A couple of weeks ago, a
friend of a friend was walking the Pyramid.
He started to get some chest pain and he didn’t feel well. He kept walking but felt worse, so he went
home to his wife and she took him to the hospital. . . he was
suffering a massive heart attack.
Fortunately, he is still with us today, unfortunately many other
Australians do die from cardiovascular disease everyday.
Cardiovascular disease
means heart, stroke or blood vessel diseases. Some people may have a genetic
predisposition to cardiovascular disease, inheriting problems such as high
cholesterol or high blood pressure.
However, many people develop heart problems from poor lifestyle and
dietary habits.
So here is the good news .
. .whether you are susceptible to cardiovascular problems because of genes, or
because of the way you live, there are invaluable changes you can make to
improve your heart and arteries and potentially deter cardiovascular disease.
Firstly, I will reveal
some of the risk factors, thereby giving an indication to the changes that need
to be made.
Risk Factors
·
High cholesterol levels –
readings with high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the bad
stuff), and low levels of high-density ipoprotein (the good stuff).
·
High levels of
triglycerides - increases when you eat too many fatty foods or when you eat too
much -- excess calories are made into triglycerides and stored as fat in cells.
Having an abundance of triglycerides has been linked to coronary heart disease.
·
High blood pressure
·
Smoking
·
Lack of regular exercise
·
A high fat diet
·
Overweight or obese
·
Diabetes
·
Ongoing stress or
depression
High Cholesterol Levels
The problem with not
having the right balance of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol, is that the
blood vessels can develop atherosclerosis from it. What happens is the bad
cholesterol is sticky and adheres to a blood vessel. As more bad sticky
cholesterol flows through the blood stream, more can adhere and it can grow,
developing a life of its own, the blood vessel narrowing and then a blockage
can occur, stopping blood from getting through and thereby causing angina or a
heart attack.
Blood Pressure
When the heart pumps blood
into the arteries, the blood pushes against the walls of the arteries.
Blood pressure is the product of the flow of blood times the resistance in the
blood vessels. High blood pressure may cause no symptoms initially but
can cause serious long term complications. Some complications of high
blood pressure include heart disease, heart attack, congestive heart failure,
stroke, kidney failure, peripheral artery disease, and aortic aneurysms.
The blood pressure is
easily measured using a blood pressure monitor. A normal BP reading is around
120/80. High blood pressure is defined as a consistently elevated
pressure of 140/90 or higher. You can
come into Calanna Pharmacy to have your Blood Pressure measured.
Weight
If you have excess weight,
especially weight around the middle, it may create conditions that increase
your chance of heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and
diabetes. Even a small weight loss can be beneficial –
losing just ten percent of your weight can lower blood pressure and cholesterol
levels and reduce your risk of diabetes.
Smoking
No amount of smoking is
safe as tobacco smoke contains more than 4800 chemicals, many of which can
damage your heart and blood vessels, making them more vulnerable to narrowing
of the arteries. The good news is that if you smoke, quitting now means
that you will reduce the risk of heart disease dramatically within a year.
Changes that MUST be made
for a Healthy Heart
Exercise
Exercising helps to
prevent heart disease by increasing the blood flow to the heart and
strengthening the heart so that it can pump more blood with less effort.
It also helps to control your weight and reduces stress. You should aim
for around 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week.
Healthy Eating
Healthy Eating is one of
the best things that you can do to help reduce your risk of heart
disease.
Eat a lot MORE of:
1.
Vegetables, salads,
fruits, nuts.
2.
Legumes, lean sources of
meat and fish.
3. Foods from the Mediterranean Diet
such as garlic, artichokes, olive oil.
Eat a lot LESS of:
1.
Sugar and white flour
products i.e. white breads, buns, cakes.
2.
Trans fatty acids – deep
fried foods, margarine, and processed foods. (They lower the good cholesterol
and increase the bad cholesterol.)
3.
Saturated fats – only eat
red meat to the size of your palm and trim off the fat.
Supplements
1.
Calanna Odourless Omega 3 - decreases the risk
of heart attack, protect against irregular heartbeats, and lower blood
pressure.
2. Ethical Nutrients Cholestrienol - contains clinically trialled
ingredients that may assist healthy people to maintain cholesterol within the
normal range and assist healthy cholesterol levels, improving the good and bad
cholesterol ratio. Also, assists in
maintaining triglyceride levels within the normal range.
There are many other
supplements that can assist in maintaining a Healthy Heart, as well as other
diet and lifestyle changes that can be made.
Calanna Pharmacy has
Naturopaths available at our Woree, North Cairns and Townsville stores that can
assist you with a Health Management plan especially tailored for your health
status. Call your nearest Calanna Pharmacy to book an appointment.
Please note that if you
have not had a health check up recently, it may be advised to have your blood
pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides tested, so please make a visit to your
doctor.
Written by: Kim Erhlich - Naturopath
Calanna Pharmacy Woree - Natural Medicine Clinic
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