Women’s Heart Health Specialist

How is heart disease prevented?

Dr. Butter provides a range of preventive healthcare solutions. With the comfort and care of the team at Colonnades Family Medicine& Aesthetics, you can trust that your health is in good hands. Routine heart health screenings consist of monitoring:

• Lifestyle: Dr. Butter will ask a series of lifestyle-related questions to assess any increased risk of heart conditions. Smoking, diet, age, healthy habits, and physical activity level can impact blood pressure and overall health that contribute to developing heart conditions.
• Cholesterol: Cholesterol is key to good heart health. Before a heart health exam, Dr. Butter may have you fast in order to perform a simple blood test that measures LDL (bad cholesterol) and HDL (good cholesterol). Monitoring cholesterol levels becomes more important as you age in case of increased risk for stroke or other health conditions.
• Diet and Weight
• Making sure you’re within a healthy weight for your age will help Dr. Butter determine if you may be at risk for various conditions, including heart disease.
• Diet and overall lifestyle can be key to preventing heart disease and living a heart-healthy life. Maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI) is also crucial to remain active, healthy, and fit throughout all stages of your life.
• Blood Pressure: Along with cholesterol, blood pressure is another key health metric in determining heart health. Dr. Butter will check your blood pressure — a healthy blood pressure is considered to be 120/80 mm Hg. If you reach a systolic level of over 130 or a diastolic number of above 80, you’re considered to have elevated blood pressure. This needs to be monitored closely before reaching stages of hypertension or a hypertensive crisis that can lead to heart attack or stroke.
• Glucose: As a part of a routine heart and health check-up, Dr. Butter will check your blood glucose level to determine any signs of insulin resistance, prediabetes, or diabetes.

Diabetes is considered a risk factor for heart disease, especially when combined with being overweight or inactive. A simple blood glucose test can be performed in the office and monitored over time for heart disease prevention.

How do you schedule a heart health screening?

Prevention is key when it comes to maintaining your overall heart health, and Dr. Butter is available to support you every step of the way on your journey.

Call or book online today to schedule your preventive heart health screening with Dr. Butter at Colonnades Family Medicine & Aesthetics to find out if you are at risk of developing health conditions, such as heart disease and stroke.