I'll
remember that night for the rest of my life.
It
was the wee hours of January 19, 1978. I was 15 years old, and after
spending several hours the evening before studying for my biology midterm,
I was sleeping soundly in my bed.
That
is, until I was awakened by my mother's screams.
My
father had died of a heart attack in bed. My Mom discovered his cold,
lifeless body as she was getting in bed after having watched the Tonight
Show with Johnny Carson.
And
my life was forever changed.
Sad
as it is, stories like mine are VERY common. Heart disease continues to be
our #1 killer, accounting for at least 4 out of 10 deaths in the US each
year.
Although
that sounds very scary, there's one point that many people fail to realize.
Heart
disease in most cases is preventable!
Here's
why I say that...
Heart disease -- what
is it really?
The
term "heart disease" is very broad and sometimes confuses people.
Doctors
usually use the term "heart disease" to describe atherosclerosis,
which is when your arteries get plaque buildup, harden and eventually the
flow of blood can be impaired.
Atherosclerosis
usually occurs in your larger (wider) blood vessels, so many people don't
realize they have a problem until their artery is 90% blocked or more!
Here
are other terms that fall under the "heart disease" umbrella:
1-
Thrombosis: This is when you have atherosclerosis and a piece of
a clot breaks off, travels to a skinnier artery and completely blocks the
flow of blood. As a result, the nearby tissue or organ that depends on that
blood flow can die.
2-
Heart attack (aka myocardial infarction): This is when
blood flow to the heart is blocked. Your heart requires a steady supply of
blood containing oxygen and other nutrients, and when it doesn't get what
it needs, it starts to die VERY quickly.
And
so can you.
3- Stroke (aka cerebral vascular
accident, or CVA): This is when a blockage occurs in the
blood vessels that feed the brain (the carotid arteries). When the supply
of blood is shut off, nerves in your brain start dying almost immediately.
This
is why strokes can lead to such devastating impairments as loss of
movement, speech, memory or various other bodily functions.
4- Angina pectoris: This is a
squeezing, pressure-like chest pain usually caused by insufficient blood
flow and oxygen to the heart.
5- Arrythmia: Your heartbeat
is governed by a series of electrical impulses. If these signals get
disrupted, your heart chambers can start contracting in the wrong sequence.
As a result, your heart's ability to pump blood through your body can be
impaired.
6- Congestive heart failure
(aka CHF):
This means your heart has weakened to the point where it cannot pump enough
blood for your body's needs.
7- Congenital heart disease: This is when you
are born with a heart defect or abnormality.
Where heart disease
begins
With
the exception of congenital heart disease that you're born with, the
primary underlying culprit behind most cases of heart disease is
INFLAMMATION.
You
see, just like the paint on your house or your favorite shirt, your blood
vessels incur normal wear and tear. When you get a little tear or injury to
an artery, this signals your body to send its "repairmen" (white
blood cells and cholesterol) to "fix" the area so it can heal.
As
part of this process, inflammation is created. It's similar to your skin
getting red when you get a bug bite or your ankle swelling when you sprain
it, and it's a normal part of your body's healing mechanism.
But
the problem occurs when inflammation gets out of control and becomes
CHRONIC.
Then
your body goes "overboard" with sending cholesterol and white
blood cells to the inflamed area. Eventually those two substances plus
fibrous proteins called fibrinogens, wastes and toxins in your blood keep
building up and building up until eventually you have a blob called
"plaque."
And
that's when the REAL trouble starts.
Why are we so
inflamed anyway?
There
are MANY possible contributing factors behind chronic inflammation, but
here are the four most common:
1- Smoking
Tobacco
smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals--that should be your first clue
it's no good.
Smoking
raises your blood cholesterol by damaging your liver's "monitoring
system" and impairing its cholesterol controlling ability.
It
also promotes blood clotting by adding to the toxins in your blood that can
get stuck in a "plaque blob" like I described above.
Plus,
smoking creates free radicals which can further damage your arteries and
tissues.
2- Refined sugar
Sugar
creates acid wastes in your bloodstream which can light fires of
inflammation from head to toe.
In
addition, sugar increases triglyceride and cholesterol levels and elevates
insulin levels in your blood, all of which can help perpetuate the artery
damage-inflammation-plaque buildup cycle.
3- Low levels of antioxidants
and essential fatty acids
Antioxidants
help control the artery-harming wrath of free radicals, and essential fatty
acids are Nature's anti-inflammatory.
Being
low in either or both of these opens the door for chronic inflammation to
go on and on.
4- Processed foods and
trans-fats
Processed
foods are a triple whammy to your body:
1. They are loaded with
artificial chemicals, preservatives, coloring and flavorings, all of which
are simply toxic and contribute to waste buildup in your blood (and the
creation of plaque)
2. They frequently contain
high levels of refined sugar, especially in the form of high fructose corn
syrup (or "corn sugar" as it's now disguised, er, I mean
called)
3. They provide no nutrients
of value--as a matter of fact, your body must USE UP your supplies of
precious nutrients and enzymes just to try to break them down.
And
trans-fats are SO deadly to your cardiovascular system that they truly
should be labeled with a skull and crossbones.
They're
not a fat that occurs in nature, so your body doesn't have enzymes that can
break them down. So instead they just glide through your bloodstream,
looking for a nice comfy plaque buildup that they can nestle in and add to.
Eating
trans-fats practically guarantees you'll be making a trip to the
cardiologist soon...or the undertaker.
Fight that
inflammation and beat heart disease!
Now
that you've probably gotten the idea that inflammation is pretty serious
stuff, it's time to take a look at how you can help curb inflammation in
your body, improve the health of your ticker...
And
make sure you don't become a grim statistic!
Here
are 4 ways you can help keep your cardiovascular system healthy and strong
for years to come:
1) Eat real (not processed)
foods & enjoy normal digestion
Having
a diet of real (not processed) foods is the single biggest bang for your
buck when it comes to heart health.
First
of all, when your diet is comprised mainly of real foods, the heart-harmful
chemicals and trans-fats found in processed foods become a non-issue.
Secondly,
you'll be getting good sources of crucial antioxidants to help fight any
existing artery-destroying free radicals you may have cruising around.
And
when you have a healthy diet and good digestion, this helps minimize acid
waste accumulation in your blood, which cuts off a major source of
inflammation.
Plus,
since acid wastes rob your blood of oxygen, which causes your heart tissue
to deteriorate, you'll be helping to improve heart health this way too!
So
clearly, it's essential to eat REAL foods and help encourage good digestion.
This
may seem like a daunting task, but it's really not! It's easy.
The Great Taste No Pain
manuals will show you exactly what to do, step by simple step.
The
GTNP manuals will
teach you the simple principles of smart food pairing which will help improve
your digestion and reduce accumulation of acid wastes.
Plus,
they'll tell you exactly which foods are inherently acid-waste creators and
which are alkaline.
So
there's no guesswork.
You'll
also receive simple charts showing you what to pair with all of your
favorite foods to make them easily digested, including meats, pastas,
grains, dairy, bread, fruits and vegetables.
And
you'll get delicious ideas for preparing REAL foods. Once you get used to
how tasty and satisfying real foods can be, chances are excellent that
you'll lose your taste for the processed junk!
2- Quit smoking
Smoking
is one of the most effective ways to guarantee you'll get sick and die WAAY
before your time. So it's time to quit.
It's
not easy. I know. But that doesn't mean you have to go cold turkey. There
are many smoking cessation aids, groups and programs out there. Do some
homework and pick the one that's right for you.
And
if you don't succeed the first time, don't despair! Most ex-smokers report
having tried several times before they finally kicked the habit for good.
Stop
the excuses and just do it. Your body will thank you in ways that you can't
even imagine.
3- Shake it up, baby
Yup--I'm
talking about the dreaded "E" word...
Exercise.
When
it comes to exercise, it's hard to argue with its impressive resume of ways
it helps your ticker.
Exercise
can help:
- Lower your resting heart
rate
- Strengthen your heart function
- Lower your blood pressure
- Improve oxygen delivery through your body
- Increase blood supply to your muscles (including your most important
muscle--your heart!)
- Enlarge the arteries to the heart to help keep them wide open and clear
Pick
an activity you like or at least will tolerate and do it 3-4 times a week.
4- Get enough of Nature's
anti-inflammatory--Omega-3 EFAs
Omega-3
essential fatty acids have shown to be an important tool to help fight
heart disease in these 4 ways:
1. They've been medically
PROVEN to help lower blood pressure. Studies show that daily fish oil
supplementation alone can lower your systolic (the top number) pressure by
five points or more and your diastolic (the bottom number) pressure by
three points or more!
2. Omega-3 EFAs have
anti-inflammatory properties, which may help counteract any inflammation
you might have building up in your arteries.
3. Omega-3 fatty acids help
raise HDL cholesterol levels and lower LDL cholesterol, thereby helping to
improve your HDL/LDL ratio.
4. They also help keep blood
clots from forming by reducing the stickiness in your platelets and curbing
the production of fibrinogens.
Problem
is, our food supply doesn't contain a fraction of the Omega-3 EFAs that it
used to (thanks to our heavy reliance on processed foods, vegetable oils
and grain-fed animals).
So
one of the best ways to help head off heart problems is to take a very
high-grade fish oil formula like VitalMega-3.
The
suggested 2-capsule daily serving packs a whopping 1,200 mg. of EPA, DHA
and other Omega-3
fatty acids, which more than satisfies the levels recommended by many
experts for heart health.
Heart
disease continues to be our #1 killer. But that's only because our
society right now has the worst health habits in the history of humankind...
Our
foods and our lifestyles have changed so horribly just over the last 50
years, it's no surprise that our health is suffering and that people are
dying. We eat, drink, smoke and bathe in chemicals all day every
day. And we don't move at all.
So
the good news is that heart disease is very preventable and reversible.
You
can avoid it. That is a near certainty.
Even
if you have genetic predisposition to heart issues.
And
when you take the proper measures to help prevent the big underlying
culprit behind heart disease--INFLAMMATION--you are taking the single
biggest step in making sure you stay healthy and vibrant (and make it into)
your golden years!
To
your health,
Sherry
Brescia
PS: We're now on Facebook!
Like us here:
- https://www.facebook.com/GreatTasteNoPain.HolisticBlendsInc
PPS: Brigitte's off high
blood pressure medication!
Sherry,
Just a quick note-I have been
on high blood pressure pills for about 4 years now and guess what? I
haven't had to take them for the last 2 weeks!
I monitor my blood pressure
every day, and since I have been eating your way I have felt so much
better. So, 2 weeks ago I decided to give it a try (ditch the pills). I
have been high blood pressure free ever since.
Thank you again. I will of course
keep an eye on it, but I'm totally convinced that it is because of the
Great
Taste No Pain way of
eating.
I'm sleeping all night and
feeling alive again, all because of your advice.
Thanks again, Sherry & God
bless.
Cheers,
Brigitte
*******************
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