For some people, lifestyle changes, such as adopting a heart-healthy diet, exercising more, and quitting smoking, are the only heart disease treatment that's required. When lifestyle changes alone are not sufficient, medication (such as beta blockers) may necessary. Treatment may also include procedures such as angioplasty or open heart surgery. Your exact heart disease treatment will likely depend on your overall health, the extent of your disease, and your risk of problems in the future.
Adopting new habits, such as not smoking, following a heart-healthy eating plan, maintaining a healthy weight, and becoming more physically active, can go a long way in helping to reduce your risk for worsened heart disease. You may need to manage certain risk factors vigorously. For example, having heart disease means that if you have high levels of a type of cholesterol called low density lipoprotein (LDL) -- the "bad cholesterol" -- your goal should be to bring the level to below 100 mg/dL. Review your risk factors for heart disease with your doctor and discuss how to reduce or eliminate each one. For some people, these changes may be the only heart disease treatment needed.
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