Heart Health, Reimagined with Dr. Mona Shah, MD

Mona Shah

You passed your stress test. Your numbers looked fine. And you still don't feel sure your heart is actually okay. That feeling is worth paying attention to.I'm Dr. Mona Shah, a triple board-certified preventive cardiologist focused on the early detection of heart disease, advanced cardiac imaging, and integrative cardiovascular care. After 20 years in traditional cardiology, I built a practice focused on what medicine too often waits too long to do: find cardiovascular disease before it becomes a heart attack.On this channel, I share clear, evidence-based insights on heart health, longevity, and prevention. We dig into coronary CT angiography, CAC scoring, plaque detection, cholesterol, ApoB, and advanced lipid testing, plus the lifestyle factors that actually protect your heart: nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, metabolic health, and inflammation. If you've been told everything looks normal but still have questions, this channel is for you.New videos every week.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    Cardiologist Reveals the #1 Thing She Recommends Alongside Statins

    You have plaque. Now what? Half the internet says everyone over 50 needs a statin. The other half says statins are poison. Both sides are missing the point, and getting stuck between them can cost you years of protection you didn't need to lose. In this episode, I'm going to walk you through the real truth about statins, the newer non statin medications most people have never heard of, and where supplements actually fit into a plaque reversal plan. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS  0:00 Cardiologist Reveals the #1 Thing She Recommends Alongside Statins 1:57 What we're actually targeting with ApoB  3:15 Why the old cholesterol model fails patients  5:07 The truth about statins nobody explains  7:14 Non statin options beyond statins  8:57 Why I take a PCSK9 inhibitor myself  10:20 Where supplements can genuinely help  11:15 Questions to ask your cardiologist  12:10 Building your own precision plan ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED  What should you do if a coronary CTA shows plaque?  Focus on lowering ApoB and inflammation using the right mix of diet, supplements, and medication for your specific numbers. A single drug or lifestyle change alone rarely solves plaque risk, so treatment needs to be personalized to your labs and imaging. Are statins bad for you?  No, statins have decades of evidence showing they lower heart attacks, strokes, and death. The right statin and dose depends on the individual, so they are not one size fits all, and dismissing them outright ignores strong outcome data. What are alternatives to statins for lowering cholesterol?  Options include ezetimibe, PCSK9 inhibitors like repatha or inclisiran, and bempedoic acid, all of which have proven outcome data beyond simply lowering lab numbers. These can be used alongside or instead of statins depending on your ApoB and Lp(a) results. 📱 RESOURCES  Website: www.drmonashah.com  IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmonashahmd/  Blog: https://drmonashah.wordpress.com/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly content on what preventive cardiology actually looks like, including the tests, labs, and conversations most cardiologists never start. ABOUT DR. MONA SHAH:  Dr. Mona Shah is a triple board-certified cardiologist in cardiology, holistic medicine, and coronary CT. After 20 years inside conventional cardiology, she left to build a practice that does what the standard system rarely does: look inside the artery wall before something goes wrong. She uses advanced imaging, including coronary CTA with AI analysis, to give patients a real picture of their cardiac risk. She specializes in patients with a family history of heart disease, elevated ApoB or Lp(a), and anyone who has been told they're fine but still isn't sure. #HeartDisease #PreventiveCardiology #CoronaryCTA #HeartAttackPrevention #HolisticCardiologist

  2. Aug 13

    What Should You Eat For Optimal Heart Health? What a Cardiologist Actually Eats

    🎁 Learn more about Dr. Mona Shah: www.drmonashah.com Eat the butter. Don't eat the butter. Cholesterol doesn't matter. Cholesterol is everything. Go carnivore. Go vegan. No wonder you're confused. The diet world contradicts itself every single day, and it should be the easiest place to protect your heart, not the most confusing. In this episode, I'm going to cut through the noise on fat, cholesterol, keto, and carnivore, and show you exactly what actually lowers the numbers that build plaque in your arteries. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS  0:00 What Should You Eat For Optimal Heart Health? What a Cardiologist Actually Eats 0:59 The best diet is the one you can sustain  1:32 Why the Mediterranean pattern wins  2:10 The 80/20 rule for eating out  3:05 Is fat actually bad for your heart  4:19 The truth about dietary cholesterol  5:19 Why some people are hyper absorbers  6:19 ApoB versus LDL explained  7:00 The portfolio diet that lowers ApoB 23%  9:34 How to actually read food labels ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED  Is cholesterol in food actually bad for your heart?  For most people, dietary cholesterol has a limited effect because 80 percent of your body's cholesterol is made by your liver. About 30 percent of people are hyper absorbers who take in far more cholesterol from food, so checking your ApoB is the only way to know which group you fall into. What is the best diet for heart health?  The strongest evidence supports a Mediterranean pattern leaning toward pescatarian or vegetarian, built on vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish, and low added sugar. Adding the portfolio diet, which includes plant proteins, viscous fiber, and plant sterols, can lower LDL by about 30 percent and ApoB by about 23 percent. Does saturated fat matter more than protein source?  Yes. Research shows that eating high saturated fat keeps ApoB elevated regardless of whether your protein comes from animals or plants. The only combination that lowered ApoB was low saturated fat paired with more plant protein. 📱 RESOURCES  Website: www.drmonashah.com  IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmonashahmd/  Blog: https://drmonashah.wordpress.com/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly content on what preventive cardiology actually looks like, including the tests, labs, and conversations most cardiologists never start. ABOUT DR. MONA SHAH:  Dr. Mona Shah is a triple board-certified cardiologist in cardiology, holistic medicine, and coronary CT. After 20 years inside conventional cardiology, she left to build a practice that does what the standard system rarely does: look inside the artery wall before something goes wrong. She uses advanced imaging, including coronary CTA with AI analysis, to give patients a real picture of their cardiac risk. She specializes in patients with a family history of heart disease, elevated ApoB or Lp(a), and anyone who has been told they're fine but still isn't sure. #HeartDisease #PreventiveCardiology #CoronaryCTA #HeartAttackPrevention #HolisticCardiologist

  3. Aug 6

    The 5 Supplements I Actually Take for My Heart (And How to Take Them Right)

    If you have a drawer full of supplements you started because of something you read or watched, this episode is for you. Most people either take too many supplements or none at all, and both approaches miss the point. The real problem is almost never the supplement itself. It's that nobody matches it to the right person, in the right form, at the right dose. In this episode, I'm going to walk you through the exact 5 supplements I take myself and recommend most often for heart health, including the forms, doses, and interactions you need to know before you start. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS  0:00 The 5 Supplements I Actually Take for My Heart (And How to Take Them Right) 1:24 Omega 3 for triglycerides and plaque  2:33 Why 44% of people are omega 3 deficient  3:00 Magnesium, my number one recommendation  4:44 Vitamin D3 deficiency and heart risk  6:00 Vitamin K2 and where calcium should go  7:19 CoQ10 for statins and low energy  8:23 Putting all 5 supplements together  9:04 What to actually do before you buy anything ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED  What supplements does a cardiologist actually take for heart health?  Dr. Mona Shah takes omega 3, magnesium, vitamin D3, vitamin K2, and CoQ10 for heart health. She recommends checking blood levels first and choosing the right form of each before adding any supplement.  Does magnesium help heart rhythm and blood pressure?  Yes, magnesium supports a steady heart rhythm, calms the nervous system, helps with sleep, and can lower blood pressure. The form matters, with glycinate best for sleep, L-threonate for stress, and citrate for constipation, so magnesium oxide should be avoided due to poor absorption.  Should vitamin D and vitamin K2 be taken together?  Vitamin D3 and K2 work as a team because D3 helps you absorb calcium while K2 directs that calcium into bones instead of arteries. Both are fat soluble and absorbed better with a meal containing healthy fat. 📱 RESOURCES Website: www.drmonashah.com  IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmonashahmd/  Blog: https://drmonashah.wordpress.com/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly content on what preventive cardiology actually looks like, including the tests, labs, and conversations most cardiologists never start. ABOUT DR. MONA SHAH:  Dr. Mona Shah is a triple board certified cardiologist in cardiology, holistic medicine, and coronary CT. After 20 years inside conventional cardiology, she left to build a practice that does what the standard system rarely does: look inside the artery wall before something goes wrong. She uses advanced imaging, including coronary CTA with AI analysis, to give patients a real picture of their cardiac risk. She specializes in patients with a family history of heart disease, elevated ApoB or Lp(a), and anyone who has been told they're fine but still isn't sure. #HeartDisease #PreventiveCardiology #CoronaryCTA #HeartAttackPrevention #HolisticCardiologist

  4. Jul 30

    5 Hidden Signs Your Heart Is Already At Risk

    Stress is not just a feeling in your head. It physically changes how your heart operates, and most people never connect the dots until something goes wrong. Your body cannot tell the difference between a stressful email and a real emergency, and that matters more than you think. Over time, that constant alarm state wears down your cardiovascular system in ways that rarely show up on a standard checkup. In this episode, I'm going to walk through five hidden signs that stress is already affecting your heart, and what you can actually do about it starting today. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 5 Hidden Signs Your Heart Is Already At Risk  0:20 Rising resting heart rate explained 1:19 What heart rate variability really means 2:02 Why your cardiologist never checks this 3:10 Blood pressure that does not match your lifestyle 4:36 Why exercise alone will not fix chronic stress 5:39 Tired but wired at night 7:10 Unexplained high inflammation markers 9:41 Building a real preventive plan for stress ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED What are the signs that stress is damaging your heart? Common signs include a creeping resting heart rate, low heart rate variability, unexplained high blood pressure that does not match your lifestyle, feeling tired but wired at night, and unexplained high inflammation markers like CRP. These signs often show up years before a formal diagnosis, which is why tracking them early matters. Can exercise undo the effects of chronic stress on the heart? Exercise lowers stress hormones for a few hours, but it does not fix a chronically elevated stress baseline caused by ongoing life stressors like work or caregiving. You need direct stress management strategies alongside exercise, not exercise alone. Why does chronic stress raise blood pressure? Chronic stress keeps your nervous system in fight or flight mode, which constricts blood vessels and forces your heart to work harder, directly raising blood pressure. Left unmanaged, this can lead to lasting vascular damage over time. 📱 RESOURCES Website: www.drmonashah.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmonashahmd/ Blog: https://drmonashah.wordpress.com/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly content on what preventive cardiology actually looks like, including the tests, labs, and conversations most cardiologists never start. ABOUT DR. MONA SHAH: Dr. Mona Shah is a triple board-certified cardiologist in cardiology, holistic medicine, and coronary CT. After 20 years inside conventional cardiology, she left to build a practice that does what the standard system rarely does: look inside the artery wall before something goes wrong. She uses advanced imaging, including coronary CTA with AI analysis, to give patients a real picture of their cardiac risk. She specializes in patients with a family history of heart disease, elevated ApoB or Lp(a), and anyone who has been told they're fine but still isn't sure. #HeartDisease #PreventiveCardiology #CoronaryCTA #HeartAttackPrevention #HolisticCardiologist

  5. Jul 23

    Cardiologist Reveals: The Cardio That Actually Protects Your Heart

    There is a way to exercise that cuts your heart disease risk by nearly 50%. Most people never hear about it from their doctor. They just get told to do cardio, and that advice means almost nothing on its own. In this episode, I'm going to show you the exact combination of training that protects your heart far more than steady cardio alone, plus the one fitness number that predicts how long you'll live. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Cardiologist Reveals: The Cardio That Actually Protects Your Heart 0:33 Why moderate cardio alone is not enough 1:35 The VO2 max number your doctor never mentions 2:36 The three things that actually raise VO2 max 3:39 Three questions to check if your workout plan works 5:04 The three part plan for maximum heart protection 5:20 How to structure real HIIT training 6:53 Resistance training and heart disease risk 8:49 Your first week plan, day by day 9:02 A safety note before you increase intensity ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q: What is the best type of cardio for heart health? A: The best approach combines moderate aerobic activity with high intensity interval training and resistance training twice a week. Moderate cardio alone only reduces cardiovascular mortality risk by 18 to 29%, while adding resistance training raises that to 40 to 46%. Q: What is VO2 max and why does it matter for heart health? A: VO2 max measures how well your heart and body perform under real physical effort, and it predicts risk of death more strongly than blood pressure, cholesterol, or diabetes. Raising it requires workouts with real intensity, not just steady, comfortable movement. Q: How often should you do HIIT and resistance training for heart protection? A: Aim for two HIIT sessions and two resistance training sessions per week, alongside two to three days of moderate aerobic activity. This combination produces significantly more cardiovascular protection than cardio alone. 📱 RESOURCES Website: www.drmonashah.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmonashahmd/ Blog: https://drmonashah.wordpress.com/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly content on what preventive cardiology actually looks like, including the tests, labs, and conversations most cardiologists never start. ABOUT DR. MONA SHAH:  Dr. Mona Shah is a triple board-certified cardiologist in cardiology, holistic medicine, and coronary CT. After 20 years inside conventional cardiology, she left to build a practice that does what the standard system rarely does: look inside the artery wall before something goes wrong. She uses advanced imaging, including coronary CTA with AI analysis, to give patients a real picture of their cardiac risk. She specializes in patients with a family history of heart disease, elevated ApoB or Lp(a), and anyone who has been told they're fine but still isn't sure. #HeartDisease #PreventiveCardiology #CoronaryCTA #HeartAttackPrevention #HolisticCardiologist

  6. Jul 16

    Heart Doctor Reveals Frightening Results From Own Heart Scan

    You got a scan back and something scared you. Maybe it was a lab number. Maybe your doctor mentioned plaque and moved on to the next patient. Now you have a list of things to start, stop, take, or avoid, and no idea which one actually matters first. I have guided thousands of patients through this exact moment, and I went through it myself. In this epidose, I'm going to walk you through the exact order I made decisions after finding plaque in my own arteries, and why most people get the sequence backward. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 I Spent 20 Years Telling Patients Not to Panic. Then I Got My Own Results. 0:32 Why diet overhaul feels right but isn't the first move 1:47 The problem with changing your diet before you know your risk 2:16 Why supplements and statins are premature too 3:20 Soft plaque versus hard plaque explained 5:41 Four questions to ask before you treat anything 8:20 The scan and labs I would get first 10:11 The architect analogy for your heart health 10:53 Three steps to prepare for your next appointment ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q: What should you do first after finding out you have plaque?  A: Get a coronary CTA scan that classifies your plaque as soft, hard, or mixed, along with advanced labs including ApoB, Lp(a), high sensitivity CRP, fasting insulin, and homocysteine, before changing your diet or starting any supplement or medication. Q: Why is diet not the right first step after a plaque diagnosis?  A: Changing your diet before you know what is actually driving your plaque means you might fix a problem you don't have while ignoring the one that is progressing fastest. Q: What is the difference between soft plaque and hard plaque?  A: Soft plaque and hard plaque behave differently and respond to different treatments, so knowing which type you have determines which interventions will actually work for you. 📱 RESOURCES Website: www.drmonashah.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmonashahmd/ Blog: https://drmonashah.wordpress.com/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly content on what preventive cardiology actually looks like, including the tests, labs, and conversations most cardiologists never start. ABOUT DR. MONA SHAH:  Dr. Mona Shah is a triple board-certified cardiologist in cardiology, holistic medicine, and coronary CT. After 20 years inside conventional cardiology, she left to build a practice that does what the standard system rarely does: look inside the artery wall before something goes wrong. She uses advanced imaging, including coronary CTA with AI analysis, to give patients a real picture of their cardiac risk. She specializes in patients with a family history of heart disease, elevated ApoB or Lp(a), and anyone who has been told they're fine but still isn't sure. #HeartDisease #PreventiveCardiology #CoronaryCTA #HeartAttackPrevention #HolisticCardiologist

  7. Jul 9

    7 Blood Tests That Could Save Your Life (Your Doctor Probably Isn't Ordering Them)

    📌 Learn more about Dr. Mona Shah: www.drmonashah.com Every week I see patients who passed their last physical with flying colors. When I run the seven tests I actually care about as a triple board-certified holistic cardiologist, something is wrong in almost every single case. Your doctor told you your labs look fine. What they did not tell you is that the standard lipid panel has not meaningfully changed since the 1970s. In this episode, I'm going to walk you through all seven tests, explain what each one actually measures, and give you the exact words to use at your next appointment to get them ordered. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS  0:00 - Why "Your Labs Look Fine" Is Not the Same as "Your Heart Is Safe"  1:01 - Test 1: ApoB (The Particle Count Your LDL Panel Doesn't Show)  2:14 - Test 2: Lp(a) (The Genetic Risk That Doesn't Respond to Diet or Exercise)  4:03 - Test 3: hs-CRP (The Inflammation Marker That Predicts Plaque Rupture)  5:57 - Test 4: Fasting Insulin (How Insulin Resistance Builds Cardiac Risk Silently)  7:39 - Test 5: Triglycerides (An Early Warning Sign Most Doctors Dismiss)  10:02 - Test 6: Homocysteine (Why Elevated Levels Often Respond to B Vitamins)  12:15 - When Elevated Inflammation Doesn't Match Your Lifestyle  13:56 - These Tests Are Available Now (What to Say at Your Next Appointment) ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED What is ApoB and why does it matter more than LDL?  ApoB counts the number of cholesterol-carrying particles actively hitting your artery walls. LDL only estimates the amount of cholesterol. It is the particles that push through and start the plaque-building process, so ApoB gives a more accurate picture of actual cardiac risk. Can you have normal cholesterol and still be at risk for heart disease?  Yes. Normal LDL does not mean your artery walls are safe. Elevated ApoB, Lp(a), or homocysteine can indicate significant cardiovascular risk even when a standard cholesterol panel looks completely normal. What blood tests should a preventive cardiologist order?  A thorough preventive workup includes ApoB, Lp(a), high-sensitivity CRP, fasting insulin, triglycerides, and homocysteine in addition to the standard lipid panel. Most of these are available at any major lab and can be ordered at a regular blood draw. 📱 RESOURCES  Website: www.drmonashah.com  IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmonashahmd/  Blog: https://drmonashah.wordpress.com/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly content on what preventive cardiology actually looks like, including the tests, labs, and conversations most cardiologists never start. ABOUT DR. MONA SHAH:  Dr. Mona Shah is a triple board-certified cardiologist in cardiology, holistic medicine, and coronary CT. After 20 years inside conventional cardiology, she left to build a practice that does what the standard system rarely does: look inside the artery wall before something goes wrong. She uses advanced imaging, including coronary CTA with AI analysis, to give patients a real picture of their cardiac risk. She specializes in patients with a family history of heart disease, elevated ApoB or Lp(a), and anyone who has been told they're fine but still isn't sure. #HeartDisease #PreventiveCardiology #CoronaryCTA #HeartAttackPrevention #HolisticCardiologist

  8. Jul 2

    What Women With A Family History of Heart Disease Are Never Told at Their Cardiology Appointment

    If you’re a woman with a family history of heart disease, there is information your cardiology appointment was never designed to give you. You've been told your numbers look fine. But if you have a family history of heart disease, that answer might not mean what you think it means. Noting a family history and actually measuring what it points to are two completely different things. Most cardiology appointments do the first. Almost none do the second. In this episode, I'm going to break down what your family history is actually pointing at, why the standard workup falls short for women, how menopause changes your cardiac risk picture, and exactly which three tests to ask for before your next appointment. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS  0:00 What Women With A Family History of Heart Disease Are Never Told at Their Cardiology Appointment  2:29 What I found when I tested myself (a cardiologist with elevated Lp(a))  4:23 Why cardiac benchmarks weren't built for women  5:47 How menopause accelerates cardiovascular risk  7:47 The 2024 study: what happens when LDL, Lp(a), and hsCRP are all elevated  9:47 Three tests and one question to bring to your next appointment ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q: What is lipoprotein(a) and why does it matter if you have a family history of heart disease?  A: Lp(a) is a genetically inherited particle that drives plaque formation in the arteries, independent of diet or exercise. It requires a separate blood test not included on a standard lipid panel, and a family history of early heart disease is one of the strongest signals that it may be elevated in you. Q: How does menopause affect heart disease risk in women with a family history?  A: Estrogen protects the arteries by reducing inflammation and slowing plaque formation. When it drops at menopause, that protection lifts, and for women with elevated Lp(a) or other genetic risk running in the background, risk that looked manageable at 45 can look meaningfully different at 55. Q: What three blood tests should women with a family history of heart disease ask for?  A: Ask for Lp(a), ApoB (not just LDL), and high-sensitivity CRP. Research shows that when all three are elevated together, lifetime cardiovascular risk is 163% higher, yet none of the three are included on a standard lipid panel. 📱 RESOURCES  Website: www.drmonashah.com  IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmonashahmd/  Blog: https://drmonashah.wordpress.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrMonaShahMD 🔔 Subscribe for weekly content on what preventive cardiology actually looks like, including the tests, labs, and conversations most cardiologists never start. ABOUT DR. MONA SHAH:  Dr. Mona Shah is a triple board-certified cardiologist in cardiology, holistic medicine, and coronary CT. After 20 years inside conventional cardiology, she left to build a practice that does what the standard system rarely does: look inside the artery wall before something goes wrong. She uses advanced imaging, including coronary CTA with AI analysis, to give patients a real picture of their cardiac risk. She specializes in patients with a family history of heart disease, elevated ApoB or Lp(a), and anyone who has been told they're fine but still isn't sure. #HeartDisease #PreventiveCardiology #CoronaryCTA #HeartAttackPrevention #HolisticCardiologist

  9. Jun 25

    Reactive Cardiologist vs. Preventive Cardiologist: Most People See the Wrong One

    You left cardiology with a clean stress test and a pat on the back. Something in you still didn't believe it. That feeling was right. You were asking a preventive question and getting a reactive answer. Most people have no idea that mismatch is even happening to them. In this episode, I'm going to walk you through what each type of cardiologist actually does, where each approach breaks down, and how to know which one you need right now. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS  0:00 Reactive Cardiologist vs. Preventive Cardiologist: Most People See the Wrong One 2:12 Why 50% of people have a first heart attack with no prior warning at all  3:32 What a preventive cardiologist looks for before any symptoms appear  4:47 The real limit of preventive cardiology and who it works for  5:57 The variable that decides which approach you need: timing  6:32 How to know if you are still in the preventive window right now  10:19 How to find a preventive cardiologist and what to say at the first visit ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q: What is the difference between a reactive and a preventive cardiologist?  A: A reactive cardiologist responds to symptoms and acute events using tools like stress tests, stents, and bypasses. A preventive cardiologist looks for problems before symptoms develop, using advanced imaging and lipid markers like ApoB and Lp(a) to find and address risk while there is still time to change it. Q: Can you have a heart attack even after a normal stress test?  A: Yes. A normal stress test only confirms that a severe blockage is not present at that moment. It cannot detect soft plaque quietly building inside your arteries, and 50% of first-time heart attacks arrive with no prior warning at all. Q: How do I find a preventive cardiologist?  A: Look for a practice focused on early detection, coronary CT angiography with AI plaque imaging, and advanced lipid testing including ApoB and Lp(a). If the practice only runs standard annual panels and stress tests, that is a reactive practice, not a preventive one. Keep looking. 📱 RESOURCES  Website: www.drmonashah.com  IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmonashahmd/  Blog: https://drmonashah.wordpress.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrMonaShahMD 🔔 Subscribe for weekly content on what preventive cardiology actually looks like, including the tests, labs, and conversations most cardiologists never start. ABOUT DR. MONA SHAH:  Dr. Mona Shah is a triple board-certified cardiologist in cardiology, holistic medicine, and coronary CT. After 20 years inside conventional cardiology, she left to build a practice that does what the standard system rarely does: look inside the artery wall before something goes wrong. She uses advanced imaging, including coronary CTA with AI analysis, to give patients a real picture of their cardiac risk. She specializes in patients with a family history of heart disease, elevated ApoB or Lp(a), and anyone who has been told they're fine but still isn't sure. #HeartDisease #PreventiveCardiology #CoronaryCTA #HeartAttackPrevention #HolisticCardiologist

  10. Jun 18

    The Two Cholesterol Numbers Your Doctor Isn't Checking

    Your doctor ran your standard lipid panel and told you your cholesterol is fine. Somewhere online, someone told you cholesterol doesn't cause heart disease anyway. Both of them are pointing at the same wrong number, and because of it, most people have never had the two tests that would actually tell them their real cardiovascular risk. These tests are not experimental. They are available at most labs. And most doctors are still not ordering them. In this episode, I'm going to show you why LDL misleads cardiovascular risk, what ApoB and Lp(a) actually measure, and the exact words to say at your next appointment to get these tests added to your workup. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS  0:00 The Two Cholesterol Numbers Your Doctor Isn't Checking 1:19 How LDL became the default and where the model breaks down  2:12 How plaque forms: particles enter the artery wall, not cholesterol  2:54 The 1972 formula problem: why your LDL can make you feel safer than you are  3:27 Why the "cholesterol doesn't matter" influencer argument is dangerous  5:00 The two numbers that actually measure your cardiovascular risk  6:08 ApoB: a direct count of every particle capable of entering your artery wall  6:55 Lipoprotein(a): the genetic risk factor that does not change with diet or exercise  8:41 Exactly what to say at your next appointment to get these tests ordered ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q: Can you have normal LDL and still be at high risk for a heart attack?  A: Yes. ApoB measures the actual number of atherogenic particles hitting your artery wall. Two people can have identical LDL with completely different ApoB levels. One is low risk. The other is actively building plaque right now. LDL cannot tell you which one you are. Q: What is Lipoprotein(a) and should I check it?  A: Lp(a) is a genetically determined risk factor for plaque formation that does not respond to diet, exercise, or most medications. If it is elevated and nobody has told you, you are managing a cardiac risk you do not know you have. It only needs to be checked once in your life, but you do need to check it. 📱 RESOURCES  Website: www.drmonashah.com  IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmonashahmd/  Blog: https://drmonashah.wordpress.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2h_A-ydXfBqP1j_IWdOBlw/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly content on what preventive cardiology actually looks like, including the tests, labs, and conversations most cardiologists never start. ABOUT DR. MONA SHAH:  Dr. Mona Shah is a triple board-certified cardiologist in cardiology, holistic medicine, and coronary CT. After 20 years inside conventional cardiology, she left to build a practice that does what the standard system rarely does: look inside the artery wall before something goes wrong. She uses advanced imaging, including coronary CTA with AI analysis, to give patients a real picture of their cardiac risk. She specializes in patients with a family history of heart disease, elevated ApoB or Lp(a), and anyone who has been told they're fine but still isn't sure. #HeartDisease #PreventiveCardiology #CoronaryCTA #HeartAttackPrevention #HolisticCardiologist

  11. Jun 11

    After 20 Years in Cardiology, I Stopped Trusting Stress Tests

    Your stress test came back normal. Your doctor said you're fine. Fifty percent of people who have their first heart attack had no idea they had heart disease, and many of them passed a stress test in the months before.  A stress test only tells you whether your most severe blockages are already restricting blood flow. It cannot find the softer, smaller deposits that are far more likely to rupture. A normal result is not a clean bill of health for your arteries. In this episode, I'm going to show you what a stress test can and cannot find, why I stopped ordering them the same way after 20 years, and exactly what questions are worth asking at your next cardiac appointment. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Why Stress Tests Miss the Most Dangerous Cardiac Risk 1:05 - What a Stress Test Actually Measures (And What It Doesn't) 2:00 - Why Even a Low Calcium Score Can Leave You at Risk 4:01 - Soft Plaque: The Silent Threat No Standard Test Can Find 4:47 - The Pattern I Couldn't Ignore After 20 Years in Cardiology 5:39 - What Every Patient Who Slipped Through Had in Common 6:44 - What I Now Believe About Heart Attack Risk 7:44 - Patient Story: No Symptoms. Normal Test. Significant Plaque. 9:00 - Three Questions to Ask Your Doctor Right Now 9:52 - Your Action Steps Before Your Next Appointment ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q: Can you have heart disease if your stress test came back normal? A: Yes. A stress test only detects blockages that are 60 to 70 percent or greater. The deposits most likely to rupture and cause a heart attack are smaller and softer, and don't restrict blood flow enough to trigger a result. A normal stress test means no severe blockage was detected, not that your arteries are clear. Q: What is soft plaque and why is it more dangerous than calcified plaque? A: Soft plaque sits inside the artery wall, produces no symptoms, and won't appear on a stress test or basic calcium score. When it ruptures, it triggers a sudden clot. Most heart attacks are caused by soft plaque in people who had no prior warning signs and looked fine on standard tests. Q: What test can actually detect soft plaque in the arteries? A: A coronary CTA with AI imaging looks directly inside the artery wall and identifies both soft and hard plaque before symptoms develop. It provides a far more complete picture of your real cardiac risk than a treadmill test or a standard lipid panel. 📱 RESOURCES Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrMonaShahMD Website: www.drmonashah.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmonashahmd/ Blog: https://drmonashah.wordpress.com/ 🔔 Subscribe to this podcast for weekly content on what preventive cardiology actually looks like, including the tests, labs, and conversations most cardiologists never start. ABOUT DR. MONA SHAH: Dr. Mona Shah is a triple board-certified cardiologist in cardiology, holistic medicine, and coronary CT. After 20 years inside conventional cardiology, she left to build a practice that does what the standard system rarely does: look inside the artery wall before something goes wrong. She uses advanced imaging, including coronary CTA with AI analysis, to give patients a real picture of their cardiac risk. She specializes in patients with a family history of heart disease, elevated ApoB or Lp(a), and anyone who has been told they're fine but still isn't sure. #HeartDisease #StressTest #PreventiveCardiology #CoronaryCTA #HeartAttackPrevention

  12. Jun 11

    What Health-Conscious People Get Wrong About Protecting Their Heart.

    You work out. You watch what you eat. Your last physical came back clean. And somewhere along the way, you stopped worrying about your heart. But a healthy lifestyle and healthy arteries are not the same thing.  For a specific group of patients doing everything right, plaque builds quietly inside the artery wall while every standard test says there is nothing to see. This episode is for those people. In this episode, I'm going to show you why living healthy doesn't guarantee clean arteries, what your standard labs are actually measuring versus what they miss, and two specific tests to request before your next appointment. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - The Patients Who Scare Me Most (And Why) 1:17 - What a Healthy Lifestyle Actually Protects (And What It Misses) 2:53 - Soft Plaque: The Threat Building in People Who Feel Fine 3:57 - Why Your Labs Were Never Designed to Detect This 5:04 - How to Know If You're One of These Patients 5:56 - My Personal Story: I Found Plaque in My Own Arteries 6:21 - The One Scan That Looks Directly Inside the Artery Wall 7:34 - Two Tests to Request Before Your Next Appointment ❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q: Can you have plaque building in your arteries even if you eat well and exercise? a: Yes. A healthy lifestyle reduces the rate of plaque accumulation but doesn't stop it entirely, especially in people with genetic risk factors like elevated Lp(a). Plaque can form quietly in the artery wall while every standard lab marker looks normal and every external measure of health looks fine. Q: What is Lp(a) and why does it matter for heart disease risk? A: Lp(a) is a genetic marker that drives plaque formation regardless of diet or exercise habits. Most standard lipid panels don't include it. Elevated Lp(a) is one of the strongest independent predictors of cardiovascular risk, and the majority of people who have it have never been tested. Q: What is a coronary CTA and how does it differ from a stress test? A: A coronary CTA with AI imaging scans directly inside the coronary artery wall and can identify both soft and hard plaque before symptoms appear. A stress test only detects whether blood flow is already restricted by a severe blockage. These are different questions with very different answers about your actual risk. 📱 RESOURCES Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrMonaShahMD Website: www.drmonashah.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmonashahmd/ Blog: https://drmonashah.wordpress.com/ 🔔 Subscribe to this podcast for weekly content on what preventive cardiology actually looks like, including the tests, labs, and conversations most cardiologists never start. ABOUT DR. MONA SHAH: Dr. Mona Shah is a triple board-certified cardiologist in cardiology, holistic medicine, and coronary CT. After 20 years inside conventional cardiology, she left to build a practice that does what the standard system rarely does: look inside the artery wall before something goes wrong. She uses advanced imaging, including coronary CTA with AI analysis, to give patients a real picture of their cardiac risk. She specializes in patients with a family history of heart disease, elevated ApoB or Lp(a), and anyone who has been told they're fine but still isn't sure. #HeartDisease #PreventiveCardiology #CoronaryCTA #HeartAttackPrevention #HolisticCardiologist

  • 12 Episodes

About

You passed your stress test. Your numbers looked fine. And you still don't feel sure your heart is actually okay. That feeling is worth paying attention to.I'm Dr. Mona Shah, a triple board-certified preventive cardiologist focused on the early detection of heart disease, advanced cardiac imaging, and integrative cardiovascular care. After 20 years in traditional cardiology, I built a practice focused on what medicine too often waits too long to do: find cardiovascular disease before it becomes a heart attack.On this channel, I share clear, evidence-based insights on heart health, longevity, and prevention. We dig into coronary CT angiography, CAC scoring, plaque detection, cholesterol, ApoB, and advanced lipid testing, plus the lifestyle factors that actually protect your heart: nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, metabolic health, and inflammation. If you've been told everything looks normal but still have questions, this channel is for you.New videos every week.

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