Posts Tagged ‘Heart Failure’

Cardiovascular Heart Disease-To Statin or Not To Statin

Friday, July 16th, 2010

We all know that cardiovascular hypertension, cardiovascular stroke, cardiovascular angina, cardiovascular heart disease risk factors, cardiovascular heart diabetes, and cardiovascular heart failure is on the rise in the United States and other countries. This is really an issue that should lead to a good discussion with your doctor. There is considerable debate and it is getting heated!

The debate about the use of statin drugs to lower cholesterol continues as new analysis of prior studies show that statins really did nothing to lower the death rate of patients with risk factors for cardiovascular heart disease. These are people who have not had a previous heart attack or stroke but are taking the cholesterol lowering drugs in an attempt to stave off a first occurrence of either one.

A second study brings into question the validity of a 2008 study that concluded one particular statin did prevent heart attacks. This would appear to be bad news for the pharmacological companies and for patients taking the drugs. It is primarily due to research that showed statins prevent heart attacks that these medicines are second only to antipsychotic drugs in sales in the United States. They are widely prescribed in hopes of lowering the risk for fatal heart attacks.

But, another study was recently published that showed statins had a beneficial result in preventing further incidence of prostate cancer in men who had surgery for this cancer. The debate over these medicines is a hot one. Many researchers and doctors are firm believers in the benefits to patients taking these medicines.

Lowering cholesterol, preventing cardiovascular disease, and stopping heart attacks is a goal that every physician wants to achieve. Both sides of the debate have the patients’ health in mind, but how best to attain that goal?

Some doctors and researchers now believe the risks to the patients are too great, the statins are not worth the hope of lowering fatal heart attacks and strokes. The most reasonable voice right now may be the one that advises doctors talk to their patients and explain that right now there are conflicting results and an intense debate. The issues will be clearer with future.

To Your Heart’s Health

Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
mentormonique@gmail.com
Remember to sign up for my “You Deserve To Have A Healthy Heart” Newsletter!

P.S. For more information about Vita Che, the natural Roto Rooter for your arteries, visit this online nutrition store at http://699456.shopvitamark.com

Heart Disease Treatments-Hawthorn for the Heart

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Long known to herbalists for its benefits for people with cardiovascular disease, hawthorn has been shown in clinical studies to both strengthen the heart and help with many aspects of heart disease. Hawthorn is a small flowering tree that produces berries that are used to make herbal supplements. Widely used in Europe by both homeopathic and allopathic doctors for heart problems; it is a popular herbal supplement in the United States.

One of the primary actions of hawthorn is strengthening the heart itself.

This is the main reason for its widespread use for patients with heart failure. This disease means that the heart is not strong enough to adequately circulate blood. Hawthorn can strengthen the heart and alleviate many of the symptoms of heart failure. Hawthorn acts to dilate the arteries around the heart allowing a better flow of nutrients, oxygen, and blood which helps build the heart muscle back up.

Another benefit of hawthorn is its effect of hypertension. High blood pressure can be caused by buildup of cholesterol or plaque in the arteries, causing them to constrict and reduce the flow of blood. Hawthorn has been shown to relax the arteries and reduce cholesterol. Both of these actions will reduce high blood pressure.

Studies have shown this herb to be beneficial for angina and irregular heartbeat. Many studies have been done in Europe, Germany in particular.

American researchers are now studying hawthorn for its beneficial actions.

Using this herb has long been a part of heart therapy in Europe and is becoming accepted here now due to its effectiveness and safety.

The herb also has a calming effect that helps in today's high stress world. High levels of stress are known to cause physical problems including coronary disease. Hawthorn needs to be taken over a long period of time, months and years for the benefits to be optimized. There are no known risks and no known adverse drug interactions.

To Your Heart’s Health

Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
mentormonique@gmail.com
Remember to sign up for my “You Deserve To Have A Healthy Heart” Newsletter!

P.S. For more information about Vita Che, the natural Roto Rooter for your arteries, visit this online nutrition store at http://699456.shopvitamark.com

Additional Article I Feel You Will Enjoy:

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  • Soy – The Untold Story « Genetically Modified Foods, The Silent Killer – The true story of Soy has not been told. The many serious health hazards from consuming soy have not been told. The consumer has not been made aware of the dangers, in order for them to make an educated decision on whether or not to …

  • eskimos, heart disease, and omega-3s: the plot thickens – david marcus made the following comment on an earlier post: it's a myth that eskimos have low rates of heart disease. actually, recent studies have shown they have high rates of cardiovascular disease (50% higher than western …

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  • Staringfrog.com – Articles and Information » Women and Heart Disease – Scientists studying women and heart disease hypothesized that hormone replacement therapy could help post-menopausal women fight heart disease; however, long-term studies do not confirm that preliminary idea and doctors no longer …

  • The Treatment Of Heart Disease | BestCure – Heart disease has become the number one cause of premature death in the United States and many other parts of the world. It is also a.

Heart Disease Treatments-Hawthorn for the Heart

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Long known to herbalists for its benefits for people with cardiovascular disease, hawthorn has been shown in clinical studies to both strengthen the heart and help with many aspects of heart disease. Hawthorn is a small flowering tree that produces berries that are used to make herbal supplements. Widely used in Europe by both homeopathic and allopathic doctors for heart problems; it is a popular herbal supplement in the United States.

One of the primary actions of hawthorn is strengthening the heart itself.

This is the main reason for its widespread use for patients with heart failure. This disease means that the heart is not strong enough to adequately circulate blood. Hawthorn can strengthen the heart and alleviate many of the symptoms of heart failure. Hawthorn acts to dilate the arteries around the heart allowing a better flow of nutrients, oxygen, and blood which helps build the heart muscle back up.

Another benefit of hawthorn is its effect of hypertension. High blood pressure can be caused by buildup of cholesterol or plaque in the arteries, causing them to constrict and reduce the flow of blood. Hawthorn has been shown to relax the arteries and reduce cholesterol. Both of these actions will reduce high blood pressure.

Studies have shown this herb to be beneficial for angina and irregular heartbeat. Many studies have been done in Europe, Germany in particular.

American researchers are now studying hawthorn for its beneficial actions.

Using this herb has long been a part of heart therapy in Europe and is becoming accepted here now due to its effectiveness and safety.

The herb also has a calming effect that helps in today’s high stress world. High levels of stress are known to cause physical problems including coronary disease. Hawthorn needs to be taken over a long period of time, months and years for the benefits to be optimized. There are no known risks and no known adverse drug interactions.

To Your Heart’s Health
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
mentormonique@gmail.com
Remember to sign up for my “You Deserve To Have A Healthy Heart” Newsletter!

P.S. For more information about Vita Che, the natural Roto Rooter for your arteries, visit this online nutrition store at http://699456.shopvitamark.com

Heart Disease Treatments-How To Keep A Healthy Heart

Sunday, April 4th, 2010

The leading cause of death among North Americans continues to be cardiovascular disease. As lifestyle factors play such a major role in heart disease, it is important to understands some aspects of the disease and what you can do to prevent it.

The heart is a muscle in the body that like all muscles needs its own supply of blood in order to function. Working properly, it then pumps blood through the circulatory system, delivering oxygen and nutrients to the body and removing wastes such as carbon dioxide.

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

Heart disease begins in many when plaque begins to build up in the arteries. This causes the arteries to become narrow thereby restricting the blood flow through them. As the blood flow is reduced, the amount of oxygen delivered to the heart is reduced. This tends to create pains in the chest, called angina. Heart attacks result when the blood flow to the heart is totally blocked.

Diets low in fat, high in fiber coming mainly from fruit and vegetables help the body respond to CAD. Omega-3 oils found in foods like cold water fish and flax seeds are of benefit for a healthy heart, as they are felt to inhibit the blood from becoming ‘sticky’ thereby limiting the likelihood of clots forming and may slow down the process of plaque formation. In addition, regular exercise and stress reduction are also beneficial.

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

Congestive heart failure and related forms of heart failure affect over five million North Americans. It is a condition in which the heart cannot adequately supply the body’s other organs with blood. While a serious condition, the word failure does not mean that the heart stops beating.

As the pumping action of the heart is decreased, the blood does not move efficiently through the circulatory system and starts to back up, which then causes an increase of pressure in the blood vessels, and forces fluid from the vessels into body tissue. When the left side of the heart starts to fail, fluid tends to collect in the lungs, while when the right side starts to fail, fluid tends to collect in the feet and lower legs.

People with congestive heart failure tend to tire easily, have shortness of breath and can experience fluid retention and swelling. Diabetes, obesity and sleep apnea are commonly associated with CHF.

As with CAD a low fat, high fiber diet is recommended along with treatment for associated diseases. CoQ-10, a powerful antioxidant, has been clinically shown to be of benefit to CHF patients. Though exercise may be difficult for people with CHF, it would still be of benefit and therefore one should consult with their health professional to determine what the possibilities might be.

High Blood Pressure

As a leading cause of heart disease, high blood pressure, often called hypertension, is a condition in which too much pressure is being exerted on the walls of the arteries. Called ‘the silent killer’ high blood pressure can be present without a person experiencing any apparent symptoms.

In about 90% of high blood pressure cases an associated cause is not known. This is defined as primary hypertension. If it results from another disease or condition, it is called secondary hypertension and often returns to normal when the originating cause is treated.

There are some factors that though not causes, are often associated with high blood pressure such as: CAD as previously discussed, arteriosclerosis which is hardening of the arteries, imbalances in organs such as the kidneys, lungs and liver, obesity, lack of exercise, sodium (salt) sensitivity, alcohol consumption, and various pharmaceutical drugs. (Note this is not a comprehensive list.)

Once again a heart-healthy diet containing plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and fish, while low in saturated fats, salt and sugar is recommended for people with high blood pressure. As exercise helps lower blood pressure a regular exercise routine should become part of the daily routine.

Chickpeas, beans, soy products, proteins found in garlic, and other antioxidants such as bilberry help improve lipids in the blood and lower cholesterol. Avocados and nuts have been shown to boost your ‘good’ cholesterol.

Finally, a heart-healthy lifestyle will limit the amount of alcohol consumed as it has been shown to have an affect on cholesterol levels. It is recommended that women consume no more than one drink per day and men no more than two. Smoking has also been linked to heart disease, so the sooner a person can quit the better.

To Your Success,

To Your Heart’s Health
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
mentormonique@gmail.com
Remember to sign up for my “You Deserve To Have A Healthy Heart” Newletter!

P.S. Vita Che is the ultimate Roto Rooter for your arteries, visit http://699456.shopvitamark.com

Heart Disease Treatments: Top 2 Heart Disease Prevention Exercises

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

We all know that heart disease/cardiovascular disease is a major health concern in the United States. Most of us are also aware that cardiovascular fitness is a great way to have a healthy heart.

However, Dr. Arthur Agaston, MD associate professor of the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine and author of the “South Beach Diet, Supercharged”, says not all workouts are heart healthy. Here are the top exercises you should do to prevent a heart attack.

-Interval Training. This is the best for heart attack and disease prevention, diabets, losing weight, and improving your overall fitness level. It’s beendound that short bursts of increasing the intensity with your exercise along with slightly longer periods of a moderate rate improves vascular function, burns more calories, plus increaaes your bodies efficiency at clearing fat and suger from your blood.

-Do Total Body Non-Impact Sports. Dr. Agaston says the more muscles that need to be engaged in a activity, the harder the heart has to work to fuel it all. Pick exercises like rowing, swimming, cross country skiing, etc.

-Engage in core Work. Pick an exercise like Pilates which strengthens your core muscles plus increases flexibility and balance.

-Stay Active. A good way to prevent a heart attack or heart failure is to remain active all day. Those who stay active also burn more calories are in better general health.

These exercise tips also have other great benefits such as:

helping you avoid heart failure
limiting the possibility for developing high cholesterol
decreasing your chance of having a stroke
increasing your metabolism
improving depressive symptoms
lowering obesity

Of course, if you also avoid smoking and eat well, you can help prevent heart disease.

To Your Heart’s Health
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
mentormonique@gmail.com
Remember to sign up for my “You Deserve To Have A Healthy Heart” Newletter!

P.S. Vita Che is the ultimate Roto Rooter for your arteries, visit http://699456.shopvitamark.com

Heart Disease Treatments-The Power of Coenzyme Q10

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

If you currently have heart disease and are looking for natural heart disease treatments, or just is interested ways to prevent heart disease, have you heard about the power of Coenzyme Q10?

Coenzyme Q10 has exploded onto the health scene. This powerful mineral has many health saving properties. It is responsible for essential chemical reactions in your body as well as being a dynamite antioxidant.

What’s more, Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 occurs naturally in your body, (and that’s good), but unfortunately, as you age, have nutritional deficiencies or get sick you are producing less of this essential mineral.

And check this out…studies show that an estimated 25% deficiency will cause serious metabolic health problems. At 75%, death will follow and that would mean no more birthday cake for you!

CoQ10 plays a key role in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) needed for energy production in every cell. It also has a powerful antioxidant that helps guard against damage from free radicals.

And that is just for starters, cardiologist Peter Langsjorn explains “Like the vitamins discovered in the early part of this century, CoQ10 is an essential element of food that can now be used medically.”

It gets even better…

Here are just a few of the health benefits:

Weight Loss – stimulates your bodies metabolism

Healthy Gums – suppresses gingival inflammation

Male Fertility – improves sperm mobility and protects free radical injury

Cardiovascular – improvement of symptoms in cardiac and congestive heart failure patients. It’s a natural heart disease treatment and prevention supplement.

Immune System – significantly enhances function

In various other studies CoQ10 was a tremendous benefit in lowering high blood pressure and helped with angina and congestive heart failure.

So you may be asking yourself, “Wow, where do I find this stuff??” well, good news and bad news. A small amount, 10 to 20 milligrams of CoQ10, can be found in fish and organ meats of animals. Well…that slowed me down a little! I don’t like organ meats of animals, do you? Yuck! Here is another solution. An easily available source of this nutrient is in many high quality nutritional systems.

Safe scientific formulated blends of vitamins and minerals including CoQ10 are specially formulated for maximum absorption. For adults taking Coenzyme Q10 in a supplement, the optimal amount should be between 30 and 90 mg per day. Under a doctors care, higher amounts may be prescribed.

Regardless of age or health almost everybody would benefit from taking CoQ10 daily. Our health and quality of life are based on feeling good and having healthy energy supplies.

And really people… this is so much better for your energy levels than a cigarette and a diet soda!

So, if you are looking for a natural supplement for heart disease treatments and prevention, I’d certainly consider taking this supplement.

Feel free to visit my online store where CoQ10 is available as well as the roto rooter product that cleans your arteries, Vita Che, at http://699456.shopvitamark.com

To Your Heart’s Health
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
mentormonique@gmail.com
Remember to sign up for my “You Deserve To Have A Healthy Heart” Newletter!

Heart Disease and Women-Heart Disease and Your Weight

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Many factors contribute to women having heart disease. Did you know that you should be very careful with your weight if you don’t want to develop this very serious disease? Here is why.

Heart Disease and Your Weight

By Jennifer R. Scott, About.com

Updated: December 08, 2008
http://weightloss.about.com/od/obesityhealth/a/heartdisease.htm

What is Heart Disease?
Heart disease is a number of abnormal conditions affecting the heart and the blood vessels in the heart. Types of heart disease include coronary artery disease, heart failure, and arrhythmia. The most common form of heart disease is coronary artery disease, a narrowing or blockage of coronary arteries, which is the major reason people have heart attacks.

How Prevalent is Heart Disease?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of disability. In 2002, almost 700,000 people died of heart disease, just over half of which were women. These statistics mean that nearly 30% all U.S. deaths were due to heart disease.

Heart disease has been the deadliest health condition for women for 100 years. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease has been the leading killer of adult females since 1908.

How is Weight Connected to Heart Disease?
Overweight is considered a major risk factor for both coronary heart disease and heart attack. Being 20% overweight or more significantly increases your risk for developing heart disease, especially if you have a lot of abdominal fat. The American Heart Association has found that even if you have no other related health conditions, obesity itself increases risk of heart disease.

Being sedentary causes heart disease risk to increase, possibly even more so for women -– inactive females are more likely to become diabetic, have high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol. All three of these conditions increase the chance of developing heart disease.

Apples vs. Pears
Your risk of developing heart disease may be heightened even more by the way your weight is distributed on your body. Being overweight and “apple-shaped” — meaning you carry most of your excess weight in your abdominal area — is considered riskier than being overweight and “pear-shaped.” Apple-shaped individuals also have many other increased health risks including high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, and stroke.

To find out if your waistline increases your risk of heart disease, you can measure yourself with a measuring tape. You may need a partner to help you measure accurately. The measurement should be taken at the narrowest part of your waist. A high-risk waistline is 35 inches or higher for women and 40 inches or higher for men.

What You Can Do
The good news is, reducing your weight by just 10% can begin to lower your risk of developing heart disease and other obesity-related health problems. Heart disease can often be connected to “known risk factors” with being overweight considered a “modifiable” risk factor (a risk you can do something to prevent). Age and race, on the other hand, are “nonmodifiable” risk factors.

In addition to managing your weight, you can reduce your chances of developing heart disease by controlling other related risk factors such as: controlling your blood pressure, lowering your cholesterol, quitting smoking and getting enough exercise.

A healthy diet is also an important part of lowering your risk of heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends a diet that contains no more than 30% of daily calories from fat. For example, if you eat a diet of 2,000 calories per day, no more than 600 calories should come from fat.

To assess your caloric intake and recommended calories from fat, visit My Fat Translator, a Web site from the American Heart Association.

To learn more about heart disease, visit The American Heart Association or About.com’s Heart Disease site.

Sources:

American Heart Association. Diseases & Conditions. 1 February 2008.

American Heart Association. Obesity & Overweight. 1 February 2008.

Centers for Disease Control. CDC Heart Disease. 7 February 2008.

Centers for Disease Control. CDC Deaths,Leading Causes for 2002. National Vital Statistics Reports 2005;53(17) as qtd. in DHDSP – Heart Disease – Facts and Statistics. 7 February 2008.

U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health/Medline Plus. Medline Plus: Heart Diseases 4 February 2008.

I hope you enjoyed the article! Also, remember to sign up for my “You Deserve to Have A Healthy Heart” newsletter.

To Your Success,
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
SKype: Monique371
mentormonique@gmail.com

Heart Disease Treatments-Watch Your Weight

Sunday, October 4th, 2009

If you are a woman who is concerned about developing heart disease, one of the most important things you can do is watch your weight. This is very important as you will now discover. It is a natural heart disease treatment!

Overweight and Heart Disease
By Vincent W

In discussing overweight and heart disease, let us look at some statistics. More than 64 percent of Americans are overweight, of which 27% are obese. An overweight person is one having a BMI of over 25, and in an obese person, a BMI of over 30. Overweight has long been identified by medical professionals as causes for serious health problems. In fact, the more overweight we are, the worse the effects are likely to be. Among the diseases associated with overweight are Type 2 diabetes , thyroid problems, asthma, high blood pressure and heart disease. This article will examine the issue of overweight and heart disease.

No discussion on overweight and heart disease can be complete without a brief mention of the most important organ in our body, the heart. This organ is not much larger than your fist. Heart disease collectively refers to the disease or condition that affects both the heart and the blood vessels. The heart, lungs, and some 100,000 miles of blood-filled vessels together make up the circulatory system by which oxygen and other vital elements are sent to nourish the live cells in all parts of the body. It is the heart that keeps all these going by acting as the central pumping system. The heart has 4 chambers with valves in them. It is located to the left side of our chest, just off the center. The heart is a very important organ to keep life going. Can you appreciate the workload the heart has to carry 24/7?

Common heart diseases are coronary artery disease, heart failure and arrhythmia (an abnormal rate of muscle contractions in the heart). Blockage or narrowing of coronary arteries is one of the major reasons of heart attack.

According to statistics, heart disease is one of the major causes of death in the developed and developing countries. In America it is the number one killer; most of the victims are women. Women, particularly those who are inactive and overweight are more likely to be affected by diseases like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

Overweight and heart disease are closely associated because overweight is the one of the major factors which causes heart disease.

There is yet another factor to consider in discussing overweight and heart disease. How the fat is deposited in your body also affects the heart. When you are overweight and have most of the fat accumulated in your abdominal area, it is considered more risky. The pear-shaped body, with fat worn mostly around the hips, buttocks and thighs, is not as bad for the heart as the apple-shaped body with fat accumulated around the tummy. The latter has higher chance of other health risks like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke etc. which directly affect your heart. For men with 40 inches of waist line you are more prone to heart disease. For women, it is 35 inches.

Regular exercise, an active life style and the proper diet can lower the risks of heart disease. You should avoid smoking. Monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol level regularly.

Overweight and heart disease , the number one killer disease in America.

Another article on weight management by Vincent W
Disclaimer: This article is for educational purpose only. It should not be deemed medical advice. Always consult a doctor if you suspect you have a medical problem.

Heart disease is the number one killer. Ignore it at your own peril

Learn to protect your heart, click on this link Now Lose Fat

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vincent_W

Ladies, watching our weight is very important. If you have not done so already, begin to do what you can to stay in shape and keep a healthy heart.

Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
mentormonique@gmail.com
Remember to sign up for my “You Deserve To Have A Healthy Heart” Newletter!

Heart Disease and Women: Tips on How to Lower Your Risks

Monday, August 31st, 2009

Heart disease and women suffering from it is a serious health problem today. However, as we have learned in a previous post, there are things we as women can do to reduce the risk of developing this serious disease.

As reported previously, there are nine activities women can do to lower their risk of heart disease. They were:

We talked some about what steps you can take to lower your cholesterol. Today, we can briefly cover how to lower your blood pressure. How? By doing this according to Go for Red for Women. Their site is http://www.goredforwomen.org/understand_your_risks.aspx

Reduce High Blood Pressure!
High blood pressure (or hypertension) makes the heart work harder than normal. This makes both the heart and arteries more prone to injury. High blood pressure raises the risk of having a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, eye damage, heart failure and atherosclerosis (fatty buildups in the arteries).

As a woman, you have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure if you are 20 pounds or more over a healthy weight (for your height and build), have a family history of high blood pressure, or have reached the age of menopause. More than 73% of women ages 65 to 74 have high blood pressure.

What’s more, your risk of developing high blood pressure increases during pregnancy, especially in the last trimester. If not treated, high blood pressure during pregnancy can endanger you and your baby. On the other hand, if you’re taking oral contraceptives, talk to your healthcare provider to evaluate the risks and benefits.

The lesson is to make sure you never develop high blood pressure. This in turn can reduce your risk of heart disease. The problem of heart disease and women  doesn’t have to be yours!

Monique Hawkins

540-858-2885 anytime

Skype: Moniqu371

mentormonique@gmail.com