Category Archives: Heart Health

Why Do I Have Chest Pain?

Heart Health, , ,

Many people ask ‘why do I have chest pain?  There are numerous reasons why you may have pain in the chest area and it doesn’t always mean you have something wrong with your heart.

There are many incidences where people think that they may be having a heart attack and I will be going through two of them further in this post.  But first, I want to emphasise that if you are having any of the following symptoms, consult a doctor and/or call for an ambulance immediately:

Heart & Ribcage
Cr: Bruce Blaus
  • chest pain
  • pain in the upper back
  • pain in the stomach, arms,
    neck, jaw or even teeth
  • tightness in the chest
  • feeling light headed or dizzy
  • shortness of breath
  • feeling clammy and sweaty
  • feeling nauseous or vomiting
  • feeling really unwell.

Symptoms vary from one person to another and often differ between men and women. Continue reading Why Do I Have Chest Pain? →

Can Stress Cause Heart Disease? Part 3

Heart Health, , ,

Part 3

This is the last part of “Can stress cause heart disease?” and we will cover how our energy is produced and why electrolyte imbalance compromises that production.  This imbalance then causing a general cardiovascular deterioration. Click if you missed Part 1 and Part 2

Energy productionHow we produce energy

Firstly I want to go through, as simply and succinctly as possible, how our bodies produce energy.  I’ve tried to avoid you ‘glazing over’ as I’ve  been guilty of being too technical according to some comments.  You can skip the explanation if you want to.  Suffice to say, Mg is vital for producing and storing energy.  Without it, energy production will stop.

Our bodies have around 37.2 trillion cells according to Dr Eva Bianconi and colleagues from the University of Bologna, Italy.¹  This cell count was estimated by counting the amount of cells in each part of an average sized body being: a 30 year old male, 70kg in weight, 1.7m in height and 1.85m² body surface.  They had to account for bone cells, fat tissue, articular cartilages, the bilary system, blood, vessels, skin, organs etc..  and then add it all up, quite a feat!  This, though, is probably the best estimate to date. Continue reading Can Stress Cause Heart Disease? Part 3 →

Can Stress Cause Heart Disease? – Part 2

Heart Health, , ,

Part 2

In Part 1 of ‘Can stress cause heart disease?’, I explained the diversity of stressors that the population, in this day and age, have to contend with.  This burden of anxiety, which is causing most of us to live with stress on a daily basis, is the start of the road to heart disease.

Comparing then to nowgrass fed cattle

Back in the early 20th century, we were getting plenty of Mg in our diet.  The soils were full of vitimins and minerals and as well as tasting great our food kept us replete with Mg and other nutrients.  Our crops were healthy and our livestock fed on the fresh, nutritious grasses and lived out in the fertile fields.  An estimated 400mg-500mg of Mg per day was the average intake for the majority of the population.  In the year 1900, heart disease was not the killer it is today and was way down the list of major causes of death. Continue reading Can Stress Cause Heart Disease? – Part 2 →

Can Stress Cause Heart Disease?

Heart Health, , ,

Part 1

Yes, is the short answer, stress can cause heart disease and that’s a fact! If you want to know how and the process by which stress can damage your heart, then read on.

So what is stress exactly?

Anxiety.gif
Credit:  GRPH3B18

You may have stress within your body and don’t even know it.  We all know about the stress we have at work, the problems with our emotions, relationships etc., but what about other stressors.

Stressors can be manifold and diverse.  So, let’s go through a typical day.  You wake up from a good night’s sleep… or did you.  Did you have a good night’s sleep?  If not, this is a typical stressor.  Many people have trouble sleeping, be it from worrying about what they have to do tomorrow, having a cough or cold, the baby crying through the night, having to get up numerous times for the loo, suffering from sleep apnea, a partner snoring, being an insomniac.  Insomnia affects a vast amount of people, especially the older generation. Continue reading Can Stress Cause Heart Disease? →

What is Calcification?

Heart Health, , ,

Part 2

This is Part 2 of What is calcification?  If you missed Part 1, you can read it here.

To calcify or not to calcify, that is the question

The Calcium (Ca) that is in your bones and teeth is mineralised ie. calcified but the Ca in your soft tissues, muscles, organs etc., should be in a dissolved ionic form.  With enough Magnesium (Mg), Ca will be controlled and shepherded into its appropriate places within the body.  Mineralised for the bones and teeth and ionised for its vital functions in the soft tissues in particular in cell physiology and cellular processes.

What happens when Ca is calcified instead of ionised?

Coronary Calcium Scan
Cr: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Take a look at this heart scan.  This is known as a coronary calcium scan.  It is an Xray which creates a detailed picture of the heart and is used to predict your future risk of heart disease.
This image proves that we already have the capacity to find out if someone has any calcification within their heart or arteries.  Calcifications are an early sign of coronary heart disease (CHD) and if this was your heart, what would you be doing about it?  This is also proof that this patient has a Mg deficiency because if he/she hadn’t, the heart would not be exhibiting calcifications.  I wonder where else in this persons body calcification has set in.  Perhaps the kidneys, the gall bladder, the carotid arteries, the bladder, the breasts, the brain? Continue reading What is Calcification? →