History of Heart Disease to Modern Day

Heart disease was first discovered in ancient Egypt when they dug up mummified bodies. They have done CT scans in the arteries, and have found atherosclerosis. The Egyptians ate a lot of grains, which could of contributed. Also, the same thing has been described in ancient Arabia.

What is the Heart Actually, and What Does it Do?

The heart is made up of cardiac muscle, which is striated and involuntary. The heart vortexes and energizes the blood for the body by contracting. Contrary to popular belief, the heart actually stops the flow of blood in order to maintain balance. Speed of blood flow is based on the energy demand of tissues. Blood flows on its own. The heart does do a little pumping, but it’s really to circulate blood through the heart, not the whole body.

The Truth About Cholesterol

Cholesterol is one of the most widely misunderstood molecules that exists. Based on biased research back in the 20th century. The main argument is that cholesterol is bad because it clogs arteries, but there’s no context. Today you will discover the benefits, and physiology of cholesterol. First, we need to talk about why we have it in the first place. The benefits include needed to build our cell membranes, used to build sex hormones, converting UVB from sunlight into vitamin D, structural fat for the brain, and supporting myelin for nerves. About 90% of our cholesterol is made it the liver independent of diet. Why would we naturally make 90% of cholesterol? This is because it’s very important. When experts say that cholesterol is bad, they bring up HDL, and LDL. This stands for high density lipoprotein, and low density lipoprotein. Is the word cholesterol in there? No, because those are carrier proteins, not Cholesterol. So, cholesterol is not bad itself, but when it gets caught up in the wrong places via certain carrier proteins it can be problematic. Here is the turn, they say that LDL is bad, and HDL is good, but this isn’t the full story. LDL only becomes problematic in the presence of high inflammation, and high blood glucose. When this happens, LDL is converted into VLDL, or very low dense lipoprotein. This is a very small molecule that make it more likely that cholesterol will get caught up in the wrong places, like the heart. So, what’s more important to focus on is the LDL-HDL ratio, which should be about 2-1, or 3-1. Also keeping inflammation, and blood glucose in check will prevent VLDL. You can easily keep those factors in check with proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise.

The Problem With Statins

This class of drugs is multi-billion dollar a year industry. Statins have their place, but are way over prescribed. As you’ll see, they have a multitude of side effects that ultimately increase your risk of heart disease. You don’t have heart disease because your deficient in a statin. Statins inhibit the formation of cholesterol by inhibiting an enzyme for the conversion process. The thinking goes that high cholesterol causes heart disease, but 50% of people with heart disease have normal cholesterol levels. Inhibiting cholesterol can cause many problems. People who take statins experience a 30% increase in insulin resistance, which is not good because poor glycemic variability is an important indicator of heart disease. Statins also significantly deplete CoQ10 levels, which is a critical heart nutrient.

How to Improve Heart Health

Magnesium-

Magnesium is a critical mineral. It is responsible for over 650 biochemical processes in our body. This means that there is over 650 things our body can’t do, or can’t do properly. Magnesium benefits cardiovascular health because it increases prostacyclin and nitric oxide, which are both vasodilators. It helps to relax the endothelial layer of the arteries, so blood can flow freely, which lowers blood pressure. The heart also may be the most concentrated place for magnesium. The problem is that the soil is very depleted, so the food that we get is much more deficient in magnesium than it once was. We also live in a stressed world, which depletes magnesium rapidly because it’s very important for managing stress. In the U.S, 80% of the population is deficient in magnesium. Because magnesium is low in food, and most people are deficient, it’s a good idea to supplement.

Stress reduction-

Managing stress is critical for heart health. We know that stress increases blood pressure and blood sugar. Both of these things increases the risk of heart disease. Adopting a practice like meditation can be very beneficial.Think of meditation as brain training. Being able to stay focused throughout the day in a world of distractions is invaluable. Meditation can reduce cortisol, which is your bodies main stress hormone. There are many different forms of mediation, but the most common type is mindfulness. Simply sit quietly where you won’t be disturbed, and observe your thoughts. Do not judge them, just notice them. Being aware of your thought can help you change them, and even still the mind.

Earthing-

Earthing is the practice of being connected to the earth. It involves being connected via the skin, usually the feet. Standing in conductive sources like grass, sand, water, snow, and asphalt can have a tremendous amount of health benefits. Up until recent times, our ancestors were connected the the earth 24/7. Now, we are pretty much disconnected from the earth 24/7. Humans are conductive beings because of our mineral content. This is why we can be shocked, and why doctors use EKGs (electrocardiogram) and EEGs (electroencephalogram), which measures the electric energy the heart and brain puts out. The earth itself is very conductive, and is brimming with free electrons. A free radical essentially is an unpaired electron, and for it to be neutralized, it needs a free electron. This is what the earth is brimming with, and because were both conductive, it’s been shown that we can absorb these free electrons through the earth. We always talk about getting antioxidants through food, yes do that, but that doesn’t compare to the actual source of where it comes from, the earth.Connecting to the earth has been proven to reduce inflammation, which is the basis for chronic disease. When we eliminate free radicals with the influx of free electrons, we also eliminate inflammation. Also, earthing has been shown to increase charge on RBCs, which reduces aggregation and clumping. In this study, study participants were grounded for 1 hour, and through infrared imaging, blood flow had increased through the torso, which leads to better blood flow to the brain and face as well.