Cardiovascular+Disease

Prevalence of CVD
-15.8 million people diagnosed in 2004 in America (currently 300 million Americans alive) -The leading cause of death in U.S. for the past 80 years, accounting for 38.7% of deaths in the U.S. -1 million people die annually = 1 death every 30 seconds! -Varies by geographic region and state (South is 51% higher for cerebrovascular accident (stroke) and 29% higher for Coronary Heart Disease) -Costs ~ $150 billion annually (2008 stats according to CDC) - It is a disease of industrialized nations. Chinese medicine did not recognize cardiovascular disease because it was not an issue. Southeast Asian countries are now getting cardiovascular disease as it industrializes

Risk Factors
-Product of multiple genetic, metabolic, behavioral, and environmental influences. -Socioeconomic status has significant influence -Smoking = greatest preventable factor: epithelial toxin with a neurologic reaction that raises blood pressure and causes vasoconstriction - Race and sex play a factor in medications as well, meds seem to vary in effectiveness according to these factors
 * Modifiable risks:** smoking, sedentery lifestyle, poor diet, hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus, geographic area (American south)
 * Non-modifiable risks:** race/ethnicity, sex, family history

Patient Counseling
Habits: decrease or quit smoking, increase activity, manage stress - Address hypertension and cholesterolemia -Goals: improve blood flow, calm nervous system, increase HDLs, decrease LDLs, reduce edema, reduce blood pressure

- vasodilator, decreases TRP, normalizes injection fraction: Hawthorne (250mg. standardized extract) -relax smooth muscle, promote healthy electrical conduction: Magnesium (500-800Mg.), Calcium (1000mg.), Potassium (400mg.) -Reduce inflammation and platelet aggregation: EPAs (5000mg.) -Promote elasticity and dilation of blood vessels: Garlic (500mg.) -Decrease capillary permeability, decrease edema: Horse Chestnut (600mg - standardized) - TCM herbs: Sheng Di Huang, Dang Gui, Wu Wei Zi, Xuan Shen, Dang Shen, Dan Shen -Folate (400-500 micrograms) -Support nervous system: Vitamin B12 (400-500 micrograms), Vitamin B6 (45mg.)
 * Fundamental Protective Factors**: CoQ10 (100-300mg.), Vitamin E (400-800 IU)
 * Hypertension**:
 * Cholesterol:** Lowers LDLs, raises HDLs, reduces free radicals: Niacin (500-2000mg.)
 * Circulation:**
 * Stress:**

-Walking 30 min. every other day decreases CVD (MI) risk by ~50%, decreases diabetes risk by ~30% -Acupuncture can be effective in lowering blood pressure -red rice yeast: works like statin drugs, though patient needs to get liver enzymes checked ~every 6 months to ensure they have not elevated -Cholesterol lowering: FIBER, fish, veggies, ruffage, eliminate dairy and some animal products -Calcium channel blockers, CoQ10, hawthorne - does directly improve cardiac profusion but is helpful Newest drugs are either anti-inflammatory or anticoagulants. These are added to classic medication to avoid the risk of stroke.

Obesity and cardiovascular disease:

Types of Cardiovascular Disease
Ischemic Heart Disease Angina Pectoris Myocardial Infarction (MI) Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)