February 12, 2015 general

Happy Valentine’s Day and American Heart Month. There is a month or at least a day honoring virtually every part of the body and every health condition (May is Hepatitis Awareness Month, June is National Aphasia Awareness Month, etc.)…you’d think we’d be healthier by now!  The red symbols of heart health month are second in visibility to the most well-known disease/month—October/Breast Cancer. That is not logical given that heart disease actually kills 5 times as many women as breast cancer. (Click here for info form the Mayo Clinic on heart disease in women and symptoms to watch for.) Pink has simply been marketed much more aggressively.

If you ask the average person (or average doctor for that matter) what it takes to prevent heart disease, they will likely tell you it is about keeping cholesterol down. Unfortunately, that is just a small (and misleading) part of the real picture. If you have family history of heart disease; another reason to worry; or just don’t want to succumb to the biggest risk factor for an early death*, then you might want to read the articles in our Library on Heart Health and/or on Blood Pressure.

Actually, any of the articles in the library on health basics might be useful because the same needs and mistakes seem to be involved in most diseases. The news during disease months usually focuses on invasive testing, exotic procedures and medications rather than educating us about the fundamentals of building health and avoiding risks. I thought the following sampling of factors related to cardiovascular health might help make my point: 

• Those who are NOT dehydrated recover better in cases of stroke.
• Optimists are much more likely to have healthy hearts.
• A study showed that an amino acid, acetyl L-carnitine reduced blood pressure and insulin resistance (it is a risk factor for heart disease as well as diabetes). Interestingly, acetyl L-carnitine is a key ingredient in MemoryWorks because acetyl L-carnitine also helps memory, learning, concentration and muscle movement. (That blood pressure study was a “pilot” more than 5 years ago and I can’t find that it has been repeated. Why not? Is it perhaps because drug companies cannot patent an amino acid?)
• According to the Food and Drug Administration, an antibiotic can cause potentially fatal heart arrhythmias. The drug they cited is commonly known as Z-Pack (Azithromycin, Zithromax or Zmax).
• Statins appear to increase the risk of cataracts.  Other common side effects of those cholesterol-lowering drugs include muscle weakness, diabetes and a possible association with cancer. In Fat Free Folly I discuss many misunderstandings regarding cholesterol. Statins do seem to have positive anti-inflammatory properties, but there are safer natural ways to achieve that benefit. (See fish oil and magnesium below as examples.)
• Omega 3’s (fish oil) help with inflammation, high triglycerides, platelet stickiness, and high blood pressure. The “side effects” include help with many other conditions—even depression.
• The FDA says a daily aspirin is not useful for preventing a first heart attack.
• B vitamins help heal heart failure—perhaps by energizing the heart. The whole B complex is important and our multi-vitamins should contain substantial amounts of for example, B₁. We also know that especially B₆, B₁₂ and Folic acid help reduce homocysteine which is a risk factor for both heart disease and cancer.
• CoQ10 has been shown useful in studies for heart failure, high blood pressure, angina and much more. The ubiquinol form is much better absorbed.
• When someone goes to the emergency room with chest pains, all that fancy (and expensive) testing might not be as useful as previously thought. (I sure hope they do check magnesium levels because, not only are some chest pains simply muscle cramps that could be relieved by magnesium, the mineral is also crucial for maintaining normal heart rhythms and blood pressure and for reducing inflammation.) By the way, 20% of women may not get chest pain when they are having a cardiac event.

I could list dozens more, but hopefully it is clear that what we do for the rest of the body helps the heart.

*The largest contributor to premature death is not a disease per se, but the side effects of medications and medical mistakes.