My mom’s dad and my dad died of heart attacks. 73 and 70, respectively.
At 35, I started getting heart palpitations.
My aunt has had several heart surgeries and ablations.
Get the picture? I want to be mindful about my heart.
When I originally had heart palpitations, I got Holter monitors and stress tests and was recommended beta blockers.
Yeah, right. I was like 37. That’s the medical industrial complex for you.
Preventive health
Exercise and diet, lifestyle factors, can improve heart health. I stick by the 30 minute brisk walk 5 times a week method. And an active weekend.
As a desk jockey, I gotta be careful of inactivity. At a minimum, 6 days per week of 30 minutes brisk walking. Hitting that level shows a major difference in heart outcomes.
Diet-wise I have one coffee per day, fast one day week (no coffee), and limit my sugar and alcohol. I could do a bit better on both these points but I’m not making flagrant violations here, either.
One key thing, I think, is my daily salad and intake of vegetables and fruits.
Testing
Of course you want to know your cholesterol numbers. You should also know your homocysteine levels, too. Between 6 and 7 would be ideal, I’m told by Dr. Decker Weiss, a naturopath in Scottsdale, AZ.
I’m getting my levels checked soon, with my annual physical. The report will be forthcoming.
In any case, blood testing is important and should be done with the annual physical, at least the HDL/LDL panel and the homocysteine.
Another test for heart issues would be the hiatal hernia test. The stomach can bunch up the vagus nerve and cause issues.
Supplementation
Here I have three recommendations:
- Hawthorne Extract – like a beta blocker
- Magnesium – taking this stopped my palpitations, I was deficient
- Taurine – reasonable dosages of this are very safe with no known side effects
Knowledge
As Dr. Weiss explained, the blessing and curse of the heart is there are two systems that contract it. You have basically a back up system. This back up system can cause issues. That’s why people like my aunt go in and get ablations.
The homocysteine link is important to explore and so is following a generally heart healthy diet.
Issues with the heart are the number one cause of death by far. If you have a history, make sure you’re being preventative.
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