How Functional Medicine Promotes a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle Defusing the Bomb
reiki, massage therapy, and acupuncture have been shown to reduce inflammation and stress — two commonalities among patients with heart disease. Stress can send your blood pressure skyrocketing, and inflammation can affect your heart’s arteries, blocking them from doing their very important job of keeping your heart pumping and you alive.
As flourishes of candy hearts fill store shelves this February, take a few minutes to remember the anatomical heart beating in your chest. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cardiovascular disease is the cause of 1 in 4 deaths in the U.S., and it’s the main cause of death for men and women. However, patients may not know that functional medicine can play a pivotal role in helping them prevent heart disease. Find out how below!
Monitor Your Progress
Get Healthy
Checkups with your functional medicine provider will give you a regular update on your heart. For example, if you start a fitness and nutritional
program at NJIB, you’ll come in for regular checkups and programs, which will track your progress and provide you with additional information to help you succeed. Additionally, since our professionals are continually checking in on your health, we can act as a safety net to make sure any obvious symptoms of your heart in distress are noticed.
You’ve been hearing this advice from medical professionals for decades, but a functional medicine nutrition plan can help you live accordingly. A diet focused on fish and lean proteins; colorful fruits and vegetables;
and whole grains provides your body with a variety of vitamins and minerals geared toward promoting and stimulating a steady flow from your heart to the rest of your body. Pair that diet with regular exercise and put out that cigarette, and you’ve got a lifestyle fit for a healthy heart.
This February, make a commitment to your heart. See how NJIB can help you create nutritional, fitness, and treatment plans for your heart by visiting NJIB.org.
Consider Functional Treatments
Once you’ve got your lifestyle down pat, give your heart the maintenance tools it needs. Functional medicine treatments like
Inspired by Food & Wine magazine.
HAVE A LAUGH!
Valentine’s Day Cookie Cards
Ingredients
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2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
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2 large egg yolks
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3/4 cup sugar
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2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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Royal icing, sprinkles, and edible markers, for decorating
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2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Directions
1. Heat oven to 375 F. 2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour with sugar and salt. Add butter and combine using a mixer at low speed, until butter breaks down into small, crumbly pieces. Increase mixing speed to medium andmix until butter and flour clump. 3. Add egg yolks and vanilla extract to bowl, returnmixer to low, andmix until dough congeals. 4. Carefully roll dough into a sheet 1/16-inch thick and cut into 4x6-inch cards. 5. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, bake cookie cards for 6 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. 6. Let cookies cool completely, decorate, and distribute.
3 www.NJIB.org
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