1.    Where was American heart disease 100 years ago?
2.    What are doctors saying about magnesium?
3.    Why is 80% of the American population deficient in magnesium?
4.    What is the most important mineral?
5.    Can’t we just eat better?

Reading all the above questions may lead you to wonder what exactly is going on with today’s American diets.  What can I do to fix this mineral deficiency in my own diet?  The answer is adding magnesium an inexpensive mineral to ones diet can solve a lot of health problems.

1.    As magnesium intake levels have dropped over the last 100 years, heart disease has skyrocketed.  In the year 1900, heart disease was virtually unheard of and few doctors specialized in the field.  Back then, food and drinking water contained much higher levels of magnesium – levels which are not available today.  This is why most American experience some sort of magnesium related disease as they age.

2.    The author of “The magnesium factor: Dr. Mildred S seelig, MD said: “Most modern heart disease is caused by magnesium deficiency.”
Dr. Julian Whitaker, MD, one of America’s best known doctors of integrative medicine. Said: “Research has overwhelmingly demonstrated the critical relationship between low levels of magnesium and cardiovascular disease.”

Hundreds of studies confirm that magnesium deficiency is linked to heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, what’s worse studies also show that 4 out of 5 people are magnesium deficient – and even a small deficiency can lead to serious health problems. 

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency are as follows:

• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Asthma
• Anxiety and Panic attacks
• Nervous disorders
• Migraines
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Osteoporosis
• Hypoglycemia
• Kidney disease

Many researchers believe that magnesium is the single most important mineral in our bodies – even more important than calcium.  In fact, when we get low on magnesium, our cells can not and does not use calcium properly, leading to over calcified heart muscles, hardening of arteries, and brittle bones.  Additionally, low cell magnesium leads to insulin resistance, the primary cause of type II diabetes. 

Studies show that 90 percent of the individuals with type II diabetes have low levels of free intercellular red blood cell magnesium.  When admitted to the hospital for heart trouble, the first thing you are hooked up to in the ER is a magnesium drip.  Magnesium is essential to those suffering from a heart attack.

You might be asking your self, can I just eat better?  Magnesium is unlike other minerals in the body.  Our body does not store magnesium so we need to constant daily supply.  Even fruits and vegetables don’t have much magnesium anymore, due to modern farming techniques.  Another primary source of magnesium was drinking water, but with modern filtration eliminates minerals like magnesium from the water.

Fortunately, magnesium oxide is one of the least expensive minerals found in your local health food store or grocery store.  Magnesium comes in many forms, amino acid chelate, aspartate, citrate, oxide, and carbonate.  No matter what form of magnesium you decide to purchase, it is important to get at least 400mg each day minimum.  If you are currently taking a calcium supplement, consider switching to one that is blended with magnesium.  For best results take your 400mgs before bedtime which will help you relax and get to sleep faster.

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When you learn how to discuss your concerns and questions with your physician, you are taking an important first step. You are not the only person who has problems communicating their concerns to the health care provider who performs your check-ups. But when it comes to heart disease no question should be left unanswered.

Sometimes people hope that the answers to their questions will come out in the process of being examined instead of asking them point blank. HMOs and the busy schedules of doctors with waiting rooms full of patients sometimes do not allow the doctor to spend as much time with each patient as they would like. Women particularly need to speak up, because even though they suffer half the deaths from heart disease, doctors hesitate to discuss this subject with them.

Questions that you should ask your doctor include what your blood pressure is recorded as and what is normal for you. You need to know what your blood cholesterol and glucose levels are and if they are considered normal. Find out from your physician what tests are recommended for your age group presently and in the years to come.

If medication has been prescribed, do not hesitate to ask if there are side effects, what the drug is supposed to do, and should you take other medication, even over the counter, with your prescribed medicine. Also find out if this is a long term medication or temporary. Tests to monitor the effect of the medication you are taking should be conducted at a later date if it is recommended by your doctor. The liver is one organ that most doctors consider testing when a patient is on certain medicines.

If you always get home and remember something that you forgot to ask the doctor, make a “need to know” list and take it with you on your next visit. Do not forget to bring with you the medications that you are presently on as well. If you have more than one health care provider, this is a must.

Add to your list any surgeries or relevant illness that you have had and been treated for in the past few years. This should be in your medical chart so that the doctor can be aware of anything that might cause a problem.

In conclusion, if you think that you may forget what you physician has told you, you can always write it down or record the appointment for later referral. Do not be afraid to check around for a second opinion if you are not comfortable with the treatment that your doctor recommends or if you do not feel that he or she listened to your worries or questions.

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Close To twenty five percent of all deaths are attributable to heart disease owing to blocked or ‘furred up’ coronary (heart) arteries, a disease medically known as atherosclerosis that is attributable to high blood cholesterol levels. A central factor of heart disease is your life style and what food you eat.

Easy activities like following a 7 day detox, making sure you get some exercise, shedding a few pounds and giving up smoking can have a major impact in cutting down your chances of heart disease - you might find it convenient to try using foot detox patches to help mop up all those toxins flooding round your body.

Symptoms of heart disease

If you contract heart disease, you’re at greater risk of developing angina (intense chest pain owing to the heart not getting enough oxygen), a heart attack; an arrhythmia (which is an abnormal heart rate, which can cause breathlessness, vertigo and even death); or heart failure (when the heart can’t pump correctly, leading to shortness of breath, weariness, swelled up ankles, and which might eventually cut short your life expectancy).

Coronary Artery Disease also occurs in arterial blood vessels in other parts of your body, particularly the brain, kidneys, or legs. This often leads to strokes, kidney failure, or bad circulation in the legs and in some cases amputation. Other health issues of the heart and blood flow system include raised blood pressure, heart attacks and varicose veins.

Pretty much all heart problems can be averted, or improved significantly by making some simple changes to your life. To reduce your danger of heart disease, you should follow a healthy diet, do not add an excessive amount of salt to your food, learn how to quit smoking, only drink the recommended amount of alcohol, get a little exercise at least 3 times a week, get your weight down (there’s plenty of tips to lose weight to help you), and try to eliminate your stress levels.

Green tea is low in caffeine and high in antioxidants, and is thought to help ward off heart and circulatory disease, and is a tasty addition to a detox diet. While the evidence for these benefits is inconclusive, drinking green tea appears to be sound, so it should be worth trying along with other preventative actions.

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In the pages of lifestyle magazines, cholesterol is often portrayed as a potential demon ruthlessly affecting the quality of your life. The rises in the cardio vascular diseases have made the people aware of the harmful effects of cholesterol. But not many people are aware of the fact that cholesterol can both be good and bad.

Good and Bad Cholesterol

Cholesterol is good?! Yes of course; this soft, waxy substance found in the lipid fats in the bloodstream and in all your body’s cells is an essential part of a healthy body; it helps in manufacturing cell membranes and in the production of some types of hormones.

So when does this apparently helpful substance actually pose a threat to your health?  When the level of the cholesterol is too high in the blood —a condition known as hypercholesterolemia — it becomes a risk factor for your heart health. A high level of cholesterol in your body is the precursor for the coronary heart disease that ultimately culminates into heart attack.

Types of cholesterol

Depending on the types of lipoprotein— special carriers that help cholesterols to be transported to and from the cells—the cholesterol can be of two major types:

• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol
• High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol 

HDL

Now HDL cholesterol is regarded as the good variety, while the LDL acts as the chief villain. The HDL is good because it drives cholesterol away from the arteries and transport them back to the liver that helps it eliminate from the body. In a nutshell a high level of HDL cholesterol acts as a shield against heart attack. So be careful if you find HDL level in your blood is less than 40 mg/dL. (In case of women the amount is 50 mg/dL.

LDL

When the level of LDL cholesterol is too high in your blood, it ends in being accumulated in the walls of the arteries carrying blood to two important organs of heart and brain. The net result is clogging of those arteries by hard plaques made of cholesterol and other substances. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. When the plaque tends to block blood flow to your heart, the result is a heart attack. When the clog disrupts blood flow to the brain, a stroke is the final outcome.

Dealing with Cholesterol

• A regular cholesterol checking will ensure that you never face these consequences. So go for a cholesterol check right away and if you happen to find the level of LDL cholesterol is 160 mg/dL or above, there are enough reason to raise alarm. Make sure that LDL cholesterol level in your blood never exceeds the mark of 100 mg/dL.
• Cholesterol is produced in our own body. The additional source of cholesterol is the foods rich in both saturated fat and Trans fat. For a cholesterol free life, restrict your cholesterol intake to 300 milligrams per day.
• Shake off the sedentary lifestyle and make physical activity a compulsory part of your daily routine.
• Try to give up smoking and cut back on alcohol consumption.

Most of the people fall prey of the harmful effects of the cholesterol because of their lack of awareness. But now that you know the basic facts about cholesterol, don’t let this menace mess up your health and your life. Take necessary precautions and enjoy your life to the fullest.

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You Tube Video Code Embedded – 10-04-08 Joaquin 9.2720 Normal 0 Exercise And Heart Disease – The Link

Scientific studies indicates that there is proof that exercising your heart is a very healthy thing to do. Regular activity for your heart will keep the heart and it’s muscles healthy and strong. By exercising regularly you lessen by about fifty percent the probability of you ever having a heart attack. Good news indeed about heart disease and exercise… the correlation between the two. Naturally if you have any concerns about your heart’s ability to withstand exercising, perhaps because of ill health or age… discuss with your doctor first before prior to an exercise program.

You Tube Video Code Embedded – 10-04-08 Joaquin 9.2720 Normal 0  

HDL And LDL

Exercise has the inclination to boost your HDL (high density liproteins – good cholesterol.) HDL is able to pick up cholesterol from within arteries and remove it from the body. On the other hand LDL (low density lipoproteins – bad cholesterol) tends to stickto blood cell walls. This can obstruct the flow of blood and cause one to have a stroke or heart attack. The resulting state is well known as arteriosclerosis.

Benefits Of Exercise To Minimize Heart Disease Risk

Just as any other muscle in our body, your heart gets stronger by stimulation of it with exercise. Your heart’s ability to propel blood as needed throughout the body, is directly dependent on the strength of the muscles of the heart. Exercising moderately just three to five times a week for approximately 30 minutes will certainly strengthen the heart and it’s muscles. Other benefits from frequent exercise are: overall body endurance and energy which will also help prevent harm to the body from strains such as falls; stress reduction which will relax you; boost the strength of your bones and thus lessen the chances you will develop osteoporosis.

Moderate to vigorous exercise not only helps to avert heart disease but also has a positive affect to your brain and how good you feel. Walking briskly raises blood circulation and oxygen levels throughout the body. Memory skills in the elderly, studies have shown, were improved, by going for walks as part of their habitual lifestyle.

Endorphins

Chemicals in the brain called endorphins are created by just 20 to 30 minutes of intermediate exercise. Endorphins are the body’s natural pain reliever. To accomplish metabolic benefits from exercise, you need a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes of steady physical activity. Most everyone has heard of the runner’s high… that is the effect of the creation of endorphins. Should you experience any heart pains in relation to activity that is an sign you are making your heart stressed.

Maybe you did not realize that heart disease and exercise, lack of exercise that is, have such a link as is made known in this publication. If you are what they call term a “couch potato” it may be time you became a bit more active… A lack of regular activity, greatly boosts your chance of stroke, heart attack. The point is… a bit of activity on a consistent basis is better for your heart and your body than none at all. If you have any concerns about your heart’s health, discuss with your doctor, before going forward with an exercise program to prevent heart disease.

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If you are an adult over twenty years old it is important to have your cholesterol level checked about every five years to make sure you have what is considered to be a healthy lowering cholesterol level. High cholesterol levels is the primary factor for hardening of the arteries that create heart attacks, and can cause heart disease. It is very common these days for people to have their cholesterol levels checked. Doctors usually have their patients take a lipid profile test which checks the LDL (bad cholesterol), the HDL (good cholesterol) and the triglyceride level.

Healthy Cholesterol Level

Experts believe that if your overall cholesterol level is below 200mg/dl than you have a healthy cholesterol level and are considered to be at low risk for acquiring heart disease. It is difficult for people to achieve a healthy cholesterol level or keep an acceptable  cholesterol level if they eat an unhealthy diet loaded with saturated fats or if they do not get enough exercise.

If your cholesterol test reveals a cholesterol level between 200 and 240 mg/dl you are placed in the category of people who are considered to have a moderate risk of getting heart disease. A high risk category number is considered 240 mg/dl. People in the high risk category are thought to have about twice the risk of acquiring heart disease than those that have a healthy cholesterol level which is under 200 mg/dl.

If due to your high cholesterol level you are considered a high risk patient you should have an exercise plan created for you by an expert, reduce the saturated fat in your diet, eat healthy foods and if you still have a high cholesterol level your doctor might recommend drugs designed to lower cholesterol such as statins.

HDL the Good Cholesterol

Increasing your good cholesterol level (HDL), get plenty of exercise, avoid smoking, and eat a health diet. For an average sized woman, the HDL cholesterol lever can be anywhere from 50 to 60 mg/dl, compared to a male where the level should be 40 and 50 mg/dl.

Your LDL (bad cholesterol) level is the best source for determining your risk of having a heart attack or having a stroke. It provides a better indication of your risk for heart disease than a total cholesterol level can provide. A preferred LDL level would be under 100 mg/dl. A level of 130 to 159 is considered borderline high and 160 to 189 mg/dl is considered to be a high LDL level. Experts consider a very high level to be 190 or higher. In order to avoid heart disease, heart attacks and strokes you should have your bad cholesterol checked to find out if you have a healthy cholesterol level.

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