February is the month dedicated to the heart. Who better to speak about the heart than a cardiologist, so we spoke to ours: Dr. Judit Seidner. Dr. Seidner is among the handful of staff who have been with FirstMed since the very beginning, receiving one of the few 15-year service awards last year. In additional Dr. Seidner also works as one of our internists. Let’s read more about her below.
How did you become a cardiologist?
Well, it wasn’t the usual “it all started in the nursery” type of story. In fact, I had several interests during the third year of secondary school, when students chose the academic path they would pursue. I was not alone in this indecision; many of my classmates weren’t sure which path to take. One thing I have always liked is a challenge, so I decided to apply to a medical university that has always been one of the most difficult to get into. I succeeded.
At the end of my studies, another quest and another challenge arose: selecting a medical specialization. At the time, it was quite difficult to find work in a hospital’s internal medicine department, as it was seen as the ‘in thing’ in medical practice. That fact marked my path towards internal medicine.
By some stroke of luck, I was awarded a full year’s scholarship in America, which I spent in a cardiology department. When I came home, there was no doubt that I would become a cardiologist. After passing my internal medicine exam, I went straight to the cardiology exam and then started working at the National Institute of Cardiology (GOKI).
I had the chance to return to the US for shorter periods. I was able to study vascular ultrasound at the Mayo Clinic, often ranked #1 among US hospitals, as well as spend a few weeks at a general practitioner’s office in upstate New York. The time spent in the US was a chance to experience the professional and effective workflow that was the norm there. The healthcare system in the US worked like clockwork when I was there, which I very much enjoyed. Returning to Hungary, I replaced my full-time role at the Institute with a consulting role; even now, I still spend one day a week there.
How did you come to your position with FirstMed?
Some may say that it was pure luck. My father noticed an article in a newspaper announcing the development of a new English-speaking ‘American Clinic’ in Budapest. Since I didn’t have any direct connection to management, I went there and introduced myself to Dr. Éva Dános, the current medical director. One short meeting was quickly followed by another, this time with the clinic director. It wasn’t much past this point, in February 1999, I began working for FirstMed in Hattyúház as its cardiology consultant.
We started with one consultation a week, which later expanded with the growing need. In addition to general practice, cardiology was one of the first specialty services offered, and we started with very little equipment. We quickly solved the early logistical challenges and began acquiring more essential equipment. Soon, we got a stress EKG, followed by a Holter monitor, but we had to wait another two years for our first ultrasound machine. Of course, today we use state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment that enables even more precise diagnostic testing. We are especially proud since it is rare to find such a sophisticated machine in use in a private practice.
What are the most common conditions that lead people to search out a cardiologist?
We have strong internal cooperation; most often, other FirstMed doctors refer their patients when they find discrepancies in test results, such as persistent high blood pressure or a heart murmur. Of course, there are complaints that people tend to find where they come to me directly, such as chest pain, heavy breathing, asphyxia, swelling of the legs, or a feeling of arrhythmia. Unfortunately, many patients think they recognize their own symptoms amid the flood of information on the internet, but as laypeople, they often get confused and misdiagnose; therefore, they refer to a trained specialist.
What preventive measures would you advise taking to keep your heart in good shape?
Reduce stress! Stress is a smooth criminal, though it is almost a cliché to blame everything on it. You can hear about the benefits of a stress-free life through a variety of media channels, while our whole world seems built to pile on stress. Politics, our workplace, and even our immediate environment can trigger negative stress. I think the more it is talked about, the more we feel it on our skin, and then we need to handle it somehow. Stressing over your health tends to worsen it. We should all be able to find our own ways to fight stress, whether through meditation, yoga, or other forms of relaxation.
Healthy eating and regular exercise remain important for heart health, yet most people remain unaware of this and find it difficult to put it into practice. Fitness should find its due place in our box labelled “duties”, alongside other important jobs. We should dutifully schedule and complete regular workouts, even when lower resistance pulls us elsewhere, just as we head off to work, even when we do not exactly feel like it. We do ourselves good with both actions.
Should we get a blood pressure monitor for home?
In general, I would not recommend it. If the device shows any temporary discrepancy from the commonly accepted value, we tend to get nervous about it. An abnormal reading may still be within the normal range, but can still increase stress. If you have no other complaints and your doctor doesn’t advise it, I don’t think it is necessary to check your blood pressure daily. However, it should be checked at least once or twice a year during a doctor’s visit or a regular checkup.
By the way, does the annual health check include cardiology elements?
Our regular health screening, the Health Maintenance Exam, includes an initial comprehensive Q&A session and a physical exam. If the patient reports symptoms that suggest cardiovascular issues, the examining doctor may refer them for further specialist evaluation. Additionally, there is a cardiovascular assessment in which the medical staff reviews current and past medical history, blood work to look for markers of possible cardiovascular disease, and routine tests. If you wish to request a cardiology specialist visit or examination without a GP referral, you can do so in private medical centers, like FirstMed.
This article appeared in our February 2015 Newsletter.
