image courtesy of millenniumcc.org

 

Heart Disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the US.  February is National Heart Disease Month.  Here are some quick statistics from the American Heart Association:

 

•  Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. More than half of the deaths due to heart disease in 2009 were in men.
• About 610,000 Americans die from heart disease each year—that's 1 in every 4 deaths.
• Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease, killing more than 370,000 people annually.
• In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 43 seconds. Each minute, someone in the United States dies from a heart disease-related event.2
• Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of most racial/ethnic groups in the United States, including African Americans, Hispanics, and whites. For Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders and American Indians or Alaska Natives, heart disease is second only to cancer.3
• Coronary heart disease alone costs the United States $108.9 billion each year.4 This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.

Now a simple home, or doctors office test could detect heart disease years before any symptoms occur!

 If you have access to a sphygmomanometer or blood pressure machine:

 

Checking the blood pressure in BOTH arms could save your life: Big difference between the readings is an early sign of heart disease.  Checking both arms could give warning of heart attack and stroke risk.  People with a difference of 10 points are 38% more likely to have one.

 

A big difference suggests the arteries in one arm are clogged.   In this case, it is likely arteries in the heart and brain are also semi-blocked.

 

Taking the blood pressure of both arms rather than just one could help doctors spot hidden heart disease.

 

A study found that when there was a big difference between the two readings, seemingly healthy people were 38 per cent more likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke or other potentially deadly cardiovascular problem.

 

This suggests that something as inexpensive, quick and simple as taking an extra blood pressure reading could give patients valuable early warning of problems. They could then make changes to their lifestyle to improve their heart health.

 

High blood pressure trebles the risk of heart attacks and strokes, can damage the kidneys and eyes, and is becoming increasingly linked to dementia.

 

However, the symptoms often go unnoticed until it is too late.

 

Researchers at Harvard Medical School in the US took blood pressure readings from both arms of nearly 3,400 outwardly healthy men and women aged 40-plus.

 

Small differences in readings between the right and left arms are normal. In the study, systolic pressure, the higher of the two figures in a blood pressure reading, varied on average by about five points.

But in 10 per cent of patients, there was a difference of ten points or more between arms. These men and women were 38 per cent more likely to have a heart attack, including a fatal one, stroke or related problem during the next 13 years.

 

It is thought that if there is a big difference between the two readings, the artery supplying the arm with the higher reading is likely to be blocked.

 

If you do not have access to a blood pressure measuring device, mention this easy test to your M.D. at your next visit or I will be happy to perform it for you.  This is a quick non invasive test that will provide very important information on the health of your cardio system.  According to the researchers, it revealed heart disease much earlier than any comparable methods.

 

Next week's topic will be Veggie Extracts Improve Skin and Halt Aging!

 

 

Join our weekly health blog for FREE Natural Health tips!

 

Interested in saving a TON on awesome, professional products with FREE shipping and Volume discounts??? Then:

 

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for the best prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs!

 

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Dietitian

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

 

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

Share the HEALTH!

FREE Shipping and Save 10-20% on over 500 TOP Professional Products

Like US? Join us on FB!

We LOVE to Tweet! Join us on Twitter!

Visit our Natural Health Library for many GREAT Articles!

Don't Miss a thing! Subscribe now to get our new articles via email.

Send this article to a friend!