Heart and Cardiovascular Health - What's LOVE (and Erectile Dysfunction) Got to Do With It?

Men have an advantage over women in having erectile dysfunction as it relates to heart disease, because women don't have that outwardly obvious (and bothersome) manifestation of the state of their blood vessels.

Yes, THAT is one of my favorite moments of learning at an IMC seminar in the past year, which was something Dr. Scott Rollins said in a seminar on bioidentical hormones for men, if I recall correctly. 

I had the immeasurable privilege for the past years to be part of an integrative medicine center going from conception to reality via Scott Rollins, MD. I was literally physically immersed most days for a year around a team that included this 'alternative thinking' MD/'allopath',  Christopher Lepisto, ND with the regular inclusion of their acupuncturist and two psychologists (one a pain management specialist, the other guided imagery and health coaching).  These are the providers you see if you click on the 'Videos' tab, above (with the exception of the acupuncturist who was getting her doctorate at the time in another state while having a full caseload here in Grand Junction, but she has her own section in Forums set up now and is preparing to start writing!).

Not only was I involved in regular formal and informal meetings with the staff for the year that Lumigrate's office was located at 'The IMC', but I regularly attended the new seminars they were preparing and presenting as a result of the demands they saw from their patient consumers.  From that attendance, I was able to decide what might be of interest to the bigger 'Internet audience' via video seminars, which you now have at your fingertips regarding hypothyroidism, supplements and disease prevention, food allergies/sensitivities, detoxification and cleansing, making changes in your life successfully, full barrel syndrome, health management, and insurance and pharmaceutical industry influence on health care today.  

But there are MANY MORE seminars that have been presented there which I or 'we' have attended, with a camera, and captured the content in order to have a record of the information in order to develop a full complement of educational information at Lumigrate.com in the future.  From bone health to bioidentical hormones for men and for women to heart and cardiovascular health and fibromyalgia, I'm pleased to say I feel like there is much to look forward to from Lumigrate that originates from The IMC.  Scott's a very busy guy -- typical for doctors and many other medical providers anymore -- so it was GRATE to see him last week at an IMC event and to touch bases and have him be 'cool with' my integrating the information I've gleaned with products I am working on with other providers from around the country.  I guess he knows that I give credit where credit is due, and I'll always appreciate the direction my professional life turned the last few years because of the risks he and his family took when deciding to create and IMC together with others of us a few years back. 

I'm also going to credit him with one of the best lines I've heard in any seminar, which I also put at the top of this just to be sure people saw it: That men have an advantage when it comes to knowing about heart disease because their erectile dysfunction (ED) is a symptom of something they likely will end up in the ER with in the future.  So I hope that the title of this blog post today captures the attention of at least one person who will 1) learn and 2) act. 

A bit of information from his "Secrets of a Health Heart" seminar:

You can lower your risk of CVD by lifestyle changes which include:

• Increased intake of fruits and vegetables (anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals),
• decreased intake of saturated fats,
• weight control,
• exercise,
• no smoking and
• moderation of alcohol,
• lower stress levels (due to cortisol). 

Some statistics if you want to help identify or motivate yourself or others: 1 in 3 Americans have 'heart disease', a.k.a. 'cardiovascular disease' (CVD), and it is the #1 cause of death in women and men over 65. As many people die from it as the combination of diabetes, accidents, cancer.  Between 1980 and 2000, evidence-based medical therapies and changes in risk factors in the population are credited with decrease in deaths.  However, in 2004 in the U.S., 65% of men and 47% of women had a first symptom of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease of heart attack or sudden cardiac death. 

At age 50, "Optimal" risk factor was defined as: BP <120/80 mm Hg, total cholesterol < 180 ml/dL, absence of diabetes, absence of smoking.  Elevated risk factors = stage 1 hypertension or borderline high cholesterol (200 - 239 mg/dL).  Major risk factors were stage 2 hypertension, elevated cholesterol (240 and over), current smoking, diabetes. 

Some interesting thoughts from my notes:

Testosterone, which declines in men and women with age has a very positive effect on blood vessels, promotes muscle growth and lipid metabolism.  Anti-aging philosophy embraces supplementing these hormones in a biologically identically way. 

Diet has a key role and can be made pretty simple:

Increase fiber via oat bran, psyllium, flax seed, AS WELL AS fruits and vegetables, lots more than the RDA suggests.

Raw nuts - almonds, walnuts, pecans have 'good fats' as well as protein and fiber

Fish oil - lowers inflammation, makes the particles of bigger (see below under VAP)

There's a BONUS TOO! Many of the things proven to increase heart health also increase ability of the body to defend itself from cancer.

A few of the many tests that Dr. Rollins suggests which are not used as much as some others (such as treadmill / stress) but are economical and very effective and have advantages to the more typically-performed tests, should you want to study up on them more if you're interested and ask YOUR medical provider:

• Cardiac Calcium CT (ideal to get done between ages of 50 and 70 and has a 98% accuracy)
• Ultrasound of carotid and abdominal aorta
• VAP cholesterol - Vertical Aligned Profile (which looks at LDL size, as smaller can get through walls of artery easier, so 'bigger is better' when it comes to size .... of LDL that is! (Link: www.thevaptest.com/

Link to The IMC website: www.imcwc.com

To ALL the providers and support staff associated today and in the past with the IMC -- I LOVE YOU GUYS, and hope that the patients you're serving are as hard-working about their health as you are about providing one roof to allow for collaboration and the integration of progressive, valid, FUN people and information. (And I hope that is the same for all that are 'turned on and tuned in' to Lumigrate.com as well).