Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
General Heart Health as We Age Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND I have talked about how we can keep both our cholesterol levels and blood pressure healthy as we age. But what if your heart is already healthy? How do you keep your heart healthy as …
Heart Health As We Age (part 1) Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Keeping our hearts healthy as we age is an important part of healthy aging. However heart health is a huge topic that can take forever to go over! For the sake of this blog …
Energy in the Body
written by: Noreen Kodula, Certified Natural Health Professional (CNHP)
Energy is essential for all body functions. Involuntary processes like breathing and circulation, and voluntary actions like movement and thinking all rely on energy. Most people think of energy in terms of how you feel each day; why you feel sluggish, whether you need a boost or how refreshed you feel after a good night’s sleep.
The human body derives energy from the food we eat. Macronutrients from the food is converted into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the universal energy currency that powers all cellular activities. Cellular energy is how well your cells produce and use energy (ATP) to power the systems that keep you functioning. The body continuously regenerates ATP to ensure it has a constant supply of energy.
Macronutrients are nutrients your body needs in substantial amounts, to function optimally. They provide the body with energy and the components needed to maintain its structure and functions. The body obtains energy from three primary macronutrients:
If we eat more than what is needed for cellular energy, the remainder is stored as body fat. If a person needs more energy than they consume, like when exercising, the body will draw from its fat stores. In this way exercise can be helpful in losing fat.
Having too little energy regularly can interfere with your ability to be present, living your life. This in turn can interfere with your daily routine. This constant lack of energy can be due to many factors like stress, lack of sleep, an unbalanced diet, an overworked immune system and more. Instead of reaching for a cup of coffee, a sugary snack or an energy drink, reach for high-quality sustainable energy support: reach for research-backed, energy-boosting supplements:
Energy production is not just about eating enough; it involves a balanced diet with an adequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals, adequate hydration, sufficient sleep, regular physical activity and proper supplementation. This will help support energy levels and metabolic functions in the body.
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Noreen Kodula, Certified Natural Health Professional (CNHP)
Introduction to Dental Health Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Dental health may not seem like a topic that would come up in an Invite health blog series but here we are talking about dental health! Dental health, or in other words oral health, does not just …
The Confusing World of Heart Arrhythmias Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Arrhythmia is a word that you may have heard of but may not know what it means. So what exactly is an arrhythmia? Basically an arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat. In general we can …
Congestive Heart Failure
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Our next topic is something that may seem uncommon but is actually more common than you would think. This is congestive heart failure. When people refer to having a “weak heart” they are referring to congestive heart failure. What is congestive heart failure? Basically what happens when you have Congestive heart failure or CHF for short is the heart is unable to pump blood throughout the body. Over time blood and fluids start to build up in different parts of the body. The 3 types of CHF are left sided, right sided, and high output failure.
What causes our heart to fail? There are a number of situations that can cause our heart to fail. Recreational drug use, including tobacco use as well as certain medications can lead to heart failure. Having a family history of CHF also places you at risk of CHF. Having a personal history of high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, diabetes and having a past heart attack all increase risk of CHF. Additionally being over 65 increases risk of heart failure. Having an enlarged heart known as cardiomyopathy can also increase risk of CHF. There are congenital heart disorders which are present at birth that over time can cause CHF. Having a history of arrhythmia is also a risk factory. Life style risk factors that can increase our risk of heart failure include alcohol use, BMI over 30, being inactive and eating a diet high in saturated fat and salt. Lastly having a history of rheumatic fever can overtime increase the risk of developing heart failure.
Heart failure is broken down into 4 stages. These stages start with high risk of developing heart failure and end with having advanced heart failure. Other conditions that can affect heart function include chronic lung disease, thyroid disorders, anemia and even kidney disease. It is important to address these concerns to help keep our heart working as well as possible.
What are the classic signs of heart failure? While not everyone will experience these symptoms it is important to know what you may experience especially as the disorder gets worse over time. Now as I said the most common symptoms are swelling in the ankles, legs abdomen and even a bloated or heart stomach. This swelling occurs due to the hearts inability to pump fluids and gets worse as the heart fails to do its job. Because of the buildup of fluid in the body there may be weight gain without any change in diet. There may also be nausea. Our ability to breath can be impacted with a feeling of shortness of breath or SOB. You may also wake up with a feeling of SOB. There may also be a chronic dry cough. There can be chest pain and heart palpitations. As fluid builds up there may be a need to urinate at night. Lastly you will experience fatigue that gets worse over time.
Unfortunately, chronic heart failure gets worse over time. Because of the hearts inability to pump blood throughout the body there are some series complications that can occur. This includes a buildup of fluid in the lungs which can lead to pulmonary hypertension. There may also be kidney damage, liver damage and even heart valve damage. CHF can even lead to an irregular heartbeat. Due to nausea there may be malnutrition. Lastly, over time CHF can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. Heart failure has to be taken seriously. While there is no cure there are certain things that can help improve our hearts function. (1, 2)
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