These are common concerns I hear from my patients:
If I have a family history of heart attacks or strokes am I at risk?
- Yes, yes you are
If I am at risk how do I find out?
- There’s more testing available than just a lipid panel to figure out your risk.
If I have risk markers, can I be treated so I don’t have a heart attack or a stroke?
- Yes! And it’s treatable without pharmaceuticals MOST of the time.
First off, what is cardiovascular disease? It’s when blood vessels get blocked by plaque which can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina) or a stroke.
Aha! Blocked blood vessels lead to strokes and heart attacks. AKA Plaque. This is the main thing I’m testing you for, your plaque levels.
Plaque forms due to three factors:
- How many ping pong balls (lipids) are floating down your blood stream that will stick to your artery walls?
- How many of those ping pong balls are extra sticky?
- How irritated are your arteries, making them vulnerable to sticky lipids?
Let’s get something straight. Plaque happens. It’s unavoidable. Mummified remains of humans all around the world have plaque. The issue is the rate of plaque formation being too fast, which leads to blocked arteries, heart attacks and strokes. Good news! This is easily treatable! And plaque is reversible.
