Heart and Circulation

The Heart of the Matter

The health of your heart is critical to optimal health. Your heart pumps fresh blood throughout your body, it facilitates the movement of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body and removes wastes by filtering your blood through your kidneys. If your heart isn't working properly, then all your other organs will suffer.


Apart from cancer which has just about overtaken heart disease, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of death in the Western world. Diseases such as heart attack, stroke, angina pectoris, atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis, and high blood pressure and their risk factors are so interrelated that it is very difficult to say where it all begins. We do see patients regularly in the clinic presenting with all manner of circulation problems and heart disease. There is plenty of good reading here, be sure to check out the heartdrops.co.nz website for some excellent cardiovascular information. I have selected some of the better products to assist and support your circulatory and heart concerns.

So what are your personal chances of developing heart disease? Unfortunately there are some things you can't change. For example, your risk of heart disease does increase with age, it is higher generally in men (but this risk starts to level out with women once they reach menopause), and tends to be higher in people who have relatives with heart disease.

 

Heart Disease - There is  a Lot You Can Do

There are ways of protesting your heart and in addition to help an ailing heart if it is already damaged. Start by by optimising your weight to within a healthy range, and this means eating sensibly. Take a look at out nutrition page which will give you plenty of good ideas about eating wisely. It is very important to keep the right balance of fresh vegetables, fruit, protein and carbohydrates. It is also important to stop smoking, possibly the most destructive habit in terms of your heart's health, and to exercise daily. Keep an eye on your blood pressure and make sure you brush and floss your teeth regularly.
If you already have heart problems, you may start by taking Heart Drops each day. You only need small amounts daily to optimise your heart and it's circulatory system. Rich in antioxidants, Heart Drops supports full and normal arterial and myocardium blood flow and is the perfect herbal medicine for those who are prone to fatigue and wanting to care and protect their heart.

You can read a lot more about this amazing cardiovascular we have been making and dispensing from our clinic since 2004 on our Heart Drops Website.

Cholesterol is Necessary for Life

While everyone needs cholesterol for optimal health, it is possible to have too much oxidised or damaged cholesterol and an imbalance between the "good, bad and ugly". Much misinformation has been spread about cholesterol, with all the emphasis being placed at lowering the "bad" LDL at all costs. There are many experts today who believe that the body simply does not create a "bad" cholesterol which needs lowering, after all, why would your body make something which is bad for it? It simply doesn't, it is when the LDL ("bad" cholesterol) increases that damage occurs to your blood vessel walls. Damaged cholesterol can adversely affect your blood vessels causing damage, blood clots can more easily form which can increase our risk of heart attack or stroke.

Is much more important and logical to look at the reasons WHY cholesterol becomes damaged in the first place, does it not? We know these reasons, they are an unhealthy diet and lifestyle. The Statin drug industry (Statin drugs lower LDL) was worth more an estimated 33 billion US dollars in 2010, and you can see that there are plenty of people in this industry with vested reasons to continue with this cholesterol myth.

Quitting smoking can favourably affect your cholesterol levels, and avoiding the bad fats, the fats we call hydrogenated or trans-fats (take out foods, commercially made biscuits or cookies, cakes and pastries) will help in addition. Omega 3 fatty acids help to reduce the risk of blood clots and are found in the oily fishes such as salmon, sardines and tuna and also in health Omega 3 supplements like HokiMega3.

Handy Heart Tips

Blood Pressure Monitor

Now you can monitor blood pressure at home with New Zealand's best home blood pressure monitor (according to New Zealand's Consumer Magazine) - The Homedics Deluxe Automatic Home Blood Pressure Monitor. It is easy to obtain very accurate readings at home. Do check in with your health-care professional if your blood pressure exceeds 140/90.

Quit Smoking

Do you smoke? Then you had better quit if you want to live a long and healthy life. If there is any advice you are to take from this page - the best I can give you is to quit today. Smoking causes hardening and narrowing of arteries and smallest blood vessels, increases your risk of blood clots and is a big cause of stroke. Stroke is what killed both my parents who were life long smokers. Smoking increases not only your risk of heart disease, but of cancer as well. Quitting smoking, even if you have for years, reduces your risk of heart disease. After just one year of not smoking you risk of heart disease is halved. Fifteen years of stopping smoking and your risk of heart disease is the same as a non-smoker.

Gum Disease

Gum disease has recently been linked with an increased risk of heart disease. It is thought that inflamed gums can result in certain chemical changes (brought on by inflammatory mechanisms created by your immune system) that can increase your risk of a stroke or heart attack. Given the importance of oral care to your heart health, taking good care of your teeth and gums can be easy. Brush your teeth each day, preferably twice and after meals. Keep abrasive toothpaste to a minimum and use dental floss each day to help clear debris and food particles as well as bacteria from accumulating between your teeth. Try Tea Tree Oil Toothpaste, the best toothpaste for gum health.

The 6 Deadly Heart Attackers    

Your heart's most powerful enemies, for more information please view www.heartdrops.co.nz 
Excess body fat, Blood pressure, Cholesterol, Metabolic syndrome, Chronic inflammation and Oxidative stress. Find out how each attacker slowly develops inside your body and how your lifestyle and diet contribute to them. Learn how to more fully assess your risk so that you can take appropriate action. We will also outline the interconnection between these six attackers, such as how abdominal fat is linked with three other attackers, the killer role of smoking and how a major disease of the 21st century, the "sitting disease", a sedentary diet, computer technology and little exercise - all trigger high blood pressure, oxidative stress and plunge you into metabolic syndrome.

1 - Excess Body Fat
Excess body fat is now the norm, about 60 percent of Australians are now overweight and 22 percent (one in four) of those are obese. In New Zealand, over half the population is overweight, and one in five Kiwis are obese. Read about the significance of being overweight and your risk of heart disease and what you can do about it.




2 - Blood Pressure
Blood pressure measures the pressure within your arteries and the resistance your heart has to pump against to get blood to flow around the body. Normal blood pressure delivers an effective blood supply to all parts of the body. This page describes what blood pressure is, the statistics, how it is caused and what you can do to lower it - naturally.




3 - Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fatty, waxy substance manufactured in your body from the fats you eat. It is not a villain which needs lowering, it needs to be in balanced levels of "good and bad" cholesterol in your body. Cholesterol is a necessary substance, and your body needs it to make hormones, cell membranes and even a digestive fluid called bile acid. Read why lowering cholesterol may have little bearing on cardiovascular risk reduction, and why the real threats are virtually ignored.


4 - Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is not a new disease by any means, it is rather a cluster of conditions you will discover on this informative page. This "sin" drome appears to be a major problem in the Western world and one of the main drivers behind heart disease and diabetes Learn exactly what metabolic syndrome is and what you can do to avoid your risks.



5 - Chronic Inflammation
Researchers have long known chronic low-grade inflammation plays a key role in the development of conditions such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis. Research is underway by the British Heart Foundation to establish the precise mechanism that triggers the body's inflammatory response. Experts now know the chronic low grade inflammation is one of the key driving causative forces in heart disease. Learn more.


Oxidative Stress
According to researchers oxidative stress may possibly be what switches atherosclerosis from ‘off’ to ‘on’. Learn all about oxidative stress and how the LDL particles become oxidised themselves. Low density lipoproteins (LDLs) carry a greater amount of fat (cholesterol) than their HDL brothers, but once they become oxidised, their cargo of cholesterol becomes more deadly. Oxidised LDL can much more readily penetrate artery walls and end up forming artery-clogging plaque.

Natural Medicines for Heart and Circulation

• I developed and formulated Heart Drops in 2004 after finding that many patients were taking an expensive imported heart drop product from North America. Available in 50 or 100ml.
• HokiMega3 is a 100% New Zealand Omega 3 deep sea cold water fish oils. One of the highest DHA containing fish oils available. Top quality Omega3 fish oils are one of the best products you can take to support a healthy heart and circulation.
• Vitamin E 400iu Solgar's Vitamin E is a vital and powerful antioxidant to support cardiovascular health, skin protection and healing, and helps support healthy menopause & reproductive system.
• Daily-C is a premium quality Vitamin C powder which also includes Vitamin E, zinc, calcium and magnesium, beta-carotene and more. Take one level teaspoon in water daily to support and optimise your heart's function.
• Homocysteine Modulators contain nutrients, such as trimethyl-glycine (TMG) vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid, which are important methyl donors responsible for maintaining proper homocysteine levels in the body.

The beginning of circulation problems begins in the arteries

As we age our risk of circulation problems increases.

About four out of five people who die of a heart attack are over age 65. At older ages, women who have heart attacks are twice as likely as men who have heart attacks to die from them within a few weeks. If plaque and atherosclerosis are a beginning for CVD, a number of risk factors accelerate the process. Gender and genes make a difference. Males are more likely to have coronary heart disease than females, whether younger or older. Children of those who have had some type of CVD are more likely to develop it. Smokers risk of heart attack is more than twice that of nonsmokers, and smokers risk of sudden cardiac death is two to four times that of nonsmokers. Those who drink and smoke are at an even greater risk.
Here are a few common heart and circulatory conditions.

 

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is the buildup of plaque in the arteries and can lead to all manner of different circulatory problems. It develops slowly, with soft, fatty streaks gradually accumulating along the inner walls of the arteries, especially where they branch. With time, the streaks grow larger and start hardening into plaque.
The danger is that plaque can lead to aneurysms and blood clots, and clots in turn can result in thrombosis, heart attack, and even stroke. An aneurysm occurs when the wall of a blood vessel weakens and balloons out. Like a balloon, the aneurysm can eventually burst. If this happens in a major artery, such as the aorta, it can lead to massive bleeding and even death.

Stroke & Heart Attack

Atherosclerosis can also upset the delicate balance of blood clots. Clots continually form and dissolve in our bloodstream, and it is important that this balance be kept. Clots form when blood platelets encounter an injury. Because the body considers plaque buildup an injury, platelets rush to the scene and begin the clotting process. The formed clot may remain attached to the plaque and continue growing. A clot that grows to the point that it obstructs a blood vessel is called a "thrombus" and can eventuate in an MI (myocardial infarct, or a heart attack) of a stroke (in the brain). It can shut off the blood supply to some body tissues. If this occurs in a blood vessel that feeds the heart, it is called a coronary thrombosis. If it occurs in an artery in the brain, killing brain tissue, it is called a cerebral thrombosis. A clot can also break loose (called an "embolus") and travel throughout the circulatory system. In its travels, it may get stuck in a smaller artery, blocking the flow of blood. This blockage cuts off the supply of life-giving oxygen and nutrients, and the tissue fed by the artery dies. The two common places an embolus gets stuck is in the heart and the brain. If an embolus lodges in an artery of the heart, depriving the heart of essential nutrients, a part of the heart can die—a heart attack. If the embolus lodges in an artery of the brain, it is a stroke.

Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial Fibrillation is a condition that appears to strike quite a bit of fear when a person has the diagnosis. It is always the same, it generally appears that as soon as somebody's heart plays up they appear to fear something very ominous is going to happen. There are many different things which can potentially affect you heart, particularly its beating, pulse rate and the ability to function well as a  pump very well. I wrote this page to explain about atrial fibrillation, one of the more common reasons your heart may "play up" and make you feel that something is not quite right. If you do have arrhythmia, after reading this page I want you to realise that you have nothing to fear, and how fear itself will only contribute to to atrial fibrillation itself.

High Cholesterol

High cholesterol levels bring increased risk. As LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) levels increase, CVD risk increases. When other risk factors are present, risk increases even more. A person’s lipid levels are also affected by age, sex, heredity, and diet. Perhaps you have been prescribed a statin drug to lower your cholesterol and feel worse after taking it? I have seen many hundreds of patients over the years on statin drugs, and many complain of weakness, tiredness, brain fog and memory loss. You may be one of them reading this right now.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure increases the heart’s workload and can lead to increased arterial damage, opening the door further for atherosclerosis. This is because increased blood pressure scars the artery walls and causes damage. Where the damage occurs, more plaque is likely to form, and the plaque causes the artery walls to narrow and lose flexibility. This in turn causes the body to increase blood pressure.
High blood pressure is also the biggest risk factor for stroke. When high blood pressure exists with obesity, smoking, high blood cholesterol levels, or diabetes, the risk of heart attack or stroke increases several times. We stock the best home blood pressure testing device in New Zealand, according to Consumer Magazine. Homedics Deluxe Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor

Homocysteine

The amino acid homocysteine is now regarded as a major risk factor. Researchers say it may play a cholesterol-like role in heart disease; that is, it may contribute to the buildup of plaque in the arteries.

Obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, and diabetes are closely linked risk factors.

Those who are overweight are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke even if they have no other risk factors. The weight itself is not the culprit; rather, the excess pounds concentrate other risk factors. Obesity has a negative influence on blood pressure and cholesterol, and may lead to diabetes. And, of course, one of the reasons for obesity is a sedentary lifestyle.

Stress is also a contributing factor.

Research indicates that there is a relationship between the risk of developing coronary heart disease and stress. This is because stress releases certain hormones such as adrenalin (epinephrine) and cortisol which can increase heart rate and raise blood pressure. Stress also contributes indirectly to coronary artery disease, as people under stress may smoke, eat and drink more than those who lead stress-free lives. Does stress play a role in your heart disease? If you are stressed or can related to this, I highly recommend that you take "two steps back" from where you are now and assess your lifestyle. Are you your own worst enemy? Read more about stress under our adrenal fatigue and stress pages, there is plenty of useful information which can assist you a great deal.

Page last update 6 November 2011