Chicago medical duo operating first-of-its-kind cardiac care prevention clinic

February is American Heart Thirty day period.

In a Fox 32 unique report, Dawn Hasbrouck introduces you to a health care dynamic duo that’s serving up a combo platter of cardiac prevention.

Arika Clark Alejo has a fairly wholesome life-style. Amongst other points, she eats oatmeal and exercises, each on a standard basis.

“I like to do other forms of exercises. I like to spin. I like to do Pilates,” Alejo said.

Inspite of that, she identified herself owning some heart difficulty a handful of a long time back.

“I was acquiring upper body pains. A lot of tightness in my chest for a really prolonged time,” she mentioned.

Provided her spouse and children heritage, her mom and a good friend urged her to see a doctor. Just after carrying out a minor investigate, she satisfied Dr. Max Fitzgerald and Dr. Danny Luger.

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“Max, I would not say we were being buddies. Far more rivals. Both wonderful tennis stars in our working day,” Fitzgerald mentioned.

Fitzgerald and Lugar have known every single other considering that they have been 5 decades previous. They grew up together in Highland Park and equally went to Northwestern University and then Hurry Healthcare University.

“So I started referring a large amount of individuals to him out of the gate and stated there is a big overlap below. We should place together a clinic and sign up for forces. And also, I just desired to dangle out with him,” explained Luger.

Dr. Luger is a cardiologist and Dr. Fitzgerald is a physiatrist. With each other, they are jogging a to start with-of-its-variety clinic at Hurry Oak Park Healthcare facility.

The Hurry Heart for the Avoidance of Cardiovascular Disorder opened in July 2021 and Alejo was their initial individual.

“They are so funny. They are so nice and so type and just, they are all in,” Alejo mentioned.

“I believe legitimately there’s a portion of our dynamic that we bring into the room with us,” Luger claimed. “We’re near pals. We address our sufferers like they are pals with us.”

Patients like Alejo meet with Dr. Luger initial. He spends virtually an hour not only heading more than their medical history, but also just having to know them.

“I in no way feel rushed. I’m like, does he have other patients? Since they in fact pay attention to you,” Alejo explained.

Dr. Luger suggests a lot of of his clients really do not have cardiovascular disorder still, but they have all the possibility components that sets them up for that threat.

“We just take satisfaction in determining these hazard elements, plugging them in early before they have manifested sickness and aggressively managing all those chance variables to prevent any undesirable outcomes,” Luger claimed.

After Dr. Luger compiles the patient’s healthcare issues and gets an concept of what their day to day seems like, he consults with Dr. Fitzgerald to set together a tailor-created prevention plan for that human being.

“We view obesity and sedentary life style as a joint endeavor. So we both of those get the job done on nourishment, psychological wellness and then I focus a large amount on motion,” Fitzgerald said. “But there is a good deal of overlap and our intention is to make guaranteed that we cover all of our angles and bases with individuals.”

Occasionally that may well include serving to a client get rid of any aches and pains in their knees or back that is stopping them from doing exercises. Or executing a psychological overall health evaluation to help them see why they are overeating.

Then Dr. Fitzgerald spends another 40 minutes with the patient, finding to know them and speaking about what arrives next.

“We’re not making an attempt to give you some thing so complicated there is no way I could employ this in my lifestyle. This is just how could you match in 10 to 15 minutes of action a few periods a 7 days,” Fitzgerald claimed.

For Alejo, they aided her high-quality tune her diet and understand how to deal with her stress stage.

“I’m down nearly 20 pounds. So that feels really, truly, great. I experience like in standard, my strain administration is very fantastic. I’m human, so there are some days it isn’t excellent,” Alejo claimed.

For times like that, Dr. Luger and Dr. Fitzgerald say their door is always open up.

“This is about creating avoidance private. We are seriously location out to satisfy people where they are,” Fitzgerald claimed.

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Luger: “I would explain our romantic relationship more as me currently being extra of a mentor to Max and him just adhering to in my footsteps. I’m happy to get him below my wing and just mentor him.”

Fitzgerald: “I appreciate that. Thank you.”

Luger: “It’s been satisfying to see your expansion.”

So considerably, Rush’s Cardiac Care Avoidance Clinic has about 100 sufferers ranging in age from 22 to 88-decades-aged.

For far more info, pay a visit to the clinic’s web-site at Rush Centre for the Avoidance of Cardiovascular Disorder.

Clinic mobile phone variety: 888-352-7874