Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
ALLIE’S TOP 10 TIPS AND TRICKS FOR A HEALTHY HOLIDAY SEASON By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT The holiday season effects just about everyone, as there are so many things going on at the end of the year. Whether it be holiday parties, over …
Sterols Plus Hx: InVite’s Comprehensive Cholesterol Targeting Formula! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Our product spotlight is one that that I think is an amazing formula for cholesterol. What is this wonderful formula you ask? Sterols Plus Hx! Sterols plus is a combination of things …
The Good and Bad of Cholesterol
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Cholesterol is a topic that gets plenty of attention. Atherosclerosis is another topic that gets a lot of attention. But what are these things? What is the relationship between them? And perhaps most importantly what is their importance in our life?
Now I’m not going to get too in depth with the details of what cholesterol is and isn’t since there is a plethora of information on this topic at invitehealth.com. But I do want to provide some background information. Now you are probably thinking why does this concern me at all? I am young, cholesterol is a concern for the elderly! Unfortunately, this is becoming less true over time and is becoming something that younger and younger people must contend with. So, let’s start with some background information! Basically, cholesterol is a waxy substance that is found in our blood. Now cholesterol doesn’t just wonder around in our blood willy-nilly. It rides on proteins called LDL or HDL. LDL or the “bad guy” is what brings cholesterol around the body. LDL is considered the bad guy because it deposits cholesterol into our blood vessels and this eventually builds up leading to plaque. But LDL isn’t just dropping cholesterol into our blood vessels for no reason! LDL travels the body looking for blood vessel walls that are damaged and it places the cholesterol over this damage like a band aid. Unfortunately it tends to keep piling cholesterol onto this spot and the cholesterol builds up. Over time this becomes the cholesterol plaque that causes us so many problems.
What are some of the things that can damage our blood vessels leading to cholesterol becoming a plaque in the first place? Well there are a number of things that can do this! These risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, lack of activity, poor diet and too much alcohol. Having high cholesterol and abdominal obesity are also risk factors. Unfortunately the only way to know your cholesterol is high is to get blood work. There aren’t signs that would indicate that your cholesterol is too high.
What does HDL do? HDL picks up the excess cholesterol and takes it back to the liver. In simple terms it puts it back into storage. Lastly on your blood work is something called triglycerides. This is another type of fat that increase the risk of heart disease. Now before you start to think that all cholesterol is bad, I want to point out that cholesterol is important for building our cells, making certain vitamins, and even provides the building blocks for hormones and neurotransmitters! Even our brain depends on cholesterol.
What is atherosclerosis? In this disease there are lesions in the walls of our arteries. Now these lesions can lead to our blood vessels becoming narrow due to the buildup of plaque aka cholesterol that has been deposited. Just as an aside plaque is more than just cholesterol, it also contains fat, calcium and cholesterol all combined. Now do you remember my blog on poor circulation? Well atherosclerosis is one of the things that can lead to poor circulation.
The risk factors for atherosclerosis and high cholesterol are very similar. Having high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and having a poor diet are all risk factors. But why is this important? As I said at the start of this blog cholesterol build up starts very young. It is a prime example of something that you should work on before it becomes a problem. Cholesterol is also a risk factor for almost every type of heart disorder including atherosclerosis, which in turn is a huge risk factor for heart diseases such as poor circulation, coronary artery disease, stroke, heart attack and even kidney disease! So what can you do if have a family history or even personal history of high cholesterol? Turns out there is a lot you can do!
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HORMONES: HOW THEY IMPACT MEN’S HEALTH By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT When it comes to men’s health, it’s best to start at the beginning….HORMONES. While there are a long list of hormones, lets focus on a three of the most commonly talked about….Testosterone, …
The Wonders of Veins Hx! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND For our product spotlight I wanted to pick one of my favorites for circulation. This formula is called Veins Hx! Veins Hx is a formula made of a combination of vitamins and extracts that studies …
Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) and Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI), also known as Poor Circulation!
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Anyone who has ever had to stand for long periods of time knows what it feel like when you start moving around. That tired, cramping and overall discomfort is exactly like the early signs of PVD. When most people call and ask for help regarding poor circulation, what they are referring to is PVD or CVI. Both PVD and CVI are conditions that the earlier that they are addressed the better the outcomes. What exactly are these conditions?
Basically in PVD, what happens is your blood vessels become narrow, blocked or begin to spasm. As this happens, the blood vessel space becomes narrow and there is less room for the blood to flow. Blood flow to an area is thus reduced. This commonly occurs in your legs, arms, stomach, intestines and even kidneys! (1) CVI is very similar in that in this case the veins have trouble returning the blood to the heart and in essence it tends to collect and form a pool of blood. This is very common in the legs for example. In many cases this happens because the blood vessels are so wide that the valves that normally help promote blood upward do not function properly. In both cases our circulation is not up to par and needs to be addressed. (2)
One of the most common symptoms of PVD is called claudication. This is pain in your leg muscles when you are walking fast or for long periods of time. The pain goes away with rest. This pain occurs because the blood flow in reduced to the muscles. As the PVD progresses and gets worse the symptoms will occur more frequently and will take longer to recover from. In addition to pain when walking the legs will also have decreased hair growth. There can also be muscle cramps when lying in bed. The muscle may also start to feel numb or have a “heavy” feeling. If the PVD is in the arms/legs they may turn red /blue or become pale with pale thin skin. There could be ulcers or wounds that either don’t heal or are very slow to heal. The pulse in the feet may start to become weak. You may also notice that your toes become blue and that the toe nails are thick and opaque. I would like to take a moment to say if you suddenly develop a cold, painful pale limb with weak or no pulse that is an emergency! Go to the hospital or call 911. If treatment is delayed there may be severe complications including, amputations! (3) CVI can have similar symptoms but can also include swelling of the legs and the presence of varicose veins. (2)
What are the most common causes of PVD? In some cases blood vessels have an exaggerated response to the environment that causes them to become narrow and thus have poor circulation. For example in Raynaud’s disease stress and temperature can affect blood flow. Other common stressors that can cause the vessels to over react include operating vibrating machines or tools. Certain drugs can also cause this response. Other causes of PVD cause an actual change in the blood vessel. For example atherosclerosis causes the space in the blood vessel to become smaller. Other examples of things that can cause this change in blood vessels are smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and increased cholesterol. Injuries, inflammation and even infections are all risk factors for poor circulation. CVI is usually caused by standing or sitting all day, having a history of blood clots, and being overweight and female. Pregnancy is also a risk factor. (2)
What are the risk factors that you can look out for? First is having a family history of high cholesterol, high blood pressure or poor circulation. Being over 50 and being overweight can also increase your risk. A lack of physical activity, poor diet as well as smoking and drug use all risk factors as well. In addition to having a family history having a personal history of abnormal cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease or stroke are all risk factors. Having a history of kidney disease also increases your risk. (4) Standing on your feet all day or sitting at a desk are also a risk factor for poor circulation. (2)
As I stated earlier an early diagnosis is the key to helping prevent complications from poor circulation. If you suspect you have poor circulation it is important to see your doctor. Depending on the medications you need there are a few supplements that studies show can be helpful!