What you do today, will
affect your heart health tomorrow.
Cardiovascular disease is a growing problem and financial burden costing the United States approximately 214 billion dollars a year. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the most common form of cardiovascular disease. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to other health problems such as congestive heart failure, stroke, heart attack, and death.
Alarming statistics show that over the past 50 years, cardiovascular disease has been the number one cause of mortality in the United States, but 100 years ago it was not even ranked in the top ten causes of death. In other countries that have diets lower in salt, cholesterol and fat people have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease. Most high blood pressure has no identifiable or secondary cause and is considered essential hypertension.
Some causes of essential hypertension include obesity, congestion of the liver, kidneys, or gall bladder, stress, and adrenal fatigue, hypothyroidism, high alcohol consumption, food allergies, and unbalanced essential fatty acids. Only a qualified healthcare professional can test for the causes of high blood pressure and put you on a specific protocol that would best suit your needs, but the following are tests and recommendations to consider with your healthcare provider.
Tests to check for the causes of hypertension
- Lipid profile: Many people with high blood pressure and cholesterol have been linked with thyroid problems as well
- Complete thyroid profile
- Liver enzyme profile
- Fatty acid blood profile: breaks down the ratio of omega 3-6-9 and determines what specific nutrient(s) you are lacking
Steps that may help naturally control hypertension
- Aerobic exercise: at least 30-60 minutes 3-7 days per week
- Detox programs: These can help with clearing out the kidneys, liver, and gastro-intestinal system of any congestion and aid in weight loss (only do with the permission and guidance of a qualified healthcare professional)
- Replace regular table salt with a sea salt
- Increase intake of calcium, potassium, antioxidants, CoQ10, and essential fatty acids but make sure that you receive these nutrients in a food based formula, not from synthetic supplements.
- Learn relaxation and stress management techniques
- Herbs that are heart helpers include Hawthorne, Coleus, and Garlic.
Already taking a prescribed Statin drug? Recent research has shown that they upset the omega 3-6-9 ratios and they rob the body of CoQ10, which can then lead to fatigue and shortness of breath. These individuals need to make sure that they are replacing the CoQ10 with food based supplements and making sure that their omega 3-6-9 ratios are balanced. It is never too late to begin the journey of eating your way to a healthy heart.
