Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. However, it is preventable. The Healthy Heart Program at Van Zant Medical Group, S.C., can identify a patient’s risk long before he/she has symptoms so heart disease can be prevented or reversed.
HOW DO WE DO THIS?
The Healthy Heart Program© uses CIMT (Carotid Intima Media Thickness) testing to measure a person’s risk. CIMT actually looks at the blood vessels themselves for the very thing that causes heart attacks and strokes…plaque and inflammation.
This is important because the primary reason that people develop the plaque in their blood vessels that can cause heart attacks and strokes is due to inflammation of the blood vessel lining, called the intima media. When this lining is inflamed, or thickened, it acts like sticky glue and traps the bad cholesterol (called LDL) inside the lining. The body doesn’t like this so it “attacks” the LDL build-up, and it is this combination of LDL and immune system attack that causes plaque build up.
With CIMT testing, we can actually see how thick your blood vessel lining (the intima media) is, and also if you have any plaque build up. We can also tell if the plaque that you have is more likely to actually cause a heart attack or stroke! Plaques that are more likely to cause heart attack or stroke are called soft plaque or mixed plaque. This means that they are “hot”, or unstable.
Heart attacks and strokes are NOT caused by a lot of plaque in the blood vessel. They are caused by unstable plaques that rupture (like a pimple) and cause a blood clot in the blood vessel. If this happens in the heart, it is called a heart attack. If it happens in the brain, it is called a stroke. These plaques can be identified on the CIMT testing that we offer.
WHAT ELSE DOES THE HEALTHY HEART PROGRAM© OFFER?
If we find a thickened intima media in your carotid, and/or plaque in your blood vessel wall, we will work with you to develop a comprehensive, individualized plan to prevent a heart attack or stroke. This plan will look at WHY your blood vessels are thick and building up plaque, and help you to reverse this damage. Is this really possible? YES!
Science has shown us that many things contribute to why we develop plaque in our arteries. Some of them seem obvious:
- High blood pressure
- Elevated blood sugar
- High cholesterol
- Poor diet
- Lack of exercise
- Smoking
But science has also shown us that these things also make blood vessel walls thick and plaque develop:
- poor sleep quality
- carriage of certain bacteria in the mouth
- Vitamin D deficiency
- poor digestive health
- specific inherited genes
THE PROVIDERS AT VAN ZANT MEDICAL GROUP, S.C. ARE TRAINED TO IDENTIFY YOUR SPECIFIC RISKS AND CREATE A PROGRAM TO HELP YOU PREVENT A HEART ATTACK AND STROKE.
We are trained and certified in the BaleDoneen Method (www.baledoneen.com) which is a revolutionary program that identifies all the known risks for heart attack and stroke, a puts a plan in place that will reverse cardiovascular disease.
In addition to our medical expertise, our Healthy Life Program helps you make the necessary lifestyle changes to be successful.
We want you to achieve Healthy Heart Status©!
Call today! It all starts with a CIMT test!!!
(309) 621-9580