Cardiac Health Program
Program Description
Integrated Health ClinicTM is proud to offer our new Cardiac Health Program as part of our Live Health Initiative. Each year, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is associated with more deaths than all cancers—and more deaths in women than breast cancer. Unfortunately, CVD progresses silently over decades and diagnosis is typically not made until advanced stages. Although CVD appears to entail a strong familial component, early detection and reduction of risk factors may at least ameliorate the artherosclerotic process.
The Integrated Health Clinic Cardiac Health Program provides an extensive evaluation of your current cardiovascular condition and examines the impact of lifestyle, weight, exercise, diet and heart function to help you better understand your risk.
The Cardiac Health Program is offered by our trained Naturopathic Doctors (ND) and consists of the followingprimary components:
Comprehensive Cardiac Risk Profile
This Comprehensive Cardiovascular Risk Profile provides extensive evaluation of biomarkers of abnormal lipoprotein metabolism, inflammation, coagulation, glomerular filtration and glucose homeostasis, as well as the status of magnesium, iron and key antioxidants.
Lipoprotein-Related Biomarkers: Total and LDL cholesterol, total triglycerides and HDL cholesterol have traditionally been measured to gauge CVD risk. However, recent research indicates that more focused biomarkers can provide even greater insight. For example, oxidized LDL and small dense LDL have been found to be higher in CVD patients and correlated with the severity of CVD. In addition, levels of apolipoproteins A1 and B, specific protein constituents of HDL and LDL, are also strong indicators of risk.
Inflammation: Arterial damage is associated with the infiltration of white cells into vessel walls and inflammation, which increases blood levels of two acute phase proteins, C-reactive protein and ferritin. Although not specific to CVD, analysis of these two proteins is valuable in assessing CVD risk.
Oxidative Stress, Glomerular Filtration and Blood Glucose: Because oxidative stress is a component of CVD, the Comprehensive Cardiovascular Risk Profile measures plasma levels of three primary antioxidants: coenzyme Q10 and alpha- and gamma- tocopherol. The test also looks for elevated serum homocysteine, which has long been established as a risk factor. Finally, long-term blood glucose homeostasis and glomerular filtration assessments round out the battery of risk factors analyzed.
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a noninvasive test that is used to reflect underlying heart conditions by measuring the electrical activity of the heart. By positioning leads (electrical sensing devices) on the body in standardized locations, information about many heart conditions can be learned by looking for characteristic patterns on the ECG.
ECG leads are attached to the body while the patient lies flat on a bed or table. Leads are attached to each extremity (four total) and to six pre-defined positions on the front of the chest. A small amount of gel is applied to the skin, which allows the electrical impulses of the heart to be more easily transmitted to the ECG leads. The leads are attached by small suction cups, Velcro straps, or by small adhesive patches attached loosely to the skin. The test takes about five minutes and is painless. In some instances, men may require the shaving of a small amount of chest hair to obtain optimal contact between the leads and the skin.
Body/Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA)
A BIA will be conducted to determine your body fat percentage. Simply put, body fat scales use the BIA technique to measure body composition by sending a low, safe electrical current through the body. The current passes freely through the fluids contained in muscle tissue, but encounters difficulty/resistance when it passes through fat tissue. This resistance of the fat tissue to the current is termed 'bioelectrical impedance', and is accurately measured by body fat scales. When set against a person's height, gender and weight, the scales can then compute their body fat percentage.
Body Mass Index (BMI)
BMI is a screening tool used to measure weight relative to height. While BMI does not measure body fat directly, it is a complementary tool and correlates to measures of body fat, such as the BIA, and is considered an accurate component of your overall health profile.
Exercise Guidance
Exercise is a critical component of any Cardiac Health Program, ours is no exception. The importance of adopting an active lifestyle that includes daily exercise cannot be over emphasized. As part of the your overall plan our NDs will provide you with guidance to assist you in establishing an exercise routine that fits your specific needs. It has been clearly demonstrated that consistent and appropriate exercise (you don't need to run the New York marathon) in support of your cardiac program, facilitates success.
Diet, Nutrition and Immune Support
Eat well and boost your body's ability to fight disease.
Supporting your body's natural immune system is pivotal to the success of any prevention or treatment program. Through the management of diet and the educated use of natural supplements, your body's immune system can be engaged as a primary treatment mechanism in the fight against disease. The NDs at Integrated Health ClinicTM possess the knowledge and experience to guide you in understanding your body, understanding its unique capacity for healing, and understanding what works for you as part of an individualized treatment regimen.
Together, Integrated Health ClinicTM and you can work to generate a science based health plan that offers the level of individualized focus and qualified support that will deliver sustainable results... results you can be proud of.
We encourage you to visit Integrated Health ClinicTM to meet with our physicians and learn more about this service.