Protecting Our Precious Heart, Safely and Naturally

Our hearts are “on-the-go” 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They do not get vacation days, personal leave days or go on maternity leave. But unfortunately, now and then they do call in sick – sometimes for a few days, sometimes longer, and in the worst cases, sometimes they never get back to the job.
Certainly, the key then is to make sure our hearts are healthy all of the time, and preventative medicine, good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are all really good places to start.

But first, let’s talk about how our hearts can “fall ill” and also its supporting cast, the circulation system. Most people do not realize that the heart really has 3 major functions and each of these can go awry – i.e. there are 3 distinct types of cardiovascular problems and a person can have any combination of these.

The first function of the heart is that the heart is a pump. If there is a pump problem, you can get edema, congestion and shortness of breath. The second function of the heart is that the heart is an electrical organ.

We all have a pulse. Your heart has a rate and it can bounce around. If there are electrical problems, especially when related to stress and loss of electrolytes, like from dehydration, you start getting extra beats, which are called ectopy or arrhythmias. Most heart attacks likely start from these extra beats happening too many times in a row. This is why people sometimes have to wear a defibrillator to zap them out of a bad situation.

The third function of the heart is the flow of blood to the rest of the body. The circulatory problem that many people refer to as “heart disease” is clogged up blood vessels, otherwise known as primary ischemic disease. This clogging may be from atheromatous plaques – i.e. from cholesterol processes (and there are several) or they may be from clots known as hypercoagulation and there are several pathways to this.

The key is to take care of your pumping, electrical, blood flowing heart which carries into your body the blood and oxygen – this vital flow that in turn allows you to achieve salubrity.

What are the best ways to achieve this? As I said before, I believe it’s through a combination of nutrients, healthy eating habits and good lifestyle choices.

In terms of nutrients, I would suggest taking vitamins B1, B6 and B12, as well as folic acid – which have all been shown to help the heart. The mineral iodine may also be helpful, as is magnesium and selenium. A deficiency in selenium has been linked to the development of heart problems.

Garlic and ginger have been found to help lower cholesterol – always a good thing for heart health, and cayenne pepper may help reduce deadly blood clots, and also help with palpitations and angina. Another herb called hawthorn has impressed me with its ability to help people who are in the early stages of congestive heart failure.

The amino acid L-carnitine is also a good natural remedy to consider for overall heart health, along with alpha lipoic acid, which has been found to help with cholesterol levels. Coenzyme Q10 can also be extremely helpful for cardiovascular health – it works by helping with energy production inside the heart and has performed well in clinical studies.

Now, for the other two suggestions – eat a good and healthy diet filled with fresh produce, heart healthy grains and lean cuts of meat. Low-fat dairy products are good too. Try to avoid the anti-nutritional biggies out there like saturated fats, hydrogenated oils, and too much caffeine and alcohol. Good food tastes great and you’ll feel so good after eating it, you won’t even miss the unhealthy stuff that much.

As for lifestyle changes, I realize this is often easier said than done, but try to reduce as much stress from your life as you can. Learn to recognize what you can and cannot control and let these things go. Strive for restful sleep each night – whatever your body requires. Regular, consistent exercise is also important to keep the heart healthy and strong – just check with your own physician first before starting any new fitness programs.

Taking care of your heart is one of the most important things you can do. Fortunately, it is relatively easy to start incorporating many of the suggestions I have made in this article, and well-worth the effort to make the more challenging changes too.

Did we mention cigarettes? Shame on you if you smoke! Heart smart is smoke free!

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