Reengineering Life, Mind and Spirit

This week, we have had a record-breaking heat wave throughout California.  If you live in Arizona or Nevada, you are probably used to this but we most certainly are not! I have personally found that when I go out in the heat, I experience chest pain.  Heat should dilate blood vessels so one would think that heat would make things better. Not so. 

Part of the problem is that the typical medications given to heart patients such as beta blockers and ace inhibitors can intensify the body's reaction to heat.  This means you are MORE likely to suffer from heat exhaustion or sun stroke than someone who is not on these meds. 

Also, your body gets rid of heat in two ways - by sweating and rerouting blood so that more of it goes to the skin.  Both processes put more strain on your heart.  Sweating also causes the loss of key minerals such as sodium and potassium that are crucial for muscle contractions, nerve transmissions and water balance in the body.   Adding insult to injury are the stress hormones produced in the body on a hot day.

If you have heart disease, make sure you stay indoors in air conditioning if at all possible.  If you must be out and about - drink lots of water (and those of us over 50 don't always experience thirst when we are dehydrated, this problem worsens if you have diabetes).  Get minerals from either supplements or electrolyte rich drinks such as Gatorade (or healthier versions such as Isagenix Hydrate).  Wear light clothing too, I am always amazed when I see people wearing black t-shirts on a hot day.  Eating light meals also reduces the amount of work the body (and heart) has to do. 

Another great trick is to keep some body sprays in the refrigerator, and spray them when you are warm.  They are alcohol based and cool you down quickly. 

Stay cool, and stay safe!

Another supplement recommended by my Sutter Health cardiologist was Magnesium.  I remembered being giving Milk of Magnesia as a kid for constipation, and already knew that Epsom salts baths were relaxing, but I really didn't know how it would help with heart health.  So - I decided to do some digging.

Magnesium is most often recommended for bone health, but is also key for 300 different metabolic processes across the body. Of prime importance to heart disease patients is that it is necessary for the assimulation of calcium into bone material.  If too much calcium is present in the blood stream, it can contribute to coronary artery disease as it can be deposited onto the artery walls.  A proper magnesium/calcium balance is also needed for a strong, regular heart beat.   In fact, taking calcium supplements without magnesium supplements has been shown to increase heart attack risk.

Bad news for most Americans - the average American diet only provides 40% of the needed magnesium (according to the Nutritional Magnesium Association).  This is most likely due to the lack of fruits and vegetables in this diet, as well as to modern farming methods which deplete our soils of minerals.   Also according to the Nutritional Magnesium Association, up to 80% of the US population has magnesium deficiency. 

What are some of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency?  Early symptoms include headache, nausea, fatigue and weakness.  As this deficiency progresses, there are up to 22 different conditions that can occur.  These include coronary spasms,  anxiety or panic attacks, blood clots, depression(as magnesium is a precursor to serotonin production), fibromyalgia, tooth decay, weak bones, diabetes and heart attacks.   It is also really hard to test for magnesium levels, so this is not usually identified by the standard yearly physical. 

The good news is that it is easy to supplement with magnesium.   One natural doctor I visited advised me to bathe in Epsom salts as magnesium can be absorbed through my skin.  Magnesium can also be found in good quality dark chocolate (no Hershey's doesn't count, it needs to be at least 70% cocoa), avocados, nuts like cashews and almonds, beans and seeds, tofu, and whole grains. 

The safest way to make sure you are getting enough magnesium is to supplement.  Be careful - too much supplementation may lead to diarrhea which is no fun!  

Here is a great supplement that I recommend that is chelated for good absorption and is a low enough dose that it doesn't cause any gastric distress.  I was taking these, but found that my Isagenix Isaflush (part of the 30 day weight loss program) also contains magnesium so didn't want to double dose.    

Go to any health website these days and one of the first things you will see is either a reference to, or an article about inflammation.  Modern research shows that inflammation is being blamed for anything from Alzheimer's to obesity to heart disease.  How can one condition cause so much destruction to the human body? Why is it rampant, and what can we do about it?

Inflammation refers to swelling and irritation of our bodily tissues in response to an outside irritant.  We get inflammation when our bodies are highly acidic - and much of the highly processed foods we eat in America ARE highly acidic.  Eating sugar or worse, high fructose corn syrup creates an acid condition in the body as does eating refined carbohydrates such as white breads or pastas. 

Inflammation is not necessarily a bad thing when it is acute - it is actually our body's natural response to an infection or irritant.  According to Medical News Today,

• Inflammation is the body's attempt at self-protection to remove harmful stimuli and begin the healing process.
• Inflammation is part of the body's immune response.
• The first stage of inflammation is often called irritation, which then becomes inflammation - the immediate healing process.
• Inflammation is followed by suppuration (discharging of pus). Then there is the granulation stage, the formation in wounds of tiny, rounded masses of tissue during healing.
• Acute inflammation - starts rapidly (rapid onset) and quickly becomes severe.
• Chronic inflammation - this means long-term inflammation, which can last for several months and even years.
• Our infections, wounds and any damage to tissue would never heal without inflammation - tissue would become more and more damaged and the body, or any organism, would eventually perish.
• Chronic inflammation can eventually cause several diseases and conditions, including some cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, periodontitis, and hay fever.
• Although scientists know that inflammation plays a key role in heart disease and several other illnesses, what drives inflammation in the first place is still a mystery.
• It should be remembered that inflammation is part of the healing process. Sometimes reducing inflammation is necessary, but not always.

So - how do we keep our bodies out of the chronic inflammation stage, or heal them if we are already there and experiencing health problems?

First of all, we stop putting garbage into our bodies that causes this state (yes, the allopathic medical profession says what causes inflammation is a mystery per the above, but there is plenty of evidence that food additives, high fructose corn syrup, and acidic conditions create inflammation).   Read food labels, and get rid of anything in your pantry that has high fructose corn syrup, a list of ingredients that goes on for miles and reads like greek, and is highly processed (convenient but deadly).  Better living through chemistry is no longer a good idea in this day and age.  Secondly, limit eating out to a couple of times a month, OR go to a restaurant where you know food ingredients and nutrition information will be listed.  Make sure you keep the sugar and fat down.  Third, take steps to alkalize your body.  How do you do that?  Eat more green veggies - even if you hate them now, over a short period of time your taste buds adjust and you start loving them.  Go to a farmer's market and buy fresh ones, they taste a lot better than what you get in the grocery store and have more nutrients.  Try to buy the darker green varieties - Iceberg or lighter lettuce is just like eating paper; it has almost no vitamins and minerals.  The darker varieties have more "phytonutrients" - plant chemicals that help prevent everything from cancer to insulin resistance. 

Even if you do these things, there are still more steps you can take to obtain optimum health.  Inflammation can be caused by an allergy that you don't know you have.  Doctors and insurance companies don't always authorize allergy tests, or they just authorize the cheaper "back scrape" method that is less than accurate.   You can find several online companies that will allow you to purchase a kit to test at home that is simple and convenient.  You can then take the results to your doctor and get the bigger test authorized.  And many of these tests take HSA cards too, so you can pay with pretax dollars. 

You can also take supplements that help with inflammation, or better yet, use meal replacement shakes that have patented, engineered ingredients that fight inflammation.  I am presently using Tumeric supplements which really seem to have made a difference

These supplements have Black pepper also, which has been shown to improve the efficiency of Tumeric as an inflammation fighter. 

I am also enjoying two meal replacement shakes daily from Isagenix that contain a proprietary blend of branched chain amino acids, trace minerals (as our soil is depleted of them), healthy fats and 24 grams of protein. 

I also recommend staying out of intense heat - this weekend's heat really turned up my chest pains as the area of the blood clot in my heart was inflamed.   Heat is generated by inflammation, so having environmental excess heat is a no brainer for worsening bodily inflammation.  Bad luck for those who live in Arizona! 

Stay tuned for more as I discover more healthy tips and information - hope this helps my readers. 

Roughly two months after my big cardiac event, I started noticing irregular heart beats, but only at night.  I mentioned this to my Cardiologist - Dr Henjum in Placerville, and he recommended I purchase an iPhone gadget that does a complete EKG in 30 seconds.  What a great use for a smartphone!

There are actually several choices out there, my research showed that the AliveCor Kardia Mobile was the most desirable for me as I didn't want to wear wires 24/7 (would be pretty embarrassing when out with friends or visiting customers), but I wanted to be able to take an EKG at the moment when I felt something was wrong without having to wait until the next morning to see the doctor.  

You also can purchase this handy little device on Amazon here : 

AliveCor Kardia Mobile ECG for Apple and Android devices

It is $99, and comes with basic service, which allows you to email your last EKG to your cardiologist.   If you opt for more, they have a premium service that provides a monthly summary to your cardiologist along with unlimited EKG storage.  This would help detect trends over time and help your doctor gauge your progress. 

I bought one, and am waiting for it to arrive.  Even for people who haven't had cardiac events, I think this is a wise investment as it could help detect a stroke or heart attack right away.  Many people just think it will go away and die unnecessarily as they didn't get needed treatment in time; this would remove the guess factor.  ER treatment could also start early if the patient comes in with an EKG on his or her phone, showing the immediate need for care. 

Another great supplement recommended by my Sutter cardiologist during my recent hospital "vacation"was CoQ-10.   This is not one that I have taken in the past with any regularity - as I thought heart disease would be the very last thing that I would ever have to suffer through.  Not so!

What is CoQ-10?   It is a co-enzyme (a substance that assists other enzymes with critical body processes) and an antioxidant; your body uses it to produce energy and it is found in every cell you have!  Think of it as a little mini generator inside your cells, without it, your cells couldn't do their jobs.  If you are on statin drugs to control cholesterol (and I now have been added to the many who have to take them), you should supplement with CoQ-10 as these drugs reduce the amount of natural CoQ-10 in your body by blocking their synthesis.   CoQ-10 levels also decrease with age.  

The cardiologist recommended that I visit Dr. Weil's website to learn more about these supplements.  Per Dr. Weil, CoQ-10 helps you have a healthy heart in several ways.   It supports blood vessel wall health, overall heart muscle health, overall circulatory health, and assists in maintaining the normal oxidative state of LDL cholesterol.   It also may help with migraines, and of all things, sperm motility.  It shows promise in the treatment of high blood pressure as well.  Dr. Weil recommends 90 to 120 mg of CoQ-10 if you have heart issues or are on statin drugs.

How can you get it from food?  CoQ-10 is found in its heaviest concentration in heart tissue (gnaw on those giblets!), but can also be gotten from sesame oil, canola oil, beef, chicken, herring, rainbow trout, broccoli, and cauliflower.  

If you take supplements, it is best to take them with food as CoQ-10 requires oil for absorption. 

One of the supplements my cardiologist recommended was vitamin D.  I recently read on Pinterest that over 75% of heart attack victims had lowered vitamin D levels - didn't see a source for that number/statistic, but believe that it is in the ball park based on all the research now focused on this necessarily nutrient.  It acts as a hormone, and regulates over 200 or more genes across the body.   WebMD cites a study by the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Murray, Utah, which had the following findings:

"The first study involved more than 9,400 patients whose blood tests revealed low vitamin D levels during a routine trip to the doctor. Their average vitamin D level was 19.3 nanograms per milliliter; levels of 30 are generally considered "normal," according to J. Brent Muhlestein, MD, the Institute's director of cardiovascular research.

At their next follow-up visit, about half had raised their vitamin D levels to above 30 nanograms per milliliter.

Compared with patients whose vitamin D levels were still low, patients who raised their vitamin D levels were 33% less likely to have a heart attack, 20% less likely to develop heart failure, and 30% less likely to die over an average follow-up period of one year.

In the second study, the researchers placed more than 41,000 patients into three categories based on their levels of vitamin D -- normal, moderate deficiency, and severe deficiency. Then they combed their medical records to see who had been diagnosed with heart disease or stroke.

As expected, patients with severe deficiency were most likely to have been diagnosed with heart disease or stroke, Muhlestein tells WebMD."

According to Dr. Michos of John's Hopkins Hospital, women tend to be deficient in vitamin D more often than men as we are more likely to wear sunscreen and/or stay out of the sun.  Older people tend to absorb vitamin D less, and fat cells also absorb vitamin D and keep it from circulating throughout the blood stream.    Interestingly enough, I was found to be vitamin D deficient in my last physical exam, so I absolutely believe this to have been a factor in my heart attack.

A simple blood test that your doctor can order will tell if you have this deficiency or not.  Supplementation is easy and inexpensive - most people probably need about 1,000-2,000 IU per day and I found small, easy to swallow pills at my local natural foods store.  If you prefer getting vitamin D from your diet, eat some mushrooms, milk, orange juice, fish, tofu, and/or eggs to help your body along.  Of course, a nice stroll outside on a sunny day doesn't hurt either!

Continuing the saga of my heart attack and experience - as they weren't able to put a stent in my heart, they kept me in the Cardiac ICU for five days. The first few days, I wasn't allowed to get out of bed, thanks to the wound in my groin where the angioplasty line was inserted.  This meant the lovely and unholy bed pan was my friend.  No fun, no fun at all.

I did enjoy my daily visits by the cardiologists on staff at the time - one in particular - I am not sure of his name and he is not pictured on the hospital website but I think it was Dr. Fisher - took the time to explain to me how our health is affected primarily by our diet.  He said that our veins and arteries are naturally smooth, but when "scratchy" excess sugar molecules are transported, they scratch the walls.  Then, when we eat fats, these fats can stick to the walls of our cardiovascular transport system instead of moving on through.   Excess carbs turn to sugar in our systems - and we become prediabetic and then diabetic with much damage to our hearts and arteries. 

He also explained that the "Big Food" companies control the entire life cycle of our human consumption -from what we enjoy as teenagers to the pharmaceuticals we will need at the end, once these junk foods wreak the desired havoc on our bodies.  A brilliant business model, yes, but with no humanity whatsover in it.   Most "Big Name" junk foods were produced with GMO crops heavily saturated with Roundup - a known endocrine disruptor and possible cause of the uptick in fatty liver disease and liver cancer in nonalcoholics.  Why do they get away with this?  Why does RJ Reynold's still make tobacco products with mounds of undeniable evidence that smoking causes a wide variety of diseases?  Because we are all dedicated to our free enterprise system and are taking the good with the bad.  It gives me chills that our current leadership wants to completely privatize our health care.  With no checks and balances, this portends having profits take precedence over human life.   Not good. 

I am in the process of cleaning out my pantry.  No more "Ritz" crackers (new studies show they are very high in Glyphosate, the active chemical in Roundup which California has just labeled as as a carcinogen after a HUGE fight with the mother company, Monsanto), no more high sodium soups, no more BBQ sauces with high fructose corn syrup( cheaper to produce than "real" sugar, widely found in popular American food products, and known to accelerate cancer cell growth), and in short, no more mass produced poisons.  

I am in my third week since my big event - the simple acts of measuring the amount of oil I am cooking with instead of just throwing it in the pan, eating NO poisonous mass produced American crap, and limiting my portion sizes has led to a 14 pound weight loss.  I look for even greater results in the weeks to come.  

This great cardiologist also recommended that I add four supplements to my daily routine; Magnesium, Vitamin D, COQ-10, and Fish Oil.  I will cover each of these in depth in subsequent posts. 

Articles I have been reading tell me that the warning signs for women can be different than for men.  For instance, it is more likely for a woman to have some of the peripheral symptoms such as jaw pain, back pain, shortness of breath, a feeling like you have the flu , nausea, and heartburn.  From my experience, I had chest pains that ranged from mild to very sharp that just lasted a few minutes.  This happened for about a month before my event.  So if this is happening to you, don't ignore it!

The jaw pain would often linger for longer than the chest pains, which were sometimes only a pressure or tightness.  I understand that this is also something that happens more often in women than in men.  During the actual event, my jaw pain extended down into my back and radiated down my side.  At that point, it was quite severe. 

Also, for weeks before the event, I had intermittent shortness of breath that would come on suddenly and leave just as suddenly.  I would get dizzy during these attacks just for a moment.  It was disconcerting.  

One of the biggest signs that people dismiss (as we are taught not to listen to our intuition) is a feeling of impending doom.  Our bodies do try to tell us that something is wrong and it is best to listen.  I had nightmares - one in which a beautiful ancient building was being blown up by terrorists and I was powerless to stop it.  Another nightmare had me sitting way above the world on a rock formation looking down at an amazing view.  Here I was enthralled until I tried to get down.  Then, I found I was stuck on the rock. I was in the midst of working my way down when I woke up - which was an indication that I was being given a path to healing. 

Also before the "event", when I would eat a big meal, I would get heartburn much more readily than even before.  Often, chest pains would be accompanied by nausea and/or heartburn.  The morning of the event, I had nausea so badly I felt like I had the flu.  

Here are some great links to review for information about how women's symptoms vary, and what to watch for.  Sadly, every year many women die as they just don't think it can be happening to them or they dismiss the symptoms.  Although I had dramatic heart pain, some women don't.  It is critical to listen to your body AND your intuition in order to make sure you don't become one of these sad statistics.

American Heart Association - Women's Symptoms

WebMD - Women's Symptom's

Secondscount.org

Three years ago in one of my "health craze" phases, I decided to start this blog.  I set it up on the same platform as my wine blog, and then proceeded to ignore it.  I never wrote one single post.   On March 22nd of this year, an event happened that changed my life forever - and has inspired me to dust off this blog platform and actually add some meaningful content.  If my experience can save someone's life, then I have a responsibility to share.  First, before I share some of the research I have been doing during my time off work, let me share my experience. 

For weeks before March 22nd, I had a feeling of impending doom - like something inevitable but horrific was going to happen to me or someone I knew.  I woke up in dread, and had some very vivid nightmares that for some funny reason I failed to write down.  I started having panic attacks, and chest pains - some were really bad but only lasted a few minutes, and some were pretty mild, just like a pressure on my chest. I made an appointment with my doctor - but my EKG and blood pressure were perfect - 117/73.  They asked me if I exercised, and I definitely had been trying to do so, howbeit half-heartedly.   Still, given my symptoms, they scheduled a stress test for the 13th of April.  Little did I know that I wouldn't make it that far without experiencing my life changing event.  

The evening of the 21st, panic attacks were coming in strong.  We were in the process of losing a large client at work which was what I attributed it to, and I woke up early the next morning to take a critical conference call ( I was up anyways as nausea kept me from sleeping - another tell tale sign of an impending heart attack).   Around noon, I felt like I had the flu so went to take a nap.   I woke up feeling like a gorilla was mauling my chest with huge claws - I hit the intercom and yelled for my husband who was out working in the yard.   I was half dressed ( I work from home when not traveling and only dress up when I go on the Telepresence system), and hadn't yet had a shower.  I thought - wow - I look awful, maybe I could take a shower?  A little voice in my head told me that if I took the time to take a shower, I wouldn't live to see the next day.  I grabbed some cornstarch and threw it in a napkin and tossed it in my hair so it wouldn't be greasy, and my husband dressed me.   He put me in the truck - told me not to pay attention to his driving - and then got me to Marshall Hospital in record time. 

There - they took an EKG and then immediately rushed me into a room where four IVs were started and nitro was put under my tongue.  I was given morphine, and a portable ultrasound device was placed over my chest where they told me they found the clot on the right side of my heart.  Next, I was given an injection of blood thinner into my stomach.   A wonderful cardiologist, Dr Stanley Henjum was by my side and he assured me that I wasn't going to die, but that I was going to have to make some lifestyle changes.  My cholesterol was high,  I hovered about the diabetic/prediabetic line , and I had been a smoker during the highest stress times of my life.  I often sat 14-16 hours in a chair in front of a computer without doing much movement, and during those marathon work sessions, I was known to pound coffee, nuts, chips, and string cheeses so I didn't have to prepare food.   Such was my crazy high tech life - where I valued work performance above all else.   Intermittently - like the time I originally set up this blog - I would jump on the health bandwagon only to jump back off when it took too much time and my health stabilized.    Not this time!

After they got me stable at Marshall Hospital, I was then transported by ambulance to Sutter Hospital in Sacramento where I was immediately rushed to what they called the "Cath Lab".  I was given a general anesthetic, but remained conscious as I heard my cardiologist there do angioplasty and then try three times without success (and some frustration) to put a stent in my heart.  The artery affected was just too small and too "cork-screwy" to allow stent placement.   I was moved up to the cardiac ICU floor where I was to spend the next five days - the first three, unable to get up and walk around due to the need to heal the site where they inserted the angioplasty rod (or whatever it was called) in my groin.   They had some kind of soothing music and hypnotic voice on the TV monitor which I was too drugged up to change - so I still have dreams about it - but I must say that it did help.  

After five days, I was released to go home - and home never felt so good!   I made a commitment to NEVER AGAIN have this experience, and began my research anew into what we human beings can do to live healthy lives without this kind of event.   Watch this space to hear more about my journey as it unfolds......