Lamblardie Health

Acne is one of most common skin conditions in the world, afflicting 40 to 50 million Americans. The term “scarring” refers to a process where collagen within the skin is damaged from inflammation, leading to permanent texture changes in the skin. Macules or “pseudo-scars” are flat, red or reddish spots that are the final stage of most inflamed acne lesions. After an inflamed acne lesion flattens, a macule may remain to “mark the spot” for up to 6 months. When the macule eventually disappears, no trace of it will remain-unlike a scar.

Most serious scarring is caused by the more severe forms of acne, with nodules more likely to leave permanent scars than other types of acne. Most cases of acne responds to treatment and clears up without leaving scars. Acne scars is two types of tissue response to the inflammation of acne. (1) increased tissue formation, and (2) loss of tissue.

Nearly 80 percent of people aged 11 to 30 years have acne, most often on the face, chest and back. Scars caused by increased tissue formation are called keloids or hypertrophic scars. The typical keloid or hypertrophic scar is 1 to 2 millimeters in diameter, but some may be 1 centimeter or larger. Hypertrophic and keloid scars persist for years, but may diminish in size over time. Acne scars associated with loss of tissue—similar to scars that result from chicken pox—are more common than keloids and hypertrophic scars.Using tretinoin speeds up the skin’s remodeling process and helps heal post-inflammatory changes. Appropriate formulations of Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) and Beta-Hydroxy Acid (BHA) that contain the correct concentrations and are at the appropriate pH also help the skin’s remodeling process. Accutaneä may be prescribed for severe cases. Acne staining can be treated with exfoliating creams and facials

Acne staining can be treated with exfoliating creams and facials while scarring may require the use of fillers, dermabrasion or laser treatments. Picking at scabs should be avoided at all costs. Scabs form to protect the healing process that is going on underneath them. Collagen, a normal substance of the body, is injected under the skin to “stretch” and “fill out” certain types of superficial and deep soft scars. Surgical removal (or excision) of acne scars is especially effective for ice pick and boxcar scars. Unprotected exposure to the sun causes more skin damage and delays healing, therefore wearing a good sunscreen is important. Lasers of various wavelength and intensity may be used to recontour scar tissue and reduce the redness of skin around healed acne lesions. Skin grafting may be necessary under certain conditions.

Acne Scar Treatment Tips

1.Using tretinoin speeds up the skin’s remodeling process and helps heal post-inflammatory changes.

2.Surgical removal (or excision) of acne scars is especially effective for ice pick and boxcar scars.

3.Accutaneä may be prescribed for severe cases.

4.Acne staining can be treated with exfoliating creams and facials.

5.Skin grafting may be necessary under certain conditions.

6.Lasers of various wavelength and intensity may be used to recontour scar tissue and reduce the redness of skin around healed acne lesions.

Diabetes. High blood sugar. Isn’t that an ‘old people’ disease? Doesn’t that only cause problems for your grandparents or other elderly relatives and friends? Is that the disease where you have to give yourself shots every day? That’s the disease that you get from eating too much sugar, right? Isn’t it true that only fat people get that illness?

Before we go much further, let’s go over some basics about diabetes. First, about 5.5 million Americans are currently being treated for diabetes. Studies imply that 5 million more Americans have undetected diabetes and another 20 million have an impaired glucose tolerance that may lead to diabetes. That’s a significant amount of people. The National Institutes of Health state that millions of people lose their vision each year due to undetected diabetes. Most important to note is that the third leading cause of death in the United States is the complications of diabetes.

There are two different forms of diabetes and it’s not the Type I and Type II that you always hear about. The first form is called Diabetes Insipidus. This kind of diabetes is very rare and has two causes. There may be a low level of a hormone called vasopressin or the kidneys cannot effectively respond to the vasopressin. The key symptoms of this metabolic malfunction are an extreme thirst and high urine output.

The more common form of diabetes is called Diabetes Mellitus. It is the result of a problem with the pancreas and its production of insulin. The body’s blood sugar level is dependent on the proper amounts of insulin produced to breakdown the glucose (sugar) in our diet. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease of carbohydrate metabolism. Genetics certainly plays a part in developing diabetes but a diet of highly processed, low-fiber foods has been seen as a major contributor in most cases. This type of diet leads to obesity resulting in overweight individuals having a higher risk of diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus is the Type I and Type II diabetes that you’ve heard about. Type I, known as insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes. This form of diabetes involves the destruction of the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. It is most common in children.

Individuals with Type I diabetes show the following symptoms:
• Irritability
• Frequent urination
• Abnormal thirst
• Nausea/Vomiting
• Weight loss
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Unusual hunger
• Frequent bedwetting (in children)

Type I diabetics are also susceptible to episodes of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) and low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Either of these conditions can cause serious medical problems.

Hyperglycemia can sneak up slowly over a period of hours or days and it is most common during an illness. A chief warning sign is the inability to keep down fluids. Possible complications include stroke, coma, blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage. Hypoglycemia, on the other hand, comes on rapidly and can be caused by skipping meals or exercising too much. The signs of hypoglycemia include dizziness, hunger, confusion, sweating, and tingling lips. Complications can be double vision, trembling, disorientation, and coma.

Type II diabetes is most likely to happen in individuals with a family history of diabetes. This form of diabetes is slightly different. The pancreas produces insulin but it doesn’t work properly. As a result, the blood sugar level remains high because the glucose cannot get into the body’s cells as quickly as it should.

Folks with Type II diabetes exhibit the following symptoms:
• Blurred vision
• Itching
• Unusual thirst
• Fatigue
• Slow wound healing
• Numbness in hands and feet
• Skin infections
• Lingering flu symptoms
• Loss of hair on legs
• Increased facial hair
• Small, yellow bumps on the body

A common first indicator of diabetes in men is a condition known as balanoposthitis. This condition is an inflammation of the penis and foreskin and usually accompanies frequent urination.

There is a wide range of natural health options that are available to diabetics. Maintaining a proper diet and participating in an exercise program are two of the most important ways to control diabetes. Your physician and dietician will be most helpful in developing a food plan that will be best for you. A rule of thumb for a diabetic diet is to eat foods that contain complex carbohydrates, low fat, and high fiber. That means plenty of fruits and vegetables, including juices. The complex carbs enter the system more slowly, the fiber helps slow the blood sugar spikes, and the low fat keeps the fat levels in your bloodstream down. Avoid the simple sugars and the saturated fats.

Exercise is of equal importance since obesity is a major contributing factor in Type II diabetes. Your physician and therapists can help you develop a weight reduction program to fit your needs.

In addition to diet and exercise, there are nutritional supplements that have been found helpful for diabetes. These supplements are: Chromium picolinate – enhances the effect of insulin resulting in lower blood sugar levels L-Glutamine – reduces sugar cravings Biotin – assists in glucose metabolism Manganese – important for repair of the pancreas

Do not take any supplements that contain cysteine, an amino acid. It can cause problems with the ability of the cells to absorb insulin properly.

Vitamins B, C, and E are also helpful as antioxidants. They work toward the prevention of secondary complications of diabetes such a vision and vascular problems. However, large doses of Vitamin C or B1 should be avoided because they may inactivate insulin.

Several herbs are also advocated for diabetes. These herbs are cedar berries, huckleberry, ginseng, bilberry, dandelion root, buchu, and uva ursi. Each herb has a specific role in maintaining proper blood sugar levels.

Because diabetes causes problems with the circulatory system, it is vital to avoid tobacco in any form. Tobacco constricts the blood vessels and slows the circulation. Tobacco use provides less oxygen to the extremities. This lack of oxygen plays a major role in the development of foot ulcers commonly seen in diabetics.

There are many reasons to try to prevent the onset of diabetes. It threatens your overall health and can lead to a wide range of complications. Here are just a few. Diabetic Retinopathy – This is damage done to the retina and is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. Diabetic Nephropathy - This is damage done to the kidneys and is the leading cause of death in diabetics. Diabetic Neuropathy - This is damage done to the nerves and is characterized by numbness, tingling, and pain. It affects the feet, legs, and hands.

It has been said that diabetes is deceptive, insidious, and inconvenient. If you feel that you are experiencing signs of diabetes, check with your primary care provider.

For more information on diabetes, you can contact the organizations listed below.

American Diabetes Association 1660 Duke Street Alexandria, VA 22314 703-549-1500

International Diabetes Center 3800 Park Nicolett Boulevard Minneapolis, MN 55416 612-927-3393 National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse 1 Information Way Bethesda, MD 20892-3560 301-654-3327

If you would like more information on topics discussed in this article or to suggest ideas for a future article, you can contact me at my website.

I hope that you have found this information useful and educational. Be a major contributor to your health care. Learn all you can about the body you have with you 24 hours a day.

Energetic people who cycle, run, hike, play tennis, golf, build muscle up, or do any physical activity and want to perform at peak levels of fitness, have a choice to make. It’s a choice many never consider, but one of the most important choices for overall health and fitness. It stares you right in the face every time you eat, drink or consume anything. The choice to consider is whether or not a food or beverage is going to help you maintain proper ph balance, or is it going to throw that delicate balance off and leave you vulnerable to health problems.

In order to maintain suitable ph balance, nutritionists suggest 80% of dietary intake should be alkaline and 20% acidic. What exactly does that mean? I’ll explain. The alkalinity or acidic properties of a food or beverage come into play when your body burns them for fuel. Consuming too many acidic foods, drugs, tobacco, sodas, cocktails, and coffee cause the Ph level of the blood to become overly acidic, therefore, out of balance. It’s kind of like a swimming pool that has an overly acidic Ph level, it’s out balance, and as any pool owner knows, that can cause problems.

Here is a short list of foods that are acidic when the body burns them for fuel:

· White flour, refined sugars

· Dairy products

· Meat, fish

· Peanut butter

· Chocolate

· Nuts (not all of them, but most).

· Plums, prunes and cranberries (surprising, but true, even some healthy fruits and vegetables can form an acid ash, especially over- cooked vegetables)

Here are some good choices for alkaline food to help maintain proper ph balance:

· Almonds, Apples, Avocados

· Bananas, Beans, Brazil nuts

· Broccoli, Cantaloupe, Carrots

Most people have this alkaline/acid ratio upside down, which means the body has to find a sure source of calcium in order to correct the acid/alkaline imbalance. A human being’s blood Ph level is meant to stay at 7.4, so the body is constantly working to maintain that level, no matter what you consume. Your body is naturally engineered to sustain that delicate Ph balance at all costs, because if it goes too far off, cells begin to die. If you are forcing your body to work harder in order to preserve that Ph level, how hard can it work for you when you are doing physical activities? If the body has to neutralize more acid that it is designed for, where do you think it finds a readily available supply of something alkaline to do that? Our bones. Yes, when the consumption of alkaline food and drinks is insufficient to do the job, then the body has to pull calcium from bones in order to neutralize excess acid in the bloodstream.

It is a nutrition fact that too many acid forming foods and beverages such as meat, coffee, alcohol, sugar, dairy, and refined flour products can cause a body’s Ph balance to be too acidic. This can lead to all sorts of health problems, not the least of which is bone weakness. A calcium supplement may help. However, if the calcium is not from a whole food source, the body does not absorb it as efficiently due to the lack of live enzymes, but more about that in a future article. The best whole food sources for calcium are broccoli, green leafy vegetables, and other alkaline foods.

Ph balance is just one of many considerations when choosing a healthy balanced diet. Search the Internet for more alkaline food options and other choices for improving and maintaining overall health and fitness

The sales of contact lenses are regulated by the Food And Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission. Now it’s easy to order the perfect contact lenses online at a great discount. Ophthalmologists are eye surgeons who study and treat eye diseases and can also perform the duties of optometrists. Optometrists examine eyes, diagnose and treat vision problems, and prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses. In most states they can also prescribe medicine. Opticians grind and dispense eyeglasses and in some states dispense contact lenses.

You’ll want to take some simple precautions to make any lens purchase safe and effective. And all correcting contact lenses must have a valid prescription from an ophthalmologist or optometrist.

If you plan to wear contact lenses for more than 18 hours for the purpose of changing your eye color then buy colored soft lenses. You can mark rigid lenses in a way to show which lens is for which eye. They don’t rip or tear, so they are easy to handle. Soft lenses are much easier to adjust and are much more comfortable than rigid lenses because they conform to the eye and absorb and hold water.

Soft lenses also come as disposables, used once and discarded, or as planned-replacement lenses. Rigid gas permeable contact lenses are durable, resistant to deposit buildup, and generally give a clearer, crisper vision. In some model lenses, each lens corrects for near and distance vision and in others, one lens is for near vision, and the other for distance.

There are several types of lenses in the marketplace today including soft contact lenses, rigid gas permeable lenses, extended wear lenses and disposables. Keep in mind contact lenses are often more complex than appears. The expiration date for your prescription is currently set by your state requiring a one-year or two-year renewal. If your state hasn’t set a minimum expiration date, government regulation sets a one-year date unless your eye doctor determines there’s a medical reason for an expiration date of less than one year.

Disposable lenses don’t come with instructions for cleaning and disinfecting. But those lenses labeled specifically for planned replacement do. Extended wear lenses are usually soft contact lenses made of flexible plastics that allow oxygen to pass through to the cornea.

Check out any rebates that may be available from the seller, from the manufacturer, for first-time contact lens wearers and for individuals who buy lenses and get an eye exam. Beware of attempts to substitute a brand that is different from the one you want when buying contacts. Ask about discount prices at your doctor’s office when you have your eye examination, or during a follow-up visit after you get your prescription.

Always buy from a reputable company. You can buy contact lenses without a prescription, but the company would be selling you a prescription device as if it were an over-the-counter device violating FTC regulations - selling you contact lenses without actually having your prescription. And when you receive your order, if you think you’ve received an incorrect contact lens, check with your doctor or eye care professional right away; don’t accept any substitution unless your eye care professional approves it. There are many good contact lens retailers now on the Internet making their lenses available at a discount for both prescription and non-prescription lenses.

If you have an insurance plan, the insurance plan’s seller’s prices may or may not be better than what you can find elsewhere. This should be just one option when you’re shopping for contacts. Check to see if your health insurance plan includes vision coverage. Compare prices and get quotes from two or three online and offline suppliers.

To be sure your eyes remain healthy you shouldn’t order lenses with a prescription that’s expired or stock up on lenses just before the prescription is about to expire. It’s much safer to be re-checked by your eye doctor. Interesting note: when the eyes are open, tears carry adequate oxygen to the cornea to keep it healthy, but during sleep, the eye produces fewer tears, causing the cornea to swell. And the risk of corneal ulcers for people who keep extended-wear lenses in overnight is 10 to 15 times greater than for those who use daily-wear lenses only while they’re awake.

A basic rule: never swap your contact lenses with anyone else. And the most serious safety concern with any contact lens is from overnight use. Replace your contacts as recommended by your eye care doctor because they wear out as time goes by.

If you’re looking for cheap contact lenses, you may find that cheap materials or other ways of cutting costs will affect the quality you want. Remember to use only contact lenses that are FDA-approved and only if prescribed by a licensed eye care professional. Ordering discount contact lenses online has never been simpler with, and sometimes without, a credit card.

In the most simple of scientific terms short sight is where the image created by your eye focuses in front of the retina, where it would focus with perfect vision. Using curved lenses in contacts or glasses the focus point of the image can be focused in the correct point. It’s also possible to have laser surgery to reshape the cornea to get the focus more accurate.

There are several different types of short sight or Myopia which are often categorised in the following ways.

Simple myopia is the most usual of the different types of short sight. In these cases the sufferer simply has that is too long for its optical power or too powerful for its length. It can either be genetically passed down or can be caused by environmental factors like excessive close use of the eyes.

Degenerative myopia, is short sight which gradually or drastically deteriorates over a period of time. It is usually characterized by fundus changes & high refractive errors which can sometimes include Posterior Staphyloma. It seems to be more common in certain races & culture such as Japanese, Chinese, Arab & Jewish.

Nocturnal myopia, not surprisingly refers to a condition which affects those who suffer from bad eye sight at night or in low light conditions. For those suffering from this condition may often have perfect vision in daylight but their eye has difficulty dealing with focusing in the dark.

Pseudomyopia is another problem which causes problems focusing on anything in the distance which is caused by a spasm with the ciliarly muscle.

An automated defibrillator can help save the life of a family member, friend, or business associate. Automated defibrillators are portable devices that are used to restore proper heart rhythm for individuals in cardiac arrest. Studies show that early use of a defibrillator increases the chance of survival when cardiac problems surface.

Coronary heart disease is the number one killer in the United States. One of the reasons for this is that people often wait too long to seek treatment. Some of the symptoms of a heart attack are:

• Chest Discomfort: the pain of a heart attack can feel like an uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, or pain in the center of the chest. The pain generally lasts longer than several moments or may go away and come back.

• Discomfort in the Upper Body: heart attacks can be accompanied by pain or discomfort in the back, neck, jaw, or in one or both of the arms.

• Shortness of Breath: this symptom can occur with or without chest pain.

• Other Symptoms: individuals suffering a heart attack may feel nauseous, lightheaded, or break out in a cold sweat.

With heart attack symptoms, it’s important to recognize that women may suffer differently than men. Women are more likely to experience other symptoms in addition to chest pain. With both men and women, chest pain occurs most frequently during a heart attack.

Most heart attacks start slowly, but with cardiac arrest, the symptoms are immediate and without warning. Cardiac arrest involves a sudden loss of responsiveness and normal breathing. The American Medical Association recommends calling 9-1-1 and locating an automated defibrillator. The automated defibrillator should be used as soon as possible.

Research indicates that acting as quickly as possible when symptoms occur increases the rate of survival. If you or someone you love is experiencing any of the symptoms, take action before it’s too late. Experts recommend calling 9-1-1 for symptoms, because treatment can start sooner than if you attempted to drive the individual to the hospital yourself.

More lives are being saved because more schools, companies, and organizations are purchasing automated defibrillators. The same units are also available for home purchase and are highly recommended for any one at high risk for cardiac arrest. Having an automated defibrillator on hand can mean the difference between life and death.

There is renewed interest in brain stimulation techniques as therapies for psychiatric disorders. These treatments are referred to by various names; such as, neuromodulation and somatic therapy. The methods in this type of treatment range from non-invasive therapies, such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to invasive brain surgery (deep brain stimulation).

Within the past year, several large multicenter trials have been conducted and the results are now available. These successful studies have cleared the way for US Food and Drug Administration to approve vagus nerve stimulation as a recurrent treatment for resistant depression. Further, the FDA also is currently considering approval for transcranial magnetic stimulation for the treatment of depression.

This article reviews the most important recent clinically relevant studies, and may be somewhat technical. An effort has been made to simplify or define terms that are uncommon or difficult to understand.

Several new techniques in brain stimulation as a potential therapy are working their way into clinical use. At the same time, researchers are generating new information about some of the more established brain stimulation techniques. This review highlights articles published within the recent past (2005 or 2006) covering studies using these techniques to treat psychiatric conditions, primarily depression.

The new data from brain stimulation research is explained in the recent series of studies called the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) project. This study focused on individuals with relatively poor response rates to current medication options and who fail to respond to initial treatment.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

With transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), rapidly changing magnetic fields induce electrical current to flow within the superficial cortex. This is the outer surface of the cerebral cortex, which is the part of a person’s brain where many complex brain functions take place, such as thinking, awareness, language and consciousness. TMS is safe and without side affects that impact a person’s ability to function cognitively (the “thinking” activities). Therefore, this procedure is the least invasive of the new brain stimulation techniques, even with doses three or four times greater than those used in current clinical trials.

TMS in Studies of Depression Treatment

By far the greatest amount of research has focused on whether repeated daily TMS has antidepressant effects. Over the past 2 years a series of well-conducted clinical trials have reinforced earlier literature suggesting that TMS is an antidepressant treatment with clinically meaningful results. A group of researchers found that 30% of patients achieved remission with 3 weeks of daily TMS treatment compared to 6% for a group receiving placebo therapy. This was a well-conducted single-site trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. An Australian research group published two different studies, both involving stimulation of the right prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain responsible for how we think, interpret information and make decisions. After stimulation of the right side, some patients later respond to left prefrontal stimulation at high frequencies.

Charles Donovan was a patient in the FDA investigation’s trial of vagus nerve stimulation as a treatment for chronic or recurrent treatment-resistant depression. He was implanted with the vagus nerve stimulator in April of 2001. He chronicles his journey from the grips of depression thanks to vagus nerve stimulation therapy in his book:

Are you severely or mildly depressed and wondering about acupuncture and depression? According to research and case studies, acupuncture is effective in treating depression. But, did you know that there is a way to treat the depression without the needles? More on that later.

It appears that the most effective treatment for depression is medication. After all it works. I’ve used medication for both depression and anxiety and have had phenomenal success in both cases. However, I prefer to use natural remedies whenever possible because medications do have side effects and also introduce toxic elements into the body.

So what about acupuncture and depression? The good news is there is some scientific research that supports the effectiveness of acupuncture in decreasing the severity of depression in patients. Remember that medical research doesn’t really ‘prove’ anything, it just supports claims. It is really hard to conclusively prove claims.

Anyway, this study was conducted by the National Institute of Health in 1998. I will not bore you with the design of the study. You can look up the study and read that for yourself. I’ll just share the results it found on acupuncture and depression. In this controlled experiment, all the participants that received acupuncture for depression collectively experienced a 43% reduction in their depression symptoms, which was 21% greater than the dummy control group. This suggests that the acupuncture did something for the depression symptoms.

Theory on acupuncture and depression is this. Acupuncture states that there are energy pathways in the body called meridians. Various illnesses occur when these meridians become blocked. The acupuncturist attempts to unblock the clogged up meridians by inserting needles into certain points along these meridians. When the energy is allowed to flow again, the symptoms of the illness subside. And so it is with acupuncture and depression.

If you don’t like needles but are interested in the possibilities of acupuncture and depression, there is a form of acupressure that has been found to be equally successful. No needles here. It merely involves correctly tapping certain points on special meridians with your finger tips. The best thing about this approach is you can do it yourself. You don’t need to pay a professional to do it for you. Although, that option does exist.

In any event, there is a lot of promise for acupuncture and depression. With the help of a qualified psychologist you can get your symptoms under control.

In the last newsletter, we worked through the anatomy of the heart — primarily to lay the groundwork for this issue. By using what we learned in the last issue, we can now explore:

Things that can go wrong with the heart.
Medical treatments.
Limitations that may be inherent in some of those treatments.
What you can do to change the equation.

Incidentally, if you haven’t read the previous newsletter, Anatomy of the Heart, you might want to do that now. It’s not absolutely necessary, but it will make for a more rewarding experience as you read this newsletter.

Problems of the epicardium
As you may remember, the epicardium is the lining that surrounds the heart muscle — inside and out. On the inside, it’s called the endocardium, and on the outside it’s called the pericardium. Let’s start our discussion of heart problems by looking at the epicardium — not because it’s the most important part of the heart, but because it’s a simple place to start and lets us dip our toes into the subject before plunging into deeper waters.

Problems that can occur with the heart lining pretty much fall into two categories

Physical damage.
Inflammation caused by infection.

Physical damage is easy to understand, and usually easy to repair. You’re driving in your car, you get into an accident. You’re slammed against the steering wheel or an airbag. Your body stops suddenly but your heart, powered by inertia (an object in motion tends to stay in motion) keeps moving forward and tears the pericardium that holds it in place before bouncing back and coming to rest. This causes bleeding in the pericardial sac, which serves as the buffer between the heart and the chest wall and lungs. The extra fluid (blood) pumps into the sac under pressure which expands the sac, thereby squeezing and constricting the heart. If the pressure isn’t relieved, it can build to the point where it constricts the heart so much that it prevents it from beating. Herbs and neutraceuticals are not much use here. Fortunately, medical intervention tends to be easy and effective in these situations. A catheter inserted into the sac to drain the excess blood and relieve the pressure will usually do the trick — along with stopping the bleeding.

Inflammation (known as “itis” in medical terminology) is a little more complex. The primary cause of inflammation of the heart lining is infection, both viral and bacterial. Depending on which part of the lining is affected, it will be called pericarditis, endocarditis, or epicarditis. The inflammation can cause chest pain, difficulty pumping, or fever. These symptoms can be mild, acute, or even chronic. Standard treatment includes the use of antibiotics and antivirals. These are “usually” effective unless the underlying infection is resistant to the arsenal of drugs at your doctor’s disposal, which is a growing problem. Fortunately, there are natural alternatives including garlic, olive leaf extract, oil of oregano, grapefruit seed extract, etc. that can work even in the case of drug resistant infections.

Problems with heart valves
Also, as we discussed last issue, your heart valves are constructed like parachutes with tendons or cords anchoring them to the heart muscle to keep them from opening too far. Their role is to allow blood to flow down from the atria into the ventricles, and then to seal shut when the ventricles pump so that blood doesn’t back up into the atria, but is instead forced out into the main pulmonary artery from the right ventricle or into the aorta from the left ventricle. Problems with the valves are easy to understand and fall generally into two categories.

Backflow, or regurgitation, is caused by misshapen or damaged valves or ruptures to the tendons that hold the valves in place. These things cause the valves to imperfectly seal with each heartbeat, thus allowing backflow into the atria.

Stenosis, or hardening of the valves, caused by disease or aging prevents the valves from fully opening. This limits the flow of blood into the ventricles so that they cannot fill completely in the fraction of a second the valves are open. Since the ventricle chamber is now partially empty when it pumps, it generates less pressure with each beat, which ultimately reduces the amount of blood that flows through the body.

There can be multiple causes for both problems.
- Either you were born with a problem. This can be genetic or it can be the result of nutritional problems in your parents’ diet (either before you were conceived or while you were gestating).
- Over time, as a result of aging and poor nutrition, the valves shrink and change shape.
- Infection has caused the valves to inflame so that they no longer seal perfectly.
- Diseases such as rheumatic fever and syphilis have scarred and hardened the valves.
- Valvular tissue can be damaged in the same way as heart muscle tissue as the result of a heart attack.
- Valve tendons may rupture, which means the valve no longer stays in place when backpressure is created by the squeezing of the ventricles.

The bottom line is that the pumping process becomes less efficient, and your heart has to pump harder and faster to compensate. Treatments can range from doing nothing, to using drugs to reduce infection and inflammation, to surgically replacing the damaged valves with artificial valves.

Doing nothing you might ask? Absolutely! In most cases, that’s what doctors do. Why? The heart has tremendous reserve capacity. Last issue we mentioned that you can have 70% blockage of your coronary arteries and never experience any outward symptoms. It doesn’t stop there. Your heart also has a tremendous reserve pumping capacity and when called upon can increase output 5-8 times if needed. For example, in mitral valve prolapse (a condition in which the mitral valve “falls down”, or prolapses too far into the left ventricle allowing for backflow into the right atrium), there are usually few symptoms or any problems. In most cases doctors will just make note of it and watch for any changes.

On the other hand, sometimes, there are symptoms. These can include:
- That old standby, chest pain.
- Fatigue and/or dizziness.
- Shortness of breath.
- Low or high blood pressure, depending on which valve is affected.
- Palpitations caused by irregular heartbeats.
- Even migraine headaches.

In those cases the valves are often replaced with mechanical valves. At one time, you could actually hear the mechanical valves make a slight clicking sound as they opened and closed 70-80 times a minute. This drove some people crazy when they tried to sleep at night. Newer models have overcome that problem and are silent.

Now you might think since problems with valves are mechanical in nature that nutrition and supplements would not play much of a role in resolving them. If so, you would be wrong. Most medical doctors are not aware of this fact, but there are numerous studies showing nutrients matter — and supplementation can actually change the mechanical aspects of valve function. For example, it has been shown that magnesium plays a role in mitral valve prolapse.

Therapeutic effect of a magnesium salt in patients suffering from mitral valvular prolapse and latent tetany.

Magnesium Deficiency in the Pathogenesis of Mitral Valve Prolapse.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, nutrition and supplementation can play a primary role in maintaining optimum heart health — and even reversing many chronic heart problems. We will talk more about this later; but for now let’s explore problems that happen within the coronary arteries.

Circulatory problems
The first blood vessels off the aorta are the two coronary arteries, which subsequently split off into numerous branches that feed the heart. Blockage of these arteries through the build up of arterial plaque is one of the most common causes of death. The net result is ischemia, which means a “reduced blood supply.” As I mentioned last issue, because there is so much redundancy in the branching of the coronary arteries, you can have up to 70% blockage and yet have no obvious symptoms. At some point, though, you will have a heart attack, also known as myocardial infarction. The myocardium is the name of the heart muscle, and infarction means the “death of tissue.” In other words, a heart attack is the result of loss of blood flow to the heart muscle, which causes death of heart muscle tissue. The severity of the attack is determined by:

Which part of the muscle is damaged. (Some parts are more critical than others.) How extensive the damage is.

In some cases, people do indeed die from their first heart attack. In most cases, though, the attacks are progressive — with each attack killing more and more tissue until the remaining heart muscle can no longer carry the load. Depending on the extent of the damage, standard medical treatments include:

Drugs, such as:
- Beta-blockers to slow heart rates and decrease blood pressure — thus lowering the heart’s demand for oxygen.
- Nitroglycerin to open coronary arteries and reduce the heart’s demand for oxygen.
- Calcium channel blockers to open coronary arteries to increase blood flow to the heart muscle.
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme to allow blood to flow from the heart more easily, decreasing the workload on the heart.
- Angioplasty uses a balloon inflated inside the blocked artery to press the plaque against the arterial wall, thus clearing the blockage — at least temporarily.
- Stents are like angioplasty on steroids. Instead of just pressing the plaque against the wall of the artery, the balloon is also used to also press a wire mesh against the arterial wall to hold the artery open.
- Bypass surgery involves using a vein (usually taken from the leg) to literally create a bypass around the clogged area of the coronary artery.

Heart transplants.
None of these options is perfect. Angioplasty and bypass surgery (even though they have been in use for years) are actually unproven (for those of you who think everything in medicine is backed by peer reviewed studies). In fact, recent studies indicate that they may actually give only slight temporary relief with no extension of life — not to mention an increased risk of stroke. Both stents and angioplasties (and bypasses too, for that matter) quickly re-plug, a problem called restenosis, and need to be periodically redone or replaced. New forms of stents are coated with drugs to slow down restenosis but come with their own set of problems. Bypass surgery produces a dramatically increased risk of stroke, infection and profound depression. And heart transplants force you to stay on immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of your life.

Far and away the biggest problem with all of these treatments, though, is that they only treat one manifestation of the problem, not the underlying cause — the fact that the arteries are blocking in the first place. It is here that alternative therapies excel — both short term, and long term. For example:

Dietary changes can have a profound impact in reversing coronary heart disease as can a number of supplements.

Shifting the balance of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids can eliminate a major source of heart attacks.
Hawthorne berries are tonic for the heart, working to support the relaxation and dilation of coronary arteries and increasing the flow of blood and oxygen to and from the heart. In effect, Hawthorne berries work much like prescription drugs, but without the side effects.

Blood Clots
Another aspect of coronary heart disease is the blood clot or thrombus. (If it becomes dislodged and floats free, it’s called an embolus.) In larger arteries, a clot will only impede the flow of blood. In smaller arteries, it can completely block it. Thrombi form most often in the veins of the leg, where they then float off (now called emboli) and end up lodging in and blocking the smaller arteries of the heart, lungs, and brain. There can be many triggers for the formation of clots and emboli, but one of the more interesting is deep vein thrombosis — the formation of blood clots as the result of prolonged sitting in airplanes and cars.

Preventing blood clots reduces the risk of stroke, heart attack and pulmonary embolism. The standard treatment for those at risk of embolisms involves the use of drugs such as Heparin or warfarin (a form of rat poison), which are anticoagulants used to inhibit the formation and growth of existing blood clots.

But these drugs are dangerous and require constant watching and regulating since they can cause internal bleeding. Far safer (and better since they also dissolve arterial plaque and help promote the repair of arterial tissue) are proteolytic enzyme formulations that incorporate specialized enzymes such as nattokinase.

Problems with the heart muscle — the myocardium
In the end, when you’re talking about the heart, it mostly comes down to the myocardium — the heart muscle. The danger of coronary heart disease, for example, is that it starves the myocardium of oxygen and kills it. The danger of a valve problem is that it forces the myocardium to work too hard. The danger of a bio-electrical/conductivity problem is that it throws the heart muscle out of rhythm and causes it to lose its beat, or to fibrillate. (Fibrillation occurs when a heart chamber “quivers” due to an abnormally fast rhythm and can no longer pump blood well. Fibrillation of the atrium is called atrial fibrillation; in the ventricle it’s called ventricular fibrillation. Ventricular fibrillation usually leads to death.) To paraphrase the Clinton campaign in the ‘90’s, “It’s all about the myocardium.”

Problems in the atria
For the most part, problems in the atria are not life threatening. Even if both atria totally lose their ability to pump or weaken and balloon out, you lose maybe 30% of your total heart function. Without pumping, gravity and suction will still bring most of the blood down into the ventricles. There are, of course, times your doctor will want to address problems, but for the most part, you can live for years with barely functioning atria.

Problems with the ventricles
Ah, but the ventricles are a different story. When the left ventricle goes into fibrillation, we’re talking cardiac arrest. It’s time to pull out the electric paddles. So what kinds of problems are we talking about?

Myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart, is a form of cardiomyopathy (which literally translates as “heart muscle disease”). The problem here is that blood flows more slowly through an enlarged heart, which increases the likelihood of blood clots. In addition, people with cardiomyopathy are often at risk of arrhythmia and/or sudden cardiac death. When cardiomyopathy results in a significantly enlarged heart, the mitral and tricuspid valves may not be able to close properly, resulting in murmurs. There may be multiple causes of myocarditis, including viral infection. Common culprits include: influenza, herpes, Epstein-Barr, hepatitis, and salmonella.

Ischemic cardiomyopathy is a weakness in the muscle of the heart due to inadequate oxygen delivery to the myocardium, with coronary artery disease being the most common cause. (Ischemia simply means “reduced blood flow.”) Anemia, sleep apnea, and hyperthyroidism can also contribute to ischemic myocardium.

Myocardial infarction literally means the “death of heart muscle tissue.” Since heart muscle does not grow back, this has a snowball effect. If you have a heart attack that starves part of the heart muscle of oxygen so that it dies, that scar tissue does not recover. You now have a weakened heart that is more likely to suffer a subsequent attack — leading to more heart muscle damage and increased chances for a third attack. And so on. It’s not too hard to see where this leads — to long-term loss of heart muscle activity and chronic heart failure.

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a condition in which your weakened heart can no longer pump out all the blood that flows into it. CHF is the most common cause of hospitalization for people over age 65. It kills more than 50,000 people a year in the US and costs the health care system more than $50 billion per year. The heart is just like other muscles. When it is weakened, it becomes enlarged and inefficient. This leads to congestion and flaccid muscle tone. In fact, it can even lead to prolapse of the heart in which the heart literally “drops” from its original position in the chest. It is not unusual to require a stethoscope placement three to five inches below the normal area when listening to a weakened heart.

Unfortunately, modern medicine comes up short when it comes to problems of the myocardium. Mostly it just deals with the aftermath.

If the heart stops beating, use the electric paddles to get it going again.
If no paddles are near, pop a nitroglycerine tablet.
Perform a coronary bypass to try and prevent any further damage.
Use nitroglycerine tablets to open up the arteries in an emergency and prevent a heart attack.
When it comes to the muscle itself, nothing! But as luck would have it, here’s where alternative therapies shine.

- All of the B vitamins, but especially vitamin B4 are essential for heart health.
- Congestive heart failure has been strongly tied to significantly low blood and tissue levels of CoQ10.
- Supplementation with CoQ10 can literally change the size and shape of the heart.
- Studies have shown that high concentrations of heavy metals such as mercury directly correlate to higher incidences of acute coronary events. Regular heavy metal detoxing directly reduces and eventually eliminates that risk.
- Studies have also shown a direct connection between periodontal disease and acute coronary events. Regular use of avocado soy unsaponifiables, proteolytic enzymes, immune boosters, and pathogen destroyers can reduce the risk.
- Incidentally, electric paddles are not the only thing that can get a heart muscle going again. In an emergency cayenne pepper can do the trick too. A teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a glass of warm water taken every fifteen minutes can raise the dead.
- And in the end, the heart is a muscle, and like all muscles responds to exercise. Cardiovascular exercise, particularly interval training, can improve the efficiency and strength of your heart.

Heart rhythm disorders
The heart is an unusual organ. It has millions and millions of cells, and each cell has the potential for electrical activity. In the normal heart these electrical impulses occur in regular intervals. When something goes wrong with the heart’s electrical system, the heart does not beat regularly. Unlike most organs in the body, all the cells in the heart are wired together so that if a single cell fires prematurely or late, the neighboring cells will be activated and a mistimed wave will travel over the heart. The irregular beating results in a rhythm disorder, or arrhythmia.

To quickly review from last issue.
Every heart beat begins in the sinoatrial node (SA node) located in the right atrium. The SA node is “smart” and adapts to the body’s overall need for blood and increases the heart rate when necessary, such as during exercise.

Electrical impulses leave the SA node and travel through special conducting pathways in the heart to the atrioventricular node (AV, node). The purpose of the AV node is to provide a pathway for impulses from the atria to the ventricles. It also creates a delay in conduction from the atria to the ventricle. This delay allows the atria to contract first, allowing the ventricles to fill with blood before they contract themselves.

The delay ensures proper timing so that the lower chambers have time to fill completely before they contract.

From the AV node, the signal travels down through a group of fibers in the center of the heart called the bundle branch– and then to the ventricles.

So what can go wrong?
Due to natural aging or disease, the SA node starts losing function and no longer produces the right number of signals at the proper rate.

The AV node normally has one group of cells through which the electrical impulse can travel. However, due to aging or heart disease, it is possible for the AV node to develop two or more groups of conductive cells. Because of the extra conduction pathways, your heart can at times beat more quickly than normal.

The bundle branch (see above) becomes “blocked” as a result of a heart attack which damages the inner heart muscle and nerves. This stops the signal from traveling from the AV node to the ventricles. Left to their own devices, the ventricles establish their own rhythm of about 20-40 beats per minute. This is much too slow for health and results in weakness, fainting, and shortness of breath.

Valve stenosis (stiffness) causes increased pressure in the atria (since blood never fully clears) which causes ballooning of the walls of one or both of the atria (aka atrial dilation). Because the atrium is now bigger, it increases the distance signal has to travel. The increased distance means it takes longer for the signal to reach its final destination which throws off the pacing of the heartbeat.

Medical Treatments
Typical medical treatment involves drugs such as adenosine, calcium channel blockers (e.g., diltiazem, verapamil), short-acting beta-blockers (e.g., esmolol), and digitalis.

The other option, of course, is the pacemaker. The pacemaker uses electrodes attached to the heart that take over from the SA node to control the beating of the heart. The pacemaker is run by a small computer installed in the body. Modern pacemakers are externally programmable and allow for the selection of optimum pacing modes for individual patients. Some can even self-regulate and adapt to changing requirements such as stress or exertion. And some combine a pacemaker and defibrillator in a single device.

Drugs and pacemakers work reasonably well at keeping the heart going, but still address the problem after the fact. Keep in mind that in most cases the rhythm of the heart was lost through degradation based on nutrition or disease. Installing a pacemaker does not address that problem; it merely bypasses it. On the other hand, it is possible to reverse many of those conditions nutritionally and thus reverse many of the associated problems.

Alternatives
Mineral deficiencies particularly in calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, and many of the trace minerals can have a profound effect on the electrical efficiency of the heart since they are responsible for running it. Supplementing with minerals and liquid trace minerals can make a profound difference.

Supplementing with CoQ10 can significantly improve the energy level of each cell in the heart, thus improving its ability to respond to an electrical stimulus and pass the signal on to its neighbor in a timely manner.

Shifting the balance of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids can eliminate a major source of potassium imbalance which can trigger heart attacks.

Conclusion
Let’s take a break here, and next issue we’ll conclude our discussion of the heart by exploring what happens in your doctor’s office:

- What tests does your doctor run?
- What do they mean?
- What can you tell from them?
- What questions should you ask your doctor when viewing the results?

For now, though, it’s worth reviewing a key concept:

Although many problems with the heart may seem to be biomechanical in nature and beyond the purview of nutrition and supplements, that’s not necessarily true. As we’ve seen:

- Magnesium supplementation can change the shape and condition of heart valves.
- The B vitamins can help rebuild the heart.
- CoQ10 can reenergize every single cell in the heart and can literally remold the size and shape of the heart after the onset of congestive heart failure.
- The use of Omega-3 fatty acids can reverse damage caused by NEFAs.
- Proteolytic enzymes can provide nutritional support for your body as it works to clean out the coronary arteries and repair damage to epicardial tissue surrounding the heart.
- The use of heavy metal chelators such as cilantro and chlorella can reduce the risk of an acute coronary event.
- Regular supplementation of a tonic made with cayenne and Hawthorne berry can rebuild the strength of the heart.
- Proper dental care and the use of avocado soy unsaponifiables and proteolytic enzymes can reduce the incidence of periodontal disease, which reduces the chances of an acute coronary event.
- Regular use of immune enhancers and pathogen destroyers decreases the risk of most inflammatory heart disease and the incidence of viral and bacterial infections that can adversely affect the heart.
- And regular exercise can strengthen the heart and improve its efficiency even in your eighth and ninth decade of life.

As usual, it’s not just about pharmaceutical drugs and surgical procedures. Following the principles of the Baseline of Health Program can change your heart…and your prospects for long-term survival.