For Anyone Fighting Against Heart Disease, You Need to Know This First
Hypertension can be treated with different medications like diuretics to rid the body of salt and water, reducing pressure in the blood vessels. Sometimes, an ACE Inhibitor is also prescribed with a diuretic to block a particular enzyme in the body from constricting your blood vessels. Unfortunately, a side effect common with ACE Inhibitors is angioedema, or the swelling of bodily tissue. If this side effect impacts throat tissue, it becomes incredibly dangerous since it can block your airway (4).
Before hypertension becomes serious enough to require medication, there are natural steps you can take to lower it. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends following the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which encourages eating foods low in saturated and trans fats. Frequent exercise and low-sodium foods are also beneficial (5).
As you work to lower your high blood pressure, track your progress by entering your numbers into the American Heart Association’s blood pressure reader.
High Cholesterol – To bust apart any myths you might have heard, cholesterol is not inherently bad. Your body produces cholesterol to add structural integrity to cell membranes, to produce hormones, and to aid in bile production and food digestion. There are two types of cholesterol in our bodies. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are considered the “bad” cholesterol in the heart disease world, and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) promote heart health by reducing the amount of built up cholesterol in the blood.
Too much cholesterol, however, can build up in your arteries and cause a type of heart disease known as atherosclerosis. This condition reduces the amount of blood flow moving throughout your body, and a complete blockage can cause a heart attack (6). Typically, a doctor will prescribe statins to patients suffering from high cholesterol. However, when a patient suffers from atherosclerosis, blood thinners may need to be prescribed to prevent any blood clots from forming or to clear the arteries of plaque. Statins have been known to cause patient side effects like memory issues, muscle and liver damage, and an increased risk of diabetes (7). Blood thinners also come with potential side effects that include severe internal bleeding and even death. For example, thousands of Xarelto lawsuits have been filed by patients and families who suffered severe complications from the FDA-approved blood thinner that lacks an antidote.
