Natural Supplements For A Healthier Heart

High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and ever
increasing stress are all factors related to the leading cause
of death for both men and women, heart disease. Luckily, heart
disease is a problem you can do something about. By taking
nutritional supplements, making changes in the food we eat,
exercising most days of the week, drinking in moderation, and
eliminating tobacco use, we can prevent or lessen the effects
of heart disease.

After choosing to live a healthier life, it may seem very
overwhelming. However, lots of people feel this way. As a
result the American Heart Association is urging people to
prevent heart disease by identifying their individual risk
factors. Each risk factor indicates whether or not you may
develop a certain health condition. In heart disease
prevention, there are two types of risk factors, those you can
control, and those that you can't control. Risk factors that
you can control include: diet, exercise, and the supplements
that you take, whereas risk factors that you can't control
consist of age, race, gender, and your family's history of
heart disease.

There are a few, specific supplements that should be taken to
increase your health and lower your chances of developing heart
disease. You should take a quality heart formula multivitamin,
garlic, and a fish oil supplement that provides Omega-3 fatty
acids. CoQ10 is also a good way to give complete heart health
support. The heart formula multivitamin will provide your
heart with the exact nutrients needed to prevent heart disease.


Since the human heart cannot function without adequate amount
of vitamins and minerals, it is logical that a multivitamin
specifically formulated for heart health would work best. The
cells and tissues that make up the heart must have vitamins C,
A, and E, and also B1, B6, B12, and folic acid in order to
function. These B vitamins are very important because they
help to lower homocysteine levels, which is a potential cardiac
risk factor. Healthy hearts also need a daily amount of
magnesium in order to function correctly. They also need alpha
lipoic acid, which is a fatty acid that provides protection
against high cholesterol and blood pressure. Along with
magnesium and alpha lipoic acid, lutein and lycopene keep our
arteries free from buildup, which can later lead to heart
attacks or strokes. Unlike other multivitamins, which contain
herbs and other nutrients that can interfere with prescription
medications, a heart formula consisting of the above vitamins,
minerals, and nutrients will work with medications to treat
heart disease and provide the nutrition that our hearts need.

Garlic supplements have a very long and successful history of
preventing premature death from heart attacks. Garlic can also
help lower high blood pressure and cholesterol, naturally and
effectively. The best garlic supplements contain allicin,
which is a compound that lowers harmfully high cholesterol
levels. Since allicin is very stable when dry, a properly
prepared garlic supplement preserves allicins health producing
action until the garlic mixes with the fluids of the intestinal
tract. A supplement prepared with enteric coating can also help
prevent against garlic breath. In order for a garlic supplement
to be the most effective, it must be made from fresh garlic,
enterically coated, and provide a daily dose of at least 4,000
mcg allicin. By taking this once daily supplement that
delivers 4,000 mcg of allicin, you can significantly and
effectively lower your high blood pressure and cholesterol
levels.

Not all fish oil supplements are made the same, some can be
harmful, but rest assured there are companies out there who
supply fish oil supplements which are naturally loaded with
Omega-3 fatty acids and certified free of harmful contaminants
and heavy metals. This Omega-3 is a powerful nutrient that is
known to prevent heart disease and protect the heart. Research
has proven that Omega-3 can reduce the risk of arrhythmias,
lower the levels of triglycerides, slow atherosclerosis, and
keep blood pressure levels low. With just 600-1800 mg of fish
oil, you can get all of the above heart disease prevention.
However, you must make sure the fish oil supplement that you
take is free from contaminants and is guaranteed fresh. The
manufacturer of the fish oil supplement should be able to
provide documentation of purity in their product. The
supplement should contain no detectable dioxin, which is a
widely used toxic preservative, DDT (a toxic insecticide),
PCBs, or heavy metals such as mercury or lead. Before you buy
any fish oil supplement, ask the clerk if you can open the
bottle and smell the contents. A fishy smelling fish oil
supplement means it may contain heavy metals and could be
rancid, which is not going to help your heart at all. It may
actually hurt it.

CoQ10 is part of our energy producing system by working
directly with our mitochondria in each cell. The mitochondria
generate 95% of the energy that the body requires and are more
abundant in places that require more energy. Because of this
fact, the heart has a large number of mitochondria in its
cells, each needing CoQ10 to help them produce the most energy
that they can. Because CoQ10 levels can become dangerously
depleted by medications for high cholesterol levels, it is
important to take at least 100 mg - 400 mg of CoQ10 each day.
Otherwise, the good that the medications are doing to lower
cholesterol levels will be negated by the lack of CoQ10 levels.
Even if you have already been diagnosed with Congestive Heart
Failure (CHF), CoQ10 can still help you by slowing down the
destruction that occurs. CoQ10 is also known for healing the
heart muscles damaged by heart attacks.

There are some types of CoQ10 products that are better than
others. The quality of manufacturing has a lot do with which
CoQ10 product is best. Make sure to take a CoQ10 supplement
that has been used in research conducted by a prestigious
university, which the supplement will tell you right on its
label. The main requirements for a good CoQ10 are: it must be
easily absorbed during digestion, it must reach the
mitochondria in the cell, it must be proven effective in
studies, and it must be safe and free of impurities. Although
CoQ10 is recommended for people with moderate or high risk
factors of heart disease, people with low risk factors can take
CoQ10 ever day to reduce their risk of cancer, prevent gum
disease, and help certain nerve cells work more effectively.
By following all of the above recommendations, you can help to
keep your heart healthy and strong. All the supplements
suggested in this article can be found at your local health
food store or Internet health food store.

About The Author: Visit VitaNet Health Foods at
http://vitanetonline.com/

VitaNet sells high quality vitamins
and herbs at discount prices and name brands like Source
Naturals and Doctors Best. Please link to this site when using
this article.

The Anti-Aging Law Of Compensation: You Must Apply It

The so-called civilized world we live in makes it difficult to
maintain youthful attributes and stay healthy. Fast food,
pollution, low and non-nutrition processed edibles eaten as
food, stress, medications, lack of adequate information and our
own negligence contribute to health problems and signs of
premature aging.

To get around it, you can do one of two things: just let it
happen or be on the offensive with compensating measures.

The obvious thing to do is to be on the offensive. But how do
you do that?

Let's talk about dehydration. Do you drink coffee or caffeine
drinks such as colas or so-called energy drinks? If so, then
you must compensate by drinking more water. Caffeine is
dehydrating. For every can of caffeinated soda or cup of coffee
- at least an equal amount of water is in order. If you don't
compensate, the dehydration shows up as gray, flaky dry skin.

Do you drink alcohol? It's dehydrating. That's one reason why
your face looks like the wrath of God the morning after just a
few drinks the night before. For every glass of wine or bottle
of beer, you should consume an equal amount of water - or more.
The hard stuff is even more damaging. Yes, you will be running
to the potty, but you will be compensating for the dehydration
and you will feel better in the morning because you have
eliminated a lot of the alcohol toxicity.

Alcohol also depletes B vitamins. Some folks who like a glass
of wine follow it with a B Complex capsule and a glass of
water.

Overall, caffeine and alcohol are the least egregious
offenders. Most folks don't drink an excessive amount of coffee
or alcohol on a daily basis.

There is something more damaging than daily caffeine and
occasional alcohol. It's what most people use a lot of on a
daily basis over a long period of time: prescription
medications.

Medication induced nutrient loss is responsible for more health
problems that anyone realizes. The pharmaceutical companies do
not mention nutrient loss in advertising, although warnings may
appear in literature no one reads. And chances are that
traditionally trained physicians and pharmacists aren't
educated enough about nutrition to be aware.

For example, has your physician or pharmacist ever warned you
that estrogen replacement depletes magnesium? Magnesium
depletion causes muscle weakness, depression, dizziness,
hypertension, and heart problems. That doesn't mean you should
stop taking estrogen (if in fact you choose to replace
estrogen) but you do need to make certain you are getting
enough magnesium. A physician who practices integrative
medicine will know enough to prescribe compensating nutrients.

Blood pressure medications such as Tenormin and Lopressor
deplete CoQ10 which is absolutely vital to stabilize cellular
membranes and give cells energy to function. Statin drugs that
lower cholesterol deplete CoQ10 as well.

Diuretics ("water pills") may cause magnesium, potassium, and
zinc depletion. Men with prostate problems already tend to have
zinc deficiency and if it is not supplemented the prostate can
enlarge.

Medications such as Tagamet and Pepcid cause depletion of
vitamin B12 and folic acid. A deficiency of these two vitamins
causes homocysteine levels to rise. High homocysteine causes
irritation of blood vessel walls. When cholesterol flows throw
them, it clings to the irritated walls and then you have
clogged arteries. We can't live without cholesterol. It is
vital for cell membrane integrity and hormone production among
other things. But we can't live with cholesterol when it is
clogging arteries as a result of high homocysteine.

You don't have to wait for your doctor to prescribe B12 and
folic acid. You can buy B12, preferably in the form of
methylcobalamin under-the-tongue tablets available over the
counter. Folic acid tablets are also available without a
prescription.

If you want to learn more about how prescription medications
deplete nutrients, read the Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion
Handbook by Ross Pelton, James B. Lavalle and Ernest B.
Hawkins.

Don't suffer premature aging and loss of youthful attributes
due to dietary indiscretion, neglect, or just not knowing. You
can do a lot to help yourself. When you learn to compensate, or
find a doctor who can help you avoid what you don't need, or
help with what you do need, you will stay healthier and more
youthful a lot longer.

The Anti-aging Law of Compensation is too important to ignore.
Educate, compensate, and take care of yourself! If you don't,
who will?

About The Author: Barbara Morris is author of Put Old on Hold.
Sign up for her newsletter at http://wwww.PutOldonHold.com and
receive special report, "Twelve Diva Tested Tips for Fabulous
Skin." More about medication induced nutrient depletion:
http://putoldonhold.net/DrugInducedNutrientLoss.html

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The Food Guide Pyramid

All types of foods contain nutritional substances that our body
needs to grow , be fit, move, think, read, correct any cell
damage and in other words, live! These nutritional materials,
which actually compose our body, are proteins, fats,
carbohydrates, vitamins, salts, and of course water. In order
to receive all the things our organism needs, we have to
maintain a balanced diet so as to ensure that we are receiving
all the nutritional substances we need to survive.

Food provides us with the necessary amount of "fuel" our body
requires in order to perform all the necessary activities, like
the beating of our heart, breathing, walking, exercising, etc.
As the "fuels" are reduced, our body signals this lower levels
of necessary substances and we feel hungry. By eating we again
manage to balance the nutrients (fuels) we need in order to
keep going and perform all the tasks we want with those we
lost. This "fuel" quantity we need is measure with what it is
known as calorie.

One should keep in mind though that the amount of food each
person needs to consume every day is different from individual
to individual. It depends on a number of factors, like a
person's age, sex, his/her volume, the type and level of
exercise performed, even the climate of the area the person
lives in. Apart from these factors, aging, pregnancy, sickness
or development can affect the amount of calories one needs to
take so as to keep the level of energy on the necessary levels.

The success of a sound diet plan is directly related to the
quantities a person receives from each group of the nutritional
substances. Specifically, a balanced diet is the one that is
composed by 50-55 percent of carbohydrates, 25-30 percent of
fats and 15-20 percent of proteins. One should not consider
some foods healthier than others. What is the issue here is
maintaining a balanced and healthy diet plan by consuming the
right quantities, for the specific body structure and exercise
level, out of all the different food varieties existing today.

The general rules one has to follow, in order to keep his body
and mind healthy, are simple. The amount of food consumed,
which is measured by the calories one receives, should not
exceed the amount required to maintain a balanced weight. The
diet plan followed has to offer all the necessary food
ingredients according to the quantities suggested by the Food
Guide Pyramid. The total amount of fat consumed should not
exceed the 30 percent limit. Reducing the amount of salt and
alcohol beverages one consumes would be considered wise. The
balance diet does not include more than three cups of coffee on
a daily basis. Of course, 55 percent of the total amount of
calories consumed has to come from carbohydrates, such as
bread, rise, fruits, vegetables, pulse, pasta and potatoes.

Eat well and stay healthy. Follow the Food Guide Pyramid and
watch your body change!

About The Author: Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles for
http://foodandourlives.com/ - In addition, Jonathon also writes
articles for http://theoutdoorslifestyle.com/ and
http://everythingaboutgames.net/

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