CAD Treatment Options 

There are many treatments for coronary artery disease.  First and foremost, the best treatments for CAD are lifestyle changes.  These are the least invasive and will actually help your entire body as well (not just your heart)!  These include, eating less fatty foods and including more fiber rich food, fruits, legumes, along with omega-fatty acid foots like fish in your diet (1).  It is also very important to limit alcoholic and salt intake, as these can both increase blood pressure, increasing the chances of obtaining coronary artery disease.... or perhaps something even more serious like a heart attack!  If you are a smoker, it is a good idea to quit as well as smoking can raise your risk of CAD (1). 

The second element for good preventative treatment for CAD is exercise!  Exercising can lower your bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase your good cholesterol (HDL) (1).  It can also help you stabilize your blood sugar, which is a huge plus if you have diabetes (1).  One of the biggest benefits of exercise is helping you maintain a healthy weight and getting rid of excess fat in your body.  This will lower your risk for CAD as well. 

Medicinal treatments include, cholesterol lowering drugs, aspirin, beta blockers, nitroglycerin, ACE inhibitors, and calcium channel blockers (2).  

If there are any significant obstructions to your heart, one of the main treatment options is a coronary artery bypass surgery.  The way this works is that blood vessels are taken from other parts of the body (chest, arm, and leg) and grafted onto the obstructed area of the coronary artery to allow blood to bypass the obstructed area (2). Another option is an angioplasty, where a tube with a balloon is placed into a blood vessel that goes to the obstructed are of the heart.  Once in place, a balloon inflates and opens up the obstructed artery.  A metal mesh called a stent is then left there to keep the narrowed vessel open (1). 

Angiography, Angioplasty, and Coronary Bypass

With so many life-saving options, why even worry about CAD?  Well, for one, would you rather go to the gym or have many procedures that can cost lots of $$$?  Also, there are risks for other complications such as an embolism that can go to the brain and cause a stroke, so take care of your body now so you don't get headaches later!!!! (pun intended)

Works Cited

1) How Is Coronary Heart Disease Treated? (2014, September 29). Retrieved February 13, 2015, from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/cad/treatment

2) Coronary Artery Disease - Treatment. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2015, from http://cardiac-surgery.med.nyu.edu/coronary-artery-disease-treatment