Thursday, June 25, 2009

Natural Cardiovascular Disease Treatment Options

By Lee Jacobs

Cardiovascular disease affects all parts of the cardio system, including the blood vessels and heart. You're more likely to get it if you live a risky lifestyle or you have a genetic tendency toward heart problems. The good news is that by changing your lifestyle, you can reduce your chances of having cardiovascular disease related symptoms, and even reverse some of the damage, even if you already have this disease.

Some of the symptoms of cardiovascular disease include shortness of breath, numbness and tingling on one side of the body, trouble walking and maintaining balance, arm discomfort, difficulty seeing, chest pain, headaches out of nowhere, paleness, fainting, and dizziness. The areas of life most thought to effect the symptoms of cardiovascular disease are diet and exercise. The same two aspects of living can also prevent you from developing this type of disease.

Oxidative stress and the presence of free radicals have been known to have an effect on how bad your cardiovascular disease symptoms get, as well as their development in general. One really effective natural treatment for this problem would be simply cutting down on or eliminating your consumption of processed foods. Avoid meats produced with hormone treatment or steroids as well, since they've been linked with a contribution to disease.

Choose a diet rich in antioxidants to help reduce the symptoms of and help heal cardiovascular disease. These foods include raw or lightly cooked broccoli, bell peppers, tomatoes squash, oranges, grapefruit, apples, carrots, many berries, brussel sprouts, plums, peaches, grapes and moderate consumption of dark chocolate. These aren't the only options, either - there are plenty of others.

Try to avoid foods with a high sodium content, since they're major contributors to high blood pressure, which can worsen the symptoms of cardiovascular disease. Too much salt means that many cardio patients have a higher risk for hear attacks. High sugar foods also have unpleasant overall health effects.

One of the best natural treatments for cardiovascular disease is exercise. Aerobic exercise of any kind has been linked to a decrease in blood pressure for those who suffer from this disease. However, if you are going to exercise, you need to do it on most days of the week for no less than 30 minutes at a time for best results. You will be able to breathe better, develop more strength, and experience an overall decrease in cardiovascular disease symptoms.

Another natural treatment for cardiovascular disease that has been proven to work is the consumption of garlic. Garlic helps to lower cholesterol levels, platelet adhesion, and atherosclerosis. Consumption of hawthorn berries have been known to strengthen contractions of the heart muscle and produce more effective coronary artery blood flow. You might also want to consider taking a daily Vitamin B Complex supplement in order to increase energy metabolism, and a CoQ10 supplement to help lower blood pressure as well as support the overall health of the heart.

There are lots of natural treatments out there that could help you in dealing with cardiovascular disease. Prescription medications can be helpful, but they shouldn't be your first choice, since they come with a variety of side effects and problems. Talk to your doctor about natural ways to help with your cardiovascular disease and make sure you get in the best condition possible.

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