Posted on August 31, 2013
Reliable Stroke Doctor New York City – All Insurance Accepted
An estimated 800,000 people suffer from a stroke each year. Patients with heart disease go to see a cardiologist. Stroke patients have a choice between a cardiologist and a vascular neurologist. That choice may seem strange if you limit the job description of a stroke doctor.
Understanding the Heart-Brain Link
The role of a stroke doctor is to trace, treat, and prevent neurological events which affect your brain and heart health. The blood clot that causes a hemorrhage or blockage usually originates from your heart. If the clot exits the heart, it can use your vascular pathways to reach the brain.
A clot in the heart causes a heart attack. A clot in the brain causes a stroke. Both of these events require time sensitive treatment. In the case of a heart attack, you have 90 minutes to unblock a heart and avoid catastrophic cardiac muscle damage. In the case of a stroke, you may have as little as 30 minutes or as much as four hours to seek treatment. It all depends on the type and location of the stroke.
A stroke doctor will tell you that the best treatment for the condition is not to have one in the first place. You are at an increased risk if you have these warning signs:
Posted on August 30, 2013
How To Get A Quick Appointment With a Cardiologist NY – All Insurance Accepted
The necessity of cardiologist appointments depends on the severity of your heart problem. If test results through your regular doctor show signs of an acute heart condition, you will be sent to follow-up with a specialist very quickly. If your condition is progressing more slowly, you will still need to schedule cardiologist appointments, but they are not considered emergent.
No matter when those cardiologist appointments are scheduled, there are some things you need to pay attention to.
The First Appointment
It is normal to be anxious or nervous when you go to see a cardiologist for the first time. They are very familiar with this type of emotional response. If you can, pay attention to how they respond to your emotional state. The sign of a good specialist is their ability to put you at ease from the beginning of your doctor-patient relationship.
There are two reasons patients need to schedule cardiologist appointments:
1. They have a pre-existing heart condition.
2. Their primary care doctor suspects there is something wrong with their heart.
In either case, this appointment is a balancing act between giving and receiving high amounts of critical information.
You will be asked questions about your current symptoms and your medical history. You will also be given information about relevant tests and possible diagnoses. Due to the amount of information that will be covered, it is usually wise to have someone else with you. Try to look for a clinic that is patient-oriented.
When a specialist is patient-oriented that means that you should never leave an appointment feeling clueless. They should always review the information you have gone over during the appointment and give you a chance to ask questions. That way; everyone involved in your case is on the same page and has access to the same information.
An open and honest relationship with your specialist is extremely important; especially if the treatment of your condition is expected to be long-term.
Dr. Seldon, a Heart Doctor and Cardiologist in New York City, offers same day appointments and all testing is done on site. Call us at (212) 367-8000.
Posted on August 29, 2013
Collectively people talk about heart disease constantly. The fact that you need to see cardiologists goes without saying, but the importance of choosing the right specialist to manage your risk factors is often a lost topic of conversation. We will start that conversation today.
Symptom Control and Management
Find Hypertension Specialist NYC – All Insurance Accepted
If you have high blood pressure, you have a very important treatment path ahead of you. You not only need to choose a cardiologist, you need to choose a cardiologist who is also a hypertension specialist.
You may not have heard of a hypertension specialist before. After all, there are only 1,500 certified specialists in the country. Why does that matter? It matters because of what high blood pressure can do to your heart and your body.
High blood pressure can cause:
Posted on August 28, 2013
What Are The Symptoms of Cardiac Pain – All Insurance Accepted
Cardiac pain is a topic that puts most patients on edge. This response is triggered because we have become conditioned to associate cardiac pain with a heart attack. Angina is sometimes a symptom of heart attack and sometimes not. The key to knowing the difference is to understand why the pain is occurring in the first place.
What Pain Tells the Brain
Your heart has two different rates:
1. Resting
2. Active
If the pain that you feel occurs after you are active, it most likely means that your heart isn’t getting enough oxygenated blood.
Your heart relies on all of the oxygen carried within your bloodstream. The oxygen helps the heart muscle function properly. When you are active, your body
Posted on August 27, 2013
What is Hypertension – All Insurance Accepted
Hypertension is another word for high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a progressive condition that affects your:
Posted on August 26, 2013
Will Palpitations Make My Heart Stop – All Insurance Accepted
The truth about heart palpitations is that they can stop your heart eventually, but that is true in a very small percentage of cases. Usually palpitations are related to something else entirely.
A Flutter in your Chest
The two most common descriptors of a rapid heartbeat are:
Posted on August 25, 2013
Will I Have Heart Disease if My Father Did – All Insurance Accepted
Genetics definitely play a role in heart disease. How big a role that is remains to be seen. While specialists are able to map out a lot of genetic information; it will take time for that information to be collected and translated into treatment options. The main thing to realize is if heart disease is in your family history, you will need to address your cardiac health at an earlier age.
How old is your heart?
For many people, heart disease does not enter the conversation until they’re in their late 40s to early 50s. For someone with a family history of the condition the discussion starts much sooner.
By the time at risk patients are in their 30s, their heart health is being closely monitored. Certain genetic responses within the body can make these patients more susceptible to heart problems. The best way to look at it is by using one of three scenarios:
1. Your genetics have made you resistant to heart disease.
2. You are susceptible to mild heart conditions, but that susceptibility can be greatly reduced by adopting a heart healthy lifestyle.
3. Your genetics have made you more vulnerable to serious heart conditions.
Developing a strong doctor-patient relationship is the best thing you can do for your heart health if you’re at greater risk for cardiovascular conditions.
Preventative Care Means Planning Ahead
Things like:
Posted on August 24, 2013
What Are Heart Medication Side Effects – All Insurance Accepted
Patients have a lot of questions about heart medication side effects. Today, we are going to talk about one of the most common conditions that makes these medications necessary; that condition is high cholesterol.
Bringing the Picture into Focus
It is estimated that nearly 1.4 million Americans are currently on medication for high cholesterol. Of that total, 10 to 15 percent of patients are struggling with heart medication side effects.
High cholesterol is treated with a group of medications called statins. These medications disrupt the production of cholesterol at its source; your liver. The problem is, in the process the medicine breaks down essential proteins your body needs in order to function properly.
This leads to:
Posted on August 23, 2013
When Should I Be Referred to a Cardiologist – All Insurance Accepted
A visit to a cardiologist needs to be handled a certain way. They need to confirm the fact that you have signs of a heart problem in the first place. The process really starts with a visit to your family doctor.
Getting a Doctor
Posted on August 22, 2013
What is an EKG – All Insurance Accepted
An EKG, or echocardiogram (also called an ECG) is used to map the pulse rate and pattern of your heart. The diagram that is printed out can show abnormalities in your heart beat more distinctly. This is a helpful diagnostic tool that allows cardiologists to detect the early signs of heart disease more quickly. Today, we will be looking at this test in more detail. If you are preparing for an EKG, please include the following information in your research.
What your pulse says about you
Certain abnormalities within your heart have auditory indicators. This applies to conditions like:
- Heart murmurs
- Atrial fibrillation
- Diastolic heart failure
- Heart palpitations
- Tachycardia and Bradycardia
It is possible for doctors to catch these cardiac changes during a regular physical, but the diagnosis will have to be confirmed by a cardiologist. An EKG is part of the confirmation process.
How the test works
Physically getting the test done is relatively easy. You will be asked to lie flat on an exam table. Once the treatment details have been confirmed, you’ll be hooked up to a series of 10 electrodes.
Electrode leads are placed on the:
A special gel is used on the back of the leads to help the electrodes get a better read of your heart beat. A single electrode is placed on each of your extremities. Six more electrodes are placed in a crescent moon shape on the left side of your chest. When the test begins, you will be asked to breathe normally for about 10 seconds. As you breathe, a small machine will print out your pulse pattern. This printout will be evaluated by a cardiologist.
Based on the findings, you will be given a treatment protocol to help you manage your heart condition. Even if it’s done as a precautionary measure; an EKG can help detect heart problems that may otherwise remain invisible. It gives you a greater possibility of prevention.
Dr. Seldon, a Heart Doctor and Cardiologist in New York City, offers same day appointments and all testing is done on site. Call us at (212) 367-8000.