February: Matters of the Heart and Health

A Mother’s Story

by Annette Hurt, Kemetic Reiki Practitioner

February is designated as Heart Health Month. I wanted to share a personal story to provide information to the community so that we can take better care of ourselves and

our loved ones.

When my daughter was 19 years old, her doctor detected an irregularity in her heartbeat. He referred her to a cardiologist. The cardiologist, Dr. Alexander of Mid-Carolina Cardiology, listened to her heart and set up a stress test for the following week. During the stress test, my daughter felt light headed and almost passed out. The technician caught her before she collapsed. The doctor told me of his suspicions and scheduled her for a left ventricle catherization. The catherization allowed Dr. Williams, the surgeon, to place a camera into her heart and view the left ventricle. What they found confirmed the strange diagnosis that I had been given, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM).

What is HCM? HCM is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in people under 30. A part of the heart muscle thickens, preventing blood from leaving the heart

so it has to work harder and harder to pump blood to the body. That can cause an irregular heartbeat and even stop the heart. Many other causes of sudden cardiac death

in young people exist, including genetic problems and heart defects present at birth. (1)
 HCM is genetic, I was told, and does not skip generations. My son, ex-husband, and I all should be tested. We were all clear, but we reached into the family network to see if any ancestors had unexplained sudden deaths due to heart failure. There was a possibility that 2 people in the paternal line may have had some cardiac issues but we were unable to confirm anything definitely.

It's estimated that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is present in one person out of every 500. However, in many of those people, the condition goes undiagnosed and

doesn't cause many or any symptoms (asymtomatic).
Stories of HCM can create fear and confusion about

the condition because of its connection to the unexpected, sudden deaths of seemingly healthy, young people. It is, in fact, the number one cause of sudden cardiac death in

people under the age of 30. However, only a very small proportion of people with HCM are at risk for sudden cardiac death, and these deaths are quite rare. (2)

Statistically, young men account for 90 percent of deaths caused by HCM, and a higher proportion are African American. HCM was what took the life of 16-year-old Grant High School student, Eddie Barnett Jr. in 2005.
In fact, 10 percent of all heart attacks occur in men younger than age 45. When Rob Ingram, the director of Portland’s Office of Youth Violence Prevention died Nov. 27 of a sudden heart attack at 38, his family said others in the family also had died young.(3)

What are the symptoms? According to Carolinas Medical Center, some of the symptoms of HCM include: (4)

A family history of sudden death from heart problems

Fainting spells or passing out during exercise

Chest pain during heavy work or exercise

Dizziness, light-headedness, or exhaustion

Heart palpitations in which your heart beats unusually hard or fast

An Echocardiogram (ECG) test can detect the condition, but are not routinely given during the physical exams required by most schools and clubs. People with a family history of heart conditions, and in particular a history of young people dying of heart conditions, should always tell their doctor.

I recall an earlier time where my children (aged 7 and 11) were late for elementary school and ran all the way. The school called later and asked me to pick up my daughter. My daughter later told me she felt short of breath, saw spots which gradually darkened in color, and passed out. She felt much better after a good nap and rest. Since most people don’t think of a healthy 7 year old having heart problems, we thought no more about it.

What are your options? In my daughter’s case, there was no blockage (non-obstructive) in the ventricle. Her doctor scheduled an appointment with another surgeon whose specialty was implanting electronic defibrillator under the skin into the chest. In the event she had a cardiac event, the defibrillator could provide her with time to get medical help. She would have to have surgery about every 5 years to replace the leads in her chest. That can add up to a significant amount of money, even with insurance.
In her case, she chose to take medication (Verapamil) which is used in the treatment of high blood pressure. Aside from medication, other options include surgery, or minimally invasive catheter-based treatment. (5)

It’s been 9 years since the initial diagnosis and she is still maintaining. Ironically, my son had a cardiac event in 2009, resulting in his death at age 28. He did not have HCM.

Know Your Numbers 

by Christine J. McQueen, RN

February is Black History Month and we celebrate our noble and benevolent ancestors who worked tirelessly to leave this earth better than how they found it in an effort to counteract the horror and terror that was experienced so many years ago. In addition, many celebrate Valentine’s Day as a time to shower love upon each other.  So it is natural to discuss “heart matters” that affect the black community during the month of February.   We must educate ourselves and become proactive to deal with “heart matters” like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, and high blood sugar. Leaving these health concerns untreated can lead to a number of serious health issues like heart attack, diabetes, stroke, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, GERD, gout, cancer, impaired immune system, blindness, and nerve problems. It is important for our people to visit our qualified health practitioner at least yearly for a head to toe check-up and to know our “numbers”. There are 5 numbers to know and, these “numbers” include blood pressure, waist line, weight, cholesterol, and fasting blood sugar.

1. Blood Pressure -High blood pressure can lead to some serious health concerns if left untreated.  Many people do not even know if or when their blood pressure is elevated because often times there are usually no obvious signs or symptoms to indicate that it is elevated, thus giving it the nickname “the silent killer”.  However, some people do have symptoms that are often overlooked.  Some examples are: headache upon arising, ringing in the ears, light-headedness, tiredness, and palpitations. Untreated high blood pressure can lead to thickening of the arterial walls, making them inelastic, resistant to blood flow, and results in the left ventricle becoming distended and thickened which could lead to congestive heart failure.

Our goal is to have blood pressure within normal range, the top number should be between 100 and 120 and the bottom number should be between 60 and 80. If the top number is between 120 and 139 or the bottom number is between 80 and 89 then we are considered  to have pre-high blood pressure. If our top number is between 140 and 159 or our bottom number is between 90 and 99 then we have stage 1 of high blood pressure. If our top number is 160 or higher or out bottom number is 100 or higher then we have stage 2 of high blood pressure.

2. Body weight is an indicator of how healthy we really are. Being overweight or obese plays a role in our heart health and has its share of serious health concerns as well if it remains unaddressed. Carrying too much weight around the waistline can hold toxins and affect the whole body.

3. Waistline - A waistline over 35 inches for women and over 40 inches for men means increased risk for chronic health issues. The ideal waistline for women is 32 ½ inches and for men 35 inches. Knowing your body weight and height will help you to determine your body mass index (BMI) which indicates if there is too much weight being carried around for your height. Once we know these numbers we can plug them into the BMI calculator (go to www.doctoroz.com , type in “BMI calculator”, plug in your numbers to find out what your BMI is). Our BMI should be between 18.4 and 24.9. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 indicates that we are overweight. A BMI greater than 30 indicates that we are obese. A BMI greater than 40 indicates that we are extremely obese.

4. Cholesterol -Having elevated cholesterol is a serious health as too many of our people have no idea of their cholesterol level, but consume vast amounts of animal fats daily. These animal fats can clog up our arteries and lead to some serious health problems for our hearts and circulatory system. Most don't know when arteries are blocked until they are almost totally clogged up! Signs and symptoms of an almost totally clogged up artery is angina where we have pain under the sternum that moves to the left arm, neck, jaw, or shoulder blade. We should know our blood cholesterol level, high density lipoprotein (HDL) level, and our low density lipoprotein (LDL) level. Our blood cholesterol level should be below 200, our HDL level should be 50 or greater, and our LDL level should be below 100. If any of these numbers is elevated then that puts an individual at risk for serious health concerns that come with having elevated cholesterol like heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular problems.

5. Blood sugar -Elevated blood sugar can lead to diabetes. Diabetes can come with a whole host of health concerns on its own. Some signs of diabetes are excessive hunger, excessive thirst, excessive urination, weight loss, elevated blood sugar, and sugar in the urine. Blood sugar is best when measured early in the morning before one has eaten to get the best results because it must be measured after at least 8 hours of fasting. This is called a fasting blood sugar. The fasting blood sugar should be below 100. A fasting blood sugar level above 100 is considered to be pre-diabetic.

The first step is to know these numbers. It is best to visit a qualified health practitioner at least yearly for physical examinations. Once we know our numbers then we are faced with the reality of what the numbers mean and must make a decision about what we are going to do about them. If the numbers are fine then continue to work to keep within the normal range through proper eating, movement, supplements, and stress management. If the numbers are not where they should be then we can do something about it since these numbers are usually reversible through proper eating, movement, supplements, and stress management. Consider reducing consumption of animal fat since we do not need any in our diets because our bodies make all of the cholesterol that we need. Also, increase consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seeds, nuts, legumes, and healthy vegetable fats like coconut oil, olive oil, grape seed oil, macadamia nut oil, and avocado oil just to name a few.

Weight management can be maintained through at least 30 minutes of movement at least three (3) times per week in the form of brisk walking, bicycling, dance, and yoga just to name a few. Consider eating six smalls meals no longer than every three hours while awake each day and stop eating after 8 p.m. each day. We need to make sure to consume a healthy protein with each small meal that we consume to help balance out our blood sugar and reduce to blood sugar spikes.

Drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of pure water daily and make sure to begin the day by drinking at least 8 ounces of water upon arising each morning. Be sure to eat breakfast each day within 1 hour of rising each morning. Stay away from carbohydrates after noon each day since our bodies burn carbohydrates better when consumed early in the day and just consume healthy protein, vegetables, and fruit for the rest of the day until 8 p.m. each day.

Other Considerations: Include a powdered soluble fiber supplement to daily regimen. Fiber will bind to cholesterol in the intestines and transport the cholesterol out of the body in our stool. Avoid if there is a history of allergy to psyllium. Also, consider adding an omega-3 fatty acid supplements to the daily regimen since research shows that this supplement can lower triglycerides, lower total cholesterol, and blood pressure. Avoid fish-based supplements if there is a history of allergy to fish. Consider taking a baby aspirin each day (81 mg) since research shows that taking a baby aspirin a day reduces our chances of having a heart attack since it helps the blood to not be so sticky and prone to forming clots. Clots forming in the vessels can reduce or eliminate the blood flow to our major organs and bring injury or death to our major organs. Be careful when taken aspirin there is a history of bleeding issues, stomach ulcers, currently pregnant, on other blood thinners, or have an allergy to aspirin.

When choosing a qualified health practitioner to help in your quest for health and wellness, choose one who welcomes your questions (come into the office with your questions before hand).  Other positive qualities of a good health practitioner is that they are patient, listen well, include you in the decisions regarding your treatment, value your opinion, accessible to you, open-minded & welcoming to traditional (non-western) health practices.  It is a must that they are personable, approachable, referred by word of mouth, have the proper credentials in that field of medicine, and are board certified.

Foods, Herbs, Spices & Cautions for Hypertension and Related Heart Conditions

By Aura Agape, Holistic Wellness Consultant, Herbologist, Kemetic Reiki Practitioner

Using herbs and spices are beneficial to improve heart health and reduces sodium intake. Rather than reaching for salt all the time to flavor foods try some adding herbs and spices to your favorite dish.  You will be pleasantly surprised at the flavors that certain herbs and spices may awaken in you. It is wise to remove table salt from the diet.  We use the wrong type of salt that has no nutritional value and is loaded with harmful chemicals.  However, removing table salt is not enough to lower blood pressure as many processed foods are loaded with salt.  Read labels carefully and pay attention to ingredients list and avoid food products listed with “salt”, “soda”, “sodium” or the symbol “Na”  on the label. 

Some food and food additives to avoid include monosodium glutamate (MSG); baking soda, canned vegetables (unless marked sodium or salt-free); commercially prepared foods; over-the-counter medications that contain ibuprofen; diet soft drinks; foods with mold inhibitors, preservatives, and/or sugar substitutes; meat tenderizers; softened water; and soy sauce.

Avoid common table sugar which elevates blood pressure, constricts blood vessels & retains sodium. Alternatives to common table sugar are maple syrup, honey &, agave.  Substitute these in recipes and cut the amounts in half.  For example if the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, use ½ cup of maple syrup, honey, or agave.  Stevia is another alternative. I like to use fresh stevia from the garden and dry the excess and make extracts as well.  Utilize sugars naturally found in (dried) fruit such as finely chopped dates or (soak dates in water and drain the water after a few hours).   Great fruits to incorporate to naturally sweeten foods are dried and fresh fruits such as dates, raisins, apples, bananas & I am sure that there are others. 

Avoid all alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco, and foods such as aged cheeses, aged meats, anchovies, chocolate, fava beans, pickled herring.  Avoid all animal fats. Pork, beef, bouillons, chicken liver, dairy products, gravies, and smoked or processed meats are prohibited.  Acceptable animal foods are broiled white fish and skinless turkey or chicken, and these should be consumed in moderation only.  Get protein from vegetable sources, grains, & legumes instead.

One should consume a high-fiber diet and possibly take supplemental fiber.  Oat bran is excellent.

Note:  Take supplemental fiber separately from other supplements and medications.

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, such as apples, asparagus, bananas, bell peppers, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, celery, eggplant, garlic, grapefruit, green leafy vegetables, melons, leeks, onions, peas, prunes, raisins, squash, sweet potatoes and, tomatoes. 

Eat grains like black or brown rice, quinoa, spelt, kamut, buckwheat, millet, and oats.

Juicing is a quick way to get your daily supply of fresh fruits and vegetables and benefit from the vitamins, and minerals. Include fresh “live” juices in the diet to replace processed commercial fruit drinks should be incorporated to improve your heart health.  Consider the following:  beet, carrot, celery, currant, cranberry, citrus fruit, parsley, spinach, and watermelon.

Dehydration can constrict blood vessels in the body, thus raises the blood pressure even more and increasing future complications associated with high blood pressure and heart disease.  It is always important to

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER throughout the day.  A glass of water every hour is a good rule of thumb.  Set a goal to drink half your body weight in ounces of water.  Many of our health issues can be relieved if we simply drink more water.  We are made of mostly water and water helps everything to flow smoothly.  Water should be your main drink. 

Beneficial HERBS & SPICES:  hibiscus, rosehips, ginger, cayenne (capsicum), chamomile, hawthorn berry, fennel, Siberian ginseng, golden seal, raspberry leaves, citrus peel, licorice root parsley and rosemary.  Hops, skullcap, passion flower & valerian root are good for calming the nerves.

Listed below are a couple of my favorite heart-healthy recipes:

Forbidden (Black) Rice Salad

Ingredients (Serves 4)

2 cups Black Rice
4 cups water
Sea Salt
1 med carrot
1 broccoli crown or bunch of fresh herbs
1 lemon (juiced) or 1 tbs ACV
2 tbsp vegannaise
Directions Cook 2 Cups Black Rice in 4 Cups Water. Add a pinch of Sea Salt to taste (optional). Bring to boil and reduce to simmer 45 mins or until tender. Add 1 med carrot diced or shredded. Chop broccoli crown or fresh herbs (i.e. parsley, methi leaves, etc…) add to rice.
Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the mixture and add 2 tbsp
Vegannaise. Mix ingredients & chill 30 mins or more.

Collard Green Salad:  serves 4

½ bunch of collard greens (washed well & sliced thinly or torn into small bite-sized pieces).
It is optional to add shredded carrots, beets, turnips, or herbs like parsley, watercress, a few sprigs of cilantro…to the mix.  Be creative and go for color!  Colorful peppers will do just the trick.
Add about a tbs of minced garlic (2-3 cloves) if you choose.
Drizzle approx 1/3 cup of organic apple cider vinegar.  I do not measure usually but, I am offering rough measurements.  I am usually pretty spot-on when I do add configurations for those who need specific instructions.
Drizzle of approx ¼ cup extra virgin cold pressed olive oil as well.
Add a few tbs of black strap molasses or raw agave nectar.  I can see maple syrup being useful in this recipe as well.
Add a tsp of nutritional yeast
A few shakes of Pink Himalayan salt (optional). A few spritzes of Bragg’s Liquid Amino Acid will make a fine alternative (add to taste).
Add a level tsp of my Herb'N Spice Green Life seasoning blend with Spirulina, Chlorella, Kelp, parsley, dill, onion, garlic, & other spices.
Mix well & sprinkle a tsp of your choice of chia, flax or even sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
Serve, eat up and enjoy.  It is even better if you let it sit overnight chilled.
Disclaimer: Don’t hold me to the exact measurements.  I am black and have been cooking since a little girl.  I don’t have to measure.  I know how food works and how it tastes.  When you open yourself up to allow your senses to explore the foods that you are to enjoy, then preparing foods will become much more easy and natural for you.

The information in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to serve as medical advice and has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA or AMA.  The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease.  If you are ill or suspect that you may have a health problem, it is recommended that you seek the advice of your health care provider.