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Friday February 10, 2012 2:56 am
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Identifying Your Risk of Heart Disease |
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You play a very important role in determining your risk for heart disease. With so much misinformation about heart disease you'd be well off to read the following facts and change your habits. You have the power and choice to control this epidemic problem.
IMPORTANT: You may THINK you know the risk factors (and you are probably correct on some of them), but before you go further, read The Cholesterol Myths, The Danger of Hydrogenated Or Partially Hydrogenated Fats Or Oils, and a detailed discussion of fats. Various food industries, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the FDA aren't telling you the truth. In fact, if you follow their recommendations, you have a higher chance of developing heart disease.
| Sedentary lifestyle |
Get aerobic exercise at least 3 times per week |
Smoking or tobacco use:
Smoking increases the risk of heart disease. Nicotine increases the fatty buildup on arterial walls causing vasoconstriction and decreased blood flow, thus increasing your susceptibility to heart attack. Women smokers are nine times more likely to die from coronary heart disease than non smokers. Deaths in general from coronary heart disease are 70% higher in smokers. |
Quit smoking or using tobacco |
| Avoid high levels of processed omega-6 vegetable oils, especially soy, corn, cottonseed and safflower oils. Go ahead and enjoy those juicy animal fats! You'll be VERY surprised that if you don't get enough fats, you have a higher chance of developing heart disease. See what the research says. |
Read about fats and the myths
Read about cholesterol myths
Read why hydrogenated fats are harmful
Stay away from Olestra |
| Consuming excess alcohol |
Limit alcohol intake |
| Excess weight as determined by {hrt_disease_bmi} BMI and {hrt_disease_body_fat} body fat distribution. |
Attain and maintain a healthy weight |
| Stress |
Understanding Stress |
| Caffeine can lead to ventricular fibrillation and possible heart attacks. People that drink at least six cups of coffee a day increase their risk of heart disease by 120%. |
Read about caffeine here. |
| A diet high in sugar will cause platelets to clump, damage to arteriole walls, and eventually hardening of the arteries. Diets high in refined carbohydrates (white sugar, white flour, etc.) can cause the liver to overmanufacture cholesterol. |
108 Ways Sugar Ruins Your Health |
| Birth control pills, estrogen replacement therapy, long term intake of vitamin D pills, all increase the likelihood of heart problems. |
Hormone Replacement Therapy - The Risks |
| A toxic bowel won't be able to eliminate cholesterol well and can lead to fatty deposits in the blood vessels. |
Get tested by a practitioner. Take adequate amounts of enyme supplements so your food is digested properly, and ensure that your liver is working adequately. These include Zypan®, Multizyme™, Betaine Hydrochloride, Lact-Enz®, B6-Naicinamide, and Zymex® II. |
| A person with an underactive thyroid will have an increased amount of blood fat and be more susceptible to heart attacks. |
Read about the thyroid. |
| Hypoadrenia causing lowered aldosterone output can cause cardiac arrhythmias as can ileocecal valve syndrome. |
Take our free test which can reveal these two conditions. |
| Nerve pressure in the upper thoracic spine can cause heart problems. |
Read about how Chiropractic removes nerve pressure. |
| A vitamin B deficiency can cause heart palpitations. |
Take our free test which can reveal vitamin B deficiencies. Get a hair tissue mineral analysis which can reveal vitamin/mineral imbalances. |
| Ulcer patients fed a high milk diet have twice the incidence of heart attacks as ulcer patients not on a high milk diet. |
Drink real milk which contains the enzymes necessary for proper digestion to take place. |
| A lack of magnesium appears to produce heart problems. Low hydrochloric acid, high protein diet, dairy products, and a diet high in refined foods, all tend to produce magnesium deficiencies. |
Get a hair tissue mineral analysis which can reveal vitamin/mineral imbalances. |
| Alcohol, vegetable oil, and margarine, all cause red blood cells to clump together. This can block blood flow to capillaries and cause decreased oxygen supply, damage to the circulatory system and cells it supplies nutrients to. |
Read about fats and the myths that have been generated.
Read about cholesterol myths
Read why hydrogenated fats are harmful
Stay away from Olestra |
| Hardening of the arteries due to any of the above causes or any other factor that decreases oxygen supply can cause angina. Not dressing warmly enough can stimulate angina. |
Take our free test which can reveal this. |
| A hiatal hernia can mimic heart problems. |
Read about {hiatal_hernia} hiatal hernia. |
If you have already have heart disease, reduce your risks of complications by learning more about and following advise on self care for people with heart disease. Learn more about health care for people with heart disease.
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Certain medical conditions can increase the risk of developing heart disease. Treating those conditions properly can help to maintain heart health.
Two other factors that can contribute to one's risk of heart disease are age and a family history of heart disease.
Your age may increase your risk of heart disease if:
- you are a man over the age of 45 years old
- you are a woman over the age of 55 years old.
Your family history may increase your risk for heart disease if:
- your brother or father had a heart attack before the age of 55
- your sister or mother had a heart attack before the age of 65
Your risk for heart disease increases with the number of risk factors that apply to you. You cannot control your family history, or your age, but you can improve lifestyle risk factors through appropriate self care practices. You can further reduce your risk of heart disease by having your physician assess and prescribe appropriate health care interventions for your medical risk factors.
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Some people are at a lower risk for heart disease than others. They have natural protective factors or they acquire their protection through healthy living. The person who is less likely to develop heart disease is someone who fits the following profile:
| HDL cholesterol over 60 mg/dl |
HDL (High Density Lipoproteins) are the good kinds of cholesterol that cleans out the plaque accumulating in the blood vessels. Levels over 60 mg/dl have been shown to impart special protection. The higher the HDL, the better. |
| Premenopausal women |
They have a lower risk for heart disease because of the natural estrogen hormone that their ovaries produce. Post menopausal women, and woman that have had their ovaries surgically removed, should consider supplements for menopausal symptoms to lower their risk of heart disease. |
| Includes regular exercise. |
{benefits_exercise_heart} Exercise raises HDL, lowers mildly elevated blood pressure, improves circulation, strengthens the heart muscle, helps with weight control, and reduces stress. |
| Has normal blood pressure. |
High {bp_values} blood pressure can lead the heart attacks and strokes. High blood pressure can be asymptotic. People who are overweight are 2-6 times more likely to have high blood pressure. Be sure to have your blood pressure checked regularly. |
| Maintains a healthy weight. |
Being overweight can cause high blood pressure. Carrying extra weight makes the heart work harder, and makes it more difficult to exercise. Obesity raises the triglycerides and the LDL (bad kind of cholesterol), and lowers the HDL. Obesity also increases the risk for developing type 2 diabetes. If you need help, consider a formal program for weight control. |
| If drinking alcohol, does so in moderation. |
Moderation means one or two drinks per day as a maximum. If a little is good, more is not better. Excess alcohol contributes to obesity, raises the blood pressure, raises triglycerides levels, and increases the risk of heart failure and stroke. |
| Does not smoke. |
Smoking is one of the biggest factors contributing to heart disease. Smoking lowers HDL, raises LDL, raises blood pressure, and causes strokes. |
| Eats a diet with the following parameters: |
- Avoid all hydrogenated fats
- Avoid high levels of processed omega-6 vegetable oils, especially soy, corn, cottonseed and safflower oils
- Use high quality butter
- Use small amounts of flax oil in salad dressings.
- Use coconut oil or whole coconut milk in cooking
- Supplement with cod liver oil and evening primrose, borage or black current oils
- Eat organ meats and fish eggs occasionally
- Eat good quality eggs frequently
- Eat raw meat or fish occasionally (Note: Fish should be marinated in an acidic medium, and meat should be frozen for at least 14 days before preparation, to avoid parasite contamination.)
- Avoid high phytate foods that block zinc. These include grains, legumes and nuts that have not been properly prepared to reduce phytate content. Modern soy foods have potent zinc-blocking effects.
- Avoid refined sweeteners like sugar and high fructose corn syrup
- Eat and drink in moderation—but don’t deprive yourself of delicious traditional foods.
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| Eats a diet low in cholesterol. |
Cholesterol is only found in animal products. It especially high in egg yolks, organ meats, shrimp and squid. Eat moderate portions of lean meats. Limiting to 6-8 ounces per day usually assures the cholesterol intake is not excessive. |
| Limits dietary sodium (salt). |
Eating too much sodium can cause high blood pressure. Excess salt can also interfere with the effectiveness of blood pressure lowering medications. |
| Eats a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. |
These selections are cholesterol-free, and are usually naturally lowfat. Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants and phytochemicals to protect against heart disease. |
| Eats a diet rich in soluble fiber. |
Soluble fiber helps to lower cholesterol levels. Soluble fiber is found in oats, legumes (dried beans/peas), barley, rice bran, and fruits and vegetables. |
| Eats a diet that includes fish. |
Fish oils provide omega-3 fatty acids which lower triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol levels. Fish oils also help to prevent blot clots. |
| Manages stress in a healthy manner. |
For some people, stress causes blood pressure and heart rate to rise significantly. Reacting to stress by smoking, drinking or overeating increases the risks associated with stress; all these behaviors are linked to heart disease. |
Treating heart disease is unfortunately combined with money and politics. Read about the false information in the heart resource center. 
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