What is Heart Disease & How Do You Handle It?

What is heart disease? While there are many different definitions of this common medical condition, this is actually a very vague question. Heart disease can branch out into a plethora of different issues that pertain to the heart, arteries, and blood flow. The heart is a big organ, and the condition of cardiovascular disease can be anything from conditions in the blood vessels, abnormal heartbeats, infections within the heart, arteries, or heart defects that people can be born with. Minor symptoms of any of these issues listed can begin with high blood pressure or high cholesterol, and while anyone is subject to these conditions, heart disease is more prevalent in those with obesity problems or family history. By definition, heart disease describes a range of conditions that affect the heart. These conditions and the ways of handling them are as follows:

Arrhythmia

This type of heart disease involves irregular heartbeats and heart rates that are too fast or too slow. Symptoms of this include a slow pulse, lightheadedness, fluttering heart, fainting, and dizziness. If this condition continues to go untreated, it can lead to more serious heart problems such as a stroke or cardiac arrest.

Atherosclerosis

This is an extremely common heart condition that involves the buildup of cholesterol plaque substances within the arteries. If enough plaque is built up, it can cause a reduced blood supply to your extremities. Chest pain and shortness of breath are common signs, however other symptoms include coldness, numbness, fatigue, and unexplained pain.

Congenital Heart Defects

The word “congenital” means to be present at birth, so congenital heart defects are abnormalities that develop before or after someone is born. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “about one in four babies are born with congenital heart defects”¹. For treatment, some babies are required to receive medications, catheter procedures or in severe cases, a surgical heart transplant. Usual symptoms for this heart condition include blue-tinged skin, swelling extremities, and irregular heart rhythms.

Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary Artery Disease is a very common heart condition that develops due to a buildup of plaque which eventually causes limited blood flow to the heart. If the arteries become too clogged, it has a potential to lead to cardiac arrest. Some of its symptoms include chest pain, discomfort, squeezing within the chest, shortness of breath, nausea, and feelings of indigestion.

Cardiomyopathy

Another common type of heart disease, Cardiomyopathy is an illness of the muscle that makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body. Sometimes the condition can cause the heart muscle to grow larger and turn rigid, thick and weak. It can either be acquired through poor lifestyle choices or it can be hereditary. Symptoms of the disease include fatigue, bloating, shortness of breath, rapid pulse, and swollen legs, ankles, and feet.

Heart Infections

Different types of heart infections can cause serious damage to the heart and can even be life-threatening to the patient. Conditions such as Endocarditis, Myocarditis, and Pericarditis are all different types of bacterial or inflammatory infections. Each of these can occur in one of the three main layers of the heart. Common symptoms that these infections share are chest pains, coughing, fever, and skin rash.

How To Handle Them Naturally

At LifeWorks Wellness Center, we offer various treatments to relieve these types of heart disease. Treatments include:

• Chelation: removes the calcium deposits that build up in the arteries and extracts heavy metals and toxins from the body via the urine.
• Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP): given through three pairs of cuffs that are applied to a patient’s lower legs, thighs and buttocks. It eventually will compress blood vessels to increase the blood flow to the heart and body.
• Plaquex Therapy: A compounded IV treatment used to restore cell membranes, normalize cell metabolism, and clear out plaque deposits within the arteries.
• Ozone Therapy: The use of ozone to treat certain heart disease conditions has proven to have anti-inflammatory effects. At LifeWorks, we also encourage Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, which allows patients to breathe in 100% pure oxygen to help increase oxygen supply to a damaged heart.
• Supplements: Multi-vitamins, fish oils, Iodine, Amino Acids, Magnesium, and Vitamin D are all essential to controlling heart disease and managing a healthy heart. At LifeWorks, we recommend certain supplements for our patients such as BodyHealth PerfectAmino and BodyHealth Complete Multi to naturally provide proteins and nutrients to the heart without the side effects that are often provided by conventional heart medications.

If you are suffering from any of these heart diseases and are seeking treatment, please call to schedule an appointment at 727-466-6789.

References:

1. What are Congenital Heart Defects? | CDC