what causes tiredness|best article with detail|

what causes tiredness|best article with detail|


what causes tiredness
what causes tiredness
what causes tiredness:
Not only is exhaustion a major complaint for many people, but it seems like weight gain, cravings, PMS, hot flashes, allergies, depression, and loss of libido also accompany this problem.


It’s called adrenal fatigue, or exhaustion as a result of stress and poor diet. It’s commonly overlooked by mainstream medicine, but it’s so much more than simply stress and cortisol. It’s the adrenal glands and the duties they have to perform.


Adrenal Function


The adrenal glands – we have two of them – are commonly known for producing our stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline. But they produce other hormones that are responsible for so much more. They help regulate our metabolism, mood, heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, immune, reproductive, and digestive system. They connect with so many other bodily systems that when they get out of balance, it’s like the first domino dropping. They affect other systems, which is why so many people who struggle with adrenal fatigue may also have many other general complaints.


The adrenal glands, like the thyroid and reproductive organs, are part of the autonomic nervous system. They regulate everything without us having to worry about them. The problem is that constant stress triggers the continual production of cortisol and adrenaline. The body is designed to handle short-term stress, NOT prolonged, continual stress. Cortisol and adrenaline are not bad hormones, as many infomercials would like us to believe. It’s the continual production of those hormones telling the body to "fight or flight."


When the body is in that "fight or flight" mode all day, it doesn’t allow the other system, called the "Resting Digesting" mode, to turn on. This will throw off your metabolism because cortisol and adrenaline will burn calories from carbohydrates and protein instead of stored body fats. This is why so many people have a hard time losing weight and keeping it off. Learn more about adrenal fatigue and weight loss in To Burn or Not to Burn, Fat is the Question (Brown Books). Yes, their body is burning calories, but they are NOT burning calories from stored body fats, which is also why they struggle with cravings, mood swings, lightheadedness, and lack of concentration and focus. 


Elevated cortisol will do the following:


Interfere with your thyroid hormones and throw off your metabolism, which contributes to fatigue, weight gain, mood swings, and depression.


Decrease the level of progesterone and disturb the ratio of estrogen to progesterone, because progesterone is needed to make cortisol. Decreased progesterone is associated with PMS, hot flashes, night sweats, infertility, osteoporosis, and heart disease.


Erode the intestinal lining and weaken your digestive system. This leads to food allergies, indigestion, heartburn, reflux, and other irritable bowel problems.


Cause your cells to become resistant to insulin. This causes the body to produce more insulin, which causes the body to store fats. This contributes to blood sugar problems, hypoglycemia, diabetes, as well as obesity, high blood pressure, and triglycerides.


Trigger a decreased production of serotonin, which is associated with depression, anxiety, and mood swings. Lack of serotonin hampers the production of melatonin, which is released while we sleep and helps the body rebuild.


Over-stimulate our immune response and confuse our immune system, which could lead to allergies and possible auto-immune disorders.


The constant production of adrenaline and norepinephrine will cause the heart to beat faster and your arteries to constrict, which leads to high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems.


The constant demand to produce more cortisol and adrenaline can directly affect the production of DHEA and aldosterone.


DHEA is known as the anti-aging hormone and is needed to make testosterone and estrogen. We know that the more DHEA one has as they age, the fewer health complaints they have. Lack of DHEA and its ability to make testosterone could be associated with loss of libido and inability to build lean muscle – even though you are exercising. Aldosterone regulates sodium and potassium, which are integral in regulating our blood pressure.



Why Is It Overlooked?


Mainstream medicine doesn’t address the cause – they merely address the symptoms. They don’t recognize that the adrenal glands – just like our thyroid, ovaries and testes – can be a little overactive or a little underactive. In short, there is not a medication to prescribe if the adrenals are a little sluggish, like they do for the thyroid, ovaries, or testes. Besides that, most traditional doctors rely on blood tests, but the best test to determine how well the adrenal glands are function is a 24-hour saliva test that measures cortisol four times during the day and DHEA. NASA uses that test.



It’s More Than Just Cortisol


Infomercials have the general public thinking everyone is making too much cortisol, but the constant demand of stress coupled with the wrong diet will deplete the adrenal glands and their ability to make adequate levels of cortisol and adrenaline. This is when our health problems become more dire. Your body becomes too exhausted to "fight or flight." Figuratively speaking the "saber tooth tiger" caught up with you and your body is breaking down.


When the adrenal glands are exhausted, we don’t produce enough cortisol to activate our immune system, release our growth hormones, reduce inflammation, rebuild our digestive system, etc. This is why people with adrenal exhaustion have so many additional complaints besides fatigue and weight gain. These are the people who also suffer from fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, depression, chemical imbalances and many other degenerative and chronic health problems that aren’t getting better. It’s not always too much cortisol – many patients aren’t making enough, which is why proper testing is invaluable.



Overcoming Adrenal Fatigue


Overcoming adrenal fatigue is a two-pronged process. It’s a lot like financial debt…where you have to cut your spending and increase your earnings. The same is true with adrenal fatigue and health in general. Stop or reduce the things that are making you unhealthy, while at the same time nourish and strengthen your adrenal glands with the proper diet and supplementation. First identify where your stress is coming from and reduce it.


Is it mental or emotional stress such as worry, fear, or anger?


Physical stress from too much exercise, not enough sleep, being overweight, aches and pain from inflammation?


Chemical stress from air or water pollution, prescription or over-the-counter meds, artificial sweeteners, colors, preservatives, insecticides, antibiotics, or hormones in our foods?


Dietary stress due to low blood sugar from skipped meals, processed, refined foods?


Digestive distress associated with bloating, indigestion, heartburn, reflux, etc.?


Stress is anything that causes your adrenal glands to work more. There are different types of stress and stress is cumulative. We need to reduce the demand we place on our adrenal glands in order to overcome adrenal fatigue. Use our "online health quizzes" to help identify your stress.


Next we need to nourish and strengthen our adrenal glands. Stress depletes the body of specific nutrients, so we need to add vitamin C, B, and zinc to our diet. A typical multivitamin will have these nutrients, but not in the quantity the body may need for the amount of stress you are under.


We also need to support our adrenal glands with specific "adaptogenic" herbs such as ashwaghandee, rhodiola, cordyceps, and ginseng. These herbs help balance out the adrenal glands and are included in Adrenal Fuel. If they are too active, they can bring them back down. If they are too low, they can help stimulate them. These adaptogenic herbs are also known to help resynchronize the whole brain-hormone connection.


Don’t expect to see big or even moderate results if you only want to swallow a handful of supplements without making some changes in your life. Overcoming adrenal fatigue is a process. There is not a magic pill, nor is there a drug to address the cause. But if you want to address the cause of your problem, not the symptoms, and overcome many of the health issues you are facing, it can be done, and it can all be done naturally. If you follow the "Healthy Steps Program" for 30 days...you will begin to notice a big difference in how you feel, as the program walks you through the healing process. 

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holiday tips and tricks|best holiday tips|

holiday tips and tricks|best holiday tips|

holiday tips and tricks
holiday tips and tricks
holiday tips and tricks Stay healthy
 The Holidays are usually the toughest times to help anyone with their diet and exercise program. Many of the patients and clients I have a goal during the Holidays of maintaining and not losing any of our previous benefits. Here are five good points you can use to help make it through the Holiday crunch.  

These are 5 holiday tips and tricks

1. Don’t restrict yourself. This is not the time to start a major dietary restriction program. There is plenty of time to start that after the Holidays. Many people will find that their office and home are being filled with cookies and candies, which makes it hard to refrain from all those tasty snacks. If you want to ‘give in’ at the company or family party, go ahead and enjoy yourself. Studies show that eating unhealthy food in a mental state of joy and happiness has less of a negative effect on the body – as compared to eating the same bad food when you feel miserable. This is why eating ice cream after a fight with your spouse or loved one is worse for you. If you are in a happy, joyous state…than eating some of the bad foods won’t be as bad on the body. So enjoy and partake…it is the Holidays!


2. Try a different routine or workout. If the goal is to maintain, or not lose too much during the Holidays, that’s great… because a lot of people will find it harder to find time to exercise. So, as long as we do something physical, we should be content. If we can do something different to allot for time and energy level, it can have a huge benefit. There is something about doing the workout that helps you maintain a better diet – than if you don’t do anything. The different workout routine doesn’t have to be too mentally and physically challenging at this time, but you may find a whole different set of exercises that you can incorporate into their workout routine.


3. Change the intensity of the workout….Just like its OK to have a ‘better bad choice’ when it comes to a snack or a meal….it is basically the same when it comes to an easy, short workout. Taking the time to do something physical is an accomplishment. In addition, stress is typically highest during the Holidays. We don’t want to be contributing more stress to our life by adding a tough physical workout. The intensity of the workout can be changed by simply adjusting the rest periods between sets. Using lighter weights or decreasing the number of repetitions performed. The goal should be to at least get some physical activity on most days.


4. Add fiber to their diet. This is a great nutritional trick that can also be used outside of the Holidays. Fiber makes you feel full because it expands in the digestive system. This will help keep you from eating as much of Aunt Millie’s cookies and pies. I am a big fan of ground-up flax seed, rather than psyllium. This is because a good percentage of my patients have sensitivity to psyllium. Let’s not forget the primary benefit of fiber, which is to help keep everything moving inside the large intestine. Constipation is a huge problem for so many people. If you start adding a lot of extra sugar and refined flour from all the cookies and cakes available, you will begin to slow the elimination process. Fiber and Digestive Enzymes are also part of the “Seven Supplements We Should All be Taking.”


5. Use a digestive enzyme. Let’s face it; we consume more unhealthy foods over the Holidays than normal. Many of these foods may irritate our digestive system. So, add a good digestive enzyme, like Digest Plus, to help breakdown the foods. This will help minimize any indigestion, bloating, gas and other digestive problems. There are only a few things worse than having that terrible bloating and gassy feeling after eating a bunch of unhealthy foods. The digestive enzymes will help minimize that by breaking down the food more efficiently so it can pass through your system much easier.  

Give these suggestions a try. I hope you enjoyed article about holiday tips and tricks

in mind that maintaining your level of health Andrew fitness during the Holidays can be a great goal for everyone. Don’t feel pressured into always having to make progress each and every week. The name of the game is taking steps forward, but during the Holidays, not stepping backwards could be considered progress for a lot of people.

how soon should you use carbs

how soon should you use carbs

how soon should you use carbs

how soon should you use carbs
how soon should you use carbs

Over the last decade the tide has changed from low fat to low carb diets. Unfortunately, neither is correct. Research confirms the best diet to drop those extra pounds is a diet that consists more of what I like to call "slow" carbs.

SLOW-Carbs are carbohydrates that rate low to moderate on the glycemic index.

People who follow a low to moderate glycemic diet do better at taking the weight off and keeping it off for one simple reason. They keep their blood sugar stable, which keeps them in their ‘fat-burning’ zone throughout the day.

The glycemic index rates food according to how fast they cause your blood sugar to rise. Foods that cause a rapid rise of your blood sugar are rated high to very high. Whereas foods that cause a slow, gradual rise are classified as low to moderate on the glycemic chart.

The reason we look at how fast foods cause your blood sugar to rise is because sugars (carbohydrates) trigger your body to release a hormone called insulin. We are most familiar with insulin working to pull the sugars from your bloodstream into the cells for energy. Unfortunately insulin also works as a storage hormone. When you trigger a huge amount of insulin in response to a high carbohydrate or high glycemic meal, it triggers your body to store all those extra carbs as fat.

Common high glycemic foods to stay away from are anything made with refined white flour or refined sugar. Many of the processed, frozen, and packaged foods are made with refined flours and sugar. Things like bagels, muffins, breads, pastas, cereal, pancakes, crackers, pretzels, rice cakes, tortilla chips, cookies and the list goes on are classified as high glycemic foods. These foods need to be avoided because they trigger a large surge of insulin and cause your body to store all those extra calories as fat.

Low glycemic foods are almost all your fruits and vegetables, as well as, nuts, seeds, beef, chicken, fish, eggs and most of your whole grains. As you can see we are talking about all the natural foods the good Lord gave us dominion over.

The problem is that more people are eating more processed, fast food and not enough of the foods the good Lord gave us. It’s like an epidemic, people are eating so much refined, processed, fast foods that they are triggering an overabundance of insulin which is causing problems such as obesity, cravings, hypoglycemia, insulin resistance, diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, ADD and depression. All these problems have become so prevalent and associated with elevated insulin that they have been grouped together and called Metabolic Syndrome.

Read the Ingredient List

The worst offender, and ingredient we should stay away from are foods and drinks that use ‘high fructose corn syrup’ as a sweetener. This includes all your soft drinks, fruit drinks, candies, health bars and shakes. Manufacturers will disguise high glycemic sweeteners with names like; maltodextrin, dextrose, maltose, and sucrose. Please don’t make the mistake and trade in one evil for another and choose foods made with artificial sweeteners to make it low fat or low glycemic. That’s like trading in a broken leg for a broken arm. Neither is good!

Balance is the Key

The key to successful weight loss comes by staying in your ‘fat-burning zone’ throughout the day. High glycemic foods or high carb meals take you out of your fat burning zone because your blood sugar is constantly racing up and down and trigger the wrong hormones. Insulin is not a good or bad hormone, it does what it is designed to do. When you produce a lot of it your body will store those extra carbs as fat, as well as, inhibits the production of glucagon, a hormone that works to breakdown fats.

These two hormones, insulin and glucagon work on opposite ends of a teeter-tooter, when one is up the other is down and visa-a versa. Glucagon is a dieter’s friend, because of its ability to breakdown fats. Protein triggers the production of glucagon, while carbohydrates trigger the production of insulin. When people follow a low fat diet they tend to eat more carbs. People who eat low or no carbs, usually eat more protein and trigger lots of glucagon, but the body and brain needs carbohydrates for energy and to function properly.

Low carb dieter’s tend to be easily agitated because their brains aren’t getting enough fuel. Normal brain function depends on carbohydrates. When your blood sugar drops because of the wrong foods, missed meals or eating low carbs it hampers normal brain function. This is why so many people are struggling with cravings, irritability, mood swings, difficulty concentrating and focus. Their brain is being depleted of its primary fuel, which causes problems.

A meal or snack that keeps your blood sugar stable should have a good combination of protein, fats and carbohydrates. All three of those nutrients are important for the proper function of our body. When we eat too little or too much of either of them, we create imbalances that throw our hormones and blood sugar out of whack, which messes up our metabolism. When we eat more of the foods the good Lord gave us to eat, in their natural state, we can keep that balance. It is when we eat more of the foods that have been processed by man that creates all kinds of problems.

Finding good quality food that is convenient is a difficult task which is why many people have turned to health bars instead of junk food. Be careful of many of the health bars on the market. Many are glorified candy bars with some added protein. Many are made with artificial sweeteners, trans fatty acids, peanuts and MSG. Those are all No-No’s and should be avoided. I would recommend trying the NatraLean Health bars, which are low glycemic, hypoallergenic and do a great job of keeping your blood sugar stable.

I hope now you can got your answer how soon should you use carbs
work stress and health

work stress and health

work stress and health

work stress and health
work stress and health


 Stress and stress management are growing concerns in today’s work force. It decreases work productivity, affects our health, distracts us from work, increases absenteeism and most of all, it affects the company’s bottom line.


Managing stress has dealt mostly with telling people to take the time to smell the roses, exercise, deep breathing, meditation, visualization, etc. But, what exactly is stress? Our body was designed to handle stress – acute, short-term stress -- NOT constant prolonged stress.


Stress is more than a mental or emotional problem. It is typically described as any type of mental stimulus that triggers worry and fear. It’s that ‘fight or flight’ mode that we’ve heard about - running from the proverbial saber tooth tiger. This signals our body, specifically our adrenal glands, to produce stress hormones… adrenaline, cortisol and epinephrine. This is the real or root of the problem -- our body is constantly producing more stress hormones, which have a direct effect on our ability to lose weight, cravings, diabetes, depression, high blood pressure and cholesterol, PMS, hot flashes, insomnia and the list goes on.


Unfortunately, people who want to reduce stress, overlook two types of stress that have an overwhelming effect on our health and productivity. These two problem areas contribute to the cumulative load we place on our adrenal glands, causing them to over-produce stress hormones.


1. Blood sugar - When we skip meals -- our blood sugar drops. Low blood sugar is not only associated with cravings and lightheadedness, but it affects mental function, including concentration and our ability to think clearly. Low blood sugar is typically a result of missed meals, or poor dietary choices, which trigger our adrenal glands to produce more of our stress hormones to raise our blood sugar. Eating processed, refined, junk foods will throw our blood sugar out of balance and triggers that additional demand for more of our stress hormones. Do that long enough it eventually leads to adrenal depletion or exhaustion. They simply cannot keep producing enough adrenaline and cortisol to keep up with the demand.


2. Digestive difficulties - The second culprit, which is often overlooked, is bloating, gas, indigestion, heartburn and other irritable bowel problems. Digestive difficulties are a huge problem! Antacids and other digestive products are in the top 5 sellers for prescription and OTC drugs!


Digestive problems cause irritation and inflammation in your stomach… This triggers your adrenal glands to produce additional cortisol, which works as a powerful anti-inflammatory, needed to reduce the inflammation in your stomach. The result is even more stress is put on your body, which further depletes those adrenal glands!


This can be enough to completely throw your hormones, immune system, cardiovascular and brain messengers out of balance.


Stress is cumulative….


Stress is cumulative! It doesn’t matter if your stress is mental, emotional, blood sugar related, or a result of poor digestion. All of these things overwork your adrenal glands. If this continues, the more likely it is that you will suffer from adrenal exhaustion and fatigue. This is becoming more common and has become a major cause for many of our health problems.


Some simple solutions for managing stress…

work stress and health


* Don’t skip or miss meals.


* Stay away from refined, processed, junk foods and snacks.


* Eat protein and good fats with each meal.


* Take your time to eat and digest your foods…Eating on the run is a ‘NO, NO’.


* Add digestive enzymes if you struggle with digestive problems.


* Also look at hidden food allergies and food combining.


These are the first simple steps you can take to reduce the load of stress on your body. Next time I’ll go into more detail about how blood sugar controls your mental concentration, blood pressure, cholesterol and hormonal imbalances.

medical tests every man should have|complete detail about those tests|

medical tests every man should have|complete detail about those tests|

medical tests every man should have
medical tests every man should have


Technology is amazing. In the last 20-30 years, we have developed computers that are smaller and faster. We have satellites, plasma televisions, razor thin phones, iPods, and Wi-Fi. We have developed new technologies in so many areas, yet why do we depend on so many lab tests that were discovered 40-60 years ago? Haven’t we made any advances in medicine that allow us to measure how well the body is functioning?

How many times have you heard someone say, "The doctors did all these test and everything is fine!" But we still feel fatigued, can’t lose weight, or get rid of these headaches or indigestion.

Could the simple blood test that was discovered more than 50 years ago be a bit outdated when it comes to measuring how well the body is functioning? Blood tests are great for measuring certain things, but often they don’t give a clear enough picture of how your body is functioning.

In the past 10-20 years, there have been a number of new tests that provide so much more information than a typical blood test. Unfortunately, mainstream medicine takes quite a long time to implement new technologies, which is why so many people are frustrated when their doctor can’t figure out what is wrong with them.

Measuring Function

Saliva tests are great for measuring hormones. They are less expensive and provide much more information. Typical blood tests for hormones look at what are called "totals." Unfortunately, looking at ‘totals’ gives you the amount of both the inactive and active component of the hormone. This is where a lot of mainstream medicine misses the problem, because the values you need to pay attention to are the active components, which are called the "free-fractioned" form.

If you only look at ‘totals,’ that gives you the combined values of active and inactive hormone. It could be 80-20 one way or 20-80 the other way. Your ‘totals’ may look fine, but it is the active or free-fractioned component of that hormone that gives you the more accurate picture.

24-Hour Adrenal Stress Profile

Stress is a major factor in so many health problems, yet mainstream medicine doesn’t routinely measure how well the adrenal glands are functioning. The adrenal glands are primarily known for producing your stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, but they also produce many other hormones, including DHEA (also known as our anti-aging hormone), progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, and aldosterone (which balances your sodium and potassium).

When the adrenal glands get overworked due to constant stress, that affects your energy levels, your ability to lose weight, your mood, your libido, and the list goes on. This explains why so many people who have adrenal fatigue suffer from weight gain, fatigue, allergies, depression, cravings, hot flashes, PMS, indigestion, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure, to name a few.

A 24 Hour Saliva test for the adrenal glands lets you know if stress is at the root of your health problem. The test measures how well the adrenal glands are functioning. Is your body constantly in the "fight or flight" mode? The body is designed to handle short term stress – not prolonged, constant stress. This could explain why so many people struggle with so many health issues.

When a patient complains of fatigue, weight gain, headaches, and joint pain, many doctors will measure the thyroid and prescribe a medication. They don’t measure the adrenal glands. Could this be because there is not a medication to prescribe if the adrenals are a little low or a little high, like your thyroid, ovaries, or testes have been found to be?

The thyroid, adrenals, and reproductive hormones are ALL a part of your autonomic nervous system. Mainstream medicine recognizes that your thyroid, ovaries, and testes can be a little under-active or overactive and they have a prescription for those problems. However, they don’t recognize that the adrenals glands can be a little sluggish or hyper, which is what adrenal fatigue and exhaustion is all about.

If you are struggling with a health condition you are not getting results from, check to see if stress and your adrenal glands are at the root of the problem by doing a 24 Hour Saliva test . The saliva samples are collected at home and sent to the lab where they measure cortisol, DHEA, insulin, and immune status.

Blood Spot Fatty Acid Profile

Another great test to determine heart health and inflammation is a Blood Spot Fatty Acid Profile. It measures the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. This is a critical test because omega-6 (arachidonic acid) fatty acids trigger inflammation, whereas the omega-3 fatty acids trigger your natural anti-inflammatory molecules.

The over-consumption of saturated and trans-fats, along with omega-6 fatty acids, triggers inflammation, which is a root cause for heart disease, arthritis, and weight gain. Therefore, this simple blood spot test will help you determine if your diet is putting you at risk for heart disease and hormonal imbalances and contributing to your arthritic pain.

This test is also very helpful because the wide use of statin (cholesterol-lowering) drugs increases the amount of omega-6 to omega-3s, thus causing increased inflammation.

Like the Adrenal Stress Profile, the Blood Spot Fatty Acid test reveals how well the body is functioning. Based on that information, you can adjust your diet and supplement protocol appropriately and address the real cause of your health problems. 

Research has shown that the omega-6/omega-3 ratio is a much better predictor of heart health than cholesterol levels. Unfortunately, there isn’t a drug to remedy this problem. The solution is to eat less saturated fat and eat more fish, olive oil, nuts, and seeds, or supplement with a high potency fish oil to lower your odds of dying from a heart attack or stroke.

Organic Acid Test

This is a urine test that looks at the various pathways and by-products of your hormones, neurotransmitters (brain messengers), metabolism, detoxification, and digestion. Basically, it looks at what your body is excreting. If you are excreting too much or too little of certain metabolites, it correlates to various health problems. The solution is to adjust your diet or supplement protocol in order to balance the deficiencies or excesses. It’s a great test that can key into deficiencies and imbalances.

Oxidative Stress Test

This is a urine test that measures free radical damage at the tissue level. Free radical damage has been implicated in heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, glaucoma, macular degeneration, anti-aging, and more. Free radical damage is nothing more than your cells dying off, or degenerating at a faster rate than they can regenerate. The faster the cells and tissues die, or degenerate, the faster your body withers and ages - so, the more you slow this process, the longer and healthier your body can function.

Antioxidants such as vitamin C, E, zinc, selenium, gingko, and bilberry slow down the free radical progression. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with antioxidants. However, if your diet doesn’t include them and is loaded with refined, processed, fast foods, your body will not be getting enough antioxidants. Therefore, your body will be aging and withering at a faster rate.

If you slow the aging down from the inside first, it will have a much more dramatic effect than all the anti-aging creams and lotions. Remember: you nourish and deteriorate from the inside-out!

Final words about 
medical tests every man should have

Blood tests are great for measuring certain things, but there are newer and better tests that give you much more information as to how well the body is functioning. When you can restore normal function to your metabolism, liver, thyroid, hormones, intestines, etc., you restore health. These tests don’t correlate with any specific medication, which may be why mainstream medicine doesn’t use them that often. However, these tests let you know you need to adjust your stress, diet, and nutritional protocol if you want to overcome your health issues.
improving heart health|complete guide|

improving heart health|complete guide|

improving heart health
improving heart health

improving heart health:
This week’s show is about “heart health” and the many things we can be doing to help our heart. This is an important issue when you consider it is the leading cause of death in America. Most women like to think it is mostly a problem for men, and that as long as you are producing estrogen your chances of heart disease are nullified. Well that isn’t the case. For women between the ages of 45-65, heart disease is the second leading cause of death….so we all need to be paying attention. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation about heart health so I hope I can set the record straight. The best thing you can do for your heart is exercise and eat right.

As far as exercise goes anything is good, but I like any type of aerobic exercise like walking, jogging, swimming etc….I do believe we should be getting a good amount of strength training. A good rule of thumb I like to recommend is at least a good 50-50 split of both types. If you are 60-40, one way or the other, I think you will be fine. The most important thing is that we need to be doing something.

Secondly, diet is critical. Especially foods that are loaded with omega 3 fatty acids. These are very protective for the heart for several different reasons. In fact, I pretty much don’t let anyone leave our office without also taking some fish oils (SEA Energy).

One of the biggest reasons why they are so helpful for heart disease is that they help restore that balance of saturated to unsaturated fats. A hundred years ago the ratio was pretty good. A lot of the food we ate was loaded with monounsaturated fats. Unfortunately, today we eat too much processed, refined, junk foods that are loaded with Trans fats and saturated fats.

Please keep in mind, saturated fats aren’t bad for us, but if we get too many in our diet and disturb the balance of saturated to unsaturated fats we have problems. Saturated fats trigger inflammation and more research is proving that the root of heart disease is closely tied to inflammation and NOT to cholesterol and blood pressure. 

Anyway, it is the unsaturated fats, the omega 3’s that trigger anti-inflammation within the body….so if you eat the good fats, and keep the ratio’s in accordance your body can combat all the inflammation. However, on the other hand if you don’t eat fish regularly, don’t eat nuts and seeds, don’t cook with olive oil….you increase your consumption of saturated fats which triggers more inflammation and sets you up with heart disease.

The quickest way to restore the balance is to supplement with good, high quality fish oil like SEA Energy, as well as, eat all the above things I mentioned. 

Besides heart disease, fish oils are a must for anyone who complains of arthritis, tendonitis, colitis,….remember it helps reduce inflammation. They help for PMS, hot flashes, hormonal and chemical imbalances…..the body needs fats in order to make our hormones. When you begin to restrict fats, you can jeopardize your body’s ability to make hormones. They are also great for depression, diabetes, ADD/ADHD and immune function. They are one of the SEVEN vitamins I recommend we should all be taking. 

As far as cholesterol and blood pressure….they are great measurements, clues, signals, symptoms that are cardiovascular system is in trouble. When we manipulate those measurements with a drug….without addressing what caused them to go up – then we are only treating the symptom….NOT the CAUSE. If you are concerned about your risk of dying….from a heart attack have your doctor run a homocysteine blood test….it is by far the best predicator of heart disease and death. Half the people with good cholesterol are having
heart rate heart attack symptoms|best solution|

heart rate heart attack symptoms|best solution|

 

heart rate heart attack symptoms
heart rate heart attack symptoms

A recent study just came out showing how our heart rate can predict our survival after a heart attack. Basically the slower your heart beats the healthier you are.


The faster your heart beats the more work your heart does. It is working harder, it’s pumping out more blood to keep up with the demand! The better aerobic condition the person is the slower the heart beats. The goal of the beating heart is to transport blood and oxygen to the muscles and every time your heart beats it sends out oxygen with that blood. If you are jogging, working out or shoveling snow you are working your muscles and those muscles need oxygen. Oxygen is carried on our red blood cells….and the more oxygen an individual blood cell can carry the less your heart has to beat. In essence the more efficient your heart functions due to your physical condition.


Think of it like a bucket brigade….trying to put a fire out. If everyone is using a bucket that only carries one gallon of water – you need lots of buckets working pretty fast to put the fire out. But if each bucket carries five gallons of water….you don’t need as many buckets to carry the same amount of water. 


The same is true with the amount of oxygen your red blood cells carry, the better physical condition you are in the more oxygen your little red blood cells can carry versus someone who is a couch potato and in poor physical condition. The muscles still need the same amount of oxygen as the conditioned athlete when he or she is working out or shoveling snow. The only difference is that their heart doesn’t have to beat so hard to get as much blood to the area, which means less work for the heart and that is a good thing.


Exercise doubles the benefits…


The benefits of aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, etc…) is that it increases the amount of oxygen our red blood cells can carry, which means our heart doesn’t have to beat as much. This is great for anyone struggling with any type of heart condition, but there is another added bonus when you start exercising and increasing the amount of oxygen in your tissues.


The other big plus is that all that oxygen running throughout your body makes it harder for various types of bacteria, viruses, parasites and other pathogens including cancer cells to survive. All these guys strive in an environment that is void of oxygen. So when you start exercising and increasing the amount of oxygen in your tissue you make it a much harder breeding ground for those bad microbes and cancer cells to survive.


A great functional test to determine how efficient your heart is – is performed by measuring how quickly your heart beat drops after revving it up. The goal is to see if your heart rate will drop by at least ten beats after doing an intense exercise. After raising your heart rate to a pretty good rate from some fairly intense jogging, swimming, cycling, etc…see how long it takes for it to drop at least ten points. 


This is a great old test that lets us see how well the body recovers. The better conditioned the person the faster it will drop. Prior to the kids coming I could do a 300 yard sprint and my heart rate would drop about 35 beats within one minute of rest. I know there are some people who after intense exertion will only drop a couple of points after a minute recovery. This is not a good sign and a definite signal that their cardiovascular system needs some attention. 


Hopefully this opened your eyes for the need and importance of exercise. If you are not sure where to begin or what to do, grab a copy of “To Burn or Not to Burn, Fat is the Question.”It walks you through the rhyme and reason to exercise and what type of exercise would give you the best results.

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