My dad collapsed on the sidewalk in front of the Off Track Betting Parlor on 92nd Street and Broadway.  Two guys picked him up and picked his pocket at the same time.  He held out his hand and they returned his wallet.

His heart muscle was weak and stopped beating for a little time.  When he went to the hospital, most of the time spent there was waiting for his lungs to clear of fluid. 

If the heart is weak and cannot beat hard enough, the blood backs up into the lungs, making it hard to breathe.

Angina

My dad had angina pectoris in his mid seventies, chest pains that would stop him in his strolls down Broadway.  It is caused by a lack of oxygen to the heart.

If the arteries feeding the heart are narrowed by plaque, deposits along the walls of the arteries, then blood cannot flow to the heart to bring it oxygen.  The heart muscle dies, and we get a heart attack.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in people over the age of 65.  Even more shocking is that it is the second cause of death in people between 25 and 64 years of age. 

Lifestyle Changes

Who increases his health the most, a runner who goes from running five miles a week to running twenty miles a week.  Or a couch potato who finally puts down the remote and gets up and walks half a mile a day?

The couch potato.

The runner is healthier, but the biggest increase in health comes from starting to exercise.

So that is the most important thing you can do, walk every day.

Cardiovascular Support Supplements 

There are quite a few heart health supplements.  Some contain:

B Vitamins

• Vitamin B-6 – Is important in metabolizing fats which helps to eliminate fats from the bloodstream.

• Vitamin B-12 – This ingredient helps to maintain healthy nerves.  It also helps to make DNA. 

• Folic Acid – Folic acid, also called folate, is a water soluble B Vitamin that has been known to protect against birth defects and heart disease.

Coenzyme Q10

Sometimes abbreviated to Co Q10 is present in all cells, in particular, the mitochondria, where cellular energy is created.  

Mitochondria are interesting because they were originally a separate organism.  They still have their own DNA, transmitted only through the mother.  Our cells incorporated this parasite into almost every cell of our bodies because they make energy so efficiently.

When we're young, we make enough Co Q10 normally. As we get older, it is harder for our bodies to make enough Co Q10.  And if we take blood pressure medicine or statins to control cholesterol, our Co Q10 levels can drop 40%.

So, it is important to take a supplement with Co Q10.

Other Supplements

• Grape Seed Extract has been used for conditions that are related to the heart and blood vessels, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and poor circulation. 

• Schizanda is used for coronary disease.  It has anti-bacterial, cardiac tonic, antioxidant, insomnia, irritation, palpitation and dyspnea.  It can also be used as a sedative.

• Horse Chestnut Seed Extract has been used for chronic venous insufficiency, which is a condition where veins in the legs do not return blood to the heart efficiently. 

It is important that you do not use homemade preparations of horse chestnut because raw horse chestnut can contain esculin, which is poisonous.

Remember that cardiovascular disease does not discriminate.  It does not care who you are, how much money you make or if you are happy or sad.  It does not care if you have an important meeting to make or if you are going on vacation.  It will strike at any time.  The only way to protect your heart health is to incorporate cardiovascular supplements in your daily routine and change your eating and exercise habits.  This is the only thing that this silent invader pays any attention to.  It is never too early or too late to start taking care of your heart.