The Final Three Keys to Heart Health

4. Consider other tests or a more sophisticated cholesterol screening to identify your good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol levels.

For example, when I was in the hospital with a 95% blockage of my artery, my good and bad cholesterol levels were just fine, so we did a special screening to separate out the components of the bad cholesterol to see if one was out of kilter and the rest were masking it. That wasn't the case, and my cholesterol was fine. Such anomalies have led doctors to wonder about the reliability of cholesterol as a marker of heart disease. Newer tests, such as Homocystene and C-Reactive Protein, hold great promise for identifying heart disease risk, but are not yet widely in use.

5. Learn which tests will tell you whether your symptoms are heart-related.

Your doctor can administer a simple and quick EKG (electrocardiogram). If it's abnormal, as mine was, the next step is a stress test with ultrasound. Stress tests are more expensive, but also more telling, and are not invasive. If a stress test indicates a problem, the next step is probably cardiac catheterization, which is highly reliable, but also invasive. For this, the doctor places a tiny slit in the artery in your upper leg, inserts a catheter into the artery, and pumps in dye to watch the blood flow via a special screen. (Don't worry, you're under anesthesia and won't feel it.) It was through this process that we identified my blockage. There are other tests as well, but these are the most common.

6. Stay up-to-date on the latest in heart health research.

Yes, I know it's hard to do--you have too much on your plate already. My complimentary e-zine can help you keep up with the latest research, and there's a list of great health and medical resources on my site as well.

The life you save may be your own, and lots of people need you.

Read more from Melanie True Hills at VibrantNation.com