Everything Can Change in a Heart Beat

The Human Heart

Love & Heartbreak, Aspirin & Turmeric, Cholesterol & Statins

I have recently been reminded about the importance of taking care of this vital organ as I have watched someone close to me struggle with heart failure, especially as they still have a lot of life left that they want to live. Most often a diagnosis like this can come as a huge and unwelcome surprise and it can seem like a mystery as to where it came from. A heart attack or a stroke man be an even bigger shock – and a strong reminder that we only get one heart and if it stops working there are often no second chances available.

The heart makes its very first beat when an unborn baby – still only the size of sesame seed – has just been implanted into the uterine wall at about 4-5 weeks gestation. And it will continue to faithfully beat without rest until that person’s final breath. The heart muscles will work harder over our lifetime than any other muscle in our bodies. It is easy to take this for granted since we have never had to give it a thought. That is why heart disease is often referred to as a silent killer, because if a moment comes when we do give it a thought, it is often already too late.

"The human heart has hidden treasures
In secret kept, in silence sealed
The thoughts, the hopes,
the dreams, the pleasures
Whose charms were broken if revealed."
- Charlotte Bronte

Heart disease and stroke are the 2^nd and 3^rd leading cause of death in Canada, just behind cancer, and the 1^st leading cause in the United States (1). That looks like one person dying every 7 minutes. Every year this costs the Canadian economy more than 20.9 billion dollars.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation themselves tell us that healthy behaviours can prevent up to 80% of premature heart disease and stroke (2)! What do these behaviours include? Maintaining 5 or more of the following:

• not smoking
• maintaining a healthy weight
• regular physical activity
• eating a healthy diet
• reducing stress
• and keeping high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol levels in control.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation has also found that 9 out of 10 Canadians have at least one risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Do you have any of them? They include eating less than 5 servings of vegetables and fruit per day, physical inactivity, smoking, overweight or obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stress.

“The ever-increasing pace that characterizes our modern way of life is one of the worst poisons for our heart. Even though, for the most part, individual productivity has not exceeded that of former times, it has become the custom to cram too many activities, especially those connected with our job, into a short space of time. Related to this, of course, is the shortened working week, which has become so popular. The resulting free time is hardly ever used in a wholesome recreational or relaxing way such as pursuing a hobby, say working on an arts and crafts project, listening to good music, acquiring more knowledge through a study course or some other favourite subject or activity. Instead, we continue at the same hectic pace we use for work and seem to find enjoyment at weekends in the midst of the mad world of crowded motorways. No wonder the result is a state of complete exhaustion instead of recuperation from the week’s work. Driving at high speed creates anxiety and inner tension and affects the heart like a poison. Not only is the speed of the drive harmful, but the exhaust fumes are equally dangerous to the heart and blood vessels, particularly the fumes caused by leaded petrol. How much more sensible it would be to take a short leisurely ride to a nearby forest or the hills, get out of the car and go for a relaxing walk or hike. This kind of exercise would be invigorating for the blood vessels and, of course, the heart. The time spent in a clean environment would then permit us to return to work and our duties on Monday morning refreshed and relaxed, instead of tense and irritable as is so often the case today, when we misuse our leisure.” –A. Vogel

The recommendations from the Heart and Stroke Foundation are a great place to start, but let’s get a little more specific! Here are some great lifestyle changes that will do wonders for the health of our hearts.

General

• Slow down
• Walk in nature
• Take time for things you enjoy
• Take time for what is important
• Make time for leisure
• Implement a regular exercise schedule
• Avoid overly strenuous athletic pursuits
• Breath deep and slow
• Walk barefoot outside (3)
• Take care of your teeth (4)

 Nutrition

• Eat a variety of whole foods (organic, local, grass fed)
• Increase fiber (legumes, bran, nuts, seeds, psyllium seed husk, complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables)
• Increase bright fruit (eg. berries) and vegetables and dark leafy greens
• Increase healthy fats including omega 3
• Increase filtered pure water
• Reduce sugar (5), carbohydrates, alcohol, & caffeine
• Increase “ORAC” antioxidant-rich foods
  • Ex. Cloves, oregano, rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, turmeric, parsley, basil, cumin, pecans, ginger root, walnuts, hazelnuts, blueberries, plums, blackberries, onions, cocoa/dark chocolate
• Eat 4-6 celery stalks per day to lower blood pressure (contain 3-n-butyl phthalide)
• Eat 1 clove of fresh garlic per day

 Specifics about Food Preparation

• Refrigerate butter, dairy products, meats, vegetable oils, & nuts in airtight containers
• Minimize consumption of foods cooked at high temperatures
• Avoid cooking with sunflower, safflower, corn oil, canola oil, butter or lard
• Boil, poach, or stew more often than you fry, broil or roast
• Avoid eating oxidized cholesterol products:
  • Butter left at room temp
  • Dried egg products (pancake mixes, bakery products, cake mix, salad dressing, noodles)
  • Broken egg yolk during cooking
  • Powdered milk
  • Grated cheeses
  • French fries
  • Processed meats
  • Butter oil
  • Heated butter, tallow, lard

 Specific Heart Nutrients

There are many nutrients that can be beneficial to aiding your heart to work optimally, depending on your unique circumstances: for example, L-carnitine, EFAs, CoQ10, Vitamin K, Magnesium, Potassium, Selenium, ALA, Resveratrol, L-arginine, and Taurine.

There are also many medicinal herbs that can strengthen the heart such as crataegus spp.,  lycopus virginicus, eleutherococcus senticosus, cactus grandiflora, avena sativa, convallaria majalis, vaccinium myrtillus, tilia platyphyllos, and salvia miltiorrhiza.

In addition, there are treatment options that include homeopathic remedies, acupuncture therapy, or hydrotherapy. I say this just to let people know that there are plenty of options when it comes to heart health that do not include drug therapies or surgeries. But please see your healthcare practitioner for the specific dosages, formulas and treatments that will be right for you.

“Nevertheless, no matter how good the natural remedy, the cure will not be lasting unless we stop subjecting the heart to harmful influences. Taking great care of this vital organ should be our first priority.” -A. Vogel

 A Note on Aspirin

It is no longer recommended by the FDA to use aspirin as preventative medicine since the risks of using it daily are higher than the benefits. Instead, I would recommend a warm cup of Golden Turmeric Milk before bed!

“However, after carefully examining scientific data from major studies, FDA has concluded that the data do not support the use of aspirin as a preventive medication by people who have not had a heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular problems, a use that is called “primary prevention.” In such people, the benefit has not been established but risks—such as dangerous bleeding into the brain or stomach—are still present” (6).

 A Note on Statins

A modest amount of saturated fat and cholesterol are essential components of our diet and do not increase risk of heart related deaths. Cholesterol is in every cell in your body, the precursor for sex hormones, helps to digest fat, is involved in the production of vitamin D, insulates nerve cells, and is important for brain health.

Statins are used to decrease cholesterol but also deplete CoQ10, Vit K2, and selenium which are essential for heart function (7)! Research is now showing that statins do more harm than good (8). In fact, something as simple as the Mediterranean diet may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease more than statins do (9).

This may be a lot of information to digest and my intention is definitely not to add any additional stress to your life. But perhaps there is something from this article that will stick with you. To be lasting, lifestyle changes must happen one at a time, and gradually. And when they do happen, we are then able to introduce healthy habits to our children that they can then carry forward in their lives and pass on to their future children. So all I ask today is for you to pick one thing you might be able to implement into your life that is new. What will it be?

Live, Love, Laugh, Let go,

Forgive, Breath, Smile, Grow,

Look, Listen, Smell, Go slow.

~

The “A” Word

Anxiety.

One of those terms that can mean so many different things to so many different people.

Something that steals from life.

The most common mental illness in all of Canada.

A rising burden on young people…

in 2014/2015, 1 in 12 youth were placed on a

mood/anxiety or antipsychotic medication!

Can such a multifactorial and individualistic symptom be dumbed down to a Title to be treated by a handful of different medications?

I don’t think so.

I think there is more to it than that. And that it is worth discovering what that is.

I believe it is something worth fighting against.

That it is something that does not belong.

That we can break the chains and be free from it.

That we can embrace the good and the bad in life without it.

It is for ailments like anxiety that I am so proud to be a part of the Naturopathic Medical profession and to be able to use such a variety of different tools in my treatment approach. Each individual’s treatment plan must look different – how can it be the same? There could be roots in any of the mental, emotional, social, physical, or spiritual arenas. For example, specific physical treatments might target things like the HPA axis, neurotransmitters, the digestive track, inflammation, or just a totally overwhelmed system. And to do this modalities such as lab testing, acupuncture, massage therapy, counselling, nutritional medicine, botanical medicine, or auricular acupuncture may be used. In this way we can slowly, and one step at a time, begin to heal the greater picture.

Here are 10 simple yet powerful anxiety busters. Pick your favourite one and start there!

1. Eliminate stimulants where possible (caffeine, screen time, alcohol, loud chaotic environments, triggers)
2. The basics – eat well, sleep well, exercise, drink water. (‘blah’ ‘blah’ ‘blah’ I know, but if the basics aren’t there, there is nothing to build on unfortunately!)
3. Breath deep and long. In emergency medicine, ‘vagal maneuvers’ are used to slow a deadly fast heart rate. These work by stimulating the vagus nerve. Some ways to do this are to take an ice cold shower, to hold your breath or to ‘bear down’. Or you can just take some nice long deep belly breaths to switch you from “fight or flight” mode to “rest and digest” mode.
4. Connect with nature. Walk barefoot in the grass. Smell a flower. Hug a tree. Bring a plant to work. Believe it or not there is a lot of science behind this! It works!
5. Ground yourself in acute situations. Feel your feet on the floor, feel your body touch whatever it is touching, focus on the immediate things around you, and breath.
6. Get involved in something in your community to help others.
7. Express yourself through writing, art, music, and/or comedy.
8. Get together with girlfriends/guyfriends, have a good laugh and/or a good cry
9. Take a bath with chamomile, lavender, oats and epsom salts.
10. Try progressive muscular relaxation therapy at bed time (contract each muscle one at a time from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet for 10 seconds and then relax it)

Know that there are many specific nutrients such as GABA or L-theanine as well as multiple herbal options such as passion flower or lemon balm that can also be very helpful in addition to the various other treatment avenues I alluded to earlier. But most importantly know that no therapy will work without your involvement. You are the only one who can take the steps you need to take. You are more powerful than you think.

My hope is that you will soon (metaphorically, or not) dance barefoot and carefree in the rain and that the “A” word will no longer hold any power over your life.

 

 

 

Seasonal Allergies

For some, spring is a season to endure…

Ode to Dandelions

O dandelions!
You are so happy and unconventional.
Your ragged leaves furl out like wings;
Up pokes your sunny face and sings
Of summer and warmth.
You trick me, wicked things!
For beneath your yellow crown,
Hidden, is that dusty pollen–
The color of ripe earwax–
Which makes me mercilessly sneeze;
Till colder turns the breeze,
When your head becomes flaxen,
Full of downy fluff,
And away it flies!
I watch through puffy eyes,
As you escape in glee.

By “annwyndesfey“

Sneezing, itching, headaches, leaking eyes and nose…

While there are many pharmaceutical options to simmer down those annoying symptoms, an important question to ask might be whether or not these options have ever made those symptoms disappear for good? Just like cutting off the top of the dandelion won’t get rid of the dandelion, covering up the symptoms won’t get rid of the problem. In naturopathic medicine we believe that it is important to dig down as deep as we can to the root of the issue in order to heal the whole person. Why? Because these little annoying symptoms can be signs that something more might be going on, and it is important to eliminate the chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation that could lead to larger health complications down the road.

Allergic rhinitis is known as a type 1 or immediate hypersensitivity allergic reaction. In this type of reaction, your body’s IgE antibodies that have formed against the allergen (eg. pollen) cause certain immune cells to release histamine into your body causing the various symptoms you may experience.

So how do we make this go away?

I’ll share a few ideas, but it is important to remember that every person is different and needs to be treated so. An often-used metaphor is the bucket analogy. We can think of our bodies as a bucket that can fill up with various junk from all sorts of places. While our bodies have some defences against this, if our buckets get too full it can overwhelm these defences and suddenly various health conditions start to show up. So, in a very oversimplified way, if we decrease our bucket load we can clear up some overflow issues. Here are a few ways we can help out our bodies:

1. First, and perhaps most obviously, avoid what you are allergic to! And if you don’t know, get tested.
2. Often, people who experience seasonal allergies also have food sensitivities. Following an elimination diet to discover hidden allergies will improve symptoms in most people
3. Good quality probiotics have been shown to help by strengthening the immune system and increasing protection from invading allergens
4. Specific helpful nutrients: omega 3, bioflavonoids, quercetin, bromelain, vitamin C, N-acetylcysteine, zinc…
5. Nutrition: Juice foods that are rich in quercetin, bromelain, Vit C and bioflavonoids (citrus fruits, pineapple, apple, berries, mint, ginger, turmeric). Incorporate onions, garlic, ginger, dark leafy greens and yellow and orange veggies into your every day diet. Increase water. Avoid refined foods, dairy, sugar, wheat, red meat, alcohol, caffeine.
6. Specific herbs: urtica dioca (nettle), petasites hybridus (butterbur -caution to use pyrrolizidine alkaloid free extract and don’t use if allergic to ragweed family), euphrasia officinalis (eyebright), silybum marianum (milk thistle), sambucus nigra (elderflower), achilliea millefolium (yarrow)…. These can be taken as teas or tinctures. Nettle tea is easy to find in stores – add some raw grated ginger, lemon and honey and you’re set!
7. Hydrotherapy: cold cloth on the forehead, hot foot bath, nasal lavage, constitutional hydrotherapy
8. Other things your ND may be able to offer you: acupuncture, sublingual immunotherapy, homeopathics, a spring detox

Every individual is different in their health history and lifestyle and for this reason it is so important to see your doctor so that they can implement a plan that will work specifically for you. Remember that certain health conditions and medication lists require special attention, so for your safety it is best not to treat yourself!

In the meantime, I hope these ideas will inspire you and give you hope to know that perhaps one day you will be singing a happier tune when the flowers start to bloom.

Ode to a Worm

Oh worm, why do you turn into the earth from me?
Tis spring oh worm!
Lift up your head, which ever end that be, and smile at the sun
Untwine your naked form and fling the dirt high in ecstasy!
Tis spring, tis spring, tis spring…

 

References:

http://ndnr.com/autoimmuneallergy-medicine/allergic-rhinitis-a-review-naturopathic-treatments/

http://www.naturopathic.org/content.asp?contentid=117

http://www.altmedrev.com/publications/5/5/448.pdf

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/allergic-rhinitis