Sometimes the best help you can give yourself is to avoid having to become a patient. This does not mean skipping doctor's appointments or not reporting your problems to your family physician. This simply means that there are many things that a person can do-or not do-to help themselves. Some of the most common problems which aid to an individual's heart disease are smoking, lack of exercise, a poor diet, uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, and unmonitored lipid levels/risk factors. The more you know about these issues the better your chances of never having to become a patient. However, it is almost certain that if you ignore these issues of practical sense you will at some point need the care of a cardiovascular physician. An ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure, especially when cures are harder to come by. Please follow the links below and learn about the things you need to do and the things you should never do.