It's important that you work with your physician to identify your risk factors for coronary artery disease. Some of those risk factors and the steps you can take to manage coronary artery disease include:

• Family history of heart disease This includes parents, siblings, and grandparents who have had a cardiac event, high blood pressure or stroke.
• High blood pressure Blood pressure can be modified by changing dietary habits, exercising, smoking cessation and taking daily medications prescribed by your physician.
• Cigarette smoking Smoking not only causes high blood pressure, it damages arterial walls. Your physician can offer advice on the many methods available to help you stop smoking and which one is right for you. Firelands offers smoking cessation education to patients admitted to our facility.
• Overweight/lack of exercise Poor nutrition and lack of exercise cause you to become overweight. When you are overweight, your heart has to work harder to pump blood throughout the body. Ask your doctor about dietary changes that are best for you and work with your physician to create an exercise program specific to your needs.
• High levels of blood fats Diet and genetics contribute to the amount of fats circulating in our blood. High levels of blood fats create plaques in coronary arteries. It is important to reduce the amount of cholesterol-rich foods you consume. Exercise can also work to reduce blood fats. Sometimes, your physician will have to prescribe a daily medication to help reduce the amount of fat in the blood.
• Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes causes an elevation in the amount of sugar in the blood that leads to damaging of blood vessels, like your coronary arteries. Working with your physician, you can create a plan of care to control your diabetes. Firelands offers diabetic education, one-on-one coaching, and cooking classes to help you manage your diabetes. Ask your doctor for a referral for diabetic education.

By identifying and modifying cardiac risk factors, and following through with routine physical exam and diagnostic testing, you are advocating for your own personal health. And best of all, Firelands Regional Medical Center offers programs that can be tailored just for you. So don't wait, start today and let us help you improve your heart's health. Check the Classes and Events section of this site for a listing of all the programs offered and the dates and times.