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Heart Health: Signs You Need A Heart Check-Up And How to Keep Your Heart Healthy
What to do if you have heart-related symptoms? How do you find a great cardiologist? How can you keep your heart healthy? Dr. Benjamin Tillinger with Emerson Health Cardiology answers these questions and more.
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Learn more about Benjamin Tillinger, MD
Benjamin Tillinger, MD
Benjamin Tillinger, MD is a Cardiologist with Emerson Health Cardiology.Learn more about Benjamin Tillinger, MD
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Heart Health: Signs You Need A Heart Check-Up And How to Keep Your Heart Healthy
Caitlin Whyte: Heart health is so important to maintain no matter your age. So today, we are discussing some common heart health questions doctors hear and some tips to keep your heart healthy. Joining us for this episode is Dr. Benjamin Tillinger, a cardiologist with Emerson Health Cardiology.
This is Health Works Here. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. Well, doctor, thank you for being with us today. To start us off, how can you tell if you might have a heart issue?
Benjamin Tillinger, MD: There are many symptoms that can signify a heart issue. It can range from feeling palpitations or racing heartbeats or skipping heartbeats if it's related to an arrhythmia. Certainly, when patients have chest discomfort, whether that's a chest pain or a burning or tightness in the chest, which could be more consistent with angina or blocked arteries or ischemic heart disease. And then, a very common one is they'll get short of breath either with exertion or, for some patients, even at rest or when they lay down to sleep at night. All of these are common symptoms suggestive of a potential heart issue.
Caitlin Whyte: So if I'm suffering from any of those symptoms, what should I do first?
Benjamin Tillinger, MD: Certainly, it depends on the severity of the symptoms. Obviously, in an acute setting, if someone's having severe symptoms that are not resolving on their own, dialing 911 and getting to the emergency department is very important. Because symptoms can be somewhat atypical or different for every patient, we often ask people to be mindful and noticing when they're having these symptoms and have a fairly low threshold for calling and checking in. If symptoms are milder or only occurring with certain activities or at certain times, but then resolve, it's best to start with a primary care doctor evaluation, who then would often refer a patient on to see a cardiologist like myself.
Caitlin Whyte: So if you need a cardiologist, how can you find one that will be a good fit?
Benjamin Tillinger, MD: Well, first and foremost, getting a referral from a primary care doctor is often the best step. Primary care doctors know the cardiologists in the area and are generally able to make some good recommendations and referrals. And then secondly, it is always important to find a good fit with all of your healthcare providers. There are different personalities and different chemistries and different styles of practice. As in our style of practice, we tend to have all of our patients seen by the cardiologist at least for the initial visit. We also work closely with our nurse practitioner team so that patients have access to a provider more frequently. And it's important that the chemistry is there so that there's comfort and easy rapport. My goal when I see patients is to make sure they understand what the problem is, what the symptoms might be and how we're going to address it. I always like to make sure patients know that the different options, as far as managing it, whether that's simple things like diet and exercise, whether that's medications, whether that's procedures and kind of understanding all of the risks and rewards and pros and cons of those approaches.
Caitlin Whyte: So then, you make that first visit, what should you expect at your first appointment with a cardiologist?
Benjamin Tillinger, MD: At almost all cardiology appointments, you're going to have some basic evaluations such as vital signs, blood pressure, heart rate. Most cardiologists will do an EKG on the first visit as well. Depending on the symptoms that someone is having, often we'll require further evaluation. That could include something as a heart monitor, a stress test, an echocardiogram, or other ways that we evaluate the heart because cardiology and heart health is so important. We often take most of these symptoms and complaints very seriously until we've evaluated all the potential possibilities. It's important when patients come in for their initial evaluations, that they're very transparent with their symptoms. There's certainly no advantage with hiding or minimizing symptoms. It's important that the doctors are able to get to the root of the cause and see what we can do to address it.
Caitlin Whyte: That's always a great reminder to just say everything that's on your mind. In general, doctor, what are some of the best ways that we can keep our hearts healthy?
Benjamin Tillinger, MD: You know, that's a great question. And it's very important to me. I discuss with my patients overall heart health on almost every single visit. The basics are things that most people know, but are not always easy to implement. So eating a healthy diet, exercising and getting adequate rest are probably the cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle in general. When it comes to cardiovascular health, exercise is probably the most important thing that patients need to make sure they're maintaining throughout their life. Our recommendation is to get 150 minutes of cardio exercise every week. Cardio exercise is generally sustained activity where your heart rate is elevated. I don't necessarily recommend that patients have to monitor their heart rate when they're exercising, but exercising to the point where they know they're getting some exercise where they're breathing a little bit heavy, but they're able to do 20 or 30 minutes without stopping and ideally you want to get to about 150 minutes per week.
Caitlin Whyte: And wrapping up here, doctor, I know there's a lot of food that is bad for your heart, but what are some of the best foods to eat for heart health?
Benjamin Tillinger, MD: This is always an evolving topic and we always try and stay most current with the research that continues to evolve. The basic principles are eating a diet that is low in saturated fats, as well as a diet that is relatively low in carbohydrates; focusing on healthy proteins, such as fish chicken, or vegetable proteins; trying to minimize the amount of dairy and red meat products as these definitely will impact cholesterol and heart health; focusing on healthy fruits and vegetables as a part of their diet is also very important. And I also recommend, you know, certain healthy foods that are always going to be beneficial. Things like avocados, walnuts, things that have healthy oils and fats and minimal amounts of carbohydrates and what I would call bad fats.
Caitlin Whyte: Well, just some great tips and information here today. Dr. Tillinger, thank you for being with us and sharing. To learn more, you can call 978-287-8767 or visit emersonhealth.org. And thank you for listening to the Health Works Here Podcast. Subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast source, including Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, and Spotify. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. We'll see you next time.
Heart Health: Signs You Need A Heart Check-Up And How to Keep Your Heart Healthy
Caitlin Whyte: Heart health is so important to maintain no matter your age. So today, we are discussing some common heart health questions doctors hear and some tips to keep your heart healthy. Joining us for this episode is Dr. Benjamin Tillinger, a cardiologist with Emerson Health Cardiology.
This is Health Works Here. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. Well, doctor, thank you for being with us today. To start us off, how can you tell if you might have a heart issue?
Benjamin Tillinger, MD: There are many symptoms that can signify a heart issue. It can range from feeling palpitations or racing heartbeats or skipping heartbeats if it's related to an arrhythmia. Certainly, when patients have chest discomfort, whether that's a chest pain or a burning or tightness in the chest, which could be more consistent with angina or blocked arteries or ischemic heart disease. And then, a very common one is they'll get short of breath either with exertion or, for some patients, even at rest or when they lay down to sleep at night. All of these are common symptoms suggestive of a potential heart issue.
Caitlin Whyte: So if I'm suffering from any of those symptoms, what should I do first?
Benjamin Tillinger, MD: Certainly, it depends on the severity of the symptoms. Obviously, in an acute setting, if someone's having severe symptoms that are not resolving on their own, dialing 911 and getting to the emergency department is very important. Because symptoms can be somewhat atypical or different for every patient, we often ask people to be mindful and noticing when they're having these symptoms and have a fairly low threshold for calling and checking in. If symptoms are milder or only occurring with certain activities or at certain times, but then resolve, it's best to start with a primary care doctor evaluation, who then would often refer a patient on to see a cardiologist like myself.
Caitlin Whyte: So if you need a cardiologist, how can you find one that will be a good fit?
Benjamin Tillinger, MD: Well, first and foremost, getting a referral from a primary care doctor is often the best step. Primary care doctors know the cardiologists in the area and are generally able to make some good recommendations and referrals. And then secondly, it is always important to find a good fit with all of your healthcare providers. There are different personalities and different chemistries and different styles of practice. As in our style of practice, we tend to have all of our patients seen by the cardiologist at least for the initial visit. We also work closely with our nurse practitioner team so that patients have access to a provider more frequently. And it's important that the chemistry is there so that there's comfort and easy rapport. My goal when I see patients is to make sure they understand what the problem is, what the symptoms might be and how we're going to address it. I always like to make sure patients know that the different options, as far as managing it, whether that's simple things like diet and exercise, whether that's medications, whether that's procedures and kind of understanding all of the risks and rewards and pros and cons of those approaches.
Caitlin Whyte: So then, you make that first visit, what should you expect at your first appointment with a cardiologist?
Benjamin Tillinger, MD: At almost all cardiology appointments, you're going to have some basic evaluations such as vital signs, blood pressure, heart rate. Most cardiologists will do an EKG on the first visit as well. Depending on the symptoms that someone is having, often we'll require further evaluation. That could include something as a heart monitor, a stress test, an echocardiogram, or other ways that we evaluate the heart because cardiology and heart health is so important. We often take most of these symptoms and complaints very seriously until we've evaluated all the potential possibilities. It's important when patients come in for their initial evaluations, that they're very transparent with their symptoms. There's certainly no advantage with hiding or minimizing symptoms. It's important that the doctors are able to get to the root of the cause and see what we can do to address it.
Caitlin Whyte: That's always a great reminder to just say everything that's on your mind. In general, doctor, what are some of the best ways that we can keep our hearts healthy?
Benjamin Tillinger, MD: You know, that's a great question. And it's very important to me. I discuss with my patients overall heart health on almost every single visit. The basics are things that most people know, but are not always easy to implement. So eating a healthy diet, exercising and getting adequate rest are probably the cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle in general. When it comes to cardiovascular health, exercise is probably the most important thing that patients need to make sure they're maintaining throughout their life. Our recommendation is to get 150 minutes of cardio exercise every week. Cardio exercise is generally sustained activity where your heart rate is elevated. I don't necessarily recommend that patients have to monitor their heart rate when they're exercising, but exercising to the point where they know they're getting some exercise where they're breathing a little bit heavy, but they're able to do 20 or 30 minutes without stopping and ideally you want to get to about 150 minutes per week.
Caitlin Whyte: And wrapping up here, doctor, I know there's a lot of food that is bad for your heart, but what are some of the best foods to eat for heart health?
Benjamin Tillinger, MD: This is always an evolving topic and we always try and stay most current with the research that continues to evolve. The basic principles are eating a diet that is low in saturated fats, as well as a diet that is relatively low in carbohydrates; focusing on healthy proteins, such as fish chicken, or vegetable proteins; trying to minimize the amount of dairy and red meat products as these definitely will impact cholesterol and heart health; focusing on healthy fruits and vegetables as a part of their diet is also very important. And I also recommend, you know, certain healthy foods that are always going to be beneficial. Things like avocados, walnuts, things that have healthy oils and fats and minimal amounts of carbohydrates and what I would call bad fats.
Caitlin Whyte: Well, just some great tips and information here today. Dr. Tillinger, thank you for being with us and sharing. To learn more, you can call 978-287-8767 or visit emersonhealth.org. And thank you for listening to the Health Works Here Podcast. Subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast source, including Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, and Spotify. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. We'll see you next time.