​​Reducing risk and improving heart function naturally.​
Cardiovascular Disease
Creating balance. Restoring function.​​
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Heart health is effected by the body's inflammation, metabolism, and lifestyle status. The functional medicine approach addresses the root-cause of your symptoms to improve heart health and improve your long-term quality of life
What is it?
Gaining insight into your condition
Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death worldwide and encompasses various conditions that affect the heart, brain, and circulatory system. This includes artery disease, arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats), atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in arteries), heart failure, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.
Cardiovascular disease symptoms
In the United States the most common types of cardiovascular diseases and their associated symptoms include:
High blood pressure
Also known as hypertension, includes symptoms such as mild headaches, a flushed face, shortness of breath, nose bleeds, and visible blood vessels in the white parts of the eye.
Heart attack
the medical term, myocardial infarction (MI), occurs when the heart is starved of blood, due to a blocked artery, and is an emergency requiring urgent medical attention. Symptoms of MI include chest pain or discomfort, neck or upper back pain, or arms, nausea or vomiting, indigestion, upper body discomfort, dizziness, shortness of breath and extreme fatigue.​
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Congestive heart failure (CHF)
CHF occurs when the heart muscles become so weak they cannot pump enough blood to to the body's cells. Symptoms of CHF include shortness of breath, swelling of the feet, ankles and legs, neck veins or abdomen, leg cramps, and fatigue. Heart failure can lead to cardiac arrest, with a person showing sudden loss of responsiveness and no normal breathing.
Atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is an abnormal heart rhythym, and if unmedicated, can pose a potentially lead to a stroke. Symptoms of A-Fib include heart palpitations or the sense of the heart racing, shortness of breath, dizziness, feeling weak or fatigued, and chest pain.
Stroke
A stroke refers to blood clot that breaks away and blocks vessels of the brain. The acronym F.A.S.T. represents the signs of a stroke:
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F – Face drooping
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A – Arm weakness, or numb
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S – Speech difficulty
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T – Time to call 911 ​
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Peripheral artery disease
This occurs when the narrowing of the arteries restricts blood flow to parts of the body other than the brain or heart. Therefore, symptoms include cskin cold to the touch, numbness or cramps in the legs or feet, color changes on the legs, and sores on the legs or feet that fail to heal.
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis, the most common cause of all of cardiovascular disease, results from a build-up of plaques on artery walls, combined with the hardening of the arteries themselves. Typically individuals with mild atherosclerosis will have no symptoms. Symptoms usually don't arise until the arteries blocked substantially. Those symptoms then include chest pain, numbness, cramping or weakness in arms or legs, and high blood pressure. Untreated atherosclerosis can lead to a stroke.
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What causes cardiovascular disease?
Atherosclerosis is the main contributor to cardiovascular diseases and can develop over decades, sometimes beginning in childhood for certain individuals. It is typically characterized by the gradual accumulation of fatty deposits, cholesterol, cellular debris, fibrin (a blood clotting factor), calcium, and other substances that form plaque. As this plaque increases, it thickens the blood vessel walls, narrowing the vessel's interior and diminishing blood flow, well as the distribution of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, affecting smaller vessels in areas like the fingers, toes, kidneys, heart, brain, eyes, and other organs.
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The plaque formed within the vessels can be dangerous if pieces break off and block smaller vessels, while plaque in narrowed arteries can lead to blood clots, which can obstruct blood supply. A blocked artery to the heart results in a heart attack, whereas a blockage to the brain leads to a stroke, and when arteries in the extremities, like the legs, are obstructed, it can cause tissue death.
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Functional medicine for cardiovascular disease
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The functional medicine approach to cardiovascular disease is holistic, supportive, and rooted in scientific evidence. Our investigation begins with a 1-hour comprehensive interview to identify the underlying causes and contributing factors of cardiovascular issues. Since cardiovascular disease can take years to develop it often arises from lifestyle, dietary choices, and health history, potentially influenced by genetic factors.
Functional testing can help prioritize treatment strategies, including:
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Blood analysis for cardiovascular markers
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Assessment of blood sugar regulation
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Organic acids for insights into cellular metabolism.
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Gut function evaluations
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Monitoring heart rate variability.
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Metabolomic studies to identify specific metabolic markers that indicate cardiovascular disease risk.
Genetics, ethnicity, gender, and hormonal changes can contribute to the of cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. However, key risk factors such as poor diet, obesity lack of physical activity, smoking, and excessive alcohol intake significantly increase the likelihood of developing high blood pressure, cholesterol, insulin resistance, and chronic systemic inflammation associated with these diseases.
Fortunately, for those seeking natural treatment options for cardiovascular disease, functional medicine offers a promising approach to enhance your health and lower your risk of cardiovascular events, regardless of your current health condition. By targeting the root causes of dysfunction, our functional medicine practitioners have successfully helped many individuals improve their cardiovascular health.​
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We will create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your individual health and lifestyle, aiming to optimize your overall well-being.
Ready for a personalized, natural functional medicine treatment?
Our unique model of care was designed with you in mind. Find out how, then book a call today.
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