In the age of the internet, it is very easy to become misinformed about important issues such as heart disease. One has to try and get objective information since the heart is an essential organ for life and following the wrong suggestions and recommendations can have serious and severe repercussions.
An important fact that everyone should know is that heart disease kills more people in the United States than all types of cancer combined. Most of these deaths are as a result of coronary artery disease which leads to heart attacks.
Despite the seriousness of heart disease, there are still myths about the condition and how to prevent it. You can find best doctors to prevent it. Xpertdox is a leading doctor-finding website where patients can look up information regarding cardiothoracic surgeons and cardiologists who specialize in the management of heart-related illnesses.
This article will address these myths and add relevant information which should be known by everyone.
10 Myths about Heart Disease
One will only develop heart disease if family members have it
Genetics can play a role in the development of heart disease but this is not the only factor that can increase the risk of the condition. Up to 90 percent of heart disease is due to harmful habits and lifestyle choices such as smoking, eating a poor diet, and physical inactivity.
Increased good cholesterol controls high bad cholesterol levels
In the past, it was thought that having a high HDL level would mean that the heart and blood vessels were protected from a moderate to high level of LDL in the bloodstream. This is not the case and physicians try to control the LDL levels to keep them at normal levels regardless of how good the HDL levels are.
High LDL can be reduced by diet alone
Although LDL can be decreased with dietary interventions; very high levels of this bad cholesterol will need to be reduced with medications called statins.
You can feel when you have high blood pressure
Hypertension is often referred to as a ‘silent killer’ and the reason for this is because the condition generally doesn’t produce any symptoms until the patient suffers from physical complications of high blood pressure.
There are so-called super-foods which are good for the heart
There are no specific foods that can prevent heart disease although there are certain diets that can help reduce the risk of developing the condition such as the Mediterranean diet which includes fish, whole grains, legumes, fruit, vegetables and monounsaturated fats.
Fats are not good for the heart
Mono- and polyunsaturated fats are healthy fats that the body needs for adequate cellular function and these are known as essential fats. Fats that cause blockage and inflammatory changes in the arteries include saturated and trans fats and these should be avoided.
Women don’t need to worry about heart disease
Women do need to worry about heart disease because more die from this condition every year than from breast cancer. Women tend to develop heart disease in their menopausal years and their risk elevates to that of men during this stage of their lives.
A couple of hours of exercise every week reduces the risk of heart disease
The American Heart Association suggests performing five or six sessions of moderate to vigorous exercise every week in order to keep the cardiovascular system healthy. 30 minutes of activity every day in the form of performing household chores, walking around in a mall, and climbing stairs are included in this criteria.
Coronary artery stenting and bypass graft surgery cure heart disease
Stenting and bypass surgery of coronary arteries can help prevent a heart attack but doesn’t cure the condition. The disease process that caused the initial problem is still ongoing and this needs to be addressed and managed.
Stenting a coronary artery is safer than surgery
Bypass surgery performed by an experienced cardiothoracic surgeon is just as safe as stenting the coronary arteries.
