With National Heart Month coming to a close, it is a great time to reflect on your cardiovascular health and learn some common practices to maintain your heart health. EZaccessMD is proud to offer echocardiograms as one of our many services to aid those with heart conditions and concerns. We sat down with Aliza Josephson, a licensed Cardiac Sonographer, to walk us through the basics of heart health, including symptoms of a possible heart condition.
Meet Aliza!
Aliza Josephson is a native of Rochester, NY where she studied echocardiology at Rochester Institute of Technology. Along with being a mother of two lively boys, Aliza has been a Cardiac Sonographer with EZaccessMD since 2013. Here are three tips Aliza provided us to ensure a healthy heart!
1. Exercise and Nutrition
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not easy but making some simple changes can make all the difference for your heart. Eating healthy and exercising are the best ways to take care of your body. “Going to the gym or doing some form of exercise – really anything to get your heart rate up is important. Also think about how you can eat healthier. Limiting greasy foods can significantly help your heart health,” Aliza explains.
When it comes to your heart, exercise and food directly impact how well your heart runs. Heart disease is an incredible issue in America. Make simple changes when possible to keep your heart and body in the best possible health.
2. Listen to Your Body
If you are concerned, there are important symptoms that signal it may be time to ask a doctor about your heart health. Aliza notes, “if you are experiencing shortness of breath at rest, shortness of breath after normal activities, such as walking, experiencing prolonged dizziness or swelling in your legs,” these are symptoms that could be caused by problems in your heart.
Whether you have a pre-existing heart condition or are beginning to notice symptoms with your heart health, echocardiograms are a common procedure to check up on your heart health. Aliza specializes in performing echocardiograms every day and sending them to a cardiologist for interpretation and a report.
3. Routine Maintenance
In simple terms, an echocardiogram is a non-invasive ultrasound of your heart. A doctor may also order an echocardiogram if a patient is exhibiting some of the aforementioned symptoms.
“When I do an echocardiogram I create video clips and still images. The still images give me the ability to measure the heart, valves, and chambers of the heart. We do video clips so we can see the way the heart moves," Aliza clarifies. When receiving an echocardiogram, a small amount of gel is placed on the patient’s chest to facilitate the T-shaped probe, along with EKG leads. The process is painless and only takes between 20-30 minutes to capture what is needed to send to the cardiologist for a full report.
Call Us Today!
If you are concerned about your heart health, EZaccessMD has U.S. board-certified doctors on call 24 hours a day for virtual appointments. If needed, an echocardiogram can be ordered to assess your heart. Our ultrasound machines, including those used for echocardiograms, can be brought to your home– making the process easy and convenient. To learn more about EZaccessMD, call 855-OUR-EZMD today.
