Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Chapter 12

Modern Medical Arsenal: Rx Weapons for Heat Disease

In This Chapter

Understanding what medical treatment includes

Supporting lifestyle modifications with medications and other therapies

Reviewing common drugs used to treat cardiac conditions

Keeping track of all your medications and why it’s important

At first glance, the term medical arsenal probably suggests drugs or medications to most people. Would it surprise you to know that medical treatment is any therapy that is not surgical? Although this chapter’s discussion focuses primarily on medications used in the treatment of the more common risk factors and manifestations of heart disease, it is important to remember that healthful lifestyle modifications and practices are the foundation of medical therapy for heart disease and its risk factors. Drugs and other medical treatments are used in conjunction with lifestyle measures, not in place of them.

In this chapter, I first discuss medical therapies for several risk factors for heart disease and then for some manifestations of heart disease, such as angina, heart attack, ...