India, Jan. 14 -- Many habits labelled as "heart healthy" are often adopted with the best intentions - but without a full understanding of the medical context, some preventive practices can quietly backfire. From self-prescribing medications to obsessing over isolated test results, doing the right thing for the wrong reasons can sometimes cause more harm than good.

Drawing on years of frontline experience, Dmitry Yaranov, a cardiologist and heart-transplant specialist with expertise in advanced heart failure and mechanical circulatory support, breaks down the common cardiovascular practices he has personally stopped following, explaining why evidence, individual risk and medical nuance matter far more than one-size-fits-all prevention. I...