Updated March 18, 2024
John Rivas, MD, is a triple board-certified gastroenterologist and founder of Rivas Digestive Center in Hollywood, Florida. Dr. Rivas and the team are committed to offering comprehensive, patient-centered gastrointestinal care with the highest level of professionalism, quality, and care.
Dr, Yordanka Reyna is now a Cardiologist, Heart Failure Program Director at Broward Health
Dr. John Rivas and Dr. Yordanka Reyna are two prominent physicians in private practice in South Florida. He’s a board-certified liver specialist. She’s a board-certified cardiologist. They met in med school, fell in love and got married. Drs. Rivas and Reyna are passionate about their prospective fields of medicine and are devoted to helping their patients maintain optimal health.
“People take the liver for granted. It’s one of the most important organs in our body yet most people don’t know much about its functions. The heart, on the other hand, gets all of the attention,” states Dr. Rivas. “No one ever says, I follow my liver,” he adds.
What the heart and the liver have in common is that both organs respond to modifiable factors and can be kept healthy to do the jobs they were meant to perform.
“Let’s be blunt. The heart and the liver are vital to maintaining life and must be kept healthy for a person to stay alive. The heart feeds the liver and is the body’s engine. A healthy heart allows the liver to stay healthy,” says Dr. Reyna.
Dr. Rivas and Dr. Reyna wholeheartedly agree that most serious health issues can be avoided when people follow a tried and true lifestyle plan. The following are their “10 Commandments For Optimal Health” that they share with their patients and personally embrace every day.
10 Commandments For Optimal Health
- Take control of your health
- Get an annual physical and know your blood levels (weight, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, cholesterol)
- Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week
- Follow the Mediterranean Diet
- Reduce stress by engaging in healthy activities
- Reduce sodium in your diet
- Don’t take herbal supplements unless your doctor recommends them
- Increase your digestive health by taking probiotics
- Don’t smoke
- Get 6-8 hours of quality sleep, nightly
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