Statistics are a clear indicator that we all need to take better care of our hearts. About one third of heart attack victims experience no warning. Know your risk factors and adjust your lifestyle to include proper diet (which includes plenty of heart healthy nutrients), exercise and stress reduction.

Risk factors may include:

• family history of heart disease
• smoking
• drug abuse
• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol and/or triglycerides
• sedentary lifestyle
• excessive stress

* Every hour over 100 people die from heart disease and strokes in the United States.

* According to the American Heart Association over 57,000,000 Americans have cardiovascular disease - it claims one million lives per year.

Heart attack warning signs:
1. Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of chest lasting for more than a few minutes.
2. Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms.
3. Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea, or shortness of breath.
4. Unusual fatigue - days or weeks before an attack
5. Constant heart burn that lasts for days.

Stroke warning signs:
1. Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg on one side of the body.
2. Sudden dimness or loss of vision, particularly in one eye.
3. Loss of speech, or trouble talking or understanding speech.
4. Sudden, severe headaches with no apparent cause.
5. Unexplained dizziness, unsteadiness or sudden falls, especially along with any of the previous symptoms.

Not all of these signs occur in every attack. If you notice one or more of these signs, do not wait. Get medical help right away - even one hour makes a difference.

SURVIVING A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE
When having a heart attack, you may have only about 10 seconds until you lose consciousness. Cough as hard as possible and repeat coughing. Take deep breaths before each cough. Do this about every two seconds until you can get help. This will help oxygen to get into the lungs and also keeps blood moving by squeezing the heart.

B VITAMINS and YOUR HEART --
New data from "Nurses’ Health Survey" indicate that women who consume high amounts of foods rich in vitamin B-9 (folic acid) and B-6 have a 50% lower risk of developing heart disease. Folic acid is found in green leafy vegetables, oranges, lentils, while B-6 is found in bananas, potatoes, and garbanzo beans. These two B vitamins are believed to keep an amino acid called homocysteine from building up in the blood. Homocysteine is a breakdown product of animal protein that is strongly implicated in atherosclerosis.

In an article from Reuters Health, New York, they reported that the FDA OK'ed Limited Heart Disease Claim For B Vitamins as follows:
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said late on Tuesday that foods and dietary supplements containing vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid will be permitted to carry a claim that the vitamins may reduce the risk of heart disease. However, the claim must note that the scientific evidence is not conclusive, the agency said. The FDA said that an acceptable claim would run along the lines of: "Studies in the general population have generally found that these vitamins lower homocysteine, an amino acid found in the blood. It is not known whether elevated levels of homocysteine may cause vascular disease or whether high homocysteine levels are caused by other factors."

SOY
Although there has been a lot of research regarding soy and how it fits into total health-and there is a lot still to learn. Sometimes we don't know why certain foods are good for us until years later. We now know that to obtain the beneficial effects of soy protein, that you must consume it on a regular basis and in sufficient quantity. You should eat at least twenty-five grams of soy protein per day. However, when you think about it, twenty-five grams is less that one ounce. Actually, the Food and Drug Administration has approved labels on products that contain soy protein to state: "Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease."
More on this report - CLICK HERE

FIBER
More on FIBER - Click Here

Coenzyme Q-10
More on COq10

Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids and Your HEART --
Essential Fatty acids must come from diet and are vital for overall health. The two basic fatty acids are Omega 3 and Omega 6. They are essential in the rebuilding and making of new cells. They help to regulate many body functions and cardiovascular health is a major recipent of proper amounts of essential fatty acids.

Omega-3 oils are found in supplements, fatty fish like salmon, fish oils, soy, wheatgerm, flaxseed oil, walnut oil and leafy green veggies. While these things are excellent sources, remember that heating (or cooking) destroys the benefical effects and also creates dangerous free radicals. When oils are hydrogenated (this is what makes them solid like in margarine), the oils are converted into trans-fatty acids. Trans-fatty acids are the things we want to avoid!

In an article, Essential Fatty Acids Lower Risk of Heart Disease By Darin Ingels, ND, Healthnotes Newswire (March 21, 2002), "Dietary and supplemental intake of omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of heart attack or sudden death, according to a study published in the American Journal of Medicine."

High homocysteine levels are considered a major risk factor for heart attacks. In a year-long double-blind, randomized clinical study, investigators followed 19 cardiac patients. Nine were given regular dosages of Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract while 10 were given a placebo. At the end of the study, patients taking Kyolic had significantly less coronary plaque formation than did those in the placebo group, researchers said. Also, they tended to have lower blood homocysteine levels, they added.

GARLIC
Article titled, "Garlic Reduces Free Radical Damage", Healthnotes Newswire (February 7, 2002)- By Darin Ingels, ND: "Smoking and nonsmoking adults who take a supplement containing aged garlic may reduce free radical damage in the body, according to a new report in the Journal of Nutrition.1 Free radicals are highly reactive molecules, usually derived from oxygen, which can cause damage to many different tissues and organs. Elevated levels of free radicals have been associated with the development of several chronic diseases, including hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), heart disease, diabetes, liver disease, and cancer. Compounds that inhibit the formation of oxygen-derived free radicals are known as antioxidants. Like vitamin C and vitamin E, garlic appears to be a potent antioxidant that protects against free radical damage."

HOMOCYSTEINE
Homocysteine is a protein in your blood and a by-product of normal metabolism. It appears that a high level of homocysteine is a companion to artherosclerosis and other heart disease because it may well damage the walls of blood vessels. Some reports indicate that since vitamin B6, B12, and folic acid are used in the metabolic process that helps convert homocysteine into less toxic state, that having adequate intake of these nutrients may be associated with lower homocysteine levels. Researchers think that some heart attacks and strokes are likely related to high levels of homocysteine.

Another article on Homocysteine:
Preventing Heart Disease with Folic Acid-How Much Is Enough? By Steve Austin, ND, Healthnotes Newswire (March 15, 2001)
Many cardiologists and researchers believe that lowering homocysteine, a piece of protein manufactured within the body, will reduce the risk of heart disease. And while folic acid is the most important vitamin needed by the body to convert homocysteine into other substances, the optimal dose of folic acid has been unknown. But, according to the findings of a double-blind trial from England, published in the current issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, that optimal dosage is 800 micrograms of supplemental folic acid per day. The other nutrients required to convert homocysteine into harmless substances-vitamins B6 and B12-were not used in the current trial. The effects might well have been greater if they had been. Until the publication of this report, evidence suggested that the optimal amount was at or below 1,000 mcg per day.

Here's a good site for searching various articles on heart and other health issues
http://www.nutrinus.com/search.htm - CLICK HERE

WATER and YOUR HEART --
Still not drinking the recommended eight glasses of water a day? Here's one more healthy reason to start. Staying hydrated may protect your heart and reduce the risk of heart attack. A new study shows people who drank more than five glasses of water each day were less likely to die from a heart attack than those who drank fewer than two glasses a day.

Researchers at Loma Linda University in California studied more than 20,000 healthy men and women aged 38 to 100 for six years. The study appears in the May 1 American Journal of Epidemiology. They found women who drank more than five glasses of water a day were 41% less likely to die from a heart attack during the study period than those who drank less than two glasses. The protective effect of water was even greater in men. Men who drank more water had a 54% lower risk of a fatal heart attack.

But not all liquids were equal. When researchers included the consumption of other liquids such as coffee, tea, juice, milk, and alcohol, the risk of heart attack increased. Women who drank large amounts of liquids other than water were more than twice as likely to die of a heart attack, and non-water drinking men had a 46% increase in risk.

Researchers say when people drink water it is absorbed quickly and easily into the bloodstream and thins the blood -- helping to prevent artery-clogging clots. But other liquids require digestion, which may require fluids to move from the blood into the gut -- creating a blood-thickening effect.

Even if you are drinking enough water, the purity of that water can be a deciding factor in how well you maintain or recover health. Consider installing your own filter system to avoid the many water contaminant issues that can pose a potential health risk.

Your health is a valuable asset! So, be kind to your heart and take good care of yourself!

Be Healthy!

The Culbreths

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Please note: the information contained herein has been compiled from various sources. The above statements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. We make no claims, either expressed or implied, that any treatments mentioned in this newsletter will cure disease, replace prescription medication, or supersede sound medical advice.

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