In this issue:

Dear Friends:

This is the month where a lot of attention is placed on the heart. In this issue I will give you suggestions for the optimal health of your heart both nutritionally as well as emotionally. Put on some heart warming music, make a cup of tea and sit and take a moment for you and your heart.

One of the first heart symptoms you may experience is heart palpitations. This may due to a number of reasons including anemia, food allergies, anxiety, coffee, low blood sugar, changes in hormone levels, and of course heart disease. To determine what is causing your heart palpitations your doctor will want to do blood tests, but you may want to complete two questionaires to determine if your symptoms relate to blood sugar or food allergies. The symptoms for both are very similiar and can often interrelate. Symptoms include weakness, dizziness, headaches, fatigue, and heart palpitations. Call Hayley for both questionaires.

The blood test to rule out anemia is serum ferritin. Serum ferritin tells more accurately the level of your iron stores. This is not a routine test run by MD's. They mainly check hemoglobin along with a complete blood cell count, but I find it very helpful in diagnosing anemia inspite of having a normal hemoglobin. However if your ferritin is too high then your risk for cardiac disease is increased. Too much iron allows for more oxidation in the body, just like a nail would rust, so does the body if there is too much iron. The serum ferritin is a simple non fasting blood test that costs $29.00.

The blood tests that evaluate the common risk factors for heart disease are the blood fats and their ratios. These include cholesterol, HDL's (the good cholesterol), LDL's (the bad cholesterol) HDL/LDL ratio, fasting blood sugar and triglycerides. A good level for HDL is greater that 1.42 mmol/L, LDL is less than 3.1 mmol/L and the best HDL/LDL ratio is below 3. The reason for checking your blood sugar and triglycerides is they accurately predict your risk for diabetes and thus an increase risk for heart disease. The best fasting glucose level should be 4.44-4.72 mmol/L and triglycerides should be .56-1.58 mmol/L.

How are you going to find out these values? In our office along with the comprehensive blood test we give you detailed optimal values. You may also ask your doctor for copies of your most recent blood tests. When they tell you everything is fine, it may be that you don't have a disease yet but you may not be at optimal levels for the prevention of disease. Take charge of your health and keep your own records. No one is going to take care of you better than you take care of yourself! If you can't figure out what your blood tests mean just give us a call and we will try and help you out.

Did you know that 50% of those who die before the age of 50 from a sudden heart attack do not have any of the well accepted risk factors and in age-related heart disease a small percentage of these also don't have such risk factors.

Other blood tests that are becoming even more important risk factors are fibrinogen, apo a lipoprotein, and C reactive protein. These tests indicate a level of inflammation in the body which has been recently shown to be a major cause of heart disease. The blood fat lowering drug Provastatin may in fact not reduce heart disease by lowering your blood fats but by lowering the level of inflammation!

Where does all of this inflammation come from? Well it comes from endotoxins which are toxins that are created in our very own bowel! The gut harbours over 60% of our immune system and when it is compromised then inflammation sets in and has far reaching results on the whole body including the heart! So you may begin to understand why naturopathic physicians are always suggesting regular bowel cleansing programs. When you remove the unwanted viruses, fungi and bacteria from the gut, repair the intestinal lining, and reinoculate with proper bacteria you are doing a lot to help you with a plan for longevity. In our office we provide a simple plan for you to follow for three months to help restore the health of your gut. Call Hayley for details.

Homocysteine is aother blood test that indicates increased heart disease risk as well as increased risk for stroke, diabetes and alzheimer's disease. This test is being done by more and more physicians. Ask yours. If you can not get it done we offer a complete cardiac profile to check all the above. Ask Hayley for details. In the meantime a simple way of keeping your homocysteine levels low are taking Vitamin B12, and B6 along with folic acid. These are all provided in a good multiple B complex and for just a few cents a day you can start reducing your risk for heart disease!

So what can you start today for your heart health program? I recommend the following daily: Vitamin C 2000mg; Natural Carotene complex 50,000IU; Vitamin E 800IU; selenium 200mcg, CoQ10 30 mg; Calcium citrate 1000mg; magnesium citrate 600mg; Flora Flaxoil 1 tablespoon; and B complex 50-100 mgs. Exercise in some form. Meditation. Do something you love to do. Express yourself. Eat smart.

NATUROPATHIC WISDOM NOTES is compiled by Dr. Ingrid Pincott, N.D. for the sole purpose of providing education and reference. It is not intended as a substitute for consultation and treatment by a qualified naturopathic or medical doctor.