Southcoast Health Cardiologist Shares Heart Health Tips

February is Heart Health Month, a time to raise awareness, gain knowledge and encourage others to take steps to improve their own heart health. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the country, affecting both men and women alike.

Southcoast Health Cardiologist Dr. Albert Lin specializes in heart health. He received his degree from Brown University and currently treats patients alongside his colleagues at the Southcoast Physicians Group Cardiology in Fairhaven.

"Heart disease is a pretty universal problem. Unfortunately, one of the leading or second leading causes of mortality in the world and particularly in the US, so it's something that is important to everybody here," Lin said.

He spoke with The MGM Show about the risks, warning signs and important information about heart health.

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Heart Services and Care Provided in the SouthCoast

"Southcoast is a very robust cardiac care program," Lin said. "We do basic procedures and perform, you know, even advanced heart interventions, minimally invasive repairs of valves and things like that, so, you know, it's an important topic for everybody."

Heart Disease Warning Signs

There are some common red flags and warning signs to be aware of when it comes to heart disease.

"The important issue is that the classic description of breast pain or angina is, you know, a left-sided pressure, a discomfort, you can almost imagine the heart is a muscle and heart pain is a muscle, it's kind of an ache that builds in intensity, you know, lingers for five or 10 minutes," Lin said.

Symptoms may not always look the same. Severity, reaction, length of pain can all vary patient to patient.

"Heart pain for everybody is a little bit different, we're not all wired internally the same. The pain fiber is a little bit different, so it's also a well-known fact that women can experience pain in a typical fashion," Lin said. "It may not be breast pain, it could be shoulder ache, shoulder discomfort, it could be neck pain, it could be pain in the jaw or the teeth, so it's variable."

Adults in their 50s and 60s are a typical demographic, but Dr. Lin said heart disease and conditions can appear much sooner.

"Heart disease starts occurring a lot earlier than people realize, so individuals in their 30s have already demonstrated signs of early plaque formation there and so it's never too early to start to be kind of considering your health," he said.

Diet Tips For Heart Health

Prevention is easy. A few alterations to your diet and exercise routine can go a long way.

"A lot of observational and epidemiologic studies suggest that a plant-based diet, mostly fruits and vegetables, can really extend kind of mortality, reduce plaque burden, really ideally like in a vegetarian diet for heart health is really thought to be optimal," Lin said.

"A useful framework is kind of the Mediterranean style diet, it has a lot of overlap with kind of the ideal diet, so that's high lean proteins, kind of nutrient-dense foods, low, low-fat dairy, trying to avoid red meat, pork, things like that," he said.

Seafood and fish, extra virgin olive oil, nuts and beans are all beneficial, too. Dr. Lin said processed foods should be avoided

What to Do and Where to Go for Help

Dr. Lin recommends avoiding a walk-in or scheduling an appointment with your primary care physician. Rather, head straight to the emergency room.

"The Cardiac Care Center on the SouthCoast is one of the top programs. It's received numerous awards, both locally and nationally" Lin said. "So if there was heart issues locally, you'd be in good hands there."