It may be annoying for me to state the obvious but the road to good heart health is as simple – and as difficult – as leading a healthier life!
Even small, steady changes in your life mean a stronger, more efficient heart. More than half of heart disease is preventable and studies have shown that, in women, 90% of heart attacks can be prevented. Women who eat loads of veggies, fruit, whole grains, fish, and legumes, drink moderate amounts of alcohol, exercise, maintain a healthy weight and don’t smoke have a whopping 92% decreased risk of having a heart attack compared with women with less healthy diets and habits (Archives of Internal Medicine) - It is not unrealistic to assume the same applies more or less to men!
If you have been told by your health care practitioner that you have a problem, or if you are monitoring your heart health via Blood Pressure, cholesterol, weight and BMI readings and you feel there is some room for improvement, the following are some useful tips to start turning the tide in your hearts favour:
- Increase your intake of Omega 3 fatty acids – nuts such as walnuts and pistachios as well as cold water fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These are beneficial to heart health as they help to decrease inflammation in the arteries surrounding your heart and so keep your heart functioning longer and stronger. Other nuts, such as peanuts, macadamia nuts and almonds are a rich source of plant sterols which block cholesterol absorption in the intestines. Studies have shown that eating foods enriched with plant sterols lowers LDL cholesterol.
- De-stress: exercise, socialize, rest, sleep, breathe (using the diaphragm please). Engage in voluntary work where possible and count your blessings.
- Stop smoking - After one year, your heart disease risk is cut in half and after 10 years of not smoking, your heart disease risk is the same as for someone who has never smoked. Secondhand smoke counts too. A recent study found that women who are exposed to other people’s smoke increased their risk of heart attacks by 69%, strokes by 56%, and peripheral artery disease (PAD) by 67%, when compared with women who did not hang out around smokers. Clogged arteries in the legs, abdomen, pelvis, arms, and neck are linked with PAD.
- Measure your waist circumference for optimal heart health BMI: in women a waist measuring above 80cm indicates increased risk, in men the figure is 94cm. In fact it is the WHR (waist: hip ratio) that is the significant calculation; in women it should be below 0.85, in men below 1.0 – ratios higher than these will present in an Apple shape body type and this means higher risk of heart disease: Increased visceral fat = inflammation = increased cholesterol and other metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance.
- Herbal and nutritional assistance can be found in Hawthorn Berry (Crataegus Oxycantha/Monogyna), Arjuna Bark, Garlic, Niacin, CoQ10 among many, many others.
The alternative toolkit would not be complete without a request for you to please, if you have concerns about your cardiovascular health, allow your Homeopath to take a sound case, request the necessary investigations to be done and prescribe a well-chosen remedy that addresses your heart health concerns in a holistic manner.
Dr Bruce Thomson