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When you receive the Seal you will begin to take action on your health. Action is needed by the many overweight teens of this generation, since studies forecast significant increases in the rate of heart disease.

Two studies were published in the Thursday December 6 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, projecting that rising rates of obesity could lead to more heart disease later in life, verifying that there is a connection.

There is a connection between obesity in the childhood years and heart disease as an adult. Many children who are obese have a hard time losing that weight as they grow older, and remaining obese will greatly increase risk for heart disease.

But as if the rates of obesity are not already high enough, the 2 studies predict that the rates of obese children are due to increase even more than they already have up until now.

One of the studies, a European study, looked at some 250,000 young people for 46 years in Denmark. The study found that overweight children would have more heart problems as they grew older than the other children.

These children are at a significantly higher risk of coronary heart disease that could cause a heart attack or similar problem. And now more children than ever are facing such risks, and the number is said to be climbing even higher.

Somewhere around a third of adults in the United States are overweight. And 16 to 17 percent of children in the US are overweight. That comes out to more than 9 million children in all.

A quarter of the boys who are overweight are also obese, and it is projected that when they turn 35, around 2020, a third or more of them will be obese. A third of the girls are already obese, and that number is expected to rise too.

As well as heart disease at a relatively young age, these children are exposed to a greater risk of diabetes. And they are more likely to have high blood pressure at a young age too.

The scientist conducting the studies conclude that rates of heart disease will rise significantly by 2035, increasing up to 16 percent. And it is said that this will shorten the life expectancy by a few years in America.

Scientists say this is the first study to conclusively show that carrying extra weight in childhood leads to heart disease later in life. Previous studies have not shown consistent results.

Heart disease cases are projected to rise 16 percent. And heart disease-related deaths could rise even more, as much as 19 percent. This will all happen when the youths reach the age of 50.

When you are sealed you begin to want to take care of your health. If you have extra weight you will take steps to lose that weight. And if you can not lose the weight you will get enough exercise to stay fit.

Exercise is the key even if you do not lose much weight. You still need exercise. That will ward off heart disease and a host of other diseases. Exercise will save your life.

And when you are sealed you will want to change your diet. You may not consider yourself a glutton–and today you do not have to be a glutton to gain weight. The common Western diet is full of calories and fat and devoid of nutrition.

When you are sealed you can save your life by exercising and changing your diet. God gives you life when He sets His Seal upon you, and like Him you can give yourself life when you receive the Seal.

ALL too often we hear about relatives, friends and acquaintances suffering a heart attack. In the United States alone heart attacks kill some 700,000 persons annually, more than a person every minute. About 350,000 die before they reach a hospital. But people in other countries, too, are affected. Nearly half the men in Western countries, as well as many women, are dying of this single ailment-heart attack!

What is particularly frightening is that so many of the victims are young-in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. Often their hearts are essentially healthy. Why do they die? What is the trouble?

Source of the Problem

The source of the problem is a lack of blood supply to the heart muscle. ‘But how can that be?’ you may ask. ‘Is the heart not literally bathed in blood? Do not tons of it pass through the heart daily?’

This is true. So to understand the nature of the problem, we must know a little about how the heart works. It is a hollow muscle, with four chambers, the right atrium and the right ventricle, and the left atrium and the left ventricle. Oxygenated blood from the lungs flows to the left atrium while the right atrium is filling with blood laden with carbon dioxide from the body. On contraction of the atria, the blood is forced through valves into the ventricles. Then the major pumping action of the heart occurs. The ventricles forcefully contract, simultaneously sending the oxygenated blood to the various body parts by way of the aorta and the oxygen deficient blood to the lungs by way of the pulmonary artery.

While the blood is traveling through these chambers, the heart muscle itself is not benefited by this life-sustaining fluid. A comparison can be made with a gasoline truck. The truck does not derive its power from the gasoline that it is delivering to a customer. Rather, it is powered by the fuel that it obtains when it stops at service stations. This fuel is channeled through the fuel line to the truck’s engine.

Similarly, it is not the blood passing through the heart chambers that delivers nourishment to the heart. No; but, rather, it is the blood that is pumped out from the heart and delivered back again by another route that feeds the heart. The key to the problem of heart attacks lies in these ‘fuel lines,’ or blood-delivery routes to the heart.

Blood leaving the heart is pumped into the body’s huge artery, the aorta. However, almost immediately much of this blood is channeled off into the two coronary arteries. In this way oxygen and chemical nutrients are carried to all parts of this most important muscle of the body. What happens, though, if there is an interference of blood flow through the coronary arteries?

Clogging of Coronary Arteries

This might be illustrated by what happens when a great deal of rust builds up on the inside of a water pipe. When you pump water through that pipe, the flow is restricted. So what happens if a large amount of water is required in a short period of time? The pump pushing the water may malfunction under the extra stress and break down.

This gives you an idea of what is occurring within the hearts of millions of persons today. The coronary arteries are being narrowed by a buildup of fatty deposits. This condition is called atherosclerosis. What happens, then, when the heart needs more blood to meet some physical or emotional emergency?

Even when a small part of the heart is temporarily starved of blood, electrical patterns can somehow become disturbed, upsetting the beating rhythm. The heart then goes into what is called ventricular fibrillation-an unusual and serious complication in which it twitches chaotically and ineffectively, and stalls from the lack of a driving force. Death follows within a few minutes unless proper pumping action is restored.

Similarly, heart attacks are often precipitated by a clot, or thrombus, in a coronary artery. Atherosclerosis does not cause a uniform narrowing of the vessels. Rather, a buildup of deposits occurs intermittently along the blood vessel, while the diameter of the rest of the vessel may be normal. So the clot occurs at a narrowed part of a vessel, blocking the blood flow to a portion of the heart muscle. This blocking of a blood vessel in the heart is called a coronary thrombosis, or a coronary occlusion. The result of the blockage is referred to as a myocardial infarction-a heart attack.

How can you tell when a person is suffering a heart attack?

Symptoms

Many heart attacks are difficult to recognize. In fact, heart specialists estimate that perhaps 20 percent of initial attacks occur without any awareness by the victims. This may be because a blood vessel in the heart is closed off gradually over a period of weeks or months, instead of abruptly.

Then, again, the symptoms may simply not be recognized as a heart attack. They may be mistaken, for example, as a severe attack of indigestion. Also, vomiting may occur, along with fatigue and an ashen appearance. Other signals may be sweating and shortness of breath. The most common symptom of a heart attack, however, is uncomfortable pressure, squeezing or fullness in the center of the chest. Or it may be a crushing chest pain, which is an almost sure signal of a heart attack.

In many cases, persons live long and full lives after a heart attack, perhaps without ever realizing that they had one. On the other hand, even a mild attack that does minimal damage to the heart can precipitate ventricular fibrillation, and the victim may become unconscious and die within minutes. But you could save the victim, if you knew how to do it.

Saving Victims of Heart Attacks

Many persons whose hearts have stopped for up to five minutes or so are now physically fit and able to do all the things that they did before their heart attack. Swift action by persons who were near at hand saved them. They knew what to do. Would you know? Could you save a life?

It is not as difficult as you may think. In some places many of the general public are being taught the very effective lifesaving procedure called cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR for short. It is a combination of external heart massage and artificial respiration. If you have the opportunity, it would be fine to receive a course of instruction in this procedure. However, by carefully considering the directions provided here, you may be able to save the life of a heart-attack victim-perhaps someone you dearly love.

If you find a collapsed person, there are certain preliminary steps that you should follow before beginning CPR. But you should act quickly, because an unconscious person can live for only about four to six minutes without breathing.

First, you should determine if the person is really unconscious. It could be embarrassing to start lifesaving procedures on someone who is only sleeping! So gently shake the person’s shoulder and ask: “Are you OK?” If he does not answer, check to see if he is breathing, since he may have only fainted. Do this by placing your ear close to his mouth, with your face turned toward his chest. If he is breathing, you should be able to feel his breath in your ear, and perhaps observe chest movements.

If there is no indication of breathing, it is important to open his air passage. Sometimes the tongue of an unconscious person sags backward in the throat, cutting off this vital air passageway to the lungs. Opening the airway to the lungs may be all that is necessary to restore breathing, and this is usually not difficult.

With the unconscious person lying on his back, use one hand to lift up the back of his neck gently. This will cause the head to drop backward, extending the neck. Put your other hand on his forehead and roll his head back fully, until it will go no farther. You may be surprised how far back the head will go with full extension. Having done this, the chin will be pointing almost straight upward, with the crown of the head resting on the floor. In this position the jaw and the tongue are drawn forward and the airway in the throat is cleared.

If this quick clearing of the airway does not restore breathing, begin immediately to give artificial respiration. Using your hand that is on the victim’s forehead, pinch the victim’s nose shut while, at the same time, keeping the heel of the hand in place to help to maintain head tilt. Keep your other hand under the victim’s neck (or under his chin), lifting up. Then open your mouth wide and place it directly on the mouth of the victim, and give four quick, full breaths in rapid succession. You will see his chest rise as his lungs expand.

Next, quickly check for the victim’s pulse, which tells you whether his heart is beating. The best place to locate the pulse is in the carotid artery, the major artery in the neck. To find it, take your hand from the back of the neck and slide its index and middle fingers into the groove beside the voice box. If there is no pulse, the heart has stopped and, in addition to artificial respiration, you must also provide artificial circulation to save the victim.

Artificial circulation is accomplished by closed-heart massage. This is a relatively simple procedure of compressing the chest. These compressions actually force the heart to pump blood. This often prompts the heart to begin beating again on its own. But, of course, oxygen, too, must continue to be provided, since the circulating blood is useless if it is not picking up oxygen from the lungs.

Thus, what the rescuer must do is to carry on the vital functions of breathing for the victim and at the same time forcing his heart to pump his blood. Even if the heart does not start beating on its own, if you can keep up CPR until medical help arrives, the victim may be saved. There have been cases where the breathing and the pumping of blood has been carried on artificially for hours before the victim’s own system was prompted to take over these functions.

Preventive Care

Besides being prepared to help heart-attack victims, what else can we do? Can the buildup of deposits in arteries-the principal cause of heart attacks-be prevented, or at least slowed?

It is generally agreed that cholesterol and fats (glycerides) are somehow involved in the buildup of these deposits. So it only makes sense to watch our diet and avoid putting on excess weight, since visible fat likely means that inside our body fatty deposits are accumulating in arteries, dangerously narrowing them. It may also be advisable to limit or exclude the eating of foods deep fried in animal fat. At the same time eat a generous amount of nutritional vegetables, fruits, melons and cereals.

Today’s high-speed, tension-producing way of life, too, seems to be another factor in accentuating the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries. So, since those who struggle too incessantly to accomplish too many things in too little a space of time are prone to heart attacks, you will want to avoid this continual sense of time urgency.

Getting sufficient exercise is also an important means of offsetting the possible disastrous effects of a buildup of fatty deposits in our arteries. In fact, Dr. Raab said: “Lack of exercise is the major cause of coronary heart disease.” Why is this?

The heart is, as we know, a muscle, and muscles become weak when they are not exercised sufficiently. In fact, our whole circulatory system is adversely affected. The arteries supplying blood to our muscles become narrower in size, and many small vessels even disappear. On the other hand, regular exercise causes our arteries to become larger, so they can carry more blood. Also, more blood vessels open up in muscle tissue, providing new routes for delivering more oxygen, thus minimizing the possibility of a heart attack.

Regular physical activity, too, strengthens the pumping action of our heart. As a result, fewer strokes are necessary to accomplish the same amount of work. Thus, a physically fit heart does not have to strain to meet an emergency as does an unconditioned heart. So to protect your heart, make exercise a regular habit. Said one doctor: “Vigorous walking, if practiced from youth on, would in itself drastically reduce the disability and early deaths due to coronary heart disease.”

But not all heart troubles are precipitated by a buildup of fatty deposits that narrow the insides of coronary arteries. A malfunction in the heart’s electrical system is the source of some heart troubles.

Heart Block

As noted earlier, the heart has a complex system of specialized cells that initiate and conduct electrical impulses throughout the heart to trigger its rhythmic beating. A heart block is an abnormality in the transmission of these electrical impulses. The impulses do not get through properly, and the pumping action of the heart is adversely affected.

There are different degrees of heart block. A partial block may involve only a delay in transmission of impulses, and it may not result in any significant abnormality in heart function. But the trouble can be serious. The impulses from the atriums to the ventricles may be blocked completely, and so the heart chambers beat independently of each other. The result is ineffective heartbeats that fail to provide proper blood flow. If the heart block persists, and the inadequacy of blood flow is too great, the person may die.

Today, however, thousands of persons who would probably have died a few years ago are still living, and living practically normal lives. This is due to the development of artificial heart pacemakers. The first of these were implanted in patients around 1960. They have proved so successful that literally hundreds of thousands of persons today are walking around with these pacemakers in their bodies. You will find the following story about the tremendous changes a pacemaker made in one man’s life both informative and heartwarming.

An In Depth Review of the Popular High Blood Pressure Medication Cardura

What is Cardura?

Cardura is a medication that has been proven to be highly effective in the treatment of two different medical conditions. These are hypertension (high blood pressure) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Cardura is an alpha-blocker. It works by relaxing the blood vessels which leads to lower blood pressure. Also by relaxing blood vessels it releases the tension from the muscles around the urethra in effect improving urinary symptoms in patients with BPH.

How to Take It

Cardura may be taken with or without food. After the first dose a patient may experience an unexpected drop in blood pressure. This medication should be taken at the same time every day. If you miss a dose take it as soon as you remember as long as it is not too close to your next scheduled dose. Never take 2 doses at once.

Who Shouldn’t Use It

Cardura should never be used if a patient has experienced an allergic reaction to any of the ingredients in it or if you have had an allergic reaction to drugs similar to this. Let you doctor know of any allergic reactions you have had in the past and he will make the judgment as to if Cardura is the best choice for treating your condition.

Before a doctor prescribes Cardura they should have a complete medical history. Since Cardura is contra-indicated in pregnant women it is important to let your doctor know if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Cardura is excreted in breast milk therefore nursing mothers are urged not to use Cardura. If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or liver problems Cardura should be avoided. It is also important to let your doctor know of any food allergies, medication allergies, or allergies to other substances. This may sound insignificant but only your doctor can determine if this medication will adversely react to persons with certain allergies. Cardura may also interact with certain dietary supplements.

Medication Interactions

There have been some studies that have shown Cardura may interact with cimetidine or verapamil making people who take this in conjunction with these medications feel dizzy and lightheaded. Vardenafil as well as other phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors are contraindicated with its use. Combining these medications may lead to serious low blood pressure. Remember, it is very important to let your physician know of any medications you are taking before beginning Cardura therapy.

The Benefits of Capoten

Capoten is prescribed for the treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension) and heart failure. It is an ACE inhibitor which is an Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor. It is used in the treatment of kidney problems in diabetic patients. Capoten also improves blood circulation to help allow better blood flow lowering blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Doctor’s also prescribe this medication for treating Raynaud’s phenomenon, rheumatoid arthritis, and Angina Pectoris.

How to Take Capoten

As with any medication, Capoten should be taken according to your doctor’s instructions. It should be taken on an empty stomach and at least 1 hour before eating. Never discontinue use of this medication unless under the direct advice of your physician.

You should try to take your medication at the same time every day. If you miss a dose take it as soon as possible. Never take two doses at once. If it almost time for your next dose, then skip the first and start again with your regular schedule.

Who Shouldn’t Take Capoten

Capoten is contraindicated in pregnant women, people who have ever had an allergic reaction to food or any substance in Capoten, diabetic patients, children, and people with level of blood sodium, people suffering from heart problems, and people who have swelling of the eyes or lips. If you experience any of these symptoms or have ever experienced any of these symptoms it is important to discuss this with your doctor prior to starting on therapy.

Capoten may react with other medications. Be sure to let your doctor know of any medications you are taking, especially nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, thiopurines, lithium, diuretics, and potassium supplements.

Availability of the drug

Capoten can be purchased with a prescription from any pharmacy. Purchasing this medication on-line does generally offer you a better price while still providing the same high quality medications as local pharmacies.

Side Effects of Capoten

Capoten can cause side effects, just like all other medications. Inform your doctor of any side effects that occur while taking this medication. Some common side effects include headache. Diarrhea, vomiting, irregular heartbeat, fatigue, cough, joint pain, dizziness, taste changes. Rare but serious side effects that require immediate medical attention include chest pain, swelling of the tongue, mouth, lips or face, difficulty breathing, and yellowing of the eyes and skin.

Maintaining good health for the heart for womens health can prove to be a challenge today. Western style diets add to a woman’s risk of developing heart disease by almost fifty percent. Trying to maintain a heart healthy diet can seem like an impossible task with today’s requirements and recommendations for food components and nutrients. Just stick to a few simple rules when making meal choices and shopping for food make a heart healthy diet an obtainable goal.

Here are some guidelines suggested for the health of the heart for womens diets. The diet will need to include a variety of vegetables and fruits, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, grains (especially whole grains), legumes (like chickpeas, lentils, soybeans), poultry, lean meats, and fish. This kind of diet meets recommendations by the American Diabetes Association and by the American Heart Association. If you have other risk factors such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure you may need to do even more.

For a healthy heart diet for womens heart health the type of fat in your diet is more important than the amount of fat. The amount of fat consumed does not cause bad cholesterol (LDL) to rise. Trans fat and saturated fats will however cause bad cholesterol to rise.

Trans fats are usually found in dairy products (excluding nonfat products), meats and tropical oils, such as palm and coconut oil. Trans fats are found in crackers, cookies, and other baked goods. It is also found in some types of margarines and commercially prepared foods. Most unsaturated fats reduce the risks for heart disease but trans fats are different. Trans fats are a kind of unsaturated fat made through the hydrogenation of unsaturated fats. This process will improve the flavor of fats and oils and improve their shelf life but it also turns healthy fats into unhealthy fats. For the health of their heart womens diets should eliminate trans fats in the foods they eat.

People who eat more vegetables and fruits tend to have healthier hearts than those who do not. These foods seem to aid in lowering the risks for heart disease. The heart healthy diet should include at least five or more serving of a variety of vegetables and fruits. For the health of the heart womens diets should not include potatoes as vegetables. They should be counted as a starch. Deep colored produce like carrots, spinach and berries should be selected over plainer types like corn. These vegetables and fruits tend to have more vitamins and minerals.

Fiber passes through us without adding calories to the diets. It is a carbohydrate that the body cannot digest. Womens diets can benefit the health of their heart by adding fiber to their diet. It has been found that every ten gram increase of fiber added to the diet daily can cut the risk of dying from heart disease by as much as twenty seven percent.

Eating more whole grains than refined fiber also improves heart health. A diet having at least three daily servings of whole grains each day may lower risks for heart disease. For every one thousand calories consumed womens diet should include fourteen grams of fiber for the health of their heart. This should come in the form of fruits and vegetables. Fiber supplements should not be counted because they have not so far proven to provide the same heart health benefits as fiber from food sources.

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a serious health condition that affects a large number of American people. Hypertension is a serious health condition but it is treatable. The best part of it is that you may not even need medicine to get your blood pressure under control.

High Blood Pressure & High Risk Categories

All kinds of people suffer from hypertension but a number of things will put you in a serious risk category. Obesity, poor diet, smoking, and lack of exercise can all lead to increased risk. If you are diagnosed with hypertension, you might be able to take control of your blood pressure by making a few lifestyle changes. The doctor at your east Texas health clinic will tell you whether it is possible to a naturally reduce your blood pressure. In many cases it is.

Starting an Exercise Program

Starting an exercise regime with hypertension requires a little bit of extra care. You do not want to put undue stress on your body but at the same time, you want to push your physical limits a little bit. Do not try to do too much your first session but you will need to leave your comfort zone. Depending on your physical condition, a heart rate monitor might be a wise investment. Talk to your doctor about the safe range for your heart rate and exercise within it. As you grow comfortable with the amount of exercise that you are doing, increase it. Exercise is a great way to start to get your blood pressure under control.

Changing Your Diet

If you are suffering from “hypertension,” there is a very good chance that your diet has played a role. Healthy eating in combination with exercise is a great way to get your weight and your blood pressure under control. Avoid foods that are high in sodium and preservatives. Put away the saltshaker, do not use too much salad dressing, and avoid foods that are high in saturated fats. You do not need to give up the foods that you like but you do need to moderate them. Do not fall into the trap of rewarding yourself for healthy eating with unhealthy food. Make a long lasting commitment to healthy eating and you will find it easier to continue.

Stop Smoking

By now, everyone knows that smoking is bad for his or her health. Cigarettes have an insidious effect on the human body. There are many schools of thought on how to give up smoking. Some people find that they need to use nicotine patches while others have the best success in going “cold turkey,” stopping completely and battling through the withdrawal symptoms without assistance. If you find the cold turkey method too difficult, nicotine patches provide sufficient relief.

If you live in Van Zandt County, there is a great east Texas health clinic near you where you can have your blood pressure checked. You can also hear the latest advice about hypertension.

If you have hypertension and you want to get it under control, go to an east Texas health clinic that services Van Zandt County and other locations in the region.

A cluster of cardiovascular disease risk factors, known as the metabolic syndrome, may make arteries look old, according to an April 21, 2004, news release from the American College of Cardiology. Metabolic syndrome is a group of several cardiovascular risk factors, including impaired glucose tolerance, high blood pressure, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and abdominal obesity.

Researchers analyzed data from 471 participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging who were free of pre-existing coronary artery disease. Data collection included ultrasound scans of the right common carotid artery, as well as measurements of blood pressure, body shape and mass, smoking, cholesterol, and blood sugar.

Researchers found that metabolic syndrome increased both the thickness and stiffness of the carotid artery, which are measures of its structure and function. Participants with metabolic syndrome had carotid arteries that were 16% thicker and 32% stiffer than the arteries of participants without those risk factors, and participants with at Least three risk factors had thicker and stiffer arteries than could be explained by simply summing up the effect of each individual risk factor.

Metabolic syndrome appears to accelerate age-related changes in blood vasculature, so that younger participants with metabolic syndrome have carotid artery thickness and stiffness levels similar to those of older people without metabolic syndrome. For example, a 40-year-old person with metabolic syndrome might have arteries that appear to be those of a 55- or 60-year-old individual

FOR years, Shirley Lytle considered herself the picture of health. She was a healthy nonsmoking professional who ran up to 4 miles three days a week, and practiced healthy eating habits.

Then one day, the unthinkable happened. Her doctor told her that she had coronary heart disease and that she could die of a heart attack if she didn’t undergo bypass surgery immediately. She was just 31 years old.

The Phoenix resident, now 43, had a successful operation, but for the rest of her life she will have to contend with coronary heart disease, a condition she inherited from the maternal side of the family.

Shirley Lytle is not alone. Nearly 4 in every 10 non-Hispanic Black adults have cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association. This includes diseases of the heart, stroke, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, congenital cardiovascular defects, hardening of the arteries and other diseases of the circulatory system, the association says.

Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of African-Americans, claiming the lives of 37 percent of the nearly 288,000 Blacks who die each year, according to the association. Risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, stress and lack of exercise. Doctors say people have no control over some factors, including age, gender and family history.

While the disease strikes African-American men and women alike, it is particularly deadly for Black females, with 5 in every 10 dying each year of cardiovascular diseases, says Dr. Lynne Perry-Bottinger, a New York interventional cardiologist.

The reason is a clustering of risk factors, like diabetes, hypertension and obesity, in African-American women, says Dr. Anne L. Taylor, a professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota and director of the Association of Black Cardiologists’ Women’s Center, who edited and co-authored the recently released book, The African American Woman’s Guide To A Healthy Heart.

The cause of the disease’s deadly effect on African-American women is unclear, but it is believed to be related to genetics, environment and disparity in medical care, doctors say. Studies also show that the risk for cardiovascular disease increases in post-menopausal women. “If you go to the doctor and they make assumptions based on your race or gender, you may be deprived of care,” Dr. Taylor says. “African-Americans, especially women, are less likely to be referred for rehabilitation and diagnostic care. We have to educate the community about who’s at risk and what they can do about it.”

Cardiovascular disease knows no socioeconomic or educational bounds and can touch the lives of everyone, including high-profile performers like Toni Braxton. The singer was recently diagnosed with pericarditis, an inflammation of the pericardium, a thin lining of the heart. Her diagnosis and the experience of seeing several family members suffer or die from the disease led Braxton to become the American Heart Association’s official spokeswoman for the association’s “Go Red for Women” campaign, an initiative designed to help fight heart disease in women.

The staggering number of heart disease deaths in the Black community has set off an alarm throughout the medical community, generating studies like the so-called “African-American Heart Failure Trial.” The study of 1,050 Black patients found that a combination of two rarely used heart drugs, isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine, cut the annual death rate of African-American heart failure patients by 43 percent and contributed to a 33 percent reduction in first-time hospitalizations.

Some critics described the study as medical profiling since it merely focused on African-Americans. But experts like Dr. Paul Underwood, a Phoenix interventional cardiologist, who is the president of the Association of Black Cardiologists (which co-sponsored the study), called the results significant, saying that Blacks traditionally have been underrepresented in clinical trials.

“The significance of the study is that in the past we had to assume that medicines that were good for the majority were good for African-Americans,” Dr. Underwood says. “By reanalyzing the small number of African-Americans in these trials, we may have different information. The clinical trial has opened up new possibilities in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases in African-Americans.”

The best weapon African-Americans have to help combat cardiovascular disease is education, which leads to preventative care and rapid intervention, as Shirley Lytle of Phoenix learned. Patients need to learn the symptoms so that they can demand better care from medical professionals, doctors say. And many need to change their lifestyles to incorporate exercise in their daily lives, eat healthy diets and train their children to do the same, doctors say.

“After I was diagnosed, I changed my lifestyle and that of my family,” Lytle says. “I exercised at the gym two hours a day. I changed my eating habits and took salt out of the house. There was nothing resembling bacon in my refrigerator. What I thought I was doing was trying to beat heart disease. I wanted it to be like eradicating cancer. Then I realized it was a lifelong effort, one which I am committed to.”

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US and is projected to be the leading cause of disability in the world by 2020. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University studied 900 heart disease patients and found that the more infectious agents patients tested positive for, the more likely they were to die of a heart attack. Researchers are not sure how infection causes heart disease, but hypothesize that it may have something to do with direct infection and inflammation of an artery wall. The healing of the infection results in plaque formation.

* Chlamydia Pneumoniae: a common pathogen that is present in respiratory infections such as pneumonia, sinusitis and bronchitis. By age 30, 50% of people have been infected with chlamydia pneumoniae; by age 70, that number rises to 80%. Some researchers suggest that an uneventful chlamydia pneumoniae infection during childhood could start a chronic infection of the coronary arteries that goes unnoticed until a heart attack occurs 50 years after the fact.

* Helicobacter Pylori: In the gastrointestinal tract, H pylori infection has been associated with a chronic lowgrade infection. Researchers are now linking the bacteria to heart disease as well. In one British study, heart attacks were twice as common among people infected with H pylori than people not infected with the bacterium.

* Dental Infections: Gum disease–both gingivitis and periodontal disease–is caused by several types of bacteria. In severe cases, bacteria can escape into the bloodstream and wreak havoc elsewhere in the body. In addition, free radicals generated by the inflammation of periodontal disease may promote the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, enhancing the development of atherosclerosis.

Piercing Your Ears Might Break Your Heart

People with congenital heart disease (which affects more than 1 million Americans) are at greater risk for developing life-threatening endocarditis, an infection of the heart valve, when they have body parts pierced or tattoos done. Performed improperly, piercing and tattooing open up the skin to potentially deadly bacteria. People at risk for this infection should take preventive antibiotics before undergoing any piercing procedures or tattooing.

Though relatively rare, endocarditis can also occur as a result of periodontal infection, urinary tract infection, pneumonia and certain dental procedures. Among high-risk people, endocarditis prevention via antibiotics is recommended for dental procedures including:

* Extractions

* Periodontal procedures including surgery and scaling

* Dental implants

* Root canals

* Placement of orthodontic bands

* Cleaning of teeth when bleeding is expected

The statistics are sobering. Infectious diseases are the third leading cause of death in the US after heart disease and cancer, claiming more than 100,000 Americans’ lives annually and costing more than $30 billion in direct treatment expense alone. Infectious diseases are responsible for a quarter to a third of the 54 million deaths globally each year and are the world’s leading cause of death among children and young adults.

The truth is that we are in the midst of a huge pandemic that is largely ignored by the mainstream medical community. As many as 75% of Americans suffer from some form of bacterial, viral, parasitic or fungal infection, running the gamut from hardly noticeable to devastating. These infections include conditions such as intestinal parasites manifested as ulcers and gastroenteritis, chronic sinus infection, strep throat, yeast (candida) infection, sexually transmitted disease, and urinary tract infection–to name a few. Even more frightening: today’s most virulent killers–heart disease and cancer–can develop from bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic infections.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in this country. Dr. Matthias Rath, an international crusader for disease prevention, and staunch supporter of nutritional supplements, believes heart attacks and strokes are not true diseases, but the result of nutritional deficiencies. The heart may be considered the motor of the cardiovascular system, and as such requires optimum fuel for optimum performance. Superior fuel for the heart includes a variety of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and more. Modern eating habits combined with an agricultural system dependent on synthetic chemicals accelerate nutritional deficiencies in our country. Dr. Stephen Sinatra, clinical cardiologist at Manchester Memorial Hospital in Connecticut, uses the term nutritionals to refer to vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients he recommends for improving cardiovascular function among his patients.

Vitamin C is essential for preventing cardiovascular disease and maintaining good health on many levels. Vitamin C is a major antioxidant and co-factor for many biochemical reactions. Its most important function is to stimulate the production of collagen, elastin, and other reinforcement molecules in the body. Collagen provides stability for bones, skin, and for the 60,000-mile-long walls of the arteries, veins, and capillaries. Dr. Rath, who worked closely with the great Linus Pauling, emphasizes “(T)he connection between vitamin C deficiency and instability of blood vessels is long established. Unfortunately, the next logical step has not been recognized until now: cardiovascular disease is nothing else than an early form of scurvy.”

Lesions and instability of blood vessel walls are primary causes of cardiovascular disease. Vitamin C is the cement that repairs and stabilizes blood vessel walls. In his book, Why Animals Don’t Get Heart Attacks … But Humans Do, Dr. Rath explains the importance of vitamin C. SAD, the Standard American Diet, provides barely enough vitamin C to prevent frank scurvy, but not enough vitamin C to provide stable, reinforced blood vessel walls. Cracks and lesions appear inside artery walls over time. Vitamin C is necessary for repairing artery walls and other wound healing. Insufficient vitamin C does not allow proper healing. To compensate, the body attempts to repair these lesions and cracks with an alternative method, making cholesterol and fat globules adhere to the inside of vessel walls to repair the damage. Prolonged vitamin C deficiency leads to an overabundance of atherosclerotic deposits in blood vessels. Deposits in arteries leading to the heart cause heart attacks. Deposits in arteries leading to the brain cause stroke. Dr. Rath believes optimum daily intake of vitamin C stabilizes blood vessel walls and helps prevent heart attacks and strokes. The reason animals don’t get heart attacks is because they produce their own vitamin C, whereas humans do not.

Coenzyme Q10

Dr. Stephen Sinatra calls CoQ10 the miracle nutrient of the 21st century, “because it has been proven to both prevent and treat a host of health problems including heart disease, cancer, periodontal disease and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers.” “It can overcome male infertility, improve immune system function, and is an effective anti-aging remedy.

Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone) is an important catalyst inside the energy center of each cell, and is in high demand by the heart. “The body requires certain blood levels of CoQ10 to function properly, and when blood levels fall, an increased vulnerability to disease and premature aging occurs.” Dr. Sinatra believes that supplemental CoQ10 improves the quality of life in patients with disease, and saves lives as well. He has had remarkable results using CoQ10 with cardiac patients. CoQ10 has been proven useful in treating a variety of conditions including congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, angina, arrythmia, and other cardiological situations. Dr. Sinatra speaks of the negative bias against CoQ10 in mainstream medicine, where nutritional supplements get very little respect. Since it is not patentable it is not widely promoted among physicians and actually got bad press in a 1996 article in the Harvard Health Letter, which prompted Dr. Sinatra to reply regarding the amazing results he’s witnessed among his own patients.

Coenzyme Q10 protects and strengthens the heart while lowering blood pressure. Statin drugs, prescribed for millions of people to control cholesterol actually depletes CoQ10 levels in the body. Ironically, drugs marketed to reduce the risk of heart disease may, in fact, be increasing the risk of heart disease.
Vitamin E

Vitamin E is the most important fat-soluble antioxidant vitamin and primary ally against heart disease. It protects against free radicals and oxidative damage. Vitamin E is rich in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and other cholesterol and fat transporting particles useful for preventing oxidation and interior blood vessel wall damage. It reduces the risk of blood clots by making platelets less sticky. A European study showed vitamin E “to be the most important risk factor for heart disease, beyond smoking.” Vitamin E has been shown to dissolve clots, improve heart pump efficiency, widen arteries, and increase the available oxygen in the blood.