Cardiovascular Heart Disease Reversal?

Yeah, you are reading this now searching for answers. If you are like the rest of us, it may be late at night and you are searching for information that will confirm your worst suspicions that you may be showing symptoms of heart disease.
In my case, I denied my problem and searched for over 2 years until I reached a point of crisis. I was lucky to receive proper intervention which saved my life. You also may be reading this now because you have already joined our "Cardiac Club". You will be an active member of this club until the day you die. If you are smart, work hard on the problem and create a sustainable program I think you have cause to be optimistic about living an enjoyable normal life. That's my mission in any case.

If the first symptom of your disease was an actual heart attack, you are truly one of the lucky ones given another chance; 50% of the time attacks like that result in death. Death is a real tough complication to overcome! The information I share is a "work in progress" and about what I have already accomplished with 10 years of intensive “learning and experimentation”. The good news is a smart and motivated individual can accomplish the same thing in 18-24 months.
In the beginning of this journey I had to overcome a sense of awkwardness as I have a Master's in Public Health (MPH), was a US Navy Hospital Corpsman, was previously licensed as a Practical Nurse and have operated hospitals over thirty years. I think I was a little embarrassed that I hadn't done a better job with my own health.

"It might be helpful to know that I did not want to make any lifestyle changes and avoided making change until it became a necessity. The good news in this for you is that if I can embrace this different approach then there is most certainly hope and reason for you to think you can do it too, perhaps even better!"

I realized I was just doing the best I could with the typical understanding of what constitutes a good "Healthy lifestyle". I learned I was normal about these things, just like you. I made a decision to make whatever changes were required to live free of discomfort (angina, chest pain) and to stop the continuing deterioration of my health status and constant dread of a sudden death. "Pain is a very strong attention getter and signal that something is wrong."
But, even with the two year span of pain I didn't get the message which I have found is just being human. The trap I fell into was my significant first angioplasty resolved the pain therefore my denial of the problem overrode good judgment. I embarked on the next phase of denial and rode the yo-yo of multiple heart catheterizations & angioplasties. In my reading I found one study that indicated it took men 4 heart catheterizations to learn that the path they had chosen wasn't working so well. Boy, it took me five!

I may have even gone for more but, you guessed it, my last heart catherization kicked up a very significant recurring angina problem which I had trouble controlling. I soon realized that I had overlooked an important goal available to all of us today, DISEASE REVERSAL.
So, I didn't choose this path exactly as a volunteer; I came through the door kicking and screaming. And, like most life lessons, in retrospect I just can't believe I missed the boat by so much. This was a "life or death proposition" and here I was marginalizing and rationalizing my likes and dislikes.

Heart Bypass And Cardiovascular Disease

The term Cardiovascular Disease covers a large number of diseases that directly affect the heart and the blood vessel system. It especially affects the veins and arteries that lead to and from the heart. Research has suggested that women who suffer with cardiovascular disease usually suffer from forms that affect the blood vessels. While men usually suffer from forms that affect the heart muscle itself. Other known or associated causes of cardiovascular disease include diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia.

Heart disease and strokes are other common cardiovascular diseases. Two independent risk factors that have a major impact for heart diseases, cardiovascular diseases, are high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.
Now day’s heart disease does not have to be a death sentence. There are healthy lifestyle choices that can be made and science has come a long way in the early detection of heart disease.

There is a type of heart surgery, sometimes called CABG ("cabbage"). The surgery reroutes, or "bypasses," blood around clogged arteries to improve blood flow and oxygen to the heart.
The arteries that bring blood to the heart muscle (coronary arteries) can become clogged by plaque (a buildup of fat, cholesterol plus other substances). This can then slow or stop blood flow through the heart's blood vessels, leading to chest pain or a heart attack. Increasing blood flow to the heart muscle can relieve chest pain and also reduce the risk of heart attack.

Surgeons take a segment of a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body, and then make a detour around the blocked part of the coronary artery. An artery may be detached from the chest wall and the open end attached to the coronary artery below the blocked area. Or a piece of a long vein in your leg may be taken. One end is sewn onto the large artery leaving your heart - the aorta. The other end of the vein is attached or "grafted" to the coronary artery below the blocked area.

Cardiovascular Disease

Most people have heard the statistics for their own country. Cardiovascular disease is the number one leading causes of death - or number two or three. But what about other nations? Are their statistics similar to those of your nation? Is cardiovascular disease as prevalent in New Zealand as it is in Latin America? Is it as much to leading causes of death in Japan as it is in the Middle East Crescent? What is the global prevalence of cardiovascular disease?

Global Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease The global prevalence of cardiovascular disease is to big topic, given the fact that to number of different diseases fall into this large umbrella category. The World Health Organization (WHO), however, provides certain global health statistics from 1990 (Murray CJL & Lopez TO, 1996). Statistics to are provided for Established Economies Market, which to are Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, New Zealand, and the USA.

In addition, WHO provides statistics for formerly Socialist regions of the world as to group, India, China, other Asian and island regions, the group of African regions south of the Sahara, Latin American and Caribbean countries, and countries in the Middle East crescent area. From those statistics, we can see the global prevalence of cardiovascular disease in three categories: coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Coronary Heart Disease Coronary heart disease, involving angina, typically manifests itself as chest pain. The pain is caused by arterial blockage, which deprives the heart of vital oxygen. The global prevalence of cardiovascular disease that is coronary in natures appears to follow to fast-moving, stressful lifestyle. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is most prevalent in the Established Economies Market.

In those combined countries, 8,2 million people had the disease at the Time of the study. India had 6,6 million cases. In former Socialist countries, the number was 5,8 million. The region with the lowest prevalence of coronary heart disease was sub-Saharan Africa. This may be two, at least in part, to the slow peace of life in that region. Stroke The global prevalence of cardiovascular disease that manifests as stroke also appears to follow to fast-moving, stressful lifestyle.

This study found 9,5 million cases of stroke in the Established Economies Market and only 1,3 million in sub-Saharan Africa. Interestingly, China was second in this category, 7,4 million people with stroke. Yet China ranked fourth in CHD, with 4,5 million people. Diabetes The Established Economies Market led the way again in global prevalence of cardiovascular disease manifested through diabetes. At the Time of the study, 37,9 million people in these nations had diabetes.

The runner-up was India, with less than half as many cases: 18.1 million. Sub-Saharan Africa had only 3,9 million cases. In Summary Having viewed the global prevalence of cardiovascular disease, one is forced to ask why. Why is it that regions with wealth, regions that hold loads of the greatest medical expertise in the world, have to greater prevalence of cardiovascular disease?

More Why is it that strokes and diabetes strike people in the metropolises of the Established Economies Market than in the villages of Africa? The layman can only concludes that, for all of our knowledge regarding cardiovascular disease, we to are woefully lacking in applying that knowledge to prevention.
CAUTION: The author is not to medical professional, and offers the information in this article for educational purposes only.

5 Strategies You Can Adopt Today To Prevent Heart Disease

Heart disease is often preventable by following a heart-healthy lifestyle. See what five strategies you can adopt now to protect your heart.
Heart disease may be the leading cause of death for both men and women, but that doesn't mean you have to accept it as your fate. Although you lack the power to change some risk factors — such as family history, age and race — you can always control your lifestyle choices.

Take steps to avoid heart disease by not smoking, getting regular exercise and eating healthy foods. Prevent heart problems in the future by adopting a healthy lifestyle today. Here are five strategies to get you started.

1. Don't smoke or use tobacco products
"If you smoke, quit," advises Sharonne Hayes, M.D., a cardiologist and director of the Women's Heart Clinic at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. "That's the most powerful, preventable risk factor for heart disease."
No amount of smoking is safe. Smokeless tobacco and low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes are also risky, as is exposure to secondhand smoke.
Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,800 chemicals. Many of these can damage your heart and blood vessels, making them more vulnerable to narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis). Atherosclerosis can ultimately lead to a heart attack.

2. Exercise, exercise, exercise
You already know that exercise is good for you. But you may not realize just how good it is for you
Regularly participating in moderately vigorous exercise can reduce your risk of fatal heart disease by nearly a quarter. And when you combine exercise with other lifestyle measures, such as maintaining a healthy weight, the payoff is even greater.

Regular exercise helps prevent heart disease by increasing blood flow to your heart and strengthening your heart's contractions so that your heart pumps more blood with less effort. Physical activity also helps you control your weight and can reduce your chances of developing other conditions that may put a strain on your heart, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Exercise can also reduce stress, which may also be a factor in heart disease.

3. Eat a heart-healthy diet
Consistently eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products can help protect your heart. Legumes, low-fat sources of protein and certain types of fish can also reduce your risk of heart disease.

Limiting your intake of certain fats is also important. Of the types of fat — saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and trans fat — saturated fat and trans fat increase the risk of coronary artery disease by raising blood cholesterol levels. Saturated fat is the more worrisome offender because foods containing this type of fat are more prevalent in typical American diets. Major sources of saturated fat include beef, butter, cheese, milk, and coconut and palm oils.

4. Maintain a healthy weight
As you put on weight in adulthood, you gain mostly fatty tissue. This excess weight can lead to conditions that increase your chances of heart disease — high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
How do you know if your weight is healthy? One way is to calculate your body mass index (BMI), which considers your height and weight in determining whether you have a healthy or unhealthy percentage of body fat.

5. Get regular health screenings
High blood pressure and high cholesterol can damage your cardiovascular system, including your heart. But without testing for them, you probably won't know whether you have these conditions. Regular screening can tell you what your numbers are and whether you need to take action.

Support A Healthy Cardiovascular System With Resveratrol

Chemically, Resveratrol is a polyphenol that includes the flavanoids and proanthocyanadins, both very powerful antioxidants. These are very useful for the destruction of free radicals that threaten your health and well-being in this age of excessive pollution and vehicle emissions, and also excessive exposure to the harmful factors of sunlight through the erosion of the ozone layer that acts as a filter against these harmful free radical-inducing rays.

Biohemically it is a phytoalexin, a chemical used by a plant to protect against and destroy invaders. Each phytoalexin is specific to a particular invader, whether it is an insect, a bacterium or a fungus. They can take the form of terpenes, alkaloids or any other chemical that disrupt the cell walls of or otherwise destroy the enemy to the plant concerned.

Resveratrol is particularly well known for existing on the skins of red grapes, but can also be produced synthetically and marketed as a nutritional supplement. The so-called ‘French Paradox’ relates to the low incidence of coronary heart disease in Southern France in spite of the high saturated fat content of their diet. At least part of this is claimed to be due to the Resveratrol content of the red wine they drink, although the quantity even in a whole bottle is very small.

However, before considering the nutritional benefits of the extract, apart from red grape skins where else can resveratrol be found? Japanese knotweed is a bushy perennial plant, about 4 to 10 feet high, is a very rich source of resveratrol, and is the more important natural source of the two. Red grape skins hardly contain enough to be worthy of extracting. It is also present in minor quantities in pine nuts, peanuts and various other vines and grapes.

It has been under study for many years now for its effect on the heart and other parts of the body, and the antioxidant effect of resveratrol has been found to be unique. The effect of free radicals on the arteries is to help, along with cholesterol, to promote the thickening and hardening of the artery walls. Damage to the arteries by free radicals, and the resulting scar tissue, causes the production of even more free radicals and a vicious circle of damage and even more free radical production occurs.

The antioxidant action of resveratrol is in the enhancement of the nitric oxide content of the blood. Free radicals can reduce the levels of blood nitric oxide that in turn increases blood pressure. An increase in nitric oxide by appropriate antioxidants can help to reduce blood pressure closer to normal. Resveratrol is more effective in achieving this than any of the vitamin antioxidants, A, C or E. It does so by opening up the arteries and reducing the resistance to blood flow through them. .

It also helps to prevent blood cells from sticking together and forming clots that can lead to serious cardiovascular problems, and has been found by Canadian studies to be effective against a much wider range of chemicals that promote blood clotting than any other anti-clotting components of wine. In fact it has now been established, and more or less confirmed by the medical profession, that drinking red wine significantly reduces the effects of cardiovascular disease and can even go a long way towards curing it. Napa Valley here we come!

Inflammation is a condition that is caused by the immune system of the body, the purpose of which is to protect us against foreign invaders. However, once inflammation starts, it triggers even further immune responses itself, that if not controlled can lead to extremely painful and sometimes very serious conditions, even after the major trigger for the initial immune response has been dealt with.

Cardiovascular Disease 101: Know Your Heart And Blood Vessels

You don't need a Ph.D. to conquer the confusing terms related to cardiovascular disease.
You probably hear plenty about what you can do to prevent heart disease. But maybe you're not quite sure exactly what heart disease is. Is it the same thing as cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease or other terms you often come across?

With scores of medical terms related to the heart and blood vessels, it's no wonder you may be scratching your head. Brushing up on some basic terminology about cardiovascular disease can help you stay more informed, which pays off whether you're watching the news or meeting with your doctor.
It all falls under the umbrella of cardiovascular disease
The first term to know is cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is a broad, all-encompassing term. Despite what its name may suggest, it's not actually a particular condition or disorder in itself. Rather, cardiovascular disease is a collection of diseases and conditions.

To get technical, cardiovascular disease refers to any disorder in any of the various parts of your cardiovascular system. Your cardiovascular system consists of your heart and all the blood vessels throughout your body.

Cardiovascular disease, then, has two main components:

• Diseases of the heart (cardio)
• Diseases of the blood vessels (vascular)

Everything from aneurysms to heart attacks to varicose veins are types of cardiovascular disease. You may be born with some types of cardiovascular disease (congenital) or acquire others later on, usually from a lifetime of unhealthy habits, such as smoking. Some types of cardiovascular disease can even cause other types of cardiovascular disease.
Here's a closer look at the two components of cardiovascular disease.

Diseases of the heart
The diseases and conditions affecting the heart are collectively known as heart disease. The heart consists of a muscle that pumps blood, arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, and valves that ensure that the blood within the heart is pumped in the correct direction. Problems can arise in any of these areas.
Like cardiovascular disease, heart disease is a term that's somewhat loose and broad, and it's often used that way.

Here Are The Specific Types Of Heart Disease:

Coronary artery disease
These are diseases of the arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood. Sometimes known as CAD, coronary artery disease is one of the most common forms of heart disease and the leading cause of heart attacks. It generally means that blood flow through the coronary arteries has become obstructed. The most common cause of such obstructions is a condition called atherosclerosis, a largely preventable type of vascular disease. Coronary artery disease can lead to other heart problems, such as chest pain (angina) and heart attack (myocardial infarction).

Coronary heart disease
Though similar sounding, this isn't quite the same thing as coronary artery disease. You can impress your cardiologist on your next visit — if not your colleagues around the water cooler — if you can explain the difference. Coronary heart disease is a broader term that refers collectively to both diseases of the coronary arteries and their resulting complications, such as chest pain, heart attacks and even scar tissue caused by the heart attack. Remember, coronary artery disease is a disease affecting only the arteries. A heart attack, in contrast, affects the heart muscle.

Cardiomyopathy
This is a condition that includes all diseases of the heart muscle. Some types of cardiomyopathy are genetic, while others occur for reasons that are less well understood. Types of cardiomyopathy include ischemic, which is caused by loss of heart muscle from a heart attack; dilated, which means the heart is enlarged; hypertrophic, which means the heart muscle is thickened; and idiopathic, which means the cause is unknown. One of the most common types of cardiomyopathy is idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy — an enlarged heart without a known cause.

Valvular heart disease
These are diseases of the heart valves. A series of valves within your heart keeps blood flowing in the right direction. Valves may be damaged by a variety of conditions leading to narrowing (stenosis), leaking (regurgitation or insufficiency) or improper closing (prolapse). You may be born with valvular disease, or the valves may be damaged by such conditions as rheumatic fever, infections (infectious endocarditis), connective tissue disorders, and certain medications or radiation treatments for cancer.

Pericardial disease
These are diseases of the sac that encases the heart (pericardium). Pericardial disorders include inflammation (pericarditis), fluid accumulation (pericardial effusion) and stiffness (constrictive pericarditis). These can occur alone or together. The causes of pericardial disease vary, as do the problems they may lead to. For instance, pericarditis can occur after a heart attack and, as a result, lead to pericardial effusion or chest pain.

Congenital heart disease
These are forms of heart disease that develop before birth (congenital). Congenital heart disease is a broad term and includes a wide range of diseases and conditions. These diseases can affect the formation of the heart muscle or its chambers or valves. They include such conditions as narrowing of a section of the aorta (coarctation) or holes in the heart (atrial or ventricular septal defect). Some congenital heart defects may be apparent right at the time of birth, while others may not be detected until later in life.

Heart failure
Heart failure, often called congestive heart failure, is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to your body's organs and tissues. It doesn't mean your heart has failed and can't pump blood at all. With this less effective pumping, vital organs don't get enough blood, causing such signs and symptoms as shortness of breath, fluid retention and fatigue. Congestive heart failure is technically reserved for situations in which heart failure has led to fluid buildup in the body. Not all heart failure is congestive, but the terms are often used interchangeably. Heart failure may develop suddenly or over many years. It may occur as a result of other cardiovascular conditions that have damaged or weakened the heart, such as coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathy.

What Is Involved In Diagnosing Cardiovascular Heart Disease?

In most cases diagnosing the problem correctly is equal to 50 percent treatment. Once you are able to identify what ails you, it is easy to chalk out a plan to get back to health – provided the disease is curable and it has been detected in time. There are many diseases yet that have no cure – and diagnosing any such disease would at least give you the means to fight it with all that you have.
There are also some diseases which are curable only if they are caught early. This means that in order to give yourself the best chance to fight it, you need to learn about its existence as early as possible. This is why you are recommended to have a yearly or at least a bi-yearly medical check up.

Cardiovascular heart disease falls into the second category of diseases. This can be fatal if left untreated and undiagnosed for too long; however if you catch the cardiovascular heart disease early in most cases it can be nearly reversed.

How Is the Cardiovascular Heart Disease Actually Diagnosed?
There are many ways to test whether you are a candidate for cardiovascular heart disease or you are already suffering from it. You will find that the doctor would prescribe the following tests for you before giving you his/ her verdict.

The best known of all tests for the cardiovascular heart disease is the ECG. This is taken using a motor driven treadmill and a few electrodes attached to the chest with the help of which the heart rate is monitored for a fixed period. The ECG would be able to show the doctor whether the heart was beating normally or it had malfunctioned at any give time.
This test is reportedly much better in diagnosing the heart problems in men than in women for reasons not fully explained by the present day science. Some studies suggest that the fat and tissues found in women's breasts might be interfering with the accuracy of the recording of the heart beats – hence the discrepancy.

When in doubt, doctors recommend a more sensitive test known as thallium treadmill test. This test would require a certain quantity of thallium (which is a radio-active element) be injected in the veins during the exact last minute of the test. The diagnosis is then made on the basis of how much of this particular element has been absorbed in the blood. This is a very expensive test comparatively – however, its sensitivity and accuracy in identifying the heart problem is as high as 90% - which make is well worth the effort and cost.

Increasing Good Cholesterol Reduces Cardiovascular Risk

It's common knowledge that high cholesterol increases the risk of heart attack and strokes.
What's less well known is that statins, the drugs most often prescribed to lower cholesterol, may cause side effects that can even lead to heart disease.
Some medical experts think that rather than trying to lower overall or "bad" LDL cholesterol, a more effective course of heart disease prevention would be to raise HDL, or "good," cholesterol.

"It is estimated that every 1 percent increase in HDL can decrease the risk for heart disease by 2 percent in men and 3 percent in women," said Dennis Goodman, M.D., former Chief of Cardiology and Medical Director of the Cardiac Treatment Center at Scripps Memorial Hospital. "This is especially important because a low HDL level is one of the most common cholesterol problems found in people with heart disease."

In a six-month pilot study at Scripps Memorial, Dr. Goodman and investigator George Dennish, M.D., tested a cardiovascular nutritional supplement and found it increased HDL up to 23 percent, which would indicate a reduced risk of heart disease. The study found no adverse effects and demonstrated that the combination is safe to use with statin drugs.

The vitamins and minerals in the supplement include vitamin C, E, B6, B12, niacin, folic acid, magnesium and selenium, with protein-building amino acids, anti-oxidants such as CoQ10, alpha lipoic acid, N-acetylcysteine and policosanol and extracts of hawthorn, garlic, grape seed and soy isoflavones, all of which have been shown to beneficially affect heart health.

In one group tested, the HDL was raised by 23 percent; in another, by 40 percent.
"We are excited by these findings because they show the efficacy of essential vitamins and minerals, at levels recommended by the American Heart Association," said Dr. Goodman, who originally formulated the HDL Booster supplement, now sold by Enzymatic Therapy in health food stores nationwide.

For maximum heart health, Dr. Goodman recommends eating a well-balanced low-fat diet, staying active, quitting smoking if you smoke, and losing weight if you weigh too much. If you want to or need to raise your HDL levels, you may want to consider taking a supplement, which Dr. Goodman considers the future of cardiovascular therapy.

Fight Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) classifies a range of illnesses that involved the heart and blood vessels (i.e. arteries and veins). CVD is a technical term that refers to a disease that affects the cardiovascular system and conditions that relate to causes, mechanisms and treatments upon the heart organ system including all things related to atherosclerosis. You doctor is only trained to treat the symptoms, for example, applying angioplasty in order to open blocked blood vessels. The mechanical widening of a narrowed or obstructed vessel is no cure; it is only delaying the inevitable. The key to CVD however is prevention!

The rate of CVD related deaths have dropped for men, however for women the rate is relatively unchanged. High cholesterol coupled with high C-reactive protein (CRP) a plasma protein that is produced by the liver can be a measure for inflammation and give a warning on an individual’s risk for CVD. C-reactive protein or C-polysaccharide is a polysaccharide found in the cell wall of pneumococci and precipitated by this protein from carbohydrates. What happens is the inflamed artery gets a build-up of fatty streaks of oxidized low-density lip-protein (LDL cholesterol). Once the arteries are lined with LDL cholesterol these become nucleation points for calcium deposits. Upon increasing calcium deposition a brittle cap over the fatty deposits narrows the artery walls forming plaque. As the build-up of plaque continues the likelihood that some may fracture and break can result in what is called a blood clot. Depending upon where the breaking and subsequent clot occurs a heart attack or stroke will likely result. This is why cholesterol levels and resulting high blood pressure is ultimately the best early warning system for preventing heart disease.

When discussing the prevention of CVD one needs to reduce total cholesterol, especially the LDL type cholesterol. This is where natural supplementations and exercise can help to manage your cholesterol problems. To reduce your cholesterol, significant lifestyle modification needs to be taken into consideration. A heart attack or stroke is a drastic, life altering phenomena; therefore you need to be proactive in altering your lifestyle now.

Suggested lifestyle changes
1. Exercise including weight training and aerobic exercise.
2. Low cholesterol diets worked into your daily meal plan.
3. Add to your diet 1-3 grams of fiber which will help to lower cholesterol levels.

The keys to prevention including knowing your optimal cholesterol levels (please discuss this with your doctor), diet to reduce the factors for coronary heart disease, knowing your family history on heart disease, have your blood pressure checked regularly, and elimination of bad habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol. Finally, natural health food supplementation is imperative for lowering and preventing heart disease. Some natural methods for prevention include artichoke leaf, garlic, curcumin also know as turmeric root, green tea, fish oil, and soy products can help to control the cholesterol level. Note, soy is cholesterol-free; most fats in soy are poly-unsaturated, soy isoflavones and soluble fibers.
In conclusion, turning to natural remedies is no substitute for getting the advice of a cardiovascular specialist. Preferably, natural ways are better than pharmaceutical drugs and thus many people have chosen to treat various health conditions using natural health supplements. Taking the corrective action in both diet and exercise will help promote general well-being and a longer happier life.