In this radio interview, Dr. Aarush Manchanda explains his heart house analogy and what heart disease risk factors are involved in families with a history of heart problems.

The first question Dr. Manchanda is asked in this interview is why he has described his approach to heart health as the “artisan’s approach.” Dr. Manchanda explains that it’s because he wants to emphasize the fact that one size doesn’t fit all. All of our houses look different and all of our needs are different, which is why he’s a strong believer that the standard approach to medicine we all seem to take for granted is not the solution. Instead, we need to have an artisan’s approach.

How Can We Get the Right Information About Heart Health?

People would probably take better care of themselves if they knew how. But it’s often hard to figure out how best to do it, and where to find the right information. That’s why Dr. Manchanda’s book explains extremely complex cardiology in very simple terms, using the heart house analogy.

Our heart has plumbing, electricity, and doors, just like our houses. And by using these examples, Dr. Manchanda helps people to understand what’s involved when someone’s had a heart attack (a plumbing problem), an atrial fibrillation (an electricity problem), or a leaky valve (a door problem). This is the biggest thing with heart health – the need to fine tune knowledge so people understand things better. That way, people are more empowered to make decisions that are more relevant to them.

Is Heart Disease Genetic and Can We Do Anything About It?

Dr. Manchanda uses the saying that “history repeats itself, and if it doesn’t, it often rhymes” to describe the hereditary factors involved in heart disease. That’s because researchers have found that if you have a strong family history of heart disease, this is a big risk factor and it does play a role, but there are many other risk factors, too. However, if you do belong to a family with a history of heart disease it puts more ownership on you to get to know more about the disease, taking steps to reverse it and prevent that heart attack or stroke from happening.

There are definitely ways that you can do this with changes in lifestyle, even if there is this history. Prevent yourself from changing from a person to a patient because that’s what Dr. Manchanda wants – people not patients.

To learn more about heart disease, heart healthy habits, and more, discover the book "Artisan's Approach to Your Heart," and take control of your heart health today.