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 …
Cholesterol as We Age Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Every year you most likely go to your doctor for a physical exam and routine blood work. When you look over your blood work you may notice something called a lipid panel or cholesterol panel. Your doctor …
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 I will focus on blood pressure, cholesterol and overall heart health. It’s a lot to cover so let’s get into it, shall we?
Let’s start with blood pressure since high blood pressure is so common. In fact I am sure if you do not have high blood pressure yourself then you know someone who does have it. Now how do we even define high blood pressure (HBP)? HBP occurs when your blood pressure is higher than is normal. There are 6 blood pressure categories. These are normal, elevated, Stage 1, Stage 2, severe hypertension and hypertensive emergency. Blood pressure is a combination of systolic or top number and diastolic or bottom number. The systolic number is the pressure blood exerts on the vessels when the heart is actively pumping. The diastolic is the pressure that blood exerts on the vessels when the heart is at rest. Blood pressure is placed into the different categories based on these numbers. Please see the following chart for the breakdown of the categories and how different blood pressure readings are shorted into categories. (1)
Blood Pressure Categories
| BLOOD PRESSURE CATEGORY | SYSTOLIC mm Hg (top/upper number) | and/or | DIASTOLIC mm Hg (bottom/lower number) |
| NORMAL | LESS THAN 120 | and | LESS THAN 80 |
| ELEVATED | 120 – 129 | and | LESS THAN 80 |
| STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION (High Blood Pressure) | 130 – 139 | or | 80 – 89 |
| STAGE 2 HYPERTENSION (High Blood Pressure) | 140 OR HIGHER | or | 90 OR HIGHER |
| SEVERE HYPERTENSION (If you don’t have symptoms*, call your health care professional.) | HIGHER THAN 180 | and/or | HIGHER THAN 120 |
| HYPERTENSIVE EMERGENCY (If you have any of these symptoms*, call 911.) | HIGHER THAN 180 | and/or | HIGHER THAN 120 |
*symptoms: chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness, weakness, change in vision or difficulty speaking
There are basically 2 categories of risk factors for HBP. These include those risks that are modifiable (such as diet) and those that can’t be changed such as age. Even though you can’t actually change these risk factors it’s still important to be aware of them. One risk factor that is related to who you are is your family history of HBP. If your parents or a close family member has HBP you are more likely to develop it as well. Age is another risk factor. Since we don’t have a time turner to turn back time we will all get older. Typically your risk of HBP increases as you age. Other risk factors include gender, prior to age 64 men have a higher risk of HBP, however after age 65 women actually have a higher risk of HBP. Certain racial and ethnic groups such as Black, Hispanic and Asian adults also have a higher risk of HBP. Lastly kidney disease may cause HBP (just as an aside HBP can also cause kidney damage!). (2)
Now those are the risk factors you can’t change. However there are quite a few risk factors that you can change. Diet is one factor that comes up all the time! In my clinical experience the more processed foods and take out you eat the greater your risk of developing HBP. Part of the reason for this fact is that these foods tend to be higher in salt, sugar, statured and Trans fats and even just overall higher in calories. All of these factors can increase your risk of HBP. Diets of this nature can also increase your overall weight. Being overweight and obese can also increase your risk of HBP and other types of heart disease. Being overweight/obese can also increase your risk of diabetes, which is another risk for HBP! But it’s not just what you eat that can increase your risk of HBP! It’s what you drink too! I bet I know what you’re thinking, I know Dr. Claire Soda is bad for me! It’s got all those chemicals! And while yes that is true I am actually talking about drinking too much alcohol. In fact in addition to increasing our blood pressure too much alcohol can lead to heart problems such as heart failure, stroke and even arrhythmia! Smoking and Tabaco use can also increase our blood pressure. Obstructive sleep apnea can also increase HBP risk. Another risk factor that may take you by surprise is lack of activity. Another risk factor that can be affected by diet, weight and life style is high cholesterol. In fact more than half of those with HBP have high cholesterol. Certain heart defects and kidney disease as well as stress can all increase your risk of HBP. (2)
Typically HBP has very few symptoms. This is why it’s important to get regular checkups. Symptoms of HBP can include headache, chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness, weakness, changes in vision and difficulty speaking. It’s important to contact your doctor if you notice any of these symptoms. (3) That being said there’s so much to do to help with blood pressure! To finish up this part of heart health as we age I will do a quick review of nutrients that I typically suggest to those who are concerned about blood pressure. In part 2 of heart health as we age we will venture into the world of high cholesterol!
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What is Healthy Aging? Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Healthy aging is one of those new trendy buzz words that tends to pop up all over social media. Due to this popularity I wanted to do a new series on this topic. But what even …
Staying Hydrated in the Summertime Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND One of the downfalls of summer’s warm weather is dehydration. Being dehydrated is more than just feeling a little thirsty. When you are dehydrated you have used or lost more fluid than you take in. This …
Lyme Disease part 3
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
I hope you have been enjoying this conversation on Lyme disease. I want to start today’s blog by talking about something that in my opinion doesn’t get enough attention, chronic Lyme disease. I am also going to talk about the supplements you should consider when you have Lyme disease. In this part I will be focusing on what you can do to help support your body while you are taking the powerful antibiotics that are typically used to eliminate Lyme disease. Did you know that there are certain nutrients that have been found in studies to help the antibiotics do their jobs better? Well do not worry, I will be talking all about it! It is a lot to talk about so let us get into it, shall we?
Let us start with some definitions. Post Treatment Lyme Disease symptoms (PTLDS) are different from Chronic Lyme disease. PTLDS is defined as having symptoms even though the infection has been treated and eliminated. Doctors are unsure why symptoms persist when you have PTLDS. The diagnosis of Chronic Lyme indicates there may be a persistent infection, immune dysregulation, or even untreated Co- Infections. (1, 2) While you may have heard of PTLDS you may not have heard of Chronic Lyme. Part of the reason for this is because many doctors do not acknowledge Chronic Lyme as a diagnosis. In my experience as a Naturopath Chronic Lyme is a real concern for many people and deserves to be acknowledged.
Symptoms of PTLDS and Chronic Lyme can include fatigue, body aches and difficulty thinking. You may have a feeling that something is wrong and “you just don’t feel right.” You may feel as though your brain is full of fog. You may become sensitive to light and sound. You may experience mood changes. This can include feelings of depression and anxiety. This can include social isolation, inability to work and even loss of identity. You may notice that your immune system is persistently active. These symptoms occur after being treated for Lyme disease. I do want to mention that the earlier your Lyme disease is treated the less likely you are to experience chronic symptoms. (1, 2, 3)
How can you determine if your symptoms are caused by Chronic Lyme disease or PTLDS? In my experience the only way to really know what is going on is to work with a professional. For example, a Lyme specialist or a holistic doctor such as a Naturopath.
What can you do to reduce Lyme disease risk? What supplements do I usually recommend for those with Lyme disease?
Our last blog will be part 4. In this part I will focus on more of the complications that can happen because of Lyme disease. These complications can occur due to Chronic Lyme or PTLDS. The supplements I will be reviewing w. e helpful no matter what stage of Lyme disease treatment you are in.
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