The 6 Most Important Questions to Ask Your Cardiologist

Doctors say that in the case of cardiovascular disease, preventive measures are particularly effective. So here are the top 6 questions to ask your cardiologist about your health, potential risks, and needed aids. These recommendations have been prepared with Milda Kovaitė, a cardiologist at the Santara Clinic of the Vilnius University Hospital.

Question 1: Specifically, in my case, what is the risk of future cardiovascular disease?

Why You Should Ask This: Understanding and knowing your future risk for heart disease, stroke, and aneurysm is probably the most important thing. For example, patients with low blood cholesterol, who have diabetes and have had relatives with heart disease in their family should be cared for and treated in all cases in a completely different way than those without these problems.

To specifically calculate your risk of heart disease at age 10, doctors always use risk calculators. They are individualized and can calculate the risk of death from cardiovascular disease over a ten-year period, as well as your individual risk. However, you can also keep track of certain data that you may provide to your cardiologist at your next visit, such as regular blood pressure measurements.

Question 2: What symptoms can reveal impaired blood circulation and heart disease?

Why you should ask: There are many different symptoms behind the term “cardiovascular disease.” For example, people with poorly functioning heart valves will experience very different symptoms and deterioration of the heart condition different from those with, for example, heart rhythm problems.

You may think you know the symptoms of some heart disease, like chest pain, an indication of an impending heart attack, but doctors find that a large percentage of women, and even some men, never experience these symptoms.

Instead, they experience shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, discomfort in the neck area, including the jaw, shoulder, or back. That’s why it’s so important for your doctor to evaluate and name all the warning signs that are most important to you to help assess your health.

Question 3: New treatments and procedures have emerged, should I try them?

Why You Should Ask: You Will Agree: Patients don’t want to see a doctor who knows nothing about new methods. Each new technique must be researched and approved, and the physician must be familiar with it.

Last but not least, the physician must always be open to innovation and willing to improve, because every patient deserves to know the latest and most advanced treatment methods and procedures.

The best doctors aren’t the ones who try something new all the time, but they aren’t the last to try medical innovations, either. Finding that “golden mean” is important: a doctor who knows new procedures and treatments, but adapts and recommends those that are really worth trying for you.

Question 4: Why are you giving me this medicine?

Why you should ask: Only doctors, not your friends or the search engine, can better explain what the properties of a particular drug are and who really needs it. This problem is so common that in 2019. The Journal of the American Medical Association even published an article on how often patients decide to take or not take prescription drugs based on the information they read online.

So, always be open with your doctor if you have any questions, because only by knowing your thoughts will your doctor be able to explain why you need the drug, how it will help you, and what the possible side effects are.

Question 5: Will any changes in my lifestyle affect my condition?

Why You Should Ask: Cardiovascular disease is closely related to any lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, stress, quality of sleep) and can have a major impact on your well-being.

For example, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association a few years ago found that a Mediterranean diet based on healthy vegetables, fruits, and fats, in addition to avoiding sugar and saturated fat, greatly reduces many risk factors for heart diseases.

Some doctors review the most important aspects of their patients’ lifestyles, while others are more likely to send patients to speak with nutritionists, physical therapists, and other professionals in their field. However, always inform your doctor about certain changes in your life and well-being, this is very important.

Question 6: What preventive measures can I take to improve my well-being without medication?

Why you should ask: Getting around, eating healthy, getting adequate rest, and avoiding stress are essential to enjoying a healthy heart and “clean” blood vessels. But even all this does not ensure healthy blood circulation and well-being.

If you have noticed that your blood pressure and cholesterol levels have been increasing for some time, pay attention to your diet and supplement it with substances that are good for blood circulation. Help can be sought primarily from plant-derived materials.

Modern medicine already recognizes effective natural substances for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. For example, the enzyme nato kinase found in natto in a traditional Japanese breakfast dish helps improve blood circulation throughout the body, inhibits blood clots, reduces inflammation within blood vessels, and slightly reduces blood pressure. blood pressure. Meanwhile, another anti-inflammatory substance extracted from olives, hydroxytyrosol, is considered one of the strongest antioxidants. Another exceptional plant, arjuna, is also known for its ability to maintain normal cardiovascular function. For those who fight against high cholesterol, it is very useful to control it in a complex way, that is, with the enzyme natatinase, red yeast, fermented rice extract, vitamin Q10, bay extract.

To prevent cardiovascular disease behind the eyes, start with a simple conversation with your doctor. The most important thing is to watch the signals your body sends and take care of yourself.