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The
Nutritional Health of your Heart
Many
people are unaware that they suffer from circulatory problems, most
of which are due to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
It is little known that your arteries can be 80% clogged before
you feel any symptoms. Plaque (cholesterol, calcium and cellular
debris) collects in the arteries over a period of years, but is
not noticed until there is a decrease in the normal flow of blood.
It
is also little known that cholesterol is not the main problem --
damaged artery linings that allow plaque to attach itself are the
prime cause of clogged arteries. Fortunately, it has been shown
that arterial damage can often be reversed (artery walls strengthened
and arteries reopened) with a careful holistic regimen of diet,
nutritional supplements and lifestyle changes.
Atherosclerosis
and its complications, heart disease and stroke, are the leading
cause of illness and death in North America. It is no coincidence
that never before have we been so exposed to the causes of atherosclerosis
-- smoking, stress, pollution, radiation, lack of exercise and poor
diet.
Potassium
is one of the nutrients critical to the health of your heart. It
enables your heart to pump by initiating impulses which stimulate
contraction of the heart's muscle fibres. Studies also suggest that
high potassium intake may lower blood pressure and reduce the risk
of stroke. A few symptoms which might indicate possible potassium
deficiency are adult acne, chronic constipation, edema, frequent
urination with large volumes, facial tics and constant fatigue.
Lack of magnesium and vitamin B complex are among the other nutrient
deficiencies which may be associated with heart disease and high
blood pressure.
Vitamin,
mineral, enzyme imbalances and other nutritional deficiencies accumulate
in our bodies over a long period of time -- often the result of
many years of nutritional abuse such as eating too many refined
foods, fats, sugars, etc. and consuming too few fresh foods and
too little fiber. Figuring out how to restore and/or maintain nutritional
balance is a very individual problem -- we are each biochemically
unique and therefore our needs for specific nutrients vary greatly.
Also,
as we age, body chemistry changes require that we change our
approach to nutrition. A diet that might have kept you nutritionally
healthy five years ago may not be as effective today. That is why
nutritional analysis, such as my symptomatology questionnaire provides,
is an important first step in determining the current status of
your body's nutritional health, including your circulatory system,
and beginning a customized program to correct your unique nutritional
deficiencies.
Diet
should be the prime focus of any changes you make. As well, there
are vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements and concentrated superfoods
that can help you regain your nutritional strength and enhance the
health of your heart and circulatory system, if that is required.
But they must be the right foods and supplements for you -- the
ones that your body needs. Please note that I do not sell foods,
vitamins or any other nutritional products -- I provide nutritional
analysis and counseling. My recommendations usually include specific
foods, vitamins and nutritional supplements that are available from
your local suppliers.
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Some
extra information about nutrition and...
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Your
analysis will test you for symptoms of 54
nutritional imbalances.
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