Coronary heart disease, called CHD for short, occurs when blood vessels that supply the heart with blood and oxygen narrow. This narrowing takes place through a process called atherosclerosis. When this happens, your heart can't get all the oxygen it needs to pump blood to all parts of the body.

CHD is sometimes called ischemic heart disease. It may also be called coronary artery disease, or CAD for short. It is a disease that deserves your attention. CHD poses serious threats to your health and the quality of your life. The most serious threat is the possibility of becoming disabled or even dying from a heart attack. But this doesn't have to happen to you. There are positive steps you can take, starting today. These actions will help reduce your chances of developing complications of CHD.

If you don't have CHD, you can take steps now to reduce your risk of getting it. The same lifestyle choices people make to manage CHD will work to lower your risk of getting it.

If you already have CHD, you can take steps to reduce its impact on your life and to reduce your risk of an early death.

In either case, the more you know about CHD, the better. What you learn here will help you reduce the threat that CHD poses to your well-being, including the threats of heart attack and sudden cardiac death.

How Do I Take Charge of My Health?

 

Actions That Make a Difference 
Work with your healthcare provider. Ask questions. If you don't think you can do what the doctor wants you to, say so. Together, you and your doctor can come up with alternatives. 
Follow your treatment plan. Keep track of your symptoms and your medicines. Tell your healthcare provider if you notice a problem. 
Adopt a healthy lifestyle. Exercise regularly. Eat a healthy diet. Get enough rest. 
Manage stress. Learning to cope with everyday stress can help you deal with any changes you need to make. 
Find the support you need. You do not have to deal with your condition alone. Support may make it easier for you to manage your cholesterol levels. 
Don't give up hope. It takes time to change. But first, you must believe that it's possible.

It's no secret that out-of-control cholesterol levels are a severe health risk and a major cause for heart attack and stroke, which causes many people to search for ways to lower cholesterol levels. Are you looking to lower your cholesterol? Cardiologist Deborah Barbour has developed an eight-step plan to help you lower your cholesterol and maintain healthy levels going forward, hoping that you will incorporate ways to lower cholesterol levels into your daily lifestyle.

To understand the importance of lowering your cholesterol, you should know exactly what cholesterol is and how you can get too much of it.

Cholesterol is a normally occurring waxy, fat-like substance that the body produces to support healthy cell function and hormone production. Like oil and water, however, cholesterol in the blood does not mix or dissolve. To make its way around the body, cholesterol requires two kinds of special lipoprotein carriers — low-density (LDL), or "bad," cholesterol and high-density (HDL), or "good," cholesterol.

Too much LDL in the body can build up in the arteries and cause plaque. As this plaque accumulates arteries become smaller and less blood can squeeze through to the heart and other major organs.

Triglycerides are another component of your cholesterol profile that needs to be monitored. Triglycerides form in the body from the fatty foods we eat and are the most sensitive to diet. If you've had ice cream and pizza the night before your cholesterol is tested, your triglycerides level will give you away. The reverse is also true — a low-fat diet will quickly lower your triglycerides.