Home Remedies for Heart Disease

Heart disease is still an epidemic that sweeps across the land taking many before their time.  1.5 million heart attacks and strokes occur each year in the United States. More than 800,000 people in the U.S. die each year from heart disease and 160,000 of these are people under the age of 65.

This is an unacceptable tragedy. While the medical establishment has its high tech drugs and procedures, these are essentially worthless in the long run.

We all deserve to know the truth. It doesn't matter that most people will not implement lifestyle strategies to prevent or greatly reduce the risk of having another heart attack. There are a few who are brave enough and want to live, and they deserve to know about all of their options.

Normally a medical science breakthrough isn't adopted until at least 20 years after it was discovered. If you or someone you know has heart disease, you don't have 20 years to wait. In heart disease, time is of the essence. So read ahead and learn about lifestyle measures that you can take to prevent and reverse heart disease.

The problems with stents and bypass surgery

Make no mistake, the heart disease business is booming. In 2001, heart disease cost the United States over 60 billion dollars! But the procedures are life-saving and prevent new heart attacks, right?

  Wrong! Angioplasty is a procedure to open blockages in the arteries, and 90% of the time a stent is also placed. Angioplasty has been used for 3 decades, but it has never been shown to save the lives of patients with heart disease. Why?

Because almost all heart attacks are caused by newer, more volatile plagues. Angioplasty only focuses on old, well- established plagues that rarely if ever cause heart attacks because the plague is strong and stable, and ignores the more unstable plagues. Also, 50% of arteries opened by angioplasty close back within 5 months.

Stents are used to try and prevent the artery from closing again, but this doesn't work either. 20 to 41% of stents fail because the immune system recognizes the metal stent as a foreign object. The body grows cells around the stent, creating growth that can eventually clog the stent. To add insult to injury, the stent offers no more increased survival over angioplasty without stent placement. [https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/sept/angio.htm].

Bypass surgery is performed to bypass a diseased artery. A vein is usually taken out of the patient's leg and used to bypass the diseased artery, thus re-establishing proper blood flow. Any major surgery has risks, and bypass is no exception.

A study showed 5% of patients that underwent bypass surgery died within 30 days. The same study showed that for some patients using medication alone produced similar survival rates to using surgery and medication. In the study, 41% of the patients on the drugs alone died during the follow-up period of 5 years. The medication and surgery group had a mortality rate of 36%. [https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/221380.php].

A study out of Denmark showed that for the first 8 – 10 years after bypass surgery, the patients have about the same survival rate as the general population. But after the 8 – to 10-year mark, the patients who underwent bypass surgery had a 60 - 80 % increase in mortality rate. One of the reasons for this is that heart disease is a progressive disease, and if you don't stop doing the things that lead to heart disease, it will steadily progress. [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170607123935.htm]

And while bypass surgery can save lives during a heart attack, elective bypass surgery has no benefit. [https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/january/bypass.htm]. And then there are the side effects of bypass surgery. Side effects include heart attack or stroke, chest infection, irregular heartbeat, memory problems, lung or kidney failure, blood clots, blood loss, breathing difficulty, and pneumonia. [https://www.healthline.com/health/open-heart-surgery#risks].

  I am not trying to spread gloom and doom here. I just want to inform you of the power of natural healing, especially when it comes to the heart and circulatory system. The goal is to do all we can to avoid ever needing any of these procedures or to try and regain health after one of these procedures and prevent ever needing another one.

There are cultures of people in the world today that have little to no heart disease and will never need any of these medical interventions.  Read on to learn about the lifestyle measures that can greatly reduce or prevent you from ever developing heart disease, or reverse the disease that you already have.

Planted-based diet

Nathan Pritikin was one of the first pioneers to prove that heart disease could be reversed. Before Nathan, heart disease was believed to be an irreversible disease that continually progressed until the disease ultimately ended in death. And this theory is still true today if you don't stop doing the things that cause and worsen heart disease.

Nathan paid a visit to Dr. Morrison to have his cholesterol checked. Little did Nathan know, this decision would be life-changing. Nathan's cholesterol was over 300, but he still didn't want to give up his eggs, dairy, and whipped cream, at least not until his stress electrocardiogram. The test showed that Nathan already had severe coronary artery blockages that were causing coronary insufficiency, plainly translated as poor blood circulation to the heart and other parts of his body.

 Nathan was only 42 years old at this time. Nathan was given the standard prescription of that time: stop all exercise, stop walking upstairs, take it easy, and take daily afternoon naps. Through Nathan's research, he found that if one had total cholesterol of 160 or above, dangerous arterial plaques could form. His research also uncovered that cholesterol levels under 160 virtually eliminated any chance of plaque formation. So Nathan embarked on a health program that he designed himself to lower his cholesterol below 160.

Nathan became a vegetarian and started running three to four miles a day. In less than two years his cholesterol had dropped to 162. By 1960, about 4 years after his diagnosis, his cholesterol had fallen to 120. Nathan took another stress echocardiogram that showed his coronary insufficiency was gone. Nathan had successfully reversed his heart disease. Nathan went on to open a healing clinic and helped thousands of people recover from all types of diseases with the plant-based diet.

Recent research has shown time and again that a strict plant-based diet can halt and even reverse heart disease. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4315380/], [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10555529/], [http://www.dresselstyn.com/site/study01/], [http://www.dresselstyn.com/site/study02/].

Three medical doctors that have used the whole foods plant-based diet to help their patients reverse heart disease are Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Dean Ornish, and Dr. Joel Fuhrman. While there are many diets on the market today, it is only the plant-based diet that will give you the health improvements that you are looking for. Good long-term health is what we should all strive for, not just a quick weight loss plan.

In my herbal training, we were also taught the power of a plant-based diet to reverse disease. This knowledge only appears new, but it has been around for a long time. The paleolithic man survived on a mostly plant-based diet, not pounds of meat. Have you ever been hunting? It is not as easy as it looks. [https://www.newscientist.com/article/2115127-ancient-leftovers-show-the-real-paleo-diet-was-a-veggie-feast/]. And your mom was right when she told you to eat your veggies! In all seriousness, if you want to be as healthy as possible and significantly reduce your risk of heart disease, a plant-based diet must be your foundation.

If you are reading this thinking that a plant-based diet sounds like you can never eat tasty food again, stop listening to your mind's attempt at sabotaging you. The plant-based diet is a wonderfully healthy and delicious way of eating. The plant-based movement is growing daily, and with this, there are hundreds of plant-based cookbooks that contain delicious recipes that will make you wonder what took you so long in going plant-based. So the first step in the battle against heart disease is the plant-based diet.

 The rest of the article is going to look at herbs and supplements, exercise, stress relief, etc. But always remember, the plant-based diet is the foundation, holistic health looks at the picture as a whole. If you try to pick and choose what protocols to help you avoid or reverse heart disease but leave out the diet, your results will reflect this by being moderate to poor. Remember you are what you eat, your daily diet plays the biggest role of what state your health is in.

Strength Training and Heart Disease

  Strength training is a very important mode of exercise. Some of the benefits of strength training are increased bone strength, reduced injury risk, improves insulin sensitivity, increases metabolism, reduces cancer risk, improves mental health, decreases abdominal fat, improves mobility, etc.

  But for this article, the focus is on strength training's effect on heart health. In the past a lot of doctors and other experts believed that strength training had no benefit, some even thought it was bad for your health.  Traditionally aerobic exercise was considered the only form of exercise that benefited the heart, but times have changed. Now strength training is even implemented in cardiac rehab programs.

Cardiovascular Exercise

 Cardiovascular exercise is any type of exercise that requires you to move your body in a continuous motion to elevate the heart rate and keep it there during the exercise session.  This can be walking, jogging, running, stair climbing, cycling, step aerobics, swimming, etc.

  Regular cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart, lowers the resting heart rate, helps prevent hardening of the arteries, burns body fat, helps the body regulate blood sugar, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides,  lowers blood sugar, lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, improves balance, and stamina, helps alleviate anxiety and depression.

Hawthorn

 Whether you have cardiovascular disease or not, hawthorn should be part of your regimen.  This herb can work wonders with any kind of heart disease. Hawthorn is food for the heart. Hawthorn is used for high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and palpitations. Hawthorn strengthens the heart and can improve exercise tolerance in people with heart failure.

But the most amazing thing I have seen with hawthorn so far is with my dad's dog. The dog is a Chihuahua and about a year ago he started having spells where he would fall on the ground and whimper like he was in pain. After about a minute or two, he would get up and be fine. This happened off and on for about 6 months until my dad took him to a vet.

The vet found that the dog's heart was failing, he would fall because his heart wasn't pumping enough blood and oxygen, the vet said that the bottom of his heart wasn't functioning at all. All the vet had to offer was a pharmaceutical that had the side effect of sudden cardiac death, the dog didn't need any help there, he was well on his way to dying from heart failure.

So I made a mix for him. On top of hawthorn, I added cayenne and motherwort to the mix. I instructed my dad to give it to the dog twice a day. Within a week the dog was doing better, his spells were already becoming less and less. It has been 3 months now since the dog started the herbal protocol. Not only does the dog no longer suffer from falling down, but the dog also has increased energy. The dog can now run and play like nothing was ever wrong with his heart! His heart is now strong and healthy, and it is all because of the wonderful herbs that God has blessed the world with. Here is a great hawthorn syrup, https://amzn.to/2v4r5eW

 Cayenne Pepper

 Cayenne is known as the master herb, and for good reason. Anytime you add cayenne to an herbal formula, the herbs work more effectively and get into the bloodstream faster. This is because cayenne immediately increases circulation. Cayenne is a godsend for heart disease.

 Cayenne pepper also helps lower blood sugar, and since heart disease is the number one killer of Americans and diabetics, everyone should be eating cayenne peppers. Cayenne can be taken in the form of a tincture or capsule. The active ingredient capsaicin is found in higher levels the hotter the pepper is. I like to use peppers of at least 100,000 H.U. when I make tinctures. A cayenne tincture is the easiest way to get cayenne into your diet, but don't be afraid to add peppers of every variety to your food. Click for a great cayenne tincture, https://amzn.to/2IvNzbW

Motherwort

  Motherwort is an excellent herb if you have heart disease that is causing heart rhythm problems. Motherwort is one of the best herbs to help correct the heart's rhythm. Some herbalists also state that motherwort helps the body grow new blood vessels. The body also can give itself a natural bypass.  Of course, you need to be living a healthy lifestyle to help your body in these endeavors. Motherwort also helps improve circulation, which is of paramount importance in heart disease. One of the best combinations for heart disease is cayenne, hawthorn, and motherwort. One of the best formulas on the market is Dr. Schulze's Heart Formula.

Garlic

Garlic possesses many medicinal qualities that are tailor-made for heart disease. Garlic is a potent blood thinner. Garlic helps lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Garlic also helps reverse plaque in diseased arteries.

Garlic also has potent blood pressure-lowering properties. Studies show that regular ingestion of garlic can lower blood pressure up to 11 points systolic and 6 points diastolic. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26764326]. Consistent ingestion of garlic can also stave off arterial stiffness and protect endothelial function. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23933870]. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9355906].

Regular consumption of garlic can also help you control your blood sugar. Healthy blood sugar keeps your cardiovascular system healthy.[ https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/136/3/800S/4664365]. Remember raw garlic has the highest amount of allicin, the second best would be a high-quality aged extract of garlic. As you can see, garlic has an amazing potential to help keep your cardiovascular system healthy. Now imagine if you combined regular consumption of garlic with a plant-based diet. Go here for an excellent garlic supplement, https://amzn.to/2PZdMUg

Ginger

Ginger is one of the most potent and medicinally useful herbs known to man. And when it comes to heart health, ginger is a big player. Ginger is a potent blood thinner and lowers the risk of developing blood clots. Ginger is also a powerful circulation enhancer that can lower high blood pressure. Ginger also has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

A 2017 cross-sectional study set out to determine if daily ginger consumption could help prevent chronic diseases, two of the diseases were hypertension and coronary heart disease. The study found that daily consumption of ginger decreased the risk of hypertension and coronary heart disease, and it seems the more you consume the more protection that you are likely to receive. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28336112].

One possible outcome of heart disease is stroke. While the severity of stroke is variable, strokes that cause significant damage can be difficult to fully recover from. The good news is that ginger shows promise in stroke recovery as well as stroke prevention. A study with rats found that ginger can help prevent stroke. Ginger exhibits powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant abilities.

It is well known that oxidative stress and inflammation are closely related to poor blood flow, or what the scientific community calls ischemic injury. You have probably heard the term ischemic stroke. This is when the blood flow to the brain becomes blocked by a clot, the longer the circulation to the brain is blocked, the risk of major damage increases. The study found that ginger could lower the inflammation and oxidation in the rat's brains, protecting the brain from injury. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27346834]. In 2006, a study using 82 adults suffering from stroke-induced brain damage that caused urinary incontinence, found that heat therapy using ginger and salt improved incontinence. [https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/4/10/e006326.full.pdf]. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17036477].

 So ginger shows great promise for heart disease prevention and treatment, but ginger cookies aren't going to cut it. The best way to consume ginger is by eating the fresh root, making a tea from the root, ginger capsules, ginger tincture, and ginger shots made with your juicer. You do have a juice, don't you? If you don't, you need one, juicing is a powerful health practice. And if your budget is small, you can find juicers now for as little as 60 dollars, so what are you waiting for?

Turmeric

The popular yellow spice Turmeric is commonly used in Indian cuisine. But what does a cooking spice have to do with heart disease? As it turns out, turmeric can help prevent and treat heart disease. For example, one study set out to determine if curcumin[ the active ingredient in turmeric] could improve endothelial function. The study used 3 groups of postmenopausal women. A control group, exercise group, and curcumin group. It turns out that consuming curcumin improves endothelial function on par with exercise! [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23146777].

Another property of turmeric is the ability to lower blood pressure. Turmeric lowers blood pressure through vasodilation of the arteries, the herb also possesses blood-thinning properties. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19481144]. Ingesting turmeric regularly is a good idea for almost anyone. Turmeric can be taken in capsules, tinctures, teas, golden milk, or added to food. Click link for an excellent turmeric formula, https://amzn.to/2IEq6oR

Flaxseed

The humble flaxseed is often overlooked, but this is a huge mistake if you are interested in receiving powerful health benefits, especially when it comes to the health of your circulatory system. Here are a few of the findings of increased ALA consumption[ omega 3 fat found in flax] and heart health.

A higher intake of ALA lowers the risk of fatal heart attacks. Diets rich in  ALA lowered the risk of sudden cardiac death by 40%. A diet high in ALA lowers the risk of plaque build-up in the coronary arteries. A higher intake of ALA lowers the risk of developing coronary artery disease by 40%. A 1% increase of ALA in the diet reduces the risk of nonfatal CAD by 40%. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989356/]. These are impressive results, but flaxseed's benefits don't stop there.

A study on flaxseed and hypertension concluded that flaxseed induced one of the most potent antihypertensive effects achieved by a dietary intervention. Participants in the study received 30g of milled flaxseed a day for 6 months.[ The study was double-blinded and placebo-controlled.] At the end of the study, the flaxseed group had a 10 point reduction in systolic blood pressure and a 7 point reduction in diastolic blood pressure. That is a better reduction than most blood pressure drugs produce and with no side effects. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24126178].

 And if all of these amazing benefits aren't enough to get you to consume flaxseed, another study showed that regular consumption of flax can give you a 40% reduction in arterial plaque formation. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23585134]. Before you start your flaxseed regimen there is one very important tip that you need to know. Flaxseed must be milled so your body can absorb it. You can use a coffee bean grinder or a nutribullet with the milling blade. Once milled, you can throw it in smoothies, on top of your oatmeal, in a salad dressing, etc. Get creative and reap the many heart health benefits of flaxseed!

Blueberries

Who doesn't love the amazing taste of perfectly ripened blueberries? Blueberries provide an amazing profile of medicinal qualities. Since we are focusing on heart health, the focus will be on those medicinal properties.

The researchers found that the anthocyanins in blueberries were largely responsible for the health improvements, so the researchers also used a drink containing "Purified anthocyanins, and received similar health benefits, but not as good as eating the real blueberries. Remember isolated chemicals will never give us the health benefits and safety profile of the whole herb, or in this case the whole blueberry. Man will never be able to do better than nature.

Another study found that blueberries decrease cardiovascular risk factors in obese men and women with metabolic syndrome. The study had 48 participants that were given a freeze-dried blueberry beverage that was equivalent to 350 g of fresh blueberries a day. The control group received an equivalent amount of water a day. The study lasted  8 weeks, the participants in the blueberry group experienced lower blood pressures and a reduction in LDL cholesterol oxidation. Oxidized LDL cholesterol moves rapidly into the arterial walls and causes build-up. Anything that can reduce or prevent this oxidation can protect you from developing heart disease.[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20660279]

And finally, there is some evidence that eating foods high in anthocyanins can reduce the risk of heart attack by 32%. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23319811]. So if you were not aware that blueberries were good for you, you are now! So go enjoy some wonderful blueberries, they are low in calories and high in nutrients, the key to health and longevity.

Linus Pauling Protocol

Linus Pauling was considered the greatest chemist of the 20th century, and arguably ever. He was a notable genius who one day became very interested in heart disease. He wanted to figure out why heart disease develops and how to prevent it. All of his research led to three common nutrients, vitamin c, lysine, and proline.

  He observed that humans are one of only several animals that develop atherosclerosis. The guinea pig, other primates, and the Indian fruit-eating bat are the other animals prone to heart disease. One simple vitamin was the answer to why these creatures are prone to heart disease. For some unknown reason, these creatures cannot manufacture vitamin C endogenously. This means that we have to get vitamin c from outside sources, our diets. So what does vitamin c have to do with the development of heart disease?

The body has to have a constant supply of vitamin c to produce collagen. Collagen is found in the bones, muscles, tendons, and skin, it gives them strength and structure. So what do you think happens to our arteries without sufficient vitamin c? The arteries become prone to deterioration and the formation of arterial plaque caused by chronic heart disease. Pauling found a simple and effective solution to stop the deterioration of the arteries and plaque development. Supplement the diet with vitamin c, proline, and lysine.

Here is a quick breakdown of how these simple nutrients work to stop the further progression of heart disease. When the body is given enough vitamin c, it maintains the integrity of the arteries and stops the constant deterioration. The amino acids lysine and proline, fill the lysine and proline binding site receptors on the surfaces of Lp[a] molecules, neutralize their stickiness, and prevent them from contributing to further plaque buildup.  These two amino acids also release Lp[a] molecules from their anchor sites within the plaque, this causes the arterial plaque to dissolve over time.[ Lp[a] is a lipoprotein whose job is to combine with and transport fat and other lipids in the blood plasma].

So how effective is this protocol on its own? A study done by Dr. Willis found that 60% of the participants had a reversal or improvement in arterial plaque. The study only used vitamin c, 500 mg, three times a day. Pauling's suggested protocol for reversal was 10 - 18 gm daily of vitamin c, 5-6 gm of lysine, and 2 gm of daily proline. So while I would never recommend relying solely on this protocol, it is safe and effective. You have nothing to lose except the small cost of the supplements.

Conclusion

  While heart disease was once thought to be a disease that continues to progress no matter what, the new findings show that this doesn't have to be the case. If you are willing to make the necessary lifestyle changes, you can drastically reduce your chances of ever developing the disease. And if you already have heart disease, you can halt or even reverse it. This is wonderful news, because who doesn't want to live longer and healthier lives, free of disease? Just think of what you can do with all of your extra disease-free years!