Lowering Risks of Common Diseases

Lowering Risk of Common Diseases:

Coronary and Artery Disease, Diabetes, Arthritis,

and Cancer

High Blood Pressure:

Hypertension raises risk of all coronary and artery diseases, especially strokes. High blood pressure is caused by overweight, high consumption of fat, salt, and caffeine, smoking, too little exercise, high stress, and hereditary factors. Many people have “white coat hypertension,” so for the most accurate reading, get your own blood pressure cuff and use it at home until you aren’t revved up when you get a reading at the doctor’s office. This approach will prevent using medication to lower blood pressure when you don’t really need it.

1. Follow the DASH diet—an emphasis on plants and whole foods, low caffeine, and low salt. High salt comes primarily from processed, prepared foods.

2. Exercise. People who maintain fitness have 34% lower risk of high blood pressure, even if they’re overweight. All types of exercise are important, especially aerobic, but frequency is the most important factor.

3. Lose weight—even 5 lbs can lower your blood pressure.

4. Practice relaxation techniques, such as hatha yoga or relaxation or breathing exercises found in Dr. Andrew Weil’s book, Natural Health, Natural Medicine.

5. Take supplemental calcium citrate and magnesium (1000 Cal/500 Mg), divided equally between morning and evening doses.

6. Get plenty of folic acid from foods or supplements. It's recommended we get 1,000 micrograms a day.

7. If you are on hypertension drugs, don’t assume you’ll have to stay on them forever. If you make life-style changes, you may be able to leave the drugs behind—under your doctor’s supervision.

Heart Disease Prevention: Cholesterol and LDL/HDL Ratio

High cholesterol raises risk of heart disease, as well as Alzheimer’s Disease, and is caused by poor diet, lack of exercise, excess weight, and smoking. Heredity and stress are also important factors. The most important issue is the ratio of high density lipoprotein (the garbage trucks of the system that bind with triglycerides and eliminate them) to low density lipoprotein.

1. To lower LDL, keep your diet low in saturated fats (from animal fats in meat, dairy products, and egg yolks) and tropical oils such as cottonseed and palm oil. Eliminate hydrogenated and deep-fried oil.

2. Increase omega-3 fatty acids from deep sea fish, nuts, and seeds.

3. Eat a high fiber diet (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) to improve elimination of cholesterol.

4. Raw onions and garlic have a modest positive effect.

5. Eat a low glycemic diet to keep blood sugar and triglyceride low.

6. Exercise and increasing muscle mass increase levels of helpful HDL

7. Small amounts of alcohol (1 serving a day or less for a woman) increases HDL and improves ratio.

Diabetes Prevention:

High blood sugar or diabetes also contributes to high cholesterol, high BP and heart disease. Glucose tolerance decreases as we age, but this is mostly due to inactivity that leads to higher body fat and lower muscle mass. Muscle tissue is sensitive to insulin and fat isn’t, so a high ratio of fat to muscle makes the body insulin insensitive. The pancreas valiantly produces more and more insulin, and eventually the beta cells that produce insulin burn out from overuse.

1. Eat a low glycemic index diet. See my article on carbohydrates.

2. Eat good quality oils. See my article on fats and oils. See article on fats and oils.

3. Lose weight and eat adequate levels of proteins. See "Healthy Bodies, Healthy Weight."

4. Exercise, especially strengthening exercise that increases muscle mass and improves insulin response.

5. Control stress.

Arthritis Prevention and Treatment:

1. Increase muscle strength to support the structure of the joint and prevent increased loss of cartilage. Begin cautiously with 1 short set of 4 or 5 exercises to avoid increased inflammation, and then gradually build up to 2 sets of 10-12 repetitions over a number of months. Learn to distinguish between “good pain” (dull muscle fatigue in a worked muscle) vs. sharp mechanical pain in the joint. Stop strength training if you get a flare-up, wait until pain is gone, and begin again with more caution than before. Popping or snapping joints aren’t a problem unless accompanied by sharp pain.

2. Do weight-bearing aerobic exercise to help maintain cartilage integrity.

3. Stretch to relieve aches, pains, and muscle tension. Stretching is especially helpful with rheumatoid arthritis and when you experience a flare-up. Stretch gently.

4. Stress makes arthritis worse, so try stress relieving techniques like breathing exercises or journal writing.

5. Drink at least 8 cups of fluid a day, preferably water, to keep the body lubricated.

6. Eat a minimum of 6 servings of fruits and vegetables a day for vitamin C, beta-carotene, and folate needed to help inflammation.

7. Use whole grains.

8. Get enough calcium (1000-1200 mg a day) and vitamin D (1000 IU minimum a day).

9. Omega 3 oils are helpful for arthritis sufferers, so eat deep water fish like salmon, tuna, Atlantic mackerel, or bluefish several times a week and include flax meal, soy, and/or walnuts in your diet. Fish highest in mercury are shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish, so they aren’t good choices.

10. Lose weight if you need to, slowly but surely. Losing 10-15 lbs may reduce pain and stiffness by 50%.

General Cancer Prevention:

1. Take care of your good health so your immune system is strong.

2. Avoid exposure to harmful chemicals, including agricultural chemicals and air pollutants. Consider buying or growing organic foods when possible and avoid chemical preservatives and additives in food, especially nitrates. (Support local organic food sales. The more we buy organic, the less expensive and more available it will be. Organic is good for us and for our planet.)

3. Don’t smoke or inhale second-hand smoke.

4. Don’t drink alcohol heavily.

5. Avoid carcinogenic foods, such as salted, pickled, smoked, or charred animal meats. Avoid moldy foods or nuts with an “off” flavor.

6. Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables, and good quality oils.

7. Eat a high fiber diet for good elimination.

8. Eat soy foods and other legumes regularly. When you're using soy protein, you aren't eating animal fat.

9. Reduce intake of animal products, especially mammal fats.

10. Avoid deep-fried oils or hydrogenated “trans” oils, including most margarines.

11. Use monounsaturated oils such as olive oil rather than polyunsaturated oils such as corn or safflower.

12. Keep your weight under control.

13. Avoid exposure to unnecessary radiation.

14. Protect your skin from being burned from ultraviolet (tanning) radiation. It is healthy to get a little sun exposure on the skin for vitamin D, but burns are dangerous.

15. And guess what? Exercise.