Dinesh Thakur, MD, Cardiologist, talks about the importance of cardiac health and preventive care.
DINESH THAKUR: The most rewarding and exciting part of being a cardiologist is to see the patient who come in with pain and distress, and wake up with the big smile next day. And go home in a few days, and come back living a productive life. But what's peculiar about my practice is that I enjoy even the preventive aspect of the cardiology. In my practice I get referred patients with several symptoms. And after doing a variety of tests many patients don't have heart disease, but I make sure that they leave my office understanding how to prevent heart disease. It's like planting a tree. You will not see fruits tomorrow. Tree's take time to grow and bear fruits. Similarly here, there is not instant gratification of making patients better. But there is a sense of doing something good for their future. I love to talk to them about their diet. I teach them how to read nutrition labels, talk to them about high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, and sleep apnea, and how it affects heart disease. I try to understand the lifestyle in terms of their physical activity, and exercise habits. And guide them towards making changes towards a healthier lifestyle. I'm a firm believer of prevention is better than cure. I look forward to working with differing for patients to improve the cardiac health of community in general.
