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Cardiovascular Disorders
by Dr. Raj Rakhra
Cardiovascular Disease is a general term that refers to heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure and other disor-ders of the heart, blood vessels, arteries and veins stemming from atherosclerosis. All the cardiovascular diseases have sim-ilar causes, mechanisms and treatments. The main risk factors that influence heart disease are high LDL cholesterol ( bad cho-lesterol), low HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), high blood pressure, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, diabetes, stress: family or work related and a sedentry life style.
Angina pectoris -The coronary arteries that carry ox-ygen and nutrients to the heart can narrow. This can cause the amount of blood that supplies the heart to be insufficient thus reducing the amount of oxygen. An oxygen deficiency is what causes chest pain due to ischemia (a lack of blood and oxy-gen supply) of the heart muscle, generally due to obstruction or spasm of the coronary arteries (the heart's blood vessels). The main cause of angina, is due to atherosclerosis of the cardiac arteries. If the coronary artery becomes obstructed, the flow of the blood and oxygen is cut off causing a heart attack or myocardial infarction causing damage to the heart muscle. Ar-teriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries are common causes of obstruction leading to a heart attack. There can be severe pain with little or no risk of a heart attack and a heart attack can occur without pain.
Heart attacks can feel as if some one is applying in-tense pressure to the chest. Angina pain may last for several minutes, often extending towards the shoulder, arm, neck or jaw. Other signs of heart attack include sweating, nausea, vom-iting, shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, feelings of anxi-ety, difficulty swallowing and loss of speech. The amount and type of chest pain vary from one person to another.
Congestive heart is a condition when the heart mus-cle is not pumping blood as strongly as it should. The body does not receive enough oxygen and nutrients to function properly. This poor pumping action by the heart is known as congestive heart failure. The heart's weakened pumping action causes body fluid (water) to back-up into the lungs, kidneys, arms, legs, ankles, and feet. This congestion, combined with a poor supply of oxygen, causes tiredness, shortness of breath and swelling. Everyday activities such as walking, household chores, and climbing stairs become difficult. Congestive heart failure is a common illness among elderly people.
Hypertension or high blood pressure can damage the blood vessels, heart, and kidneys leading to heart attack, stroke, and other problems. High blood pressure is called a "si-lent killer'' because it doesn't usually cause symptoms while it is causing this damage. It is often a preliminary cause of heart problems and is a common form of cardiovascular disease. Sustained hypertension permanently changes the architecture of the blood vessels making them narrow, stiff deformed and uneven making them more vulnerable to fluctuations of blood pressure. Identifying and treating the risk factors for further coronary heart disease is crucial for patients with heart disor-ders. This means testing for: cholesterol levels and other fats in the blood, diabetes and hypertension. Other lifestyle changes such as weight control and not smoking are also necessary.
Strokes occur when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked or bursts, interrupting the supply of blood and oxy-gen. The part of the body controlled by the damaged area of the brain can't work properly. Brain damage can begin within minutes and urgent medical intervention is required. Cerebro-vascular disease is a group of brain dysfunctions related to the disease of blood vessels that supply the brain. The primary disease stems from the heart or blood vessels, such as hyper-tension and or atheromas that can lead to a secondary effect on the brain such as stroke.
Oral Hygiene and Cardiovascular Disease
Re-cent research discuss the direct relation between poor oral hygiene and cardiovascular disease. Oral bacteria and peri-odontal disease may trigger the inflammation in the coronary arteries and contribute to atherosclerosis, same bacteria may determine the clot formation increasing the risk of heart attack or cerebral stroke. Atherosclerosis is a process that develops over decades and is often silent until an acute event develops in later life. Population based studies in the youth show that the precursors of heart disease start in adolescence. The process of atherosclerosis evolves over decades, and begins as early as childhood. Studies have demonstrated that intimal lesions appear in all the aortas and more than half of the coronary arteries of youths aged fifteen to nineteen years.
Prevention
Prevention of Cardiovascular disease is more effec-tive when the main causes are reduced. Some factors such as gender, age, and family history, cannot be modified. Smoking cessation is one of the most effective and easily modifiable factors as well as regular cardiovascular exercises comple-mented by a healthy diet low in salt and saturated/trans fats. Atherosclerosis, the leading cause of cardiovascular disease is due to a build up of plaque on the arteries as a result of high blood cholesterol and a diet high in fats. Millions of North Americans have heart and blood vessel disease. A high per-centage of this population are not aware of these conditions because they have no visible symptoms.
Treatment
The use of the following natural therapies can reduce the risk of heart disease and also greatly benefit those already suffering from heart disease. Dietary changes, Nutritional supple-mentation, Herbal medicine, Chelation therapy, Oxygen therapies, Exercise and stress reduction and Ayurvedic medicine. Dietary management can be highly effective in reversing heart disease.
General dietary guidelines would include reducing or eliminating processed foods, powdered milk, powdered eggs and high sodium foods. Use organic foods free of herbicides, pesticides, steroids and antibiotics. Increase fibre from green leafy vegetables, fruits, bran, whole grains and psyllium. Reduce fat intake from fried foods, animal fats and partially hydrogenated oils. Increase complex carbohydrates from whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. Use monosaturated oils, olive oil, canola oil, flax seed oil, omega 3 from fish oils and borage oil.
Nutritional supplements
The amount of supplements varies from one person to another and remember if supplements can bring favourable results then wrongly prescribed supplements can also cause negative effects. Supplements should be prescribed by qualified Naturopaths or wholistic practitioners. Treatment of cardiovas-cular disease depends on the specific form of the disease in each patient but effective treatment always includes preventive lifestyle changes. Medications, such as blood pressure reducing medications may be necessary.
EDTA Chelation Therapy
This intravenous therapy has been an effective method for the prevention and treatment for heart related problems. I have used this treatment for the last twenty years and have seen many satisfactory results. It has been traditionally used to treat heavy metal toxicity. It is given intravenously to remove plaque and calcium deposits from the artery and the unwanted material is excreted through the urine. It is repeated two to three times a week over a period of several months in order to restore com-plete circulation. Vitamins and minerals along with chelation are added to support all other functions of the body and are useful to reduce stress, anxiety, depression and low energy. Other supplements include Coenzyme Q10, Arjuna compound, an ayurvedic supplement used for high blood pressure, choles-terol balance and for treating some circulation problems of the heart. Garlic also has it's benefits. Flax seed oil, primrose oil, salmon oil, canola oils are all good sources of essential fatty acids and are needed elements in a healthy diet.
Recent studies have shown that B6, B12, Folic acid can considerably lower homocysteine, a free radical generator. Vitamin E prevents abnormal blood clot formation and prevents heart disease. Vitamin C, D, Selenium, Magnesium Calcium, Chromium, Potassium are all used for prevention and treat-ment of heart disorders.
Herbal Medicine
Hawthorn, Garlic, Ginger, Arjuna, Ashavgandha and curcumin are excellent herbs for heart and high blood pres-sure. The entire body benefits from regular exercise resulting in improved cardiovascular and respiratory function. It enhances the transport of oxygen and nutrients to the cells and removes waste and carbon dioxide from the tissues of the body. Regular exercise makes people look and feel better. It also reduces ten-sion, depression, feelings of inadequacy and worries diminish greatly. Create healthy habits to ensure a healthy, happy and long life.
Dr. Rakhra is a Naturopathic Physician, serving Calgary
for more than twenty years and practicing Complementary Medicine since 1964. He is a
Member of Alberta Association of Naturopathic Doctors. Dr. Rakhra's clinic is located at 121 - 14 Street North West in Calgary, Alberta. You
can reach his office at 403-270-7033. Visit his website at: www.aynh.com.
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