Heart disease is rated as the major cause of death among men as well as women. Even though this is cause for serious concern, there are ways and means to prevent heart disease and to even reverse effects of a previous or current heart condition. Taking steps to lower cholesterol, triglycerides, homocystene and CRP levels are basic steps that can be taken to promote healthy hearts. A few lifestyle changes coupled with a heart healthy diet and exercise program can help you maintain a healthy heart for the rest of your life.
First and foremost, we need to be aware of factors and simple diet rules that can be adhered to, to lower risks of contracting a heart disease. As far as possible, limit the intake of trans fats and hydrogenated oils commonly found in fast food, margarine and fried foods. Say a firm “No” to refined sugar intake from cakes, cookies and other baked food stuff. Be a little liberal with virgin olive oil and garlic in cooking. Remember to add Omega 3 fatty acids to your daily diet in the form of fish oil capsules.
Diet alone does not help prevent heart disease. Of course, it has to be followed through with a consistent exercise regimen. Make sure to exercise three to four times per week, for a minimum of half an hour at the very least. But, when you start out on your exercise routine, take things a little slow. Do not over do things and strain your heart. It would be advisable to consult your family physician before embarking on a fitness routine. Remember to stretch before and after your fitness regimen. Hydrate yourself and rest in between, if you have to.
Well, a good heart healthy diet and a steady exercise regimen help you to stave off or reduce risks of contracting heart disease. In addition, you also need to cut down on your intake of nicotine- stop smoking, to be precise. Smoking is a major cause of heart disease. Reduce alcohol intake to the bare minimum, since alcohol intake in excess can drastically reduce your body’s supply of vitamin and other nutrients. Ensure a stress free life. Stress can lead to hypertension and other health conditions. Take a few minutes each day to de stress by meditating. Close your eyes, and concentrate on your breath. You feel yourself relaxing and increasing your powers of concentration too. Maintain your weight within limits since obesity is a leading cause of heart disease.
Every six months, get tested for increased cholesterol, triglycerides, homocystene and C reactive proteins. If you find that your cholesterol levels are a little on the higher side, lower them naturally with policosanol, guggulipid, and other heart healthy herbal extracts as well as cod liver or fish oil. If your fat levels are high, make sure to lower your carbohydrate and sugar intake. Fish oil, Vitamin C, guggulipid and green tea are great natural ways to lower your fat or triglyceride levels. If it’s the homocystene levels that are in the higher side, take care to include B vitamins in your diet, most importantly folic acid, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12.
An increase of C Reactive proteins indicates inflammation in the blood. Fish oil, ginger and MSM helps to decrease this inflammation naturally. Natural heart health diet must compulsorily include fiber, fruits and vegetables. Green leafy vegetables and vitamin rich fruits protect your heart against risk of disease with their antioxidant capabilities. Virgin olive oil and garlic have been proven to reduce LDL cholesterol levels. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in plenty in fish oil, especially the components DHA and EPA. Both are highly therapeutic and can significantly decrease LDL as well as raise good cholesterol (HDL) levels.
There are some natural heart healthy nutrients that can help in significantly lowering chances of developing heart disease and also help treat any current heart condition a person may have. Incorporate these into your diet and exercise regimen and maintain your heart health naturally. Here are some of those heart healthy nutrients:
- Policosanol is an extract from sugar cane. It has been scientifically proven to lower LDL and increase HDL.
- Guggulipid is an ancient Indian herb that has shown to help reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) levels and triglycerides. In fact, they are more effective than modern drugs.
- Much has been said about green tea and its therapeutic benefits. It helps in lowering the amount of LDL and aids in the prevention of blood vessel constriction.
- Beta sitosterol is found in plenty in soy beans, wheat germ, and corn oil and helps to stop the absorption of cholesterol into the body.
- Niacin or vitamin B3 helps to reduce total cholesterol levels in greater dosages.
- Chromium polyniconate is the organic version of chromium. It helps to lower LDL and triglycerides as well as raise HDL.
- Fish oil is great for lowering LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and CRP levels too.
- Vitamins B6 and B 12 work along with folic acid to assist in reducing homocystene levels.
It’s a little known fact that ginger root extract helps in reducing inflammation as it relaxes the muscles surrounding blood vessels and increases circulation of blood. MSM expanded simply means methyl sulfonyl methane, which is a naturally occurring sulphur compound that displays strong anti inflammatory properties.
Stress plays a major role in promoting heart disease. The importance of meditation to relieve stress cannot be over emphasized. Research studies reveal that practice of meditation can significantly reduce insulin resistance, lower blood pressure and also cut down on heart rate variability. Through meditative practices, it is possible now to use the mind body connection to tap into the body’s inner intelligence to bring about changes in physiology. These changes can reverse risk of heart disease and diabetes. Meditation positively affects heart rate variability, calms the mind and relieves stress symptoms. It’s most often not the stress that affects your heart, but how you respond to it. Since meditation calms the mind in significant ways, you can choose to respond differently to stress and that greatly negates the adverse effects of stress.
A woman’s heart health is as important an issue as any other and not to be taken lightly. Although a person can succumb to heart disease at any age, a woman’s heart health in mid life is of major cause for concern. Once a woman reaches the menopausal stage, risk of heart disease and heart attack are doubled. Hence, it is of utmost importance and urgency to determine whether one is at risk and get tested for the four major indicators of heart disease- cholesterol, triglycerides, homocystene and C reactive proteins.
To maintain your heart health naturally, take care to maintain your weight, reduce sodium intake, increase physical activity, limit alcohol consumption and stick to a natural wholesome organic diet as far as possible.
Natural heart health is all about making sure that your heart is well taken care of in order for it to keep circulating oxygenated blood to your body. The best natural health products as we have seen are easily available to you at low prices and you can easily ensure that your heart stays in great peak condition for as long as you live. Heart surgery to cure complicated heart conditions can strip you of your life’s savings. Invest in natural health care for your heart and avert those huge hospital bills.
