The primary care providers (PCP) at Carson Valley Health are experts at helping you maintain your best health—including when it comes to the health of your heart. This American Heart Month, we’re sharing four things a family doctor or other PCP can do to help you avoid or manage a heart problem.
- Know—and manage—your risk for heart disease
A PCP can screen you for hidden health problems that contribute to heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and diabetes. These conditions often start silently, even when you feel healthy. If you have one of these conditions, your PCP can help you manage it with lifestyle changes, medicines or both.
Your PCP also can assess your family history of heart disease. Why is that important? If a relative had the condition, you could be at higher risk of having it too. But even if heart disease does run in your family, there are things your PCP can help you do to reduce your risk.
- Reach your heart-health goals
Are you looking to make changes that are good for your heart? Your PCP has the knowledge needed to help you achieve your personal wellness goals, such as developing habits that may prevent heart disease or keep it from getting worse.
For example, your provider can help you start and stick to a plan for:
- Quitting smoking.
- Eating foods low in artery-clogging fats. The can refer you to a registered dietitian to help you eat health.
- Maintaining a healthy weight.
- Exercising regularly.
- Getting enough sleep.
- Get to the bottom of concerning symptoms
Your PCP is often your first stop if you have any possible symptoms of heart disease, such as chest discomfort (angina), shortness of breath or feeling like your heart has been skipping beats.
Keep in mind: Chest discomfort that lasts more than a few minutes can be a symptom of a heart attack. You should call 911 immediately if you have persistent chest pain or other potential heart attack signs and symptoms, such as upper-body pain, dizziness, sweating or difficulty breathing.
- Connect to a cardiologist or cardiac testing
If you need a heart doctor to provide specialized care, your PCP can give you a referral—and help coordinate your overall care.
And you won’t need to go far to see a specialist. The board-certified cardiologists at the CVH Cardiology Clinic have the experience and technology to diagnose and manage a wide range of heart problems.
Heart tests, including electrocardiograms, echocardiography and stress tests, can ensure that you get the answers you need. And our hybrid cardiac catheterization/interventional radiology lab offers advanced heart procedures, such as:
- Angioplasty.
- Stenting.
- Cardioversion.
- Pacemaker implants.
Show your heart some love
Your checkup is a great time to check in on your heart risk. And CVH primary care providers are accepting new patients at all five clinics. Call 775.782.1550 today to make an appointment.
