Go Magazine | Issue 54

HEALTH REPORT

Dr Ross Walker’s five keys to good health If you are at risk of heart disease, there are fi ve key lifestyle principles that can potentially reduce your r isk by 83 per cent. No pill or procedure comes close to that lev el of risk reduction! 1 Quit all addictions : You cannot be healthy and smoke, you cannot b and drink too much alcohol and y ou e healthy cannot be healthy and use any ille gal drugs.

4 Exercise: The Walker suggested dose of exercise is 3-5 hours per week of exercise that makes you hot an d somewhat short of breath. In betw een times try to move as much as possible. Prolonged siting is extremely bad for the hea lth. 5 Happiness: The best drug on the planet is happiness. In each mom ent cultivate the attitude – I choose p eace over this: I am not going to give y ou the power to cause my heart attack. C

2

Cultivate a good quality sleep habit : The quality of your day very much depends on the quality of your sle ep

the night before. We spend a third sleeping it has to be something ve

of our life

ry important.

3

Nutrition : If you can kill it and eat it straight away or grow it in your ba

ultivating

ckyard

peace and happiness is an extrem method for improving your own h

it is good for you and after that all

ely important

bets

are off! The simplest summary of is to eat less and eat more natura lly.

ealth.

good eating

Dr Ross Walker is an eminent practicing c and a regular presenter on TV and radio i

ardiologist, author of seven books

n Australia.

Fatty fish: Sardines, ocean-caught salmon, mackerel, ocean trout and herring are all rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, whichhelp to support a normal heart rhythm. Don’t like fish? Consider taking a high-potency fish oil supplement. Nuts: Walnuts and almonds, in particular, are packed with healthy unsaturated fats, and some research even indicates that they may help to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL, or ‘bad’ cholesterol). Pomegranate: This fruit offers an abundance of benefits for your heart, including preventing damage to arterial walls, improving blood flow to the heart and promoting healthy blood pressure levels. Smart supplements Seeking out smart supplements also plays an integral role in maintaining heart health with many good options you can navigate with your health practitioner. Vitamin K2: Research has shown vitamin K2 as MK-7 helps maintain and use calcium in the bones. Calciumnot used by bone-building cells can accumulate in the arteries and soft tissues, contributing to cardiovascular disease. Vitamin K2 helps put calcium where it belongs. Think of MK-7 as the body’s light switch. It

activates or “turns on” important proteins in the body, such as osteocalcin for strong bones and the matrix Gla protein (MGP) for heart health. Researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands monitored 244 healthy post-menopausal women for three years, who were randomly assigned a nutritional dose (180mcg) of MenaQ7 ® (a specific form of vitamin K2), or placebo capsules daily. The outcome was amazing. Vitamin K2 not only inhibited age-related stiffening of the artery walls, it improved vascular elasticity. Ubiquinol: Ubiquinol is a more advanced form of coenzymeQ10, the heart’s energy source. Research shows the body can absorb ubiquinol five to eight times more readily than supplemental CoQ10. Ubiquinol is also proving promising as an additional therapy for people with cardiac complaints as well as those taking statins. While statins are commonly prescribed, they can induce myopathy, a condition featuring muscle tension, weakness and pain. One study found taking statins and ubiquinol together reduced muscle pain by up to 54 per cent and muscle weakness by 44 per cent. Bergamot: I believe all people over the age of 50 should be taking a Bergamot polyphenolic fraction product (BPF). There are a number of bergamot products on the market but the only ones that have been

proven to be effective with peer-reviewed research are those with the higher potency extracts and I highly recommend products that have at least 47 per cent BPF. While bergamot has been traditionally used in the Calabrian region for decades to promote heart health, the BPF extract also improves insulin sensitivity, and lowers blood sugar. Krill Oil: Inflammation is a major component of all chronic illnesses including heart disease. Two excellent natural anti- inflammatories are curcumin and krill. Magnesium: In a 2009 study, 79 patients with severe congestive heart failure received either magnesium orotate (6,000mg for a month and 3,000mg for about 11 months) or placebo. After a year of treatment, 75

per cent of the 40 people who took magnesium orotate survived, compared to 51 per cent of those on the placebo. Symptoms also improved for 38 per cent of people taking magnesium orotate, whereas they deteriorated in 56 per cent of people on the placebo. Talk to your health practitioner about the right

options for you. And remember, lack of exercise, a poor diet and other unhealthy habits can take their toll over the years.

17

ISSUE 54 • 2019

Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog