What’s Your Headache Telling You?
(Health Secrets) Angina pain is a signal that the heart is not getting enough blood or oxygen. Not treated properly, Angina could be a precursor to a heart attack. However, by using natural remedies and changing your lifestyle to a healthy one, angina can be treated effectively and successfully.
Although the most prominent symptom is chest pain, angina can also be felt in the jaw, shoulders, neck, arm, or back. It is also important to note that this disease can be mistaken for indigestion. Difficulty breathing and nausea may also accompany an angina episode.
There are three types of angina:
Stable Angina is the most common type. This type of pain occurs when the heart is being exerted, as in when exercising. With this type of angina, the pain usually goes away after a few minutes rest.
Unstable Angina on the other hand can be dangerous. This type of pain can occur at any time. The person doesn’t necessarily have to be active and his type of pain is not relieved by resting. This disease can signal an imminent heart attack and a person should seek immediate medical attention.
Variant Angina is a rare form of angina. It is caused by a muscle spasm that tightens the coronary artery and stops the flow of blood to the heart. As opposed to stable variety, these attacks occur when a person is resting or sleeping.
The most common cause of angina is atherosclerosis. However, contrary to popular belief, high cholesterol is not the primary culprit. A magnesium deficiency has been strongly linked to poor heart health. The disease is caused by decades of elevated calcium intake that has not been properly balanced by magnesium intake. When calcium is not balanced with magnesium, the result is increased risk of heart disease.
Research has found low magnesium to be linked with cardiovascular risk factors which include:
*high blood pressure
*arterial plaque build-up
*calcification of soft tissues
*high cholesterol
*hardening of the arteries
Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, and Medical Advisory Board member of the nonprofit Nutritional Magnesium Association states:
“That cholesterol is not the cause must be obvious, since heart disease is still the number one killer in America in spite of over two decades of statin use. The fact that low levels of magnesium are associated with all the risk factors and symptoms of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart arrhythmia, angina and heart attack can no longer be ignored; the evidence is much too compelling.”
Besides an unhealthy diet without the proper supplementation, there are may other factors that result in a magnesium deficiency. To list just a few, we have:
*pharmaceutical drugs, which include birth control pills
*insulin
*diuretics
*some antibiotics
*corticosteroids
Conventional medicine treats angina using drugs such as nitroglycerin, nitrites, and nitrates. These medications relax and widen the arteries so that more blood can flow to the heart. Beta-blockers and calcium-channel blockers reduce the heart’s workload. However, although such medications can relieve symptoms, they do not heal the condition. They are merely a band-aid. They also come with side effects that can be serious in themselves.
There are also other allopathic interventions commonly used, such as angioplasty and coronary bypass surgery. Unfortunately, people undergoing these types of procedures often think that it will fix the condition. The truth is that these procedures only provide temporary relief and do not stop the progression of the disease. The good news is that angina can be treated successfully by following a healthy lifestyle.
How to treat angina naturally
Eating a healthy diet is crucial to healing from this condition. Eliminate the standard American diet and focus on fruits and vegetables. Excellent sources of magnesium are green leafy vegetables, white beans, cowpeas, black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, yellow beans, and great northern beans. Lima beans have the highest content of magnesium. Additional magnesium rich foods are:
*Rice, wheat or oat bran
*Artichokes
*Dried herbs
*Squash, pumpkin and watermelon seeds
*Dark chocolate cocoa powder
*Flax and sesame seeds
*Brazil nuts
*Sunflower seeds
*Almonds, mixed nuts, pine nuts
Supplements and herbs effective in treating angina are:
*Cayenne
*CoQ10
*Hawthorne Berry Extract
*L-carnitine
*Fish Oil
If you are taking prescription medications, please check with your health care practitioner before taking these herbs and supplements.
Exercise helps to maintain cardiovascular health.
Lastly, make it a priority to reduce stress.
For more information:
www.nutritionalmagnesium.org
