Take Control of Your Heart Health
February is American Heart Month, and there's no better time to schedule a heart-to-heart with your primary care provider to discuss your cardiovascular health.
At New York Health (NY Health), we are dedicated to preventing and treating cardiovascular disease, the leading killer in the United States. By understanding the risk factors for heart disease and how to live a heart-healthy lifestyle, we can practice self-care for our hearts and prevent heart disease from developing in the first place.
One of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease is obesity, which is why NY Health offers medically supervised diets to help patients lose weight and lower their risk of obesity-related cardiovascular disease. They also take into account family history and perform regular screenings, such as EKGs and echocardiograms, to identify and address risk factors.
“One of the most important markers we look at is LDL cholesterol, also known as "bad" cholesterol, as it has the highest predictive value for future heart disease and can be modified through medication and lifestyle changes,” said Family Practice Physician Dr. Michael DiGiovanna. In addition to lifestyle modifications, there are a host of medications, including many new medications that have come out recently for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Dr. DiGiovanna emphasizes the importance of identifying and modifying risk factors for heart disease. “If you're diabetic, we want to get your diabetes under good control. If you're overweight, we want to get your weight under good control. When we focus on LDL cholesterol and modify that, we see that the risk goes down significantly. Lower is better.”
It's important to remember that lifestyle modification is very important, but not everyone can get their LDL down to target. In some cases, medication may be required, so it's important to continue to work on lifestyle changes, even if medication is necessary.
To make an appointment with Dr. DiGiovanna, call 631-758-7003. Don't wait until it's too late; take control of your heart health today.