Heart Disease Symptoms

The HDL LDL ratio is an indicator of your risk for heart disease. The better the ratio, the less likely you are to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular problems. I will show you how to increase HDL and the foods to raise HDL.

About the Ratio

High Density Lipoprotein is a substance that carries cholesterol particles from your artery walls back through the bloodstream and into the liver where some of it is metabolized and some excreted from your body in the form of bile salts. Statistics show that when the ratio is favorable, your risk of heart problems is minimized, so it makes sense to learn how to increase HDL, and keep the HDL LDL ratio as good as possible.

The ratio is determined by taking your LDL, (low-density cholesterol) number, and dividing it by your HDL (high-density cholesterol) number. The result is what doctors use to determine your risk of cardiovascular disease.The higher the HDL, the lower the risk. Lets look at some numbers to give you an idea of how this works.

For example:

* Total cholesterol is: 200
* HDL is: 50
* LDL is: 150

The ratio would be: 3 This would be considered a good ratio, indicating the person would have a lower than average risk of heart disease.

Over time, what was considered to be good or safe levels of cholesterol have been adjusted downward, in part due to the push to get more people on cholesterol lowering medications. Foods to raise HDL have not been emphasized for this reason. The current medical model for prevention of cardiovascular disease focuses on drug therapy. This is why you must learn how to increase HDL and get the optimal HDL LDL ratio to prevent heart disease.

High-density lipoproteins have recently been found to have potent antioxidant activity, and this may well be the reason for its “protective” role in regards to vascular disease. See the notation below:

Vohl MC, Neville TA, Kumarathasan R, Braschi S, Sparks DL: A novel lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase antioxidant activity prevents the formation of oxidized lipids during lipoprotein oxidation. Biochemistry; 1999 May 11;38(19):5976-81

Several things that are known to raise HDL levels.

* Aerobic or interval training exercise
* Dietary changes – with balanced fat intake
* Eat for your blood type and metabolic type
* Specific nutritional supplements

The foods to increase HDL do it in several ways. Some foods like healthy fats, provide the raw materials or (precursors) your body needs to make HDL. Other foods such as high fiber foods and low glycemic fruits and vegetables may indirectly raise HDL by preventing inflammation, boosting antioxidant status, and lowering blood sugar and insulin. Some of these foods may also possess antioxidant activity themselves and work synergistically with HDL to protect against cardiovascular disease.

Specific supplements that will raise HDL levels and help optimize the HDL LDL ratio are:

* Fish oil
* Pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5)
* niacin – (vitamin B-3)
* Gugulipid
* Coenzyme Q-10
* Carnitine
* Vitamin-C
* Magnesium
* Polycosanol
* Vitamin E-complex
* Alpha Lipoic Acid
* N-Acetyl-Cysteine
* CLA – conjugated linoleic acid

All of these supplements help increase HDL levels, however niacin (B-3) and calcium pantothenate (B-5) are the most effective. Focus on them first, and add others if needed.

Foods to Raise HDL

There are a number of foods that are claimed to raise HDL levels. Among these are:

* Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines
* Raw nuts and seeds such as walnuts, pecans, almonds, and flaxseeds
* Whole eggs
* Onions
* Fresh raw low glycemic vegetables – especially dark leafy greens
* Oat bran
* Alcohol – 1 or 2 drinks per day maximum

Action Steps

* Get your HDL LDL ratio tested to establish baseline levels
* Work in 3 sessions of circuit weight training or interval training per week
* Eat for your blood type and metabolic type
* Avoid of refined foods as possible – stick to raw fruits and vegetables
* Be sure to get plenty of good fats in your daily diet
* Supplement with niacin (B-3) and calcium pantothenate (B-5) to raise HDL

The HDL LDL ratio is one of the cornerstones of wellness and antiaging. It’s a benchmark that will help you really reduce your risk of heart disease and ensure a long and healthy life!

Symptoms of heart attack vary greatly.

The symptoms you experience may be different from the one experienced by a relative or a friend. For instance, you may have only minor chest pain while your relative or friend has violent pain……

A heart attack is, what can I say, a traumatic and frightening event. You probably don’t want to think about it. But, if you know the symptoms and know what to do, you can save a life – your friend’s; neighbor’s; colleague’s or even your own life.

You may think a heart attack is sudden and intense, like a usual heart attack scene potrayed in a movie or TV show – a person clutches his or her chest and then collapses……

It might be like that but you’d be surprised to know that most heart attacks begin slowly as a mild pain or discomfort in the center of your chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. You feel an uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in your chest.

However, you won’t be sure of the symptom; even those who have had a heart attack before may not recognize their symptoms, because the next attack can have entirely different symptoms.

What are the typical symptoms of a heart attack that you can “rely” on then?

1. Chest Discomfort or Pain

This chest discomfort or pain can feel like a tight ache, pressure, fullness or squeezing in the center of your chest lasting more than a few minutes. It may come and go.

2. Upper Body Pain

Pain or discomfort in your shoulders, arms, back, neck, teeth or jaw.

You may have upper body pain but no pain in your chest.

3. Stomach pain

Pain may extend downward into your abdominal area and may feel like heartburn.

4. Shortness of Breath

You may pant for breath or struggle to take in deep breaths. This often happens before you get chest discomfort.

5. Anxiety

You may feel a sense of doom or feel as if you’re having a panic attack for no good reason.

6. Dizziness

You may feel dizzy or feel like you might pass out.

7. Sweating

You may suddenly break into a sweat with cold, clammy skin.

8. Nausea And Vomiting

You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit.

My advice is this: even if you’re not sure it’s a heart attack, you should still have it checked out. Fast action can save your life or someone else life……

Know Thine Own Heart!

Do you know your own heart? Many men and women will say ‘Yes’. So, we say chest pain, irregular heart beat, cold sweat, pain in the arm, and so on. It’s true, those are typical symptoms. But, do you know that those are the symptoms of a man’s heart attack!

Women often have tiredness, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, dizziness or shortness of breath as initial symptoms of a heart attack without ever experiencing chest pain!!

According to recent studies, coronary heart disease is the number one killer in today’s world. Women are no exception to this anymore. Modern day lifestyle with barely any physical activity has caught up on both the sexes alike. There are various kinds of coronary disease, and it is important that you go for a thorough medical check up. This will give you the advantage of knowing your own heart condition and the cause.

The right diagnosis and treatment is very vital. It is important to familiarize yourself with the different types of heart disease, particularly the one you suffer from. The most common types are:

Angina
Heart attack (Myocardial Infarction or MI)
Heart failure
Arrhythmias
Cardiomyopathy
Pericarditis
Congenital heart disease, and
Atrial fibrillation

Listen to your heart! The symptoms can range from mild to severe depending on the condition of the heart. Moreover, the symptoms of heart diseases are also similar, so it is very important that you know thy own heart!

Be thankful for the symptoms! If it were not for the symptoms, how would we ever know that something is wrong with us in the first place? Do not ignore the symptoms. Don’t be afraid of the warning signs. Get medical attention and act on it now!

Doctors now know that heart disease is so deadly for women that their chances of dying from it are one in two. That means basically that either you or your best girlfriend is likely to die of a heart attack, stroke , or related heart problem. Doctors have traditionally used a one-size-fits-all approach to identifying and diagnosing heart disease. In this view, women often lack the “classic” signs of reduced blood flow to part of the heart, a condition known as ischemia. Doctors and patients often attribute chest pains in women to noncardiac causes, leading to misinterpretation of their condition. Men usually experience crushing chest pain during a heart attack.

Cardiovascular disease encompasses the diseases of the heart and the blood vessels. These develop and progress slowly over our lifetime and often without symptoms. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for more deaths than the next seven causes of death in women combined, including all forms of cancer. Since 1984, men have experienced a decline in deaths due to CVD; women have not. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of women in the United States. Long thought of as primarily affecting men, we now know that CVD—including heart disease, hypertension, and stroke—also affects a substantial number of women.

Estrogen provides a beneficial effect on the arteries. When estrogen production slows down, women lose that protective effect,” Even so, Kusler adds, women in their 30s and 40s still experience heart attacks. Estrogen serves as protection against heart disease in women, therefore once a woman has gone through menopause her risk increases dramatically.

Risk of coronary events begins to decline within months of stopping smoking and reaches the level of persons who have never smoked within 3 to 5 years. Sadly, though, smoking cessation rates have declined more slowly among women than men. Risk was not associated with dose or duration of use of estrogen and did not persist after oral contraceptives were discontinued.

African Americans are at substantially higher risk for death from CVD than are whites. This difference is attributable in part to a greater risk for strokes and a higher prevalence of high blood pressure among African Americans. African American and Hispanic women, who are at higher risk of heart disease than white women, continue to have lower rates of awareness.

Aspirin therapy is recommended for women over age 65 to prevent heart attack and stroke as long as blood pressure is controlled and the benefit is likely to outweigh the risk of gastrointestinal side effects. Regular use of aspirin is not recommended for healthy women under age 65 to prevent heart attacks. Aspirin treatment reduced risk of subsequent cardiovascular events by about 25%. Lipid-lowering therapy also appears to provide substantial benefit in secondary prevention in women. Aspirin has also been shown to be of preventive benefit in women to reduce the incidence of coronary artery disease and strokes. In women with multiple risk factors for coronary artery disease, a dose of 325 mg per day is recommended, while in lower-risk women, 81 mg is probably sufficient.

You have been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy or congestive heart failure and there’s a possibility that you will be put on the heart transplant list. This can be very frightening to most of us! How did we get to this point in the first place?

Maybe it was lack of all the prescription drugs your doctor is now giving you. For some reason I don’ think that was why. The prescription drugs, as good as they are for helping your heart function well now, won’t be able to sustain the heart functions in the long run.

If you injured your leg muscles and couldn’t walk, would you use a crutch for the rest of your life or would you try physical therapy? You are allowing your leg muscles to get stronger and heal by using them with physical therapy. If you were to use a crutch from now on and never try to walk, you would certainly stay crippled.

Prescription drugs are like a crutch. They can only help for a certain amount of time and then your heart will eventually get weaker. The reason this happens is that your heart is not allowed to function on its own because of the drugs intervention. So then it doesn’t have a chance of getting stronger and healthier.

Taking just prescription drugs for treatment, hasn’t shown to heal cardiomyopathy. The common belief of the general public for years is that all you need to do is take a prescription drugs prescribed from your physician for most all of your health problems. Prescription drugs are a big business with hidden discrepancies. The prescribed drugs have not been the complete answer for the good of the patient’s health or healing. This is hurting the general public, both in their success of cardiomyopathy treatment, or any other major illness outcome. Not to mention the outrageous prescription drug prices!

It has been said that “you are what you eat.” That really rings true because your body can get run down or has a more difficult time fighting off even the common cold, if your diet mainly consists of junk food and excess sugar. In this case your heart was more than likely lacking important nutrients to keep it healthy. Your heart failure was a result of years of not feeding it the right nutrition.

It is up to you to help get back on the road to recovery with the recommended vitamins and nutrients. Remember, your cardiologist won’t mention nutrition along with your prescription drug treatment. They are not trained to incorporate that into the congestive heart failure or cardiomyopathy treatment.

Prescription drugs are not the complete answer for cardiomyopathy. Get correct nutritional information, and achieve the power you need to help you and your cardiomyopathy on the road to better health. You can stop worrying and start doing something about your cardiomyopathy treatment today!

Every day, 4,000 Americans suffer from heart attacks. Those who are lucky enough to recover often suffer another (and often fatal) attack later on. Heart disease — the No. 1 cause of death in the United States — kills more than twice as many people as all forms of cancer. The good news is that it’s largely preventable, and taking steps to minimize your risk can add up to 10 years to your life.

Some risk factors are beyond your control; for example, heredity (cardiovascular disease tends to run in families), ethnicity (African-Americans and Native Americans are at higher risk), and age (four of five deaths from heart disease occur in people over age 65). But there are lifestyle factors you can control that will help prevent (or at least postpone) cardiovascular problems.

Diet

You really are what you eat. If you typically consume a large amount of high-fat foods, you’re contributing to the build-up of plaque in your arteries, and plaque impedes blood flow. If a blockage occurs in an artery that carries blood to the heart, it causes a heart attack. If a blockage occurs in an artery that carries blood to the brain, it causes a stroke. A healthy diet, however, helps keep your arteries clear and your blood flowing freely. Try these tips:

• Eat more fish, and skinless chicken and turkey.

• Eat more vegetables and fruits. Oranges, bananas, potatoes and tomatoes, for example, supply your body with potassium, which may help control blood pressure. They also provide essential antioxidant vitamins.

• Eat more fiber-rich foods such as oatmeal, oat bran, rice, wheat bran, barley and beans.

• Bake, broil, steam or grill foods rather than frying.

• Try sherbet, ice milk or frozen low-fat yogurt instead of ice cream.

• Avoid adding salt to foods at the table. Cutting back on sodium may help lower blood pressure.

• If you drink beer, wine, or other alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation (two drinks per day for men and no more than one drink daily for women).

Maintain a healthy body weight

The best way to do this is to make sure the calories you consume do not exceed the calories you burn. Being overweight (15 pounds or more) increases your risk for cardiovascular problems because excess body weight forces your heart to work harder and less efficiently. If you’re overweight, losing 5-10 percent of your body weight can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease. If you need to lose, focus on a gradual weight reduction of one or two pounds per week.

Get moving

Regular exercise is essential for a healthy heart. Because it’s a muscle, it gets stronger with regular exercise like any other muscle in your body. To get the most benefit, you need aerobic exercise (brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling) at least three times a week for 30 minutes. But even if you think you don’t have time for an exercise routine, there are ways to strengthen your heart muscle: Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park at the far end of the parking lot when you go to the mall. Do housework or yardwork at a quicker pace and more often (like vacuuming, or hoeing the garden every day). Get out of your chair to change the TV channel rather than using the remote.

Don’t smoke

Smokers are up to three times more likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers. Nicotine injures the lining of blood vessels and increases the build-up of fatty deposits, which can lead to cardiovascular disease. Exposure to other people’s smoke (second-hand smoke) can also increase your risk.

Reduce stress

Stress can adversely affect your heart health. It can raise your blood pressure and injure the arteries due to increased blood flow during the stress response. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation and massage can often help lower your stress level.