What is Cardiovascular Health?
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a disorder that affects the heart or blood vessels. It is associated with a build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries (atherosclerosis) and a risk of blood clots. It can present with a blockage of blood vessels partially or entirely. In addition, patients with narrowed arteries present with effort related to chest pain (angina) that settles upon rest. The complete blockages can lead to an acute vascular incident such as a heart attack, stroke or limb ischaemia, a critical condition. Additionally, atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries is due to the accumulation of cholesterol plaques along the wall of the arteries; over time, these cholesterol plaques can result in complete blockage.
Risk factors of CVD include obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, and a family history of the disease.
High blood pressure/hypertension is a severe condition that increases the risks of heart, brain, kidney, dementia and other diseases. This condition of high blood pressure is the third most common cause of death. Blood pressure (BP) is the force the circulating blood uses against the walls of the arteries, the major blood vessels in the body.
Some Signs and Symptoms
If you recognise any of the above symptoms. Please, get in touch with your GP for advice as it could be serious.
Conventional treatment
Drug regimens such as Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers and cholesterol-lowering drugs control diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. These protocols may include blood thinning mediators such as aspirin, warfarin or heparin by injection to prevent the formation of blood clots. In the case of acute ischaemia may require invasive procedures such as angioplasty or bypass surgery.
The first line of therapy for patients younger than 55 years old is ACE inhibitors. For patients aged more than 55 years old, calcium channel blockers or thiazide diuretics are used as a first-line therapy. And beta-blockers are for hypertensive with indications of atrial fibrillation. Hypertensive patients must continue taking their blood pressure medications for life if they rely only on prescriptions. Although, studies have reported that treating the risk factors with only drugs has little benefit.
Some Tests
- Physical exam – listening to your heartbeat or the sounds of blood flow through the major vessels in the neck can assist your doctor in determining if you have heart disease. Your doctor will look for usual sounds or changes to the heartbeat.
- An Echocardiogram (ECHO) – looks at the heart’s structure and function using sound waves and an electronic sensor.
- Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) – uses magnetic fields to take images of the heart. The patient receives an injection with a special dye before the scan, and the pigment, called contrast medium, creates a clearer picture.
- Chest x-ray – it takes an image of the inside of the chest
- Electrocardiogram (EKG, ECG) – ECG records the electrical activity and rhythm of the heart; the electrocardiogram records these signals. This test can show abnormal heart rhythms or heart damage.
- Blood test – Certain heart damage signs may appear in the blood.
How can we help you to regain your cardiovascular health with an integrative functional approach?
An integrative approach may assess the cardiovascular risk in detail, looking at your biological markers and your symptoms, leading to a personalised plan to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and improve your quality of life. In addition, reducing inflammation enhances insulin sensitivity to lower blood sugar and insulin levels. The benefits of a healthy diet of whole foods, staying physically active, lowering the stress levels of daily life and building happy social connections.
Hypertension is usually related to obesity or fat around the middle; these factors result in high insulin and affect the body’s arteries and blood fats, decreasing HDL and increasing LDL, cholesterol and high triglycerides. Together with inflammation and oxidative stress, it leads to the deposition of cholesterol plaques and the hardening of arteries.
It is advisable to have a healthy weight and decrease your insulin levels to normalise your blood pressure without being dependent on medications.
We help individuals to find the underlying cause of their high blood pressure and to adjust their lifestyle to prevent hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. We can help you by supporting and restoring your cardiovascular health for the long haul with lifelong tools.