest things you can do for your heart health because it has other inflammatory effects on your tiny heart vessels. It accelerates the formation of those cholesterol-laden plaques.

The chance of having a heart attack immediately decreases when a person stops smoking, and the risk of a heart attack dramatically decreases after a year of quitting. According to studies, the risk gradually decreases until it equals that of a nonsmoker.

Even during the pandemic, there is a lot of support available to help you stop smoking, including virtual assistance for counseling and telehealth visits to discuss alternatives like nicotine patches or prescription medications.

• Get MOVING

Even though a healthier diet is essential, exercise is still the best medication.

The effects of exercise on heart health are enormous and multifaceted, as demonstrated by mountains of evidence. Exercise not only conditions the heart like other muscles in the body, but it also helps burn calories, promote weight loss, and lower cholesterol.

Regular exercise makes the heart stronger over time, needing less work from other veins that have already expanded and pumped vigorously to transport blood where it needs to go, decreasing blood pressure as a result.

It can be challenging to start exercising again if you’ve put it off for the past year. But start moving; don’t overthink it.

• Improve sleep health

Research has shown that too little or too much sleep is linked to heart disease, and it can have an adverse impact on other heart-related risk factors like food, exercise, weight, blood pressure, and inflammation.

Poor sleep can be caused by a variety of factors, such as clinical sleep disorders, working midnight shifts, or poor sleep hygiene. If you frequently experience restless nights or do not feel well-rested throughout the day, speak with your doctor. It can help to improve sleep patterns. 

Creating and adhering to a sleep schedule, practicing relaxation techniques before bed, such as stretching or meditation, engaging in regular exercise, ceasing all electronic use an hour before bedtime, and avoiding heavy meals, caffeine, and alcohol several hours before bed is all good examples.

• Learn how to manage stress

Heart health is negatively impacted by stress. For instance, anger and fear can cause blood pressure to increase, which is known to increase the risk of coronary artery disease.

The connection between mental well-being and cardiac disease cannot be emphasized enough. Anger, depression, and anxiety have all been demonstrated to be significant risk factors for heart disease for many years.

Heart attacks follow a similar pattern. Did you know that it has been proven that maintaining a cheerful view of life, experiencing joy, and managing stress can all help prevent heart attacks? Even yoga, a fantastic activity for reducing stress and elevating your mood, has just been proven to reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation by 50%.

Are we close to a cure?

New and improved treatments for coronary artery disease are constantly being developed by researchers. LDL cholesterol, which causes coronary artery disease, can be lowered to lower levels than before with newer medications.

But treatment for coronary artery disease is still a long way off. For example, doctors still can’t entirely remove plaque from arteries.

Before we discover a treatment for coronary artery disease, Houston heart clinic Montgomery Heart and Wellness will probably grow more adept at preventing it. This is important because the ideal form of coronary artery disease is the one you never get, right?

We have learned a lot about the risk factors for coronary artery disease, so we can suggest natural interventions to minimize your risk. Reach out to us! 

How can Montgomery Health and Wellness help?

As was mentioned above, making lifestyle changes can delay or stop the progression. There are still good reasons to be positive right now:

• Heart disease can be prevented or delayed in many ways
• Treatments can extend your life and improve your quality of life
• Lastly, professional help is always available around

If you’re still searching for a reliable Houston heart doctor, we got you covered! 

Montgomery Health and Wellness is established with your heart in mind. Our Board-Certified Cardiologist Dr. Baxter Montgomery has years of experience with the most recent medical procedures and nutritional health.

By combining his medical practice with a food-driven lifestyle intervention, Dr. Montgomery exposes patients to a novel food prescription plan that helps reverse and prevent chronic illnesses including heart disease, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes without pills or surgery. With significant improvement in the treatment of patients who are terminally sick, we have improved this process over time.

Call us today at +1 713 599 1144 or visit our site to learn more about how we can help!