A healthy heart beats 60-100 times a minute, without you even thinking about it. But how do you know if your heart is actually healthy? What if your pulse is faster than 100 or slower than 60? What if it skips beats?
No matter your ethnic group, sex, or gender, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women and men in the United States. If you have a history of heart disease, or have a family history of cardiovascular disease, you may worry about your heart health.
Kimberly Bolling, MD, is a caring and knowledgeable internist who can evaluate your heart health by administering an electrocardiogram (EKG). At our office in Bowie, Maryland, you get the answers you need, right on the spot.
An EKG gathers information about your heart from the electrical activity your heart generates. It’s a simple test that involves placing electrodes on your skin. The electrodes transmit electrical pulses to the EKG, which translates them into waveforms.
The waveforms give Dr. Bolling a tremendous amount of information about your heart and arteries. She can see if you’ve had a heart attack before, if your arteries are too narrow, or if your heart is too thick or too thin.
When would you benefit from an EKG? Below are the most common reasons why Dr. Bolling would order one.
Never ignore chest pain, otherwise known as angina. Angina develops when your coronary arteries become narrow and stiff, due to the accumulation of fat-based plaque on their inner walls. Symptoms may include:
She may also recommend an EKG if you have other symptoms, such as an irregular heartbeat. Regular EKGs are also beneficial if you have a cardiovascular condition, such as high blood pressure.
She can even determine from the waveforms whether you’ve had a heart attack in the past — one you might not even know about. Depending on the results of your EKG, Dr. Bolling may recommend lifestyle changes, medications, or a combination of both.
If you haven’t exercised in a while — particularly if you’re overweight or obese — Dr. Bolling recommends an EKG before starting your new routine. The EKG tells her whether your heart is healthy enough to withstand the demands of an intensive exercise regimen.
She includes an EKG when you sign up for her medically supervised weight loss management program. Your results help her design an appropriate activity schedule for you.
Before Dr. Bolling prescribes heart medications, she conducts an EKG to make sure your heart can withstand any changes the medication may create. She also orders follow-up EKGs to ensure that the medications are working and are beneficial for you.
If you have a pacemaker, periodic EKGs can help her evaluate whether it’s functioning optimally. It’s especially important to monitor your pacemaker if you start having chest symptoms.
Cardiovascular disease is partly due to lifestyle choices, such as eating a highly processed diet or not exercising, and partly due to genetics. If you have a family history of heart disease, you could benefit from an EKG.
An EKG can identify current problems and may also provide information about possible future problems. In these cases, Dr. Bolling may intervene with lifestyle changes and possible medications.
Or, you may discover that your heart is perfectly healthy. That information alone can relieve your stress and worry.
An EKG is a simple test that could be included as part of your wellness exam. If you take your health seriously and are determined to monitor your blood work and other indicators of wellness, you might want to add in an annual EKG to be sure your heart and arteries are healthy.
Are you ready for an EKG? Call us or request an appointment online so you can rest easy about your heart health, starting today.
