Atherosclerosis, the health-related name for heart disease is the # 1 killer among North Americans. But what is heart disease? Well, sclerosis indicates “hardening” and athero describes the type of substance that clogs and hardens arteries. In time, our risk factors gradually rise but certain risk factors are important in identifying if we’re possible prospects and they include our Age group, blood pressure, total cholesterol levels and good (HDL) cholesterol amounts.

Warning Indicators:

High total cholesterol
Increased amounts of cholesterol in the blood can contribute to atherosclerosis, which is the slow accumulation of fat, cholesterol and other particles along the sides of your arteries. It’s named plaque and it can accumulate enough to constrict and stiffen the artery. If the plaque is bad enough, it can restrict blood flow past the blockage. Parts can also break off and cause a heart attack or stroke. An acceptable cholesterol level is 170 mg/dL or lower.

Low HDL “good” cholesterol
High density lipoproteins (HDL) absorb cholesterol and recycle it back to the liver for disposal. A normal, healthy HDL level is over 60 mg/dL. HDL cholesterol increases with workouts. We require daily exercise to enhance our HDL and minimize our risk of heart disease.

High blood Pressure
Blood pressure is read as two numbers. The higher number, called the systolic pressure, is the pressure in the arteries when your heart beats . The other number, called the diastolic pressure, stands for the pressure when the heart is at rest.

A healthy systolic number is 115. If your arteries are stiff, inflexible, inflamed or too narrow, your heart will have to work harder and this will create a higher systolic measure.

A normal diastolic measure is 75 or lower. When the diastolic number is increased it can mean that your lungs, kidneys and liver are not properly detoxifying your body.

High blood pressure, along with high cholesterol numbers and low HDL levels should be viewed as warning signals from our body. Heightened homocysteine sounds a louder alarm and excessive C-Reactive protein levels should never be ignored .

In addition to exercise, products like MAXONE which help the heart by supporting our glutathione production, ProArgi 9 Plus which acts as a Nitric Oxide Precursor and Herbal supplements like R-Gardens Heart Blend will all help you support your good health.