If you or someone you know is currently dealing with hypertension, high cholesterol or other heart related issues I would like to recommend reading “The Doctor’s Heart Cure” by Al Sears, M.D. In this book you will learn:
- Why starches – not fat – are the villains behind heart disease
- Why traditional “cardio” may be harmful to your health
- Why cholesterol does not cause heart disease
- The real reasons obesity has been skyrocketing in America
What I greatly appreciate about this book is that it is full of empowering information that enables someone to become more in control of his or her health issues. If you are currently taking statin drugs for cholesterol issues or medications for hypertension this book explains the down side of those drugs and the effective natural alternatives. Dr. Sears educates the reader to big pharma in this equation and who is really benefiting by putting a large population of people on these popular drugs.
Dr. Sears recommends and lists five blood tests that paint a precise picture of your cardiovascular health, why they are important, what your levels should be and the importance of finding a doctor who will respect you and will work with your request. (You might suggest to your doctor that he would find this book helpful, too, as he may not routinely order these tests. If your doctor is not open to listening and working with you, you might consider moving on to another doctor.) These tests need to be done annually and are important in determining your overall health. A few of the questions he suggests that you might ask a doctor who you are considering to team up with you as you seek optimal health are:
- What is your attitude about preventive medicine?
- What is your attitude about alternative medicine?
- Do you recommend the use of vitamins and nutritional supplements?
Dr. Sears effectively uncovers many of the myths that have been promoted by big pharma and then filtered into mainstream medical and then to the public. What I really like about this book is that he doesn’t simply unearth the myths but he offers alternative solutions so that you can take back control over your life and your pocketbook! He also emphasizes the importance of good nutrition and advises you as to the most important nutrients for your heart health. Some of these nutrients that encourage a healthy heart are actually lost or the body is unable to produce them when taking the drugs that are supposed to deal with the symptoms of heart disease. An example of this would be the effect of statins on the body’s ability to produce CO Q10 which is critical for all muscles, including your heart muscle. (This decrease of essential nutrients is one of the downsides of all drugs.) This is why addressing the nutritional deficiencies is so important and hopefully with the assistance of your doctor he or she will be able to help you to wean yourself off the drugs while you supply your body with the nutrients it is lacking. (Do not attempt to wean yourself off of your drugs without the care of your doctor. Doing such could be dangerous to your health.) As a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner I am able to work with you and your doctor to help uncover those nutritional deficiencies and help get you back on track nutritionally.
Dr. Sears talks about eating a healthy diet (which will be a review of everything I have written about but it definitely bears repeating). People who are still eating processed foods have no idea how delicious and satisfying a whole foods nutrient dense diet can be. Challenge yourself with a whole foods diet for a minimum of 2 months. You will never want to go back to eating processed/junk food! You will begin to notice a discernible difference when you rid your body of those bad fats and add in the good ones (see my entry on good fats versus bad fats), stop eating high fructose corn syrup which is in most processed foods (you would be amazed),and eliminate glutamates (MSG and all other excitotoxins) from your diet. (If you don’t know what I am talking about contact me and we can discuss it.)
This doctor also discusses the PACE exercise program (Progressively Accelerating Cardiopulmonary Exertion) which has been found to strengthen the cardiovascular system and help with weight reduction. This involves a series of short bursts of exercise with periods of rest in between. Dr. Sears states, “The right kind of exercise build’s the hearts ability to respond effectively to these demands. You can indeed increase both your heart’s maximal capacity and its speed at increasing its output to respond to demand. Yet long-duration exercise does NOT help you do this. In fact, it has the OPPOSITE effect by forcing the heart to become smaller and more efficient. The body trades the ability to handle big demands for the ability to go further.”
A book well worth not just reading, but using and keeping as an important resource!
Tree Of Life Nutritional Therapy 