St. Luke's can help assess your risk for heart problems and give you the tools you need to improve your heart health.

• Call (319) 369-8129 to sign up for St. Luke's Heart Check. Five easy tests assess your heart, vascular and stroke health.
• Call (319) 369-8909 to schedule a Heart Scan which identifies calcified plaque in your coronary arteries and assesses your heart's health. There are no injections, treadmills or pre-test fasting.
• Stop smoking with the help of St. Luke's Tobacco Cessation program.
• If you need to make exercise, nutrition and lifestyle changes, try the UnityPoint Health Weight  Loss Clinic.
• Know your numbers. Keep close tabs on your blood fats (LDL and triglycerides) and sugars. Both can be detected with simple blood tests taken by your primary care doctor.

PODCAST EPISODE: Know Your Number to Prevent Heart Disease
Dr. Richard Kettelkamp, St. Luke's Cardiology, returns to the podcast to discuss knowing your numbers to prevent heart disease. He and Dr. Arnold discuss blood pressure, weight, cholesterol and much more.

• Increase exercise. Aerobic exercise, such as walking, biking or swimming, for just 30 minutes a day, four to five days a week significantly improves your heart health.
• Eat a healthier diet. Avoid foods high in saturated fat, trans fat, salt and cholesterol. Eat more fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products.
• Cut down on alcohol. Drink no more than two drinks a day for men, one for women.
• Lose weight if you are overweight.
• Stay cool - relax! Stress is hard on your heart, so take a deep breath and avoid stressors when possible.

Heart Care Resources

Cholesterol

• Ask the Expert: What do the New Cholesterol Guidelines Mean for Me?
• Study shows benefit of fish oil
• Controlling Cholesterol: Keeping Healthy Levels
• What's the Big Deal About Cholesterol?

Exercise

• Cardiac Rehabilitation: Exercising for Your Heart 
• Mending Hearts with Cardiac Rehabilitation (Infographic)

General Heart Information

• Ask the expert: Would a heart check or scan be beneficial for me?
• 6 Heart Health Numbers You Should Know 
• Powerful Heart Health Advice from a Cardiologist
• Are You Positive You Have A Healthy Heart?
• 16 Surprising Facts About Your Heart (Infographic)

Heart Failure

• Are You Ignoring The Signs of Heart Failure? 
• 3 Steps to Managing Heart Failure
• Heart Failure Management: Helping You Navigate the New Normal

New Procedures

• Ask the Expert with Cardiothoracic Surgeon Tyrone Galbreath, DO: What are the surgical advances for esophageal cancer treatment?
• Watch a TAVR procedure - this minimally invasive procedure is an alternative to open heart surgery.
• Reducing Stroke Risk for Life: Watchman procedure
• Watch a exploratory radial catheterization procedure at UnityPoint Health 
• Minimally invasive heart valve procedure now offered at UnityPoint Health - Cedar Rapids

Patient Stories

• Complex TAVR now for low-risk patients: Les' Story
• Don't ignore heart attack warning signs: Dion's story
• An alternative to open heart surgery: Susan's story
• Don't Delay Heart Attack Treatment
• Relief for Painful Legs: Bob's story
• Heart attacks happen in young, healthy, active women
• Read Susan's Journey with Varicose Veins

Prevention

• How can technology advances impact heart health?
• Vascular Conditions 101: What Your Provider Wants You to Know
• 4 Things to Carry with You after a Heart Event
• 10 Head-to-Toe Effects of Alcohol (Infographic)
• Natural Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure
• Lasting Affects - Alcohol and Heart Health
• LiveWell TV: What can I do to prevent heart disease?
• Prevent Heart Disease With These Proven Heart-Healthy Habits

Food & Recipes

• Four Heart-Healthy Foods You Can Find at Your Local Farmer's Market 
• Heart Healthy Cooking & Taco Seasoning Recipe
• Foods to Love and Foods to Avoid for a Heart Healthy Diet (Infographic)
• #EatWellLiveWell: Get Creative With Cauliflower!
• #EatWellLiveWell: Maple-mustard Marinated Salmon Recipe
• HEART MONTH: Heart healthy recipes
• The Whole-Diet Approach to Heart Disease Prevention