Heart Disease - Nutritional and Herbal Support
   by James Occhiogrosso, N.D.

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Heart disease is a chronic illness, brought about by years of poor diet and lifestyle, and, one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Modern medicine has procedures like surgery and stents that are useful, but most of them do not do much more than put a band-aid over the problem.
 
We all fear the sudden heart attack, but few of us take action to prevent it until after it happens! We go along blissfully unaware of the damage we are doing to our bodies with lack of exercise and poor nutrition—the hallmark of the Standard American Diet (SAD). Also, many of us are hooked into the belief that supplementation with vitamins and minerals is unneeded. Conventional medicine told us for many years that we can get all the vitamins and minerals we need from our food. That might be true if everyone only ate organic vegetables and fruits grown in their own organic garden and never touched processed foods. Unfortunately, few people do that—but, many medical doctors still adhere to the obsolete guidelines put in place more than 75 years ago.

A multitude of clinical studies has totally disproved this obsolete paradigm. Study after study confirms the benefits of general supplementation with vitamins and minerals, as well as specific supplementation with targeted nutrients and herbs for various chronic conditions.

Heart disease is no exception. General supplementation—especially when utilized over several years—can go a long way towards supporting good heart function. And, when problems occur, specific supplementation can help support the healing process. With a little knowledge of heart-healthy foods, vitamins and herbs, we can help delay the onset of cardiac conditions, help rectify existing problems, and lead a healthier life.

Heart Disease is simply a nutrient deficiency disease with a very long incubation period. It comes about after years of a diet consisting mainly of nutrient-poor processed foods. Unfortunately, this is the diet that many of us live on, and thus, the single most prevalent reason for the high incidence of heart disease today. Two proven ways to maintain or improve heart health are to first—improve nutrient status by changing to a diet low in processed foods and high in unprocessed ones, and second—add supplements for nutrients most likely to be missing from your diet.

There are many articles available that describe good heart-healthy diets, so I have limited this article to improving heart health via supplementation with vitamins and herbs. Doctors and herbalists worldwide use many of the items described here to help remediate heart problems.

Essential Nutrients for the Heart

CoEnzyme Q10 (CoQ10) — This is one of the most important nutrients for the heart. It is a compound used for energy production in the body and especially in the heart. CoQ10 is crucial for proper cardiovascular function. Unfortunately, drugs that lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure cause serious depletion this enzyme. Most medical doctors are either unaware of this or ignore it, but it is one of the reasons people on long-time drug therapy have more serious cardiac problems. One of the big myths fed to the public is that high cholesterol levels lead to heart attacks. The truth is that there little scientific association between the occurrence of heart disease and cholesterol levels.

Magnesium — An essential mineral for good heart health. It helps maintain a regular heartbeat and prevent cardiac arrhythmias. Our processed food diet is notoriously low in magnesium. This may account for the relatively common arrhythmia known as atrial fibrillation that is prevalent in our senior population. Magnesium is a component in several hundred chemical reactions in the body and is crucial to good health. Research has also shown that low magnesium levels are associated with high blood pressure, poor bone health, plaque buildup in the arteries, and the insulin resistance common to diabetics.

Potassium — Another essential mineral crucial for good heart health. Many drugs, especially those used to lower blood pressure and treat excessive fluid accumulation and swelling (edema) of the body caused by heart failure (like Lasix), cause serious depletion of potassium levels. This depletion can lead to dangerously low blood pressure levels and cardiac arrhythmias.

Sodium — Almost everyone with any kind of heart or blood pressure problem is told go on a low sodium diet. While this may help a bit, it is not solving the problem. Sodium is essential for proper blood pressure and blood volume regulation. The problem, as it is with many body systems is one of balance. People get far to much sodium in their diet from processed food and far to little magnesium and potassium. For proper heart, nerve and muscle function, (including the heart muscle), balance must be maintained between these minerals. Reducing sodium intake with a low salt diet does not increase low levels of potassium, magnesium, or other nutrients. Thus, simply advising a low sodium diet solves no problems!

The B-Vitamin Family — Processed foods tend to be stripped of most of the B vitamins, especially vitamins B6, B12, and B9 (folic acid) that are important for heart health. Many Americans, particularly those that eat processed foods and do not eat sufficient vegetables are deficient in B-vitamins, particularly the three above. Older adults are also likely to be deficient in vitamin B12. This vitamin is difficult to absorb, and should be taken as a sub-lingual lozenge. The B-vitamin family is essential to almost every body system. Commercial B-Complex supplements typically include all necessary vitamins in this family, but seniors still need sublingual vitamin B-12.

The Anti-Oxidant Vitamins — (Vitamins A, C, E) — All anti-oxidant vitamins have the ability to help prevent plaque build-up in the arteries by reducing the amount of free radicals in the blood. Vitamin A is best obtained from Beta-carotene which is converted to vitamin A as needed by the body. Most “supermarket” vitamin E products are provided as single fraction synthetic vitamin E, which many clinical studies have determine to be of little value. The best Vitamin E supplements are made from either coconut or palm oils. These oils contain all 8 fractions of the vitamin but they are somewhat expensive.

Vitamin D — It is very likely that this underappreciated element has strong ties to the development of heart disease. While there are few studies of vitamin D vs heart disease directly, recent studies have found that people with various forms of heart disease are nearly always deficient in this vitamin. Since Vitamin D deficiencies have been solidly linked to several chronic diseases and cancers, it is prudent to supplement with vitamin D on a daily basis.

Other Critical Nutrients

Omega-3 fatty acids — Found in nuts and fish oils. Many clinical studies have shown that Omega-3 oils can significantly decrease both total and LDL cholesterol levels, increase HDL and more importantly decrease levels of the dangerous blood fats known as triglycerides. They can also help reduce inflammation throughout the body, a major source of arterial plaque.

Arginine — Arginine or L-Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid that is prevalent in virtually all protein-rich foods, particularly nuts, seeds, fish, and beans. It is a necessary building block for producing nitric oxide and an important regulator of blood pressure. According to some studies, high blood pressure often gets worse with time. Part of this is due to deficiencies in Arginine. High levels of Arginine increase levels of nitric oxide in the blood, which in turn allows the blood to carry more oxygen.

Trace Minerals — Many of the items mentioned above are “macro” nutrients—meaning that the body needs them in relatively high concentrations, typically in the range of several hundred milligrams daily. However, there are many other nutrients that are extremely critical for good heart health that are required in lesser amounts, some of which are only needed in micrograms. These are just as essential, but the body just needs smaller quantities of them. Most important of these is Silica (or Silicon). It is found in virtually all plants and is a critical component for producing the collagen that forms the structure of all organs of the body, including the heart. A typical intake of Silicon is around 30-50 mg daily. Unfortunately, like many other nutrients, the process of refining foods strips most of the silica.

Another critical nutrient for a health heart is Selenium, which is truly a “micro” nutrient. The body only needs between 100 to 200 micrograms per day, but several studies have noted that selenium deficiencies often correlate with heart disease. Again, our modern food processing for the “Standard American Diet” strips just about all the available selenium.

There are a multitude of essential nutrients that the body needs in small and very small quantities, and it is impossible to list them all. However, a diet consisting of mostly organic fruits and vegetables, supplemented with a high-quality multi-vitamin, multi-mineral product (Life Essentials) can go a long way to maintaining good health.

Herbal Support for the Heart

There are many herbs that are used to support and strengthen the heart. Below (in order of importance) are the top four herbs that can help support heart health and rectify some minor heart problems. They are widely used in Europe and many European physicians routinely prescribe them for minor heart problems.

Hawthorn — This herb tends to increase blood flow to the heart and strengthen the action of the cardiac muscle allowing it to pump more blood. It is a good preventative supplement that can help prevent cardiac arrhythmia. It is used in Europe and Asia to treat minor heart arrhythmias and early congestive heart failure. Along with L-Arginine, it helps protect the heart from oxygen deficiency.

Gingko biloba — Gingko is a very well studied herb with a long history of use in worldwide for increasing circulation and lowering blood pressure. Many experts believe that its ability to improve blood circulation accounts for its reputation for enhancing memory. Gingko has strong blood-thinning effects. It has been shown to help conditions like Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) by increasing blood flow to the inner elements of the ear.

Garlic — This herb has been used for thousdands of years as both as a food and a herbal remedy. It is one of the most often used herbs in both Eastern and Western herbology. Garlic has a tremendous amount of solid research that shows it can help lower blood pressure by lowering fatty deposits in the arteries. Like Gingko, it is also a blood thinner that can help reduce formation of stroke-producing blood clots.

Capsicum — (Cayenne pepper) — This is a stimulant herb often used in herbal preparations as a catalyst to help increase the action of other herbs in a mixture. Used alone, cayenne can actually help stop a heart attack. Used as a tonic taken daily in small quantities, it has a powerful ability to boost circulation, lower blood pressure, and increase the pumping action of the heart. It has few side effects other than its hot taste, and it can enhance the entire cardiovascular system.

Cautions

When nutrients and/or herbals are used for heart health, they should be used daily. A health practitioner may recommend high doses of an item to temporarily kick-start a healing process. Typically, these high doses are lowered after the desired effect is seen.
 
Heart disease is not a condition that is easily self-treated. Many herbs and nutrients that can help strengthen the heart or lower blood pressure can also interfere with prescription medicine. It is crucial to consult with a qualified health professional before attempting to use nutritional or with herbal heart supplements.

Conclusion

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. today. With a little knowledge of critical nutrients that support good heart health, and the support of a competent professional, you can lower your risk of future heart problems and reduce the effect of some problems already present.

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