How Much Exercise Do You Actually Need? A Cardiologist’s Perspective
Few questions come up more often in my office than this one: “How much exercise do I really need?” Patients want a real number, not…
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Know Your Heart Risk: A Free Calculator You Can Use Today
One of the most useful conversations I have with patients starts with a number. Specifically, your estimated risk of a heart attack or stroke over…
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Belly Fat and Your Heart: What Actually Works
When I measure a patient’s waist in the exam room, I am measuring one of the single most useful predictors of cardiovascular risk in my…
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Aspirin and Your Heart: When It Helps, When It Doesn’t
For decades, a daily low-dose aspirin was a default suggestion for anyone worried about a heart attack. The thinking was straightforward. Aspirin thins the blood,…
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The Framingham Risk Calculator: A Heart Tool Built on 75 Years of Research
Most of what we know about cardiovascular disease comes from a single town. Starting in 1948, researchers in Framingham, Massachusetts began tracking the health of…
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Lowering Your Blood Pressure Without a Prescription First
When a patient gets a new diagnosis of high blood pressure, the first question is almost always: “Do I have to start a pill?” Sometimes…
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Walking: The Most Underrated Heart Workout
When patients ask me what the single best exercise is for the heart, I usually disappoint them with my answer: there is no magic exercise….
