Do You Know What Condition Your Heart Is In?
Do you know what condition your heart is in? Do you care? You better!
Consider the following:
- For 50% of the population a heart event (attack, stroke, failure) is the first indication of a heart problem.
- 50% of the heart attacks are with people who are slim, have low cholesterol and have had no real symptoms.
- Over 50% of the heart attack victims in the US are women.
- 2/3 of people over the age of 60 have high blood pressure.
- Heart disease is the number one cause of death for women and second for men.
- That can be scary, but “I have heard all of this before- but it does not apply to me.”
Common response but– SO WRONG!
So what contributes to this heart health problem. There are many reasons from genetics, to diet, to weight, being out of shape and much more. Those are the obvious reasons, but there are other issues that aren’t frequently mentioned in the journals. These include:
- Habits. Old habits are hard to break- family gatherings, barbecue, alcohol have become a mainstay in our lives. Comfort foods, fast foods, eating out, and alcohol have become part of our daily routines. These routines have made us fat, increased our blood pressure and made our heart arteries strain.
- Poor health creeps up on us. We move less and sit more, have no energy (or lack there of), and we blame it on old age. Physical work has given way to a desk job, computers, smart phones and hundreds of household appliances have made life easier and now we are talking about robots doing more of the physical tasks. Additionally, medications designed to manage heart health issues have side effects that make our muscles ache, keep us tired and zaps our energy. And, we adapt to all of this over time and slowly become sedentary.
- We have energizing pills, pills to make us sleep, pills to make us feel good and pills for just about everything. Prescription addiction is a crisis in the US and especially in the suburbs for all ages. We have learned through endless commercials that there must be a pill for any problem, and the pharmaceutical companies have gotten pretty good at having a pill for everything. BUT, is it really helping solve the problems or just treating the symptoms? The side effects are a problem for many.
- But then also consider these facts:
o 93% of people do not follow their prescriptions or doctor protocols. Why- doctors realize that getting people to change habits is not possible considering the time restraint of 15 minutes per patient visit, and the relationship they have with their patients. People are used to getting pills to solve problems- so we thought. Doctors are not rewarded and see little benefit in talking about diet, nutrition, and exercise when they know they cannot get their patients to change. So here we are.
o 95% of diets fail– diet companies count on failure for their renewed revenue. After a number of tries to lose weight most people give up and live with the risk and try again later.
o Only three percent (3%) of the US population does all of the following: That means 97% of the population has one or more of the following risk factors.
- Don’t smoke
- Stay physically active
- Follow a healthy diet- they don’t eat junk food
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Get enough sleep
So, how do we manage this heart problem that many of us seniors are facing now and the younger generation will face “down the road.” Not to make this too complicated let’s look at two scenarios.
- a) The Young Crowd who needs to build a strong heart and vascular systems
- b) The Down the Road Guys who need to reverse heart problems or sometimes keep more damage from occurring.
First the Young Crowd. They think that they are invincible and bad habits will not manifest immediately. I can get into shape quickly and I am good to go- oh oh. Many of my friends, who were high school and college athletes, thought they were immune to physical heart problems. But eating junk, drinking and getting out of shape adds up. Welcome to the Down the Road team.
How do we start to make sure we are not surprised with a heart event? The key for both the Young Crowd and the Down the Road Guys is to start with knowledge about your heart’s current state. In other words, get a heart check-up. Know what condition your condition is in. (a song). The young guys may not need to do that every year, but remember you are building your future heart health.
So…..
- Know your numbers– cholesterol. LDL, HDL, C-Reactive Protein, Triglycerides, blood pressure, resting heart rate and calcium levels- (calcium levels tells how much plaque build up is in your arteries)
- Track these numbers at least semi-annually- except for weight, blood pressure and heart rate, which you need, to track on a daily/weekly basis.
- Increase your active time. By a FitBit (pedometer) or similar device and track the steps taken, active time, sleep cycle, etc. The FitBit costs around $125 but is well worth the investment. It becomes a positive addiction and lets you know when you are sitting around too much.
- Nutrition-don’t eat junk. Because our food today has 1/3 fewer nutrients, more sugar, than our childhood foods. We strongly suggest that good age appropriate supplements will round out your vitamin, mineral and good fat needs that our “new generation GMO foods” do not provide.
- Change your opinion about stress. Stress does not need to be harmful. Studies show that people who have experienced high stress situations, but feel that stress has positive rather than negative effect have significantly fewer stress related illnesses (almost 63% fewer heart events). Our brain recognizes stress and, depending on our attitude about stress, can keep stress from harming us. (K. McGonigal). See my blog on Stress
The Down the Road Guys with heart issues take heed to the (5) five suggestions above–they are critical. But, you need to make sure you find a doctor- one who you trust and is competent- so that you will follow her advice. The goal is to reverse the heart condition, but that will take a great deal of work- more than most want to tackle. So, many will need the dreaded medication for cholesterol and blood pressure that will make you feel horrible but hopefully not make the heart condition worse.
My goal as a Down the Road Guy is to work hard to get my numbers good enough so that I can get off the medication. An incentive is that the Obama Care proposal is to have Medicare pay for only one Heart medication. The rest is on you and if you have checked the cost, you will want to keep that part time job to pay for the medication. So, start with steps 1-5 and then make sure you have that doctor you like and follow the doctor’s recommendation.
There are two Heart Related Shaklee products that have proven results. I take them with my regular blood pressure medicine and my numbers are way down. If I can maintain that low level, I will start experimenting and cutting back on some of the medications. – with the doctors concurrence.
The Shaklee Heart, Brain and Cholesterol Packages work to cut cholesterol levels and the Heart Health increases blood flow by relaxing the walls of the arteries that support your heart and your brain- that is a good thing.
- If you have high cholesterol, use the Shaklee Cholesterol Reduction Package that is shown below. It is natural, no side effects and effective.
- The Shaklee Heart Health and Brain Health products will keep your heart healthy and brain healthy by increasing the blood flow to both. The link will get more product and ordering information.
This link will provide more detailed information and buying information
This Blood Pressure regimen includes:
- Blood Pressure: Proprietary blend addresses 2 of the key mechanisms to help retain healthy blood pressure
- OmegaGuard®: Ultra pure, pharmaceutical grade Omega-3s to help reduce the risk of heart disease
- CoQHeart®: CoQ10 and resveratrol supports energy production in the heart and promotes healthy arteries
This Cholesterol regimen includes:
- Cholesterol Reduction Complex*: Delivers a powerful blend of plant sterols and stanols that may reduce the risk of heart disease by helping to lower cholesterol.
- OmegaGuard®: Ultra pure, pharmaceutical grade Omega-3s to help reduce the risk of heart disease
- CoQHeart®: CoQ10 and resveratrol supports energy production in the heart and promotes healthy arteries
Finally, give yourself permission to take time to follow through with what the doctor prescribed. Take charge of your health and build a healthy heart.
Staying healthy is key to a happy life especially in the Down the Road years. Manage your heart health and avoid the heart attack surprise.