How Much Exercise Does Your Heart Really Need?
The American Heart Association’s answer: at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (brisk walking counts), or 75 minutes of vigorous activity — plus muscle-strengthening work on at least two days per week. More, up to about 300 minutes weekly, brings additional benefit. Three practical points I emphasize with patients: Consistency beats intensity. […]
What to Expect During an Echocardiogram
An echocardiogram — often called an “echo” — is an ultrasound of the heart. It shows the heart’s size, how strongly it pumps, how the valves open and close, and whether fluid or other abnormalities are present. There is no radiation involved. Here is what happens: you lie on your side while a technologist places […]
Blood Pressure: What the Numbers Mean
Blood pressure is recorded as two numbers — for example, 120/80, read as “120 over 80”: The top (systolic) number measures pressure when the heart contracts and pushes blood out. The bottom (diastolic) number measures pressure between beats, while the heart rests. Current categories: normal is below 120/80; elevated is 120–129 systolic with diastolic below […]
Understanding Your Cholesterol Numbers
A lipid panel reports several numbers, and each tells a different part of the story: Total cholesterol: the sum of all cholesterol in your blood. Generally, under 200 mg/dL is considered desirable. LDL (“bad”) cholesterol: the main driver of artery plaque. Lower is better — under 100 mg/dL is a common target, and lower still […]
What Is Preventive Cardiology?
Most cardiology happens after something goes wrong — after the heart attack, after the stent. Preventive cardiology flips that sequence. It is the practice of finding cardiovascular risk early and reducing it before disease takes hold. In a preventive cardiology visit, we look at the full picture: blood pressure, cholesterol and related lipid markers, blood […]
Why I Wrote a Book About Fiber and Heart Disease
Most people think of fiber as something that keeps digestion moving. It does — but in my practice, I have watched high-fiber eating do something far more dramatic: transform blood sugar control, improve cholesterol profiles, and change the trajectory of cardiovascular risk. That is why I wrote Dietary Fiber for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease […]