Posted by - J. Rand Baggesen, M.D.

Healthcare is a topic that relates to every person just a little bit differently. We all however have a stake in our own health. As the baby-boom generation moves into a more mature phase of life, it has never been more important to become invested in one’s own preventative care. As a primary care physician, it is my roll to help my patients understand what they and medical technology can do to maintain their health at the highest levels throughout one’s life. To do so, it is essential to understand where your health risks are greatest. Knowing your family history is so important as the discoveries of genetic medicine accelerate. Your lifestyle, diet, exercise habits and stress levels will impact your health in either a positive or negative manor and are factors that must be acknowledged and managed.

Lets look at the most common causes of death and work backwards to see what we can all do to minimize our own risk. Vascular disease in its many forms, heart attack and stroke, causes about 50% of all mortality in America. Cancer, chronic lung disease, accidents and diabetes all take their toll.

We have data today that shows we can change the course and prevent vascular disease; cure cancer if found early enough; manage lung disease and diabetes. To change the outcome of these human conditions however, it is necessary to discover the root cause of these problems early enough to prevent the damage that can occur over time.

Take a quick inventory of your healthcare, answer the following questions:

1. What is your BMI?
2. What is your blood pressure?
3. What is your lipoprotein profile?
4. Are you up to date with cancer screening?

I will use heart disease as the point of focus in order to illustrate what I mean by preventative healthcare today. Heart disease occurs as cholesterol accumulates within the walls of the arteries which supply blood to the heart. Over time these collections, plaques, can prevent blood-flow or rupture acutely causing a heart attack. How can we tell if cholesterol is building up in our own bodies? The Framingham Heart Study discovered that 80% of people how have heart attacks have the same “cholesterol” as those who don’t have heart disease. So why all the talk about cholesterol? In 2006 its time to talk about lipoproteins which are the molecules in our bodies that transport cholesterol both into the artery wall and conversely, out of the plaque back to the liver. Knowing what types of lipoprotein particles you have is at the forefront of managing your cholesterol and modifying the risk of plaque accumulation. We have the technology to now look inside the arteries of your body and see the earliest signs of plaque accumulation, a pathologic process. If you happen to be one of the 80% of people who get heart disease with what we have long called normal cholesterol levels, this insight can guide the more aggressive management of your lipoproteins and prevent heart disease.

Vascular ultrasound with intimal media thickness measurement is the only non-invasive imaging test approved by the American Heart Association to identify the early signs of vascular disease, the nation’s #1 killer. Combining cutting edge lipoprotein analysis and vascular imaging can highlight early disease not identifiable prior to these prevention technologies. Through therapeutic lifestyle changes and medical therapy, we can now prevent the progression and even reverse known heart disease.

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