Keep a Happy, Healthy Heart with Thriving Family Chiropractic
February, the month of love and healthy hearts. When was the last time you thought about the health of your heart?
If you’re like most of us, unless you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, heart palpitations, angina, a clotting disorder, or have had a heart attack, the answer is probably never. These days, physical exams often won’t even include a stethoscope listen to the heart, so unless your doctor suspects heart issues based on your labs or symptoms, your heart is left to do its thing.
This wait and see approach can result in conditions progressing to the point of pathology that could have been prevented if caught early. At Thriving Family Chiropractic, we have the tools available to listen to your heart and even record heart sounds to check your heart.
A Heart Healthy Lifestyle
As a family chiropractor, I’m here to help you find preventative measures to help keep your heart healthy, not just react if something goes wrong. Here are some simple, lifestyle-based options for helping your heart do its job:
Eat a widely varied, mostly plant based, Mediterranean style diet.
Eat fat (yes really). Eating healthy fats like those in eggs and fish oil can help lower cardiovascular disease risk.
Be green! Eating dark leafy greens are full of folate and other B vitamins in addition to so many other vitamins and micronutrients. More greens = happy heart.
Move every day. Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily, preferably more. Don’t think just cardio–include some weight lifting, which has been proven to reduce heart attack risk!
Get your dose of vitamin D. Low vitamin D has been linked to higher risk for heart attack, stroke, and vascular disease.
Try some nutritional yeast. A surprise source of B vitamins, nutritional yeast contains niacin (B3) which helps lower inflammation and bad cholesterol. Tasty on popcorn or even pizza!
Stay hydrated: dehydration can cause hypertension. Make sure to drink water regularly (at least half your body weight in ounces per day).
Practice gratitude. Individuals that rate their happiness and life satisfaction highly have a much lower risk of heart disease, increased longevity, lower resting heart rate, and decreased blood cortisol levels! Make it a goal to find something that brings you joy and experience it often.
The Importance of Prevention
These ideas are an example of why working with a medical professional, like a family chiropractor, who focuses on preventative medicine is important. While our health is always an expression of our genetics and our environment, we have more control over the latter than we often think.
At Thriving Family Chiropractic, I focus on working with you to find realistic solutions and options that can be worked into your daily life to improve your overall health. Reach out today or schedule an appointment.
This February, show yourself some love by seeing where you can improve your heart health.
Note: always consult with your physician before making lifestyle changes, especially if under care for a particular diagnosis or taking medication.