When I think of the heart, a few things come to mind. The first is a pump that moves blood through the body, delivering nutrients to the cells and removing waste products. The second is an emotional organ that holds love, compassion, empathy, trust, hurt, and joy. Beyond that, I think of the heart and vascular system as a place that needs immediate attention when it comes to preventing chronic disease.
Imbalances in heart health place cardiac disease as the number one cause of mortality worldwide, with stroke (cerebrovascular disease) being the second. (1) In Canada, cancer is the leading cause of death, but vascular and cardiac disease are still the second and third major causes of mortality. (2) Even more significant is that since 2000, ischemic heart disease has increased more than any other cause of death to nearly 9 million people per year in 2019. (3) Fortunately, there are many lifestyle modifications that can improve the health of the heart and the cardiovascular system overall. Remember: 80% of chronic disease is preventable through lifestyle.
How the Heart Works
I'm going to oversimplify here, but in order to understand imbalances in the body it's important to know what normal function looks like. The heart is a pump made of muscle and divided into 4 sections called chambers. The blood from the body comes into the right side, then goes to the lungs to exchange carbon dioxide (waste) for oxygen (nutrition). Once the blood is loaded with oxygen in the lungs, it goes back to the heart this time into the left side, and out to the body through the aorta and then arteries to supply the body with nutrients. Coronary arteries carry blood to the heart itself. There are 4 heart valves that control the flow of blood in the right direction, while an electrical system maintains the heartbeat in a coordinated rhythm.
Let's go through a couple of quick definitions:
Heart disease - any condition affecting the heart, including abnormal rhythm, defects (congenital), cardiomyopathy (diseased heart muscle), endocarditis (infection), valve problems
Cardiovascular disease - any condition affecting the entire circulatory system
Heart attack - a blockage of blood flow to the heart muscle, damaging it
Heart failure - when the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body
Cardiac arrest - sudden loss of heart function, often caused by arrhythmia
Arrhythmia - irregular rate or rhythm of heart beat due to inappropriate electrical impulses
Atherosclerosis - when arteries are damaged, plaque comes in to repair and causes hardening or narrowing the arteries
Rather than listing every single risk factor for heart issues (there are many) I'm going to discuss the things we can modify to reduce our risk and improve cardiac health at its roots, looking at the underlying causes.
Lifestyle
Food
Emotions
Supports
Lab Tests
Having knowledge of your heart health is crucial to being able to modify your risk factors. There are several blood tests that can help inform you, and also to track your progress.
February is known as heart month but to be completely honest, I have another reason for the timing of this post. Quite frankly, we need to restart our conversations on health, and open up discussions on our biggest known issues that lead to poor outcomes worldwide. (Guess what? Many of these cardiovascular risk factors also put people at higher risk for worse infections.)
Most importantly, we need to understand and appreciate how much we can influence our own health, and why the daily efforts matter. In the context of a world where many screenings, support programs, and health services have been less accessible, it's time for us to be as responsible for our own health as we can possibly be. I know it's a bit of tough love, but I don't know how else to say it. You can build health, just as you can build disease.
Sending you love, compassion and endless support,
Dr. Christa
1. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm
2. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1310039401
3. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death
4. https://www.heartandstroke.ca/healthy-living/healthy-weight/healthy-weight-and-waist
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31488267/
6. https://heart.bmj.com/content/102/13/1009
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Imbalances in heart health place cardiac disease as the number one cause of mortality worldwide, with stroke (cerebrovascular disease) being the second. (1) In Canada, cancer is the leading cause of death, but vascular and cardiac disease are still the second and third major causes of mortality. (2) Even more significant is that since 2000, ischemic heart disease has increased more than any other cause of death to nearly 9 million people per year in 2019. (3) Fortunately, there are many lifestyle modifications that can improve the health of the heart and the cardiovascular system overall. Remember: 80% of chronic disease is preventable through lifestyle.
How the Heart Works
I'm going to oversimplify here, but in order to understand imbalances in the body it's important to know what normal function looks like. The heart is a pump made of muscle and divided into 4 sections called chambers. The blood from the body comes into the right side, then goes to the lungs to exchange carbon dioxide (waste) for oxygen (nutrition). Once the blood is loaded with oxygen in the lungs, it goes back to the heart this time into the left side, and out to the body through the aorta and then arteries to supply the body with nutrients. Coronary arteries carry blood to the heart itself. There are 4 heart valves that control the flow of blood in the right direction, while an electrical system maintains the heartbeat in a coordinated rhythm.
Let's go through a couple of quick definitions:
Heart disease - any condition affecting the heart, including abnormal rhythm, defects (congenital), cardiomyopathy (diseased heart muscle), endocarditis (infection), valve problems
Cardiovascular disease - any condition affecting the entire circulatory system
Heart attack - a blockage of blood flow to the heart muscle, damaging it
Heart failure - when the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body
Cardiac arrest - sudden loss of heart function, often caused by arrhythmia
Arrhythmia - irregular rate or rhythm of heart beat due to inappropriate electrical impulses
Atherosclerosis - when arteries are damaged, plaque comes in to repair and causes hardening or narrowing the arteries
Rather than listing every single risk factor for heart issues (there are many) I'm going to discuss the things we can modify to reduce our risk and improve cardiac health at its roots, looking at the underlying causes.
Lifestyle
- Movement
- a balance of yoga (bridge pose is great for the heart), cardio, muscle strength - Stress management - e.g. meditation, breathing
- Toxin reduction
- No smoking, limit alcohol
- Maintain a healthy body composition e.g. a waist measurement <35" for women, and <40" for men (4)
- Sleep - also manage sleep apnea
- sleeping less than 6 hours per night could increase heart attack risk by 20% (5) - Keep blood pressure below 120/80mmHg (read more on blood pressure here)
- Manage inflammatory conditions (e.g. autoimmune disease)
- Sunshine & fresh air
- Listen to music in 341, 432, or 528Hz instead of the common 440Hz
Food
- Green foods -> vegetables contain antioxidants and fibre (that binds fats and toxins in the gut)
- green is also the colour of the heart chakra - Anti-inflammatory -> consider the mediterranean, plant-based, or other vegetable and healthy oil based diets to deal with inflammation and supply antioxidants
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Healthy fats - avocado, fatty fish, olive oil, nuts (walnuts), seeds
-> we need fats to make hormones and cell membranes, also for a healthy nervous system - Limit sugar & processed foods
- we hear about cholesterol, but sugar is highly implicated in cardiovascular health - Fibre
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
- Berries
- Green tea, hibiscus tea
Emotions
- Joy is the emotion of the heart in Traditional Chinese Medicine
- smile and laugh as often as you can - Emotional connections to people
- loneliness is associated with a 29% increased risk of heart disease (and 32% increase in stroke) (6) - connects the upper and lower energy centres
- Meditation helps to identify emotional triggers
- Gratitude helps to foster positive emotions
- Hug
- Be kind to others and to yourself
- Receive love by accepting compliments, or allowing your dog to snuggle up to you
Supports
- Magnesium
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin C
- L-carnitine
- CoQ10
- Omega-3
- Hawthorn
- B Vitamins
- Plant sterols
-> Selection of nutrient and botanical supports is dependant upon the cause of imbalance in the cardiovascular system. They can range from antioxidants, antiinflammatories, mitochondrial function (the energy producers of the cell), tools to make blood less sticky, modify lipid profile (HDL vs LDL cholesterol), manage stress, and promote overall heart function.
Lab Tests
Having knowledge of your heart health is crucial to being able to modify your risk factors. There are several blood tests that can help inform you, and also to track your progress.
- Homocysteine
- Fibrinogen
- Blood sugar, HbA1C, Insulin
- Thyroid hormones + antibodies
- Cortisol
- Ferritin
- Lipid panel
- Liver & Kidney function
- Vitamin D
February is known as heart month but to be completely honest, I have another reason for the timing of this post. Quite frankly, we need to restart our conversations on health, and open up discussions on our biggest known issues that lead to poor outcomes worldwide. (Guess what? Many of these cardiovascular risk factors also put people at higher risk for worse infections.)
Most importantly, we need to understand and appreciate how much we can influence our own health, and why the daily efforts matter. In the context of a world where many screenings, support programs, and health services have been less accessible, it's time for us to be as responsible for our own health as we can possibly be. I know it's a bit of tough love, but I don't know how else to say it. You can build health, just as you can build disease.
Sending you love, compassion and endless support,
Dr. Christa
1. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm
2. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1310039401
3. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death
4. https://www.heartandstroke.ca/healthy-living/healthy-weight/healthy-weight-and-waist
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31488267/
6. https://heart.bmj.com/content/102/13/1009
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