February is often associated with delectable candy-coated hearts, resplendent flower bouquets, and the excitement of love in the air. As a clinician, my mind goes one step further in recognizing it as the perfect month to complete a comprehensive work-up on an organ that works so brilliantly…our heart!
A quick physiology refresher – the human heart beats one to two billion times throughout the average adult lifespan, without our even having to ask. How many other things in your life can you say will simply volunteer to work that hard for you, no request needed?
Weighing in at approximately 300 grams, comparable to a little more than half a pound of your favorite chocolate, it labors day in and day out, pumping blood, oxygen, and nutrients throughout our capacious inner vasculature highway system. Oh dear heart, you work so hard!
Unfortunately, cupid isn’t always successful when it comes to matters of the heart. Cardiovascular disease and dysfunction are the number one cause of death in the U.S. Further, one out of every three Americans suffers from cardiovascular disease (CVD). And at a whopping $316.4 billion dollars (2010), the price to address this calamitous health issue isn’t exactly the Valentine’s Day bargain our economy was hoping for. Isn’t it time we do something more for this oh-so-important little organ?
The Cardio ION offers clinicians the ability to analyze patients in a comprehensive, individualized format while paying special attention to heart health. By using forefront technology to pinpoint risk markers for overall heart health and heart health dysfunction, it serves as a valuable clinical tool.
Interested in learning more? Here ya go! The Cardio ION identifies key nutritionally-modifiable risk factors for CVD, including:
- Fatty acid imbalances, which may lead to chronic inflammation, shown by current research to be one of the most probable causes of CVD
- High fibrinogen causing the blood to be more viscous in nature, increasing clot risk
- Homocysteine, increasingly recognized as an important risk factor for CVD, stroke, and dementia
- Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a fat-soluble vitamin-like substance involved in creating cellular energy and combating free radicals in the body
- Fasting insulin, an indicator of potential insulin resistance now associated with metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes, and CVD
- Antioxidant sufficiency status, proven in studies to encourage arterial plaque reduction and inhibit cell damaging processes that may foster both CVD and cancer
In February, let’s step outside of the conventional box of standard lipid panel analyses…and into a heart-shaped box equipped with a more comprehensive, individualized analysis. As you wish your patients a Happy Valentine’s Day and a happy heart-health month this February, don’t forget to consider the Cardio ION!
Best of Health ~ Dr. Marynowski
References
Cass Nelson-Dooley, MS (18)