February is Dedicated To Heart Disease Awareness
Online, February 3, 2010 (Newswire.com)
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Boca Raton, Florida - February 2010 - Since 1963, February has been recognized as American Heart Disease Awareness Month and BodyLogicMD's bioidentical hormone doctors are urging women and men to take preventive steps towards improving their cardiovascular health.
American Heart Month is dedicated to raising public awareness and knowledge about heart disease. According the American Heart Association, 15 million Americans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease each year, and approximately every 25 seconds an American experiences a coronary event, making it the number one cause of death in women and men age 35 and older.
"Many women think of heart disease as a man's disease, but this just isn't the case," shares BodyLogicMD Chief Medical Officer Dr. Alicia Stanton. "Although prior to entering menopause, women are less likely to develop heart disease than men, hormonal imbalances brought on by menopause can drastically increase a woman's risk of coronary disease. Menopause naturally raises a woman's level of total cholesterol and also increases the production of a protein called homocysteine, which has been linked to arterial damage - both can lead to the plaque buildup along arterial walls and are considered high risk factors in the development cardiovascular disease (CVD)."
In men, cardiovascular risk also increases with age; however, in men the risk is commonly associated with high cortisol levels, resulting from prolonged stress and/or anxiety. Chronic stress can lead to a condition known as adrenal fatigue - a common symptom of andropause and a factor in an increase in risk for heart disease. Stress-induced adrenal fatigue occurs when large quantities of cortisol are released into the bloodstream. The overproduction of cortisol also raises a variety of risk factors often times referred to as metabolic syndrome or "syndrome X."
The risk for heart disease is contingent upon one or more of the following factors:
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Adrenal fatigue
• Menopause weight gain
• Hormone imbalance
• Smoking
• Inflammation
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Chronic Stress
Fortunately all of these risk factors can be mitigated by making proactive choices. Balanced nutrition and regular exercise help to prevent inflammation, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and relieve stress, and simultaneously reduce the risk of diabetes, menopause weight gain and heart disease. Although lifestyle changes can help to avoid the risk of heart disease, if risk factors are stemming from an underlying hormonal imbalance, lifestyle changes alone will not be enough.
BodyLogicMD's physicians have helped tens of thousands of women and men take proactive steps towards optimal health and wellness, using a three-pronged approach, consisting of bioidentical hormones (when necessary), integrated with customized nutrition and fitness regimens.
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