Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
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 …
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.
Sources:
Understanding Fasting part 2 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In our last blog on fasting, we were focused on shorter fasts such as water or juice fasting. We also talked about how you would go about doing a detox or cleanse, which lasts longer than a …
Understanding Fasting Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Fasting can be done for so many reasons. It can be done for religious reasons, cleansing or for general detoxification of the body. Fasting can also look vastly different depending on the reasons behind your fast. Several types of …
Winter and Heart Health
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Wintertime, as we all know, can have negative effects on our immunity, mood and even our heart health. But how exactly can the cold of winter impact our heart health? What can you do to protect your heart? Let us get into it, shall we?
If you are watching the news after a storm, you may notice that it is common to hear about people having a cardiac event after shoveling snow. This can happen for a number of reasons. Lifting snow is exercise. This type of exercise can put an added strain on your heart. This extra hard work and stress on your heart can trigger a cardiac event. As you can imagine this is especially true in those who do not regularly exercise or who are elderly and /or have any underlying heart conditions. This makes sense if you think about it. Have you ever used a muscle that you do not normally use? It tends to hurt and feel strained, right? Well, the heart is a muscle and if you suddenly start exercising just like any other muscle the heart can be overworked. If you go from no heavy lifting in the summer to heavy weightlifting aka shoveling snow your heart will feel it just like any other muscle.
Another reason winter can have a negative impact on heart health is the cold. When it comes to blood flow and heat the body will prioritize the core organs. For example, your lungs are more important to your body than your skin. I know what you are thinking, what does this mean and how does the body prioritize heat? It means that the body makes sure that your organs that keep your alive stay warm by clamping down on the blood vessels that lead to the skin making them narrower. This affects the heart because the heart must work harder to pump blood through the narrow passages. In fact, studies have found that for every 10 degrees drop in temperature there is a 5-10% increase in the risk of heart attacks. (1) Chilly weather can also affect blood pressure. As we all know, high blood pressure is a risk factor for both heart attacks and strokes.
Something else that may be unexpected but that comes up often in the winter is the issue of dry heat. For some people, this dry heat can lead to nosebleeds. For others it can lead to dehydration. This dehydration can increase the blood, increasing the risk of blood clot formation.
And while some people exercise more in the winter due to activities like snow shoveling others find themselves staying inside their homes and as a result exercise less. In some cases, this decrease in activity can lead to an increase in heart disease risk factors.
The risk of other heart related conditions can increase in winter. For example, you are at an increased risk of angina, irregular heartbeat, and even chronic heart disease in the winter. This can be due to the combination of wintry weather, temperature changes, reduced physical activity and seasonal stress all putting a strain on your heart. (2)
It’s important to seek medical help if you suspect you are having a heart attack. Please see the attached diagram for the symptoms of a heart attack. While the most common signs of a heart attack include chest pain, weakness/lightheadedness, and a squeezing sensation in the chest there are other signs that you may not expect. (1) Men and women can have slightly different symptoms, so I have included the signs of a heart attack usually experienced by men and by women. (3)
Now what can you do to improve heart health?
Sources: