What can heart disease teach us? First and foremost, that coronary heart disease is a “process” that takes many years to develop and that involves multiple body systems. It is a process that ultimately manifests itself in the heart, but does not originate in the heart.
Heart disease arises from a complex interaction between a person’s genetics, lipid metabolism, coagulation and inflammatory systems, and blood vessels—as well as the systems interacting with the environment or epigenetics—in the form of nutrition, exercise, and stress management. Despite being the best understood of all chronic diseases, coronary heart disease is by no means simple, nor can it be taken lightly if one wants to age gracefully.
Why don’t I just take my statins and maintain a low LDL cholesterol level? Because, high lipids are only a small part of the equation and while high lipids are associated with coronary heart disease, they don’t explain individual predisposition. One third of patients without high LDL and many patients with high lipids don’t ever develop coronary atherosclerosis.
So what can you do? First, take a more serious approach towards a whole food diet and limit processed foods. Invest in an individualized nutritional consultation, optimized to suit your specific requirements. Second, consider heart-specific blood testing and genetic testing to better determine your risk. Third, discuss with your doctor whether aspirin and high quality fish oil are right for you, as they are generally accepted and safe long-term preventive medications. Lastly, and most importantly, seek advice from groups that take an integrative, whole body systems approach.
Cardiologists are needed to care for patients with the various forms of heart disease, but without an integrative team of specialists including new approaches to nutrition, physical and mental exercise, meditation, and stress management, we won’t stem the tide of heart disease.
With the recipe for reversal of heart disease known for more than 20 years, it is clear that the overwhelming majority of people need a more individualized and team approach, one that empowers them with unique recommendations suited specifically for them.