Best Practices for a Healthy Heart
A cardiologist offers seven simple steps to reduce the risk of heart attack, dementia, stroke, and other ailments.
It’s all too easy to neglect our cardiovascular health until it’s too late. But even if you already have a cardiac diagnosis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or a family history of heart disease, there are things you can do to improve your odds for a long, happy life. Board-certified cardiologist Dr. Sarah Samaan has treated thousands of patients and tirelessly kept pace with the latest research—and now, she condenses her best advice into this guide for cardio care, explaining how to:
Take charge of your “numbers”—your weight, cholesterol, heart rate, and blood pressureMake heart-smart choices about food, exercise, and stressWork with your doctor to design the right treatment for youTell which supplements and alternative therapies really make a differenceAvoid vices that will harm your heart
Put these best practices into action today, and you can decrease your risk of disease and dependence on medication, experience a wealth of positive “side effects” (from a smaller waistline to a happier outlook), and get closer to optimal heart health.
Sarah Samaan
Sarah Samaan, MD, FACC, a Vanderbilt University Medical School graduate, is a board-certified cardiologist with additional board certifications in echocardiography and nuclear cardiology. Dr. Samaan practices cardiology full-time, caring for patients with a wide range of cardiovascular conditions. For the past six years, Texas Monthly magazine has named Dr. Samaan a “Texas Super Doctor.” She is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and was listed as one of “America’s Top Physicians” by Consumers’ Research Council of America. In 2005, she was profiled in Medicine Men, a book celebrating notable Texas physicians.
Dr. Samaan practices cardiology at Legacy Heart Center in Plano, Texas, and at the Baylor Heart Hospital, where she is codirector of the Women’s Cardiovascular Institute.
