By Dr. Miranda Fellows Heart Disease accounts for over 50 percent of all deaths in the United States and over $50 billion per year in medical expenses. It is the leading cause of death in the United States even though it is one of the most preventable degenerative diseases.” The statistics in our Federation have not been published.” However, nearly every family in St. Kitts and Nevis has been directly or indirectly affected by the ravages of heart disease.” Heart disease includes symptoms such as angina (chest pain), arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), heart attack, and stroke.” Signs of heart disease include frequent leg cramps, dizziness, heartburn, breathing difficulties, minor exercise leading to exhaustion, swelling in the feet and ankles, hacking cough, and the feeling that sometimes the heart “flip-flops” in the chest. There are many causes of heart disease including poor diet, stress, lack of exercise, environmental toxins, and many others, all of which are lifestyle choices.” Take steps today to protect your heart. The standard Kittivisan diet consists of many refined, fatty and nutrient deficient foods.” The absence of micronutrients promotes the accumulation of homocysteine, which is a potent substance effecting the health of the arterial walls and leading to overall systemic inflammation.” Homocysteine, like cholesterol and triglycerides, is naturally produced in the body and is essential for health.” In the presence of nutritional deficiencies these substances can all accumulate and cause damage to the arterial walls leading to heart disease. Stress increases the production of free radicals in the blood, and stimulates stress hormones to be released in the blood, which causes platelet aggregation (clumping) and thickening of the blood.” Stress also can create emotional issues that negatively affect the heart.” And, stress alters normal hormone production and function leading to thyroid, male, and female hormone imbalances. Exercise alone significantly reduces the risk of heart disease.” Get moving! Environmental pollutants, smoking, and alcohol abuse are lifestyle choices that directly effect heart disease risk.” Once you make the choice to quit, your Wellness doctor at Carib Wellness can significantly help you in overcoming the pit falls that make smoking and alcohol cessation difficult and inconsistent.” But the choice is yours alone, you must first strongly desire to quit!” Your wellness doctor can also help you rid yourself of environmental pollutants with the EB-305 Footbath by Erchonia.” The footbath works great to remove toxins of all types from the body. Obesity, Diabetes, and Hereditary Factors all have a direct effect on the outcome of heart disease.” Fitness is a more important indicator of heart health than fatness.” Not only should one be in (or close) to their ideal weight, but you should also be fit.” It is quite possible to be fit and over weight. Conversely it is possible to be underweight and under fit, which is a significant sign of pending heart disease. Prescription drugs such as steroids, diuretics (water pills) and L-Dopa (used in Parkinson’s disease) are all known to increase cholesterol levels in the blood.” Recently it has become public knowledge that the popular anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx causes significant and serious heart conditions – namely death by heart attack.” This raises questions about the safety of other cox-2 inhibitors such as Bextra and Celebrex.” If you are on these drugs ask your doctor for safe and natural alternatives to drugs.” Total Inflam, Omega-3 oils and Total CMO often work better than the drugs without the serious side effects. Conditions affecting the heart can be broad and far-reaching, from plaque in the arteries to emotional issues. Yes, the emotional baggage you are carrying around with you has a significant effect on your heart. Your heart is the center of you, where you feel, act, think and respond.” It is said that “What a man thinks in his heart, so is he…The words we speak are simply an outpouring of our heart.”” The connection of emotions and heart disorders cannot be understated, and science is beginning to validate what we have always known deep in our hearts. The book Deadly Emotions, by Don Colbert, M.D. and wellness practitioner, is an excellent book exploring the connection of the heart, physical diseases, and emotions. Fear, worry, anxiety, anger, grief, and bitterness are all stored deep in the chambers of the heart just as the warm fuzzy feelings of love, acceptance, contentment and limitless joy! When emotional toxins pile up in our heart, we must face them rather than stuff them deeper and deeper until one day they volcanically explode.” The heart is associated with unconditional love, forgiveness, compassion, generosity, openness, understanding/wisdom, acceptance, harmony, and healing loss.” Emotionally the heart is associated with love.” When any of these emotions are violated the heart suffers until the wound is acknowledged. What is the source, where did the wound come from, and when was the first time we felt that emotion? We must accept responsibility for our actions in the situation, and let go of the anger, grief, guilt and shame. We must forgive and love those who have wronged us.” Now, that doesn’t mean we have to forget, or that they must become our dearest friends, but before we can have peace in our hearts, we must forgive and let go of the past, so that we can embrace the future. Your wellness practitioner is trained to assist you in releasing emotional toxins.” He or she knows that you will never really be well until you take this sometimes painful step, but the results of emotional freedom are worth it! Nutritional Considerations for Heart Conditions 1. DSF is a blend of nutrients to support normal adrenal function and help the body to de-stress. 2. Total Heart I and II – Both Total Heart I & II are blends of nutrients that support normal cardiovascular functionality.” Total Heart I also contains Hawththorn Berries, a powerful antioxidant and is cardio protective. 3. Super EPA or Complete Omega Essentials – support for the entire cardiovascular system along with many other systems of the body.” High quality fish oil has the ability to lower several cardiac disease markers including lowering cholesterol, triglycerides, CPR, and has a favorable effect on arrhythmias (irregular heart beat) and heart failure. 4. Homocysteine Redux was formulated to support heart and cardiovascular tissue health and helps to maintain a healthy homocysteine level.” In addition to B vitamins the formula provides molybdenum, and essential micronutrient. 5. Total Chelate provides nutritional support for the arteries, heart, kidneys, and brain.” Total Chelate contains EDTA which helps reduce artery plaque, and remove heavy metals. 6. Total Arginine provides nutritional support for the circulation and blood vessel health.” Arginine is a precursor to nitric oxide, which is a vasodilator (relaxes blood vessels) and may lower blood pressure.” Arginine is described as having known artery-protective effects. Dr. Miranda Fellows at Carib Wellness will design a unique heart healthy plan just for you and your unique needs. This will include correcting nutritional deficiencies, addressing emotional issues, removing toxins and electromagnetic interference, and correcting structural misalignments.” Call today for your appointment: 466 WELL, 469 DTOX, 469 2147.
