50 Ways to Heart Health After 50
Subscribe to our RSS feed
  1. Eat Paleo. Follow the wisdom of our ancestors who ate hunter-gatherer foods. They did not have heart attacks, strokes, or cancer. When looking to achieve the best of heart health, studies show that Paleo trumps the American Diabetes Association Diet and The Mediterranean Diet. We developed a Paleo shopping guide to help you with the healthiest of food choices. No matter what diet you follow, please make sure it is organic.
  2. Drink plenty of water. Sadly, most people are dehydrated, which makes the blood thick and sludge-like. Undoubtedly, this contributes to heart attack and stroke. A healthy gut leads to a healthy heart and healthy gut function is dependent on quality water intake. Mineral water is proven to lower blood pressure in hypertensives. Water can even improve the cholesterol profile. Water is how we detoxify by flushing toxins out through the kidneys. Try to avoid too much fluid around meals as digestive enzymes are easily diluted. Without these enzymes, nutrients are not absorbed and disease sets in.
  3. Sunshine for health. People who live closest to the equator get the most sun and have the lowest risk of heart disease. More sun means more vitamin D. High levels of D mean a lower risk of heart conditions and every other health ailment. I feel better when out in the sun. Don’t you? The energy from the sun provides the energy for life. Sunburn bad. Sunshine good. Our ancestors were in the sun just about every day. Avoid toxic sunscreens. Read labels. Use clothing for sun protection during prolonged exposure.
  4. Get sleep. This may be the most important way to stay healthy. Sleep is the time when our body repairs and recovers. Lack of sleep increases your risk of everything, including heart attacks and strokes. So many come into our office complaining of fatigue. The first question we ask is sleep duration. If you are not sleeping, of course, you will feel tired all day. The answer is not a pharmaceutical or even a supplement. The answer is sleep.
  5. Avoid plastic. The chemicals in plastic leach into liquids and food. They are linked to cancer, heart disease, and hormone disruption. Drink out of glass. Metal containers are another option, but again, we prefer glass. Life Factory makes an excellent bottle. Check them out.
  6. Stay active. Like our Paleo ancestors before us, walk, run, hike, and lift. High intensity, short duration is the best way. Long endurance exercise may INCREASE the risk of coronary disease and heart rhythm disorders.
  7. Stand. Sitting is said to be the new smoking. Definitely cliché, but please stop sitting. Stand while on the phone. Get a standing desk.
  8. Relax. Meditation has plenty of heart benefits including lower blood pressure. Take a few minutes to unplug. Five minutes in the morning and evening goes a long way.
  9. Do yoga and reap the health benefits. Yoga lowers blood pressure and reduces atrial fibrillation risk. My favorite is hot yoga, but find a style suitable to you.
  10. Build muscle. Increasing muscle mass burns calories and normalizes blood pressure. Push-ups, squats, lunges, etc. Invest in your health. Get a trainer.
  11. Drink your greens. Great way to start off the day with a boost of antioxidants. Greens drinks lower inflammation and can lower blood pressure.
  12. Fish oil for heart and brain health. The higher the blood level of omega-3, the lower the risk of heart attacks and death. Eat wild salmon, sardines, and anchovy. Avoid tuna, swordfish, and other large fish.
  13. Probiotics are the key to a healthy gut. A healthy gut prevents heart disease. Probiotics lower LDL particles and raise HDL. Probiotics are the first supplement I would bring to the remote island.
  14. Digestive enzymes are deficient in many people. Digesting your food is crucial to nutrient absorption such as magnesium, B vitamins, and others important to cardiovascular health. Digestive enzymes can reduce heartburn symptoms, a type of chest pain that can be confused with cardiac pain.
  15. Caffeine can be a problem. If you have digestive issues, hypertension, anxiety, or palpitations, you may want to kick the habit. Coffee can have benefits, just don’t go overboard. All coffee MUST be organic.
  16. Get tested. You are taking the supplements; don’t you want to know if they are working? Tests help to identify areas of nutrient deficiency and excess.
  17. Avoid unnecessary tests. Doctors love to order expensive tests like CT scans. But they are full of radiation and are dangerous, likely causing heart disease and cancer. If you have chest pain, a plain treadmill stress test is all you need. Skip the nuclear radiation.
  18. The truth about pharmaceuticals is that they are lousy at preventing heart disease. Nutrition, lifestyle, chiropractic care, and supplements truly prevent disease.
  19. Daily multivitamins are proven to work. Find a quality one as the multivitamin can lower the risk of heart disease and cancer.
  20. See your chiropractor. Chiropractic normalizes blood pressure and controls heart rhythm, in addition to countless other benefits. All my patients are under chiropractic care. Thirty million Americans are on to something regarding health. Join them.
  21. Air pollution kills and is linked to heart attacks, strokes, and, of course, lung disease. Detoxify your body. Get an in-house air purifier. Benefits the people who live in polluted cities.
  22. Heavy metals such as aluminum, cadmium, mercury, and lead cause heart disease. Avoid sources of metal exposure, starting with metal amalgams, food containers, and cookware. Vaccines contain aluminum and mercury.
  23. Teeth are for more than smiling. A healthy mouth is essential to heart health. Find a holistic dentist. The metal amalgams and root canal teeth are major problems. Think twice about implants that can cause even more problems. Again, find a good holistic dentist. Holisticdental.org.
  24. Environmental pollutants from laundry detergents to perfume are linked to heart problems. Use natural products. Get rid of the fabric softeners and dryer sheets.
  25. Alcohol may taste good but limit your consumption. Alcohol can raise blood pressure and is linked to the dangerous heart rhythm, atrial fibrillation. Also, your brain and liver will thank you. If you drink, make it organic beer, wine, or spirits.
  26. Detach from electronics, especially at night. Get the cell phone out of your bedroom. Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) can interfere with heart rhythm.
  27. Control anger, anxiety, and depression. All of them are linked to heart attacks and stroke.
  28. Turn off the Wi-Fi at night. Simple, just press the button.
  29. Sleep on an organic mattress. We use the Samina sleep system or check out Lifekind.com. You spend 1/3 of your life in bed. The toxins in a typical foam mattress and harmful to your heart. They cause inflammation. Metal spring mattresses can attract electromagnetic fields.
  30. Skip the dry cleaners. Even the ones that advertise organic. Launder most garments yourself. The solvents used cause cancer and heart disease.
  31. Buy a used car. New cars off-gas synthetic chemicals for years. Let someone else take the financial hit and the toxin exposure.
  32. Wear blue blocker glasses when awake at night. It helps limit the damage from artificial light from tablets, mobile, computer, and light bulbs.
  33. Patronize restaurants that do it right. Organic and pasture-raised lead to better nutrients and better heart health. Wild seafood is loaded with omega-3.
  34. Cholesterol foods are heart-healthy and also boost the brain. Embrace and enjoy.
  35. Stress kills. Get it out of your life. End toxic relationships, even if it’s family. Not worth the health risks to your heart or the rest of your body.
  36. Eat the beet. These root vegetables boost nitric oxide, therefore increasing blood flow to your heart. The more blood flow through your arteries, the better.
  37. Skip the flu shot and other adult vaccines. Vaccines are not very effective and add to the toxic body burden. Aluminum and mercury, two metals found in vaccines, are linked to heart disease. Boost your immune system, not tear it down. Immune cells are involved in coronary artery disease. Interestingly, people with common childhood infections such as measles and mumps have a lower risk of a heart attack.
  38. Support businesses that are doing it right. Don’t spend your hard-earned money on products that are destroying our health and our environment. Spiritually, this is great for your heart.
  39. Speak out and teach others what you have learned. You may lose some friends but will gain others. By teaching others, you will improve their health and lower your stress now that you have friends to hang out with. Lower stress is lower heart disease.
  40. Avoid fever reducers such as Tylenol and ibuprofen. They damage your liver and kidneys. They are also linked to an increased risk of heart attacks.
  41. Make a natural “medicine” cabinet. Stock Argentyn silver products for immune support and homeopathic remedies for pain. Most people take antibiotics which damages the immune system and therefore the heart. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen are not heart-healthy.
  42. Learn your genetics. 23andme.com is a great start and plug results into NutraHacker.com. Genetics are not everything. The way your genetics are expressed is the key. But this is still useful information and very affordable. Certain supplements are better for certain genetics. Take methylcobalamin versus cyanocobalamin. Methyl lowers homocysteine, an amino acid linked to heart disease. Caffeine genetics are also important. Slow metabolizers of caffeine, have a higher risk of heart disease.
  43. Give up the gluten. You may not be able to follow perfect Paleo, but at least, skip gluten-containing grains such as wheat, barley and rye. Discover how much better you feel after just a few days off gluten. Gluten leads to a leaky gut, otherwise known as intestinal hyperpermeability. When the gut leaks, bad things get in the body and inflammation sets in.
  44. Check out the Wheat Zoomer. This blood tests looks at Leaky Gut and sensitivity to gluten. This test is $399 from our office. Call us at 480-535-6844 and we will send you a kit. Includes a 15-minute phone call with our health coach. Leaky gut is linked to heart disease. Most docs don’t know this.
  45. Find natural make-up and personal care products. Again, the chemicals in conventional products cause heart problems.
  46. Shop for local food. Good for you and the environment. Even fresh fruits and vegetables shipped across state lines are sprayed with antifungals. Pesticides in conventional produce kill bugs and kill us. We need good bacteria in our gut which lowers heart disease risk.
  47. Make your own bone broth. Don’t trust the store-bought products and powders. Get some grass-fed bones, quality water, in quality cookware. Great for healing the gut and a cleanse. Heal the gut, heal the heart.
  48. Use a pure-glass coffee maker. Check out the products from Chemex. BPA is linked to heart disease.
  49. Remodel the house naturally. Avoid glues and dangerous paints as both off-gas chemicals and will lead to heart disease.
  50. Grow an herb organic garden. Spices are essential to heart health. Embrace rosemary, thyme, oregano, cumin, turmeric, and others.

Pin It on Pinterest

12 things in your home that damage your heart.

Discover 12 things in most homes that destroy your heart.

Learn of common household items that destroy your heart, and what you can do about it.