Reversing heart disease really means reversing coronary artery disease. The coronary arteries are the arteries that supply the heart muscle with the oxygen and nutrients it needs to function as a specialized pump. This “pump” will work essentially non-stop for close to 100 years (if we’re lucky). When the coronary arteries get blocked by cholesterol plaque or hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), blood flow is restricted to the region and is the eventual culprit that causes heart attacks (myocardial infarction or MI).
There are other diseases of the heart include heart failure (which is often caused by coronary disease), arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms), and congenital heart disease (heart disease that you are born with); but we will focus on coronary artery disease, the #1 killer in America.
Reversing heart disease can be done by adopting a few lifestyle changes to “unclog” these arteries, hence, reversing heart disease.
How You Can Reverse Heart Disease
By adopting some simple lifestyle HABITS, we can start to reverse heart disease. Contrary to popular belief, YOU will control your health, not your genes or physician, but YOU. Try this daily health log to help you keep track of your daily progress:1. Make HEALTH, NUTRITION and WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
Use this DAILY HEALTH LOG to keep you on track and begin the process of reversing heart disease.2. No Smoking
This isn’t the generic, “smoking is bad for you and quit” routine. There are a handful of medical conditions that are made worse by smoking and coronary artery disease is at the top of the list. Others include emphysema and ulcers, but coronary disease will only get worse in smokers. You cannot reverse heart disease if you smoke.3. Make healthy food choices every day!
The easiest way to reverse heart disease is to include the healthiest selections from the five food groups with an emphasis on the getting your five to 10 fruits and veggies and enough fiber each day. Think WHOLE foods. Avoid processed, refined, fast foods. By changing to a cleaner diet, you are one step closer to reversing a heart disease.4. Lower cholesterol through diet:
Restaurants and fast food establishments are serving huge portions, often more than double the recommended serving sizes. No wonder heart disease is on the rise. Reverse Heart Disease by consistently eating smaller portions of food, within a few days you’ll start being satisfied with these portions.5. Drinking 8 glasses of water each day:
Staying hydrated helps us rid the body of acquired toxins, as well as enhance the metabolism and makes us feel fuller. Of note, alcohol and caffeine can act as diuretics (cause water loss and dehydration) and should therefore be limited.6: Exercise consistently:
Exercise can help you get your heart in shape quickly and is therefore an important tool in reversing heart disease. When you exercise, you increase your cardiovascular health, and your heart begins to work better. Exercise can be had anywhere, anytime, simply walk instead of drive your car, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or just walk around the block every night after dinner. Plus, it can make your bones stronger, it beats stress, fights off mild depression and can help you sleep better at night. Being active on a regular basis reduces your risk of heart disease significantly.7. Stress Reduction:
Too much stress can cause blood pressure to rise and is believed to be a major risk factor for heart disease. Controlling your blood pressure is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease. The best way to deal with stress is to use a range of coping mechanisms, including yoga, meditation, and therapy and breathing techniques.8. Plan meals in advance:
Weekly menu planning is the key to staying on course with new healthy lifestyle goals. Prepare a shopping list before you go to the store; if you stock your fridge with healthy foods, you’re probably going to eat them. It’s only easy to grab the celery for a snack if there is celery in the refrigerator! Prepare meals and snacks in advance; it makes it less likely that you will grab something unhealthy when you’re hungry.In extreme cases, medicine and surgery can be appropriate as well. Statin drugs are well established in decreasing cholesterol levels for those cases refractory to lifestyle changes.
A more drastic move for reversing heart disease is surgery. Surgeons have been able to unblock arteries or bypass clogged arteries to improve blood flow to the heart. In many cases, surgery helps those who are afflicted with this horrible disease; however, for surgery to be effective, the underlying problems that caused the problems in the first place still need to be identified, adjusted and corrected. Surgery can be an effective means for reversing heart disease, but the most effective way is to adopt good living habits once you find out you have it.
By adopting good living habits, eating right, getting more exercise, and reducing stress levels, you can go on to live a long, healthy, productive life even if you already have heart disease. Reversing heart disease does not need to inhibit your life or hold you back in any way; instead, by adopting good living habits, you can improve your life by turning back time to look and feel better.
How You Can Reverse Heart Disease?
By adopting some simple lifestyle HABITS, we can start to reverse heart disease.Contrary to popular belief, YOU will control your health, not your genes or physician, but YOU.
