While there are many treatment options available for curing coronary artery disease, but the preliminary treatment begins at home. Drugs are always an option for treating any and every health condition, but apart from that, there are many other options and lifestyle modification is one such option for coronary artery disease. As the disease is often triggered or aggravated by certain lifestyle habits such as smoking or eating fatty foods or lack of exercise, it becomes essential for the patient to look into these aspects initially.

To begin with the treatments of coronary artery disease, lifestyle modifications are a must-

· Stop smoking.
· Eat heart friendly foods, eat healthy.
· Exercise is a must. Just walking also helps.
· Do not allow yourself to be overweight or obese.
· Eliminate stress from your life.

If heart disease exists in your genes, you must start practicing these lifestyle remedies right away.

Drugs are unanimously used for treating coronary artery disease and some of the most widely used drugs are:

· Aspirin: Aspirin acts as a blood thinner and is usually recommended by doctors. These drugs usually help in reducing the tendency of frequent blood clotting that can help in preventing the obstruction of the coronary arteries. If a patient has suffered from a heart attack earlier on, Aspirin can help in preventing further attacks. However, Aspirin might not be suitable for all patients and proper guidance is a must before using the drug.
· Cholesterol-modifying drugs: These drugs help in decreasing the kevel of cholesterol in our blood and particularly the low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol, which is the bad one. By decreasing the levels, these drugs actually help in preventing the deposit of the primary materials in our coronary arteries. If the doctor prescribes drugs to boost the high-density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol, it can also be very helpful.
· Nitroglycerin: This medicine is available in the form of tablets, patches and sprays and can be used for reducing chest pain caused due to the opening up of the coronary arteries and reducing the heart’s blood demand.
· Beta blockers: These drugs are used for slowing the heart rate and also decreasing the blood pressure that in turn decreases the heart’s oxygen requirement. If the patient has already suffered from a heart attack in the past, beta blockers can reduce the chances of having any further attacks.
· Calcium channel blockers: These drugs help in relaxing the muscles surrounding the coronary arteries and also help in opening the vessels up, thus increasing the flow of blood to the heart. These medications further help in regulating the blood pressure levels.
· Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors: These medications help in decreasing the blood pressure levels and might as well help in preventing the progression of the coronary artery disease. These drugs also help in reducing the chances of heart attacks in patients who have already had an attack.

When these medications fail to improve the patient’s condition, more aggressive methods of treatment become essential, such as surgeries. The surgical procedures include:

· Angioplasty and Percutaneous coronary revascularization.
· Coronary artery bypass surgery.