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Cardiovascular Health

The cardiovascular system consists of the heart and approximately 60 thousand miles of blood vessels, called arteries and veins. The heart pumps blood around the body. The vessels nourish cells by transporting nutrients and waste products, through the blood, around the body.
Any interruption in blood supply, for example a heart attack or stroke, causes tissue death so the maintenance of a healthy cardiovascular system is essential.

Most cardiovascular disease occurs due to lifestyle factors such as: 1. Obesity, poor nutrition, and medication usage. 2. Free radical damage due to environmental toxins or smoking. 3. Stress or poor emotional health. 4. Lack of exercise.

Being overweight is detrimental to cardiovascular health for several reasons. Excess weight increases the force of gravity on an individual. The heart must respond by working harder and increasing blood pressure. Excess food intake causes the body to increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood. Cholesterol shuttles fat around the body and is implicated in the formation of plaque in arterial walls.

Poor nutrition is detrimental to heart health because the heart muscle needs a constant supply of nutrients to keep pumping. The standard North American diet is deficient in vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. It is high in saturated fat, refined carbohydrates and chemical additives and preservatives. These substances not only do not give your heart usable energy, but they also contain high amounts of vessel damaging materials like trans-fatty acids.

Some medications deplete heart supporting nutrients like coenzyme Q10, magnesium, potassium and zinc. Ironically several of these medications are used to treat cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol lowering medication can deplete coenzyme Q10. Diuretics, used for high blood pressure, increase the excretion of minerals like magnesium and potassium. This can cause problems maintaining heart rhythm and lead to muscle spasms. ACE inhibitors deplete zinc. Beta-blockers deplete coenzyme Q10.

Fatigue

The most obvious and seemingly simple reason for fatigue is a lack of sleep. As a general rule, we want to be aiming to get 7-9 hours of sleep a night, as well as aiming to be asleep by 11pm. It is always best to turn your TV or computer off by 10, and opt for a book or hot bath. Keep the lighting low for the last hours before bed, to increase natural levels of melatonin and prepare your body for sleep. As far as sleep hygiene goes, a lot of this is straight forward, but a good reminder. Your room should be as dark as possible, with as little artificial light as you can manage. You should keep the TV out of the bedroom and look for a battery operated alarm clock that does not give off any artificial light. Use your bedroom for sleeping and sex only, although reading a few pages before sleep is not a problem. Again, keep the lighting low and turn on a little desk lamp or small light if you are reading. Getting up and going to bed at the same time everyday (or as close as you can) is also highly recommended. Sleep routine is just that, a combination of steps you take before you go to bed. Write them down if you are just starting out and stick to them. The ease with which you fall and stay asleep through the night will increase as this routine becomes habit.

Stress! Stress definitely plays a role in fatigue and also lack of sleep, which in turn makes us more easily stressed. It's a vicious cycle. Stress is manageable, but a conscious effort must be made, as our ineffective coping mechanisms can also quickly become habit. Incorporate Yoga or Pilates, meditation, acupuncture of regular massages into your weekly routine. If you are simply too busy to add one more thing to your schedule, then be sure to take 15 minutes twice a day to sit and focus on breathing, call a friend, or get outside for a nice LEISURELY stroll. Remember, as important as exercise is, it is also physical stress on the body. To best compliment your exercise routine, you must also look for activities that are completely stress free! Have a hot bath before bed. This will not only help with relaxation, but it can also be a sleep aid. You can also try washing your hair at night in the bath or shower. It may just provide you with the few extra minutes to significantly lower the "rush" factor in your morning routine, thereby lowering morning stress.

In terms of specific conditions, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), hypothyroidism and anemia, among many others, are common causes of fatigue. More and more health care practitioners are acknowledging the possibility of sub clinical hypothyroidism, meaning lab work or blood tests are all coming back normal but symptoms all fit with a hypothyroid state. If you suspect that there may be a disease process at play, talk to your healthcare practitioner about testing your TSH, T3 and T4 levels, as well as your ferritin, B12 and vitamin D, as abnormal findings or deficiencies in these may be the cause of fatigue and may provide helpful clues in terms of treatment.

Food allergies are also extremely common and can severely impact energy levels. The body is constantly reacting to what it sees as a foreign substance, producing antibodies to fight off the substance and causing inflammation in the process. If it is a food that you are eating on a fairly regular basis, this reaction is happening continuously and the body becomes (and rightly so) exhausted! Food allergy testing can be expensive, but it is an efficient way to pinpoint which foods you are reacting to so they can be eliminated from your diet. An elimination diet is another way to address food sensitivities. This consists of eliminating the most common allergies from the diet for about 3 weeks and then systemically reintroducing each food and monitoring for symptoms. This is a much more cost effective method of assessing for food sensitivities but may not detect a more unusual allergy. Ask your naturopath or MD about options in terms of food allergy testing.
cost effective method of assessing for food sensitivities but may not detect a more unusual allergy. Ask your naturopath or MD about options in terms of food allergy testing.