More of us die from broken heart than any other ailment. Although we know that heart disease is the leading cause of death in Canadians over 45, few of us have questioned the conventional ways that we try to combat it. Sure, we’ve been told about healthy habits to reduce the risks – by losing weight, reducing red meat consumption and avoiding stress. But physicians continue to prescribe cholesterol-lowering (statin) drugs, calcium beta-blockers and high blood pressure medications to millions of Canadians, with side effects that outweigh benefits.

But there are more natural and sensible ways to strengthen our heart. In fact, one of the greatest scientific minds of the 20th century, Linus Pauling, Ph.D., said that doctors have got it all wrong.

Every year half a million people die from coronary heart disease.  In a recentCNN article discussing a new study based on the data from the Framingham study concludes: The study “reaffirms the notion that coronary heart disease is the 800-pound gorilla of disease in this country, now and for the foreseeable future,” says cardiologist Dr. Stuart Seides.   Heart attacks were virtually unknown before the turn of the century.  Our diets, especially in “developed” countries have gone through dramatic changes in this period.  There is a very real connection between this new disease and our new diets.

Dr. Pauling, a two-time Nobel Prize Laureate and recipient of over 40 honourary degrees,  stressed that it isn’t cholesterol or even fatty foods that cause heart troubles; he was convinced it is caused by malnutrition. Instead of medications, Dr. Pauling believed strongly in curing heart disease with vitamin supplements. But even though millions of lives could be saved  annually by simply taking a few common, inexpensive vitamins, the medical industry would have little incentive to prescribe them.

Linus Pauling himself ingested 18,000 mg daily of vitamin C daily in order

to approximate the tissue levels of an animal of his body weight.

The few species which include humans, that do

not make their own vitamin C suffer a condition called atherosclerosis,

where white plaques narrow the arteries. This disease has been misnamed

“heart disease” because it often leads to a heart attack. The disease is not

prevalent in species that make their own Vitamin C

Vitamin C is required for tissue integrity.  Tissues that are under constant stress are particularly vulnerable to degradation from C deficiency.  This is certainly true of our arteries. 

Shortly before his death at 93, Linus Pauling and Matthias Rath had completed work on the link between atherosclerosis and Vitamin C (please see the link in the side bar).  They had concluded that chronic Vitamin C deficiency lead to a serious compromising of our arterial system.  Our bodies respond to this situation with a healing process.

According to Pauling, vitamin C prevents illness due to its role in manufacturing collagen, the protein that helps make the walls of blood vessels. He was convinced that vitamin C can help prevent cardiovascular disease by reversing damage done to blood vessels. Vitamin C’s link to healthy  blood vessels is supported by scurvy studies. It causes collagen breakdown, resulting in ruptured blood vessels, so victims bleed to death.

A great misfortune of human evolution, Dr. Pauling stated, was when our ancestors’ bodies lost their ability to manufacture vitamin C , discarded when we had a steady supply of fresh-picked fruits and vegetables. Ever since humans migrated away from the tropics, we’ve suffered deficiencies (vitamin C begins to quickly deteriorate as soon as fruits and veggies are picked.

When arteries are compromised, our systems produce a specialized, sticky form of low-density lipoprotein- called Lp(a) which attaches itself to the arterial wall to prevent blood seepage.  This is consistent with where arterial plaque is found - where there are lesions and where there is particular stress (i.e. at branches, in arteries, not veins, due to the pressure and in coronary arteries due to the stress of the constant motion).

Heart disease is a misnomer because there is no

malfunction of the heart. The underlying disease process is characterized

by scab-like build-ups that adhere to the walls of blood vessels. As the

arteries narrow, the blood supply to the heart and the other organs is

reduced, resulting in angina (”heart cramp”), heart attack and/or stroke.

The more correct terminology is chronic scurvy, a sub clinical (difficult to

detect) form of the classic vitamin C deficiency disease scurvy.

In this lectures, Pauling discussed vitamin C’s connection with lipoprotein (a), a substance linked to cardiovascular disease and a major part of plaque found in blood vessels of atherosclerosis patients. Certain fats in the blood have the ability to plug the leaks caused by lack of vitamin C by forming a kind of plaster (plaque). These are cholesterol, lipids, and lipoprotein (a). He claimed that lipoprotein (a) tries to strengthen blood vessels walls by coating them if there isn’t adequate vitamin C in the diet. He felt lipoprotein (a) was more of a factor in heart disease than cholesterol, which is a secondary tool used by the body to coat the cracks and fissures in the walls. This sticky cholesterol is a special kind of cholesterol made in our livers and not the cholesterol we get from fatty foods. Again, all plaque in the arteries is laid down as temporary repair material for damaged blood vessels. This happens only when the body is malnourished. The coating, however, narrows arteries, eventually causing blockages – and heart attacks and strokes. None of today’s heart drugs lower lipoprotein (a) levels.

Dr. Pauling created a formula for halting these effects. His therapy included megadoses of vitamin C, of course, but it also included supportive B vitamins including vitamin B3 (niacin) which also lowers lipoprotein (a), and vitamin B6, B12, and folic acid. Key amino acids l-Lysine and L-proline, vitamin A and E, magnesium, selenium and omega-3 oils were also added. He was adamant that this simple formula could stop and even reverse the majority of cardiovascular disease cases. He practiced what he preached, gradually increasing his daily dose of vitamin C to 18 grams.

What does vitamin C do? It increases  HDL (high density lipoprotein), or good cholesterol, and decreases lipoprotein (a), cholesterol and triglyceride production. It is also thought to lower blood sugar and insulin requirements. By relaxing the blood vessel walls, it lowers blood pressure when hypertension is present, and it stops inappropriate clot formation, which is often the final cause of heart attacks and strokes.

When Pauling died in 1994, he knew that cardiovascular disease would continue to rise in epidemic proportions. In the US and Canada, every other person will die of heart disease. Each year, $ 100 billion is spent on surgery and medications for vascular heart disease in the US. The bottom line is that lipoprotein (a) levels, which are rarely checked by doctors, may be the real risk factor in cardiovascular disease only because this fat is trying hard to repair damage done by eating too little of what we need.

Your heart works 24 hours a day with no breaks. It can be difficult to get enough nutrients from your diet for this hard –working organ. Supplement with vitamin C and other nutrients- they’re your body’s major line of defence against heart troubles.

To learn more about cardiovascular health, listen to Dr.Anca’s Cardiovascular Health & Heart disease Prevention Tele-seminar recordings.

When it comes to heart health, it’s clear that women underestimate their personal risk and think that heart disease is more likely seen in men. But, the number one killer for women is cardiovascular disease (CVD). Starting at age 75, the prevalence of heart disease is higher in women than men.

Risk factors

These can be broken down to non-modifiable or modifiable risk factors:

Non- modifiable risk factors: more than 55 years old, post-menopause, and family history of premature heart disease.

Modifiable risk factors: medical screening; lifestyle changes and medical intervention, when required, make a difference. These include hypertension, high LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol), low HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol), smoking, sedentary lifestyle, obesity (BMI more than 30), high fat diet and diabetes.

Symptoms

It’s important for women to know that the characteristic image of a ‘fist clutching at chest’ pain is not the common symptom for women. As many as 58 % of women with angina experience dyspnea or shortness of breath, rather than the classic squeezing chest pain that radiates down the left arm. Other symptoms for women include: weakness 55 %; fatigue 43 %; cold sweat 39 %; dizziness 39 %; nausea 35%; heavy arm 35 %; and aches in arms 32 %.

What can women do?

1.       Be a non-smoker.

2.       Exercise a minimum of 30 minutes daily at least 5 days a week.

3.       Follow a heart healthy diet.

4.       Maintain a healthy BMI.

Being a non- smoker can reduce the risk of stroke by 81 %. Regular exercise can lead to an 83% reduction in CVD death. A healthy diet and BMI within target can lessen the chance of developing diabetes by 90 %, a potent risk factor for CVD.

Only 75% of women are aware of their blood pressure diagnosis and of those with the diagnosis, less than one third are treated adequately. With a minimal decrease of 6 mm in blood pressure, there’s a 21% decrease in heart disease, a 42 % decrease in stroke and a 14 % decrease in acute myocardial infarction (heart attack).

Treatment choices

The first thing I tell women in my practice, “Treatment choice is yours to make. And, lifestyle intervention is the proactive key.”

Ladies: at your regular yearly check up, make sure your blood pressure is recorded and your blood cholesterol, fasting blood glucose and an ECG are done. Know the role of your family history as a risk factor. Review with your physician what can be done to reduce and eliminate your risk of this number one killer. Your doctor will tell you how often to return for follow up.

Remember – the control of most of the risk factors is in your hands and it’s never too late to take charge!

To learn more about Cardiovascular disease and Heart disease Prevention, listen to my CARDIOVASCULAR Health & HEART Disease Prevention Tele-Seminar: 

It’s TONIGHT, Feb.26…but if this is too short notice for you, register anyway and you’ll receive the recordings asap.

Drinking green tea can help protect against cardiovascular disease by reducing cholesterol levels, new research suggests. In one study involving 29 subjects, participants drank 1 L of water daily for three weeks, then 1 L of green tea daily for four weeks. After drinking green tea each day, the subjects’ blood cholesterol has dropped significantly, particularly LDL (”bad”) cholesterol, while HDL (”good”) cholesterol levels increased. The researchers concluded that “drinking green tea has a beneficial effects protecting against the risk for cardiovascular disease by  improving blood lipid levels.

Japanese and Taiwanese researchers in another study found that drinking a cup of polyphenol-enriched oolong tea with a high fat meal may increase the amount of cholesterol excreted by the body by half. Oolong is a traditional Chinese tea, midway between green and black tea in terms of its oxidation levels.

The scientist randomly divided 12 healthy adults into two groups, one of which received 38 g of fat from potato chips 19 g within 30 minutes of eating lunch and dinner) and 750 ml of a placebo or polyphenol-enriched oolong tea at three meals per day. A seven-day washout period separated the 10-day test periods.

Drinking green tea may protect against heart disease by improving cholesterol status.

After analyzing periodic blood and fecal samples, researchers found that the polyphenol-enriched oolong tea period was associated with a 50% increase in cholesterol excretion.

Larger studies are needed, as is research into how polyphenols reduce fat absorption.

To learn more about cardio-vascular disease and heart disease prevention, register to my upcoming Tele-seminar,

CARDIOVASCULAR Health & HEART Disease Prevention

http://telehealthsecrets.com/teleseminars/cardiovascular-health-heart-disease-prevention/

 If you’ve been looking for an excuse to hit that vending machine and grab a candy bar which  has chocolate in it….now it’s actually healthy,

chocolate? Hurray! WRONG.

More and more studies showing now that the type of foods we eat can genetically modify our bodies and the risk of all major diseases.

       For years, researchers have studied the role of diet in breast cancer. By comparing different countries, researchers found strong links between high fat diets and breast cancer risk. The disease is rare where the diets are very low in fat and where rice and other plant products are dietary staples. For example, before 1950, the rice-based Japanese diet drew less than 10 percent of its calories from fat. Breast cancer was exceedingly rare. But over the years, as Western influences have altered Japanese eating habits, breast cancer rates have climbed dramatically.

        These international studies are just one line of evidence, however. Case-control studies are another research tool in which researchers compare diets of cancer patients ( “case”) with those of healthy women of similar age and background ( “ control”). Such studies have also shown a links between fatty diets and higher risk of breast cancer, and even on cancer patient’s chances for survival. One study tracking Canadian breast cancer patients for ten years found that for 5 percent increase in saturated fat in diets, the risk of dying of breast cancer shot up by 50 percent.

          How does fat do its dirty work? Fat increase the amount of estrogen in the blood. In turn, this hormone stimulates breast cells in such a way that cancer is more likely to occur and is more aggressive. Fatty foods also leads to obesity which itself is linked to higher estrogen levels in the blood. Increased estrogen levels are also linked with early menarche ( onset of first period), also a breast cancer risk factor.

          Despite such evidence, doubts about the fat connection have persisted, fueled mainly by the results of a large study of nurses run by Harvard University in which researchers found no association between fatty diets and breast cancer rates.

          Why the conflicting results? Unlike the populations examined in international studies, the nurse were a fairly homogeneous group, all eating fairly high-fats diets. No group in the study was following anything similar to a traditional Asian diet or other low -fat diet.

          As important as it is to get fat off your plate, it’s just as important to pile on the vegetables and other healthful plants foods. Their fiber helps cut breast cancer risk by naturally decreasing estrogen levels. Plants foods are also rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C, and other vitamins which protect cells against damage. Unlike animal products, most plants foods have little fat and do not store up large amounts of pesticide residue.

       A brisk morning walk- or any other regular exercise- also helps cut breast cancer risk.

       Of course, the good fats ( omega 3 and 6), known as essential fatty acids are vital to one’s health. Their paramount importance comes from the facts that they constitute the membranes of every cell in the body, therefore the ones allowing nutrients into the cells(to be processed) and toxins out of the cells ( to the eliminated).

The major organ helping fats metabolism is the liver, therefore ensuring that the liver always works well one can reduce breast cancer risks.  

DHA, an omega - 3 essential fatty acid, is the primary building block for:

* Healthy brain development

* Central nervous system

* Vision

. The human body cannot manufacture DHA, so it must be obtained through diet or supplementation.  It is found primarily in fish oils, but unless you eat fish 3-5X/wk, I suggest including a good DHA formula in your supplementation regime.( drop me a line/comment below  if you don’t have a reliable DHA source, and I’ll help you)

Scientific studies suggests that fish oils can improve I.Q levels, and positively affect behaviour associated with ADD/ADHD, depression & anxiety, memory loss, stroke prevention, overall health etc.