If you have a heart condition or symptoms of a heart condition such as obesity, atrial fibrillation, stroke or heart murmur, your local family physician will refer you to a local cardiologist. A local cardiologist is a medical provider who diagnoses and treats diseases of the cardiovascular system and blood vessels. A local cardiologist may perform surgeries such as ablation, coronary angioplasty, stent implementation and pacemaker surgery. Or, they may refer you to a local cardiothoracic surgeon to perform the surgery.

If you have a heart condition or are recovering from heart surgery, your local cardiologist may recommend heart medications and/or lifestyle changes like quitting drinking and smoking, getting more exercise or eating low-sodium, low-fat foods. A local cardiologist can also work with your other healthcare providers, from your local registered dietitian to your local Pilates instructor. If you’d like to learn how a local cardiologist may help you manage your heart condition such as a genetic cardiac condition or COPD, talk to your local family physician.

Atrial fibrillation isn't usually life threatening, but it is a serious medical condition that requires treatment. If you experience atrial fibrillation symptoms, consult with your doctor. Your physician may recommend an electrocardiogram to diagnose your heart condition. The goal of atrial fibrillation treatment is to restore your normal heart rate and rhythm and prevent blood clots.

If you have any more questions about your atrial fibrillation or whether you may be a potential candidate for ablation for your atrial fibrillation, feel free to contact your local health professional, your cardiologist, or have them refer you to the heart rhythm program here at Southlake Regional Health Centre, where we’ll be happy to do a consultation.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in North America. Heart disease refers to many conditions that affect the heart, including coronary artery disease, heart attack, heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias), congenital heart defects and more. Seeing your local cardiolgist is agreat palce to be edcuated. 

In many cases, heart disease can be prevented by controlling risk factors. Risk factors for heart disease include obesity, high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol and diabetes. The best place to start is with your physician – he or she can help you get on the right track with diet, exercise and lifestyle modifications.

For Heart Disease:  High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and one of the most
common reasons why North Americans are prescribed medication.One of the big dietary drivers of heart disease is an imbalance between dietary sodium and potassium content, with tomatoes being an excellent potassium source their inclusion can contribute to improved heart health and reduced disease risk.

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat, also called an arrhythmia, that can increase your risk of heart failure, stroke, blood clots and other heart conditions. A normal heart contracts and relaxes to a regular beat, but if you have atrial fibrillation, the atria (upper chambers) beat out of sync with the ventricles (lower chambers). This can cause blood to pool in your atria, causing blood clots that travel to your brain and cause a stroke.

Cardiac ablation is a procedure that can correct heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias). Cardiac ablation works by scarring or destroying tissue in your heart that triggers or sustains an abnormal heart rhythm.

The main types of cardiovascular disease seen in practice related to atherosclerosis, or fatty deposit in the arteries. And this can manifest as angina or chest pain, heart attack, heart failure, stroke and sometimes as problems with the peripheral blood vessels, usually a narrowing of these vessels. As time goes on, atrial fibrillation is becoming much more of an issue as the population ages, and this is an irregularity of the top chambers of the heart beat, which is very related to older individuals.A number of things can be done to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, and also to minimize the chance of future cardiovascular events in individuals who have already been diagnosed with heart disease, or has had an event such as a heart attack or stroke. In particular, getting into a regular exercise program makes a huge difference to the subsequent risk. And patients should be encouraged to exercise for at least half an hour for at least three days a week, and the more the better, really, in terms of exercise.

Diet is a huge part of it as well. Certainly patients should be encouraged to reduce the amount of salt in their diet, and certainly the amount of fat as well. A diet rich in fruit and vegetables is recommended as well.
Smoking cessation is a pretty obvious way to reduce subsequent risk. And then there's the control of the major risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol, and often this requires medications.

Stress reduction is a significant part of the treatment of heart disease as well as the prevention of it, and individuals should be encouraged to reduce the amount of stress in their life.
Often this involves working less, exercising more, and just taking the time to deal with their health issues.
Moderation of alcohol intake is another factor that can reduce subsequent cardiovascular risk. And there is some data that having up to two drinks a day may be beneficial in terms of reducing risk. But certainly if individuals have health concerns they should see their local practitioner and explore their cardiovascular risk and ways to reduce it