Seeking a cardiologist in Los Angeles that can fit your specific needs is crucial to taking the next step towards treating your heart condition. Aside from a referral from your general physician, you might want to trust in recommendations from friends or family. Still, there are several factors to consider in choosing the best cardiologist for you.

One way to seek out a good cardiologist is by looking online. To find a cardiologist in Los Angeles, you simply can type in Los Angeles cardiologist in any search engine and find endless amounts of information on local heart specialists along with their credentials and certifications. Most hospitals also offer directories on their websites that allow patients in search of a doctor to look through the credentials, certifications, sub-specialties, education, training and possible malpractice information, in addition to other medical history.

It is also important to choose a cardiologist that is associated with a credible hospital or medical center. Whether big or small, hospitals that have a good reputation have acquired such because of the excellent care they provide. Do some research and don't just settle on the biggest hospital, smaller hospitals can be recognized as well.

Another critical factor to look at when selecting a cardiologist, especially in seeking treatment, is his or her experience in the field. If you are required to undergo a particular surgery, make sure your cardiologist has performed the procedure many times with consistent results, so that you can trust and feel comfortable in their hands. Just as well, their facilities should be up to date and able to handle any type of treatment needed. For example, in ordering a cardiac CT scan, the facilities should have the best, most reliable equipment available, to reduce the risk of error or complication.

Last but definitely not least, the cardiologist you choose should be one you are able to actively communicate with. Your doctor should be able to answer any questions you may have about your treatment, procedures like an angiograph or CT heart scan, general care, or any other question you may have, and do so in a way that you can understand. Some doctors are only interested in the medical side of things, but you should find one that is interested in both the quality of the medical care they are providing, as well as the concerns of you as a patient. Overall, it is important to feel comfortable with the doctor you have chosen and be able to talk to him or her about anything related to your medical care.



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During my routine medical check up last week for the insurance company, I was asking the doctor what is the cost of testing for homocysteine and the GP was actually quite surprised or I would say shocked by my question.

Why do you need and want to test it for? The doctor asked.

I told him on a book "What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutritional Medicine That May Be Killing You" written by Dr. Ray Strand stating that quite a big percentage of people who died from heart attack did not have high cholesterol levels but a high level of homocysteine.

The doctor then asked me not to completely trust what the book or information on the web says and commented that the check is not that important as compared to checking my cholesterol level.

I agreed with the doctor in a way that we should not just trust completely or blindly what we have heard and follow but instead we must all have an attitude like those of students; students who study the information and make our own judgment and in any case that the information is correct, we should then turn it to be our own facts. If the information given is not correct, then we have to do our own due diligence to find out more and what can be construed as our own facts.

We should not just make a statement saying that we should not trust any type of information we see or read and ignore the whole thing. I would like to re-quote a saying that goes like this: "Acquiring of knowledge may cost some money but try ignorance!"



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Your doctor may order a blood test called a LIPID PROFILE to help diagnose your risk of heart disease. You must be fasting for this blood test. The word "lipid" refers to any type of fat. An excess of fat will build up in the walls of your arteries, causing thickening, making your heart pump harder.

This profile consists of the following tests:

* Blood Cholesterol Level Cholesterol is used by the body in cell membranes, to make hormones, and to make Vitamin D. Excess cholesterol can crystallize in the gall bladder to form gallstones. Too much cholesterol is also associated with arteriosclerosis. Cholesterol blood levels should be less than 200 mg/dl. Cholesterol travels through the blood attached to LIPOPROTEINS. There are two types of LIPOPROTEINS.
* HDL HDL stands for HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN. You want your HDL level to be HIGH. HDL is called the "good cholesterol." HDL's carry cholesterol out of the bloodstream to be excreted. HDL levels for men should be 40-50 mg/dl. For females, 50-60 mg/dl.
* LDL LDL stands for LOW DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN. You want your LDL level to be LOW. These lipoproteins carry cholesterol to the body's tissues. LDL with cholesterol can accumulate inside blood vessels, causing arteriosclerosis. LDL levels should be less than 100 mg/dl.
* Triglyceride Level Triglycerides are a form of fat. They are stored in your fat cells and also float in the blood stream. They're a supply fuel for energy. Elevated levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease. Normal levels should be less than 150 mg/dl.

Your cholesterol and triglyceride levels can be helped by diet and exercise. In some cases, medication may be needed to keep these levels within normal ranges.



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