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THE THREE SIMPLE THINGS TO KEEP YOUR HEART HEALTHY
by Turab Ali , Consultant Cardiologist at Spire Murrayfield , Wirral .
Do you ever think how good it would be to ask an expert about all the little health things we wonder about ?
Well , when it comes to heart health – Wirral Life got a chance to talk to an expert , and it comes down to just three simple things .
February is National Heart month so we asked Dr . Turab Ali who is a Consultant Cardiologist and specialist in Interventional Cardiology and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention at Spire Murrayfield Hospital what we should be doing to keep our tickers in tip top condition .
What made you want to become a cardiologist ? I grew up around the medical profession as my father was a dentist , and I was inspired by the way they used their education to support the community and save lives . My Dad encouraged me to follow into that field , so I trained to be a doctor . Why did I choose cardiology ? Well as a junior doctor you rotate around the different specialisms , and I got to work with some fantastic cardiologists . I think at this point in your career you find where your strengths are and the part of the body that really fascinates you , the heart was that for me .
Once I ’ d decided this was what I wanted to do , I put everything into it and now 13 years later here I am . I came to Merseyside in 2007 from Leicester , my wife and I moved here together , she ’ s a gynaecologist and we love it here , we never talk about leaving this area .
What type of heart conditions do you deal with ? I help with all sorts of conditions that can be related to the heart , so people with chest pain , shortness of breath , fainting spells , heart attacks or high blood pressure . My work with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention , which is a sub-speciality , is a way of managing the narrowing of the arteries . This might be because of specific conditions like angina or a heart attack . We can carry out a coronary angiogram which allows us to access your heart via your wrist through the skin and we can place a stent in the heart to improve blood flow . It can also help prevent further heart damage in the future .
I provide specialism intervention cardiology and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention procedures in my NHS practice , as well as general cardiology conditions at Spire Murrayfield . Whatever the patient needs really , whether that ’ s consultation , investigation and finding the right approach to deal with the issue .
My NHS work takes me to Liverpool Heart and Chest hospital with my specialism and to Arrowe Park for general cardiology work , so I see a wide range of people and heart problems . A lot of these conditions can be improved or even prevented by simple actions as part of your daily life so heart health is extremely important .
When you say extremely important , just how crucial is it ? The heart is one of the vital organs of the body – its health is not only connected to quality of life but quantity of life as well . There are many conditions , such as arthritis , that you can suffer with that may cause pain or impede your quality of life but it ’ s likely you will still live as long . Heart problems can also mean your life expectancy is affected .
There are a number of factors that can affect your heart health . Men for example are more prone to heart problems than women . Age is another factor . If you have high cholesterol , high blood pressure , you smoke or become overweight , this is all bad for your heart . I would say in about 95 % of the cases we see , one , or a combination of the above , is present and they ’ re things we can all improve .
What can we do to keep our hearts healthy ? It basically comes down to three simple yet key things . Diet , Exercise and Weight . I can ’ t emphasise that enough . They are the most important things to always keep in mind . You may be keeping an eye on your blood pressure and don ’ t smoke but if your diet is unhealthy , you ’ re overweight , ( your BMI should be under 25 ) and you don ’ t go out for regular exercise – even a walk everyday - then there ’ s a much higher risk to cardiovascular health .
Keep those in check , and then if anything does happen with your heart , we have a much greater chance of fixing those issues .
So don ’ t mind if I DEW …. Diet , Exercise , Weight … now where did I put that leotard …
At Spire Murrayfield Hospital , Wirral , our consultants have wide experience in some of the latest techniques and innovations and our inclusive prices and access to 0 % finance options make the process easy and more affordable . For further information on our broad range of procedures and to find out more about our team of expert consultants search ' SpireWirral ' or call our specialist advisers on 0151 929 5408 .
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