Cardiovascular Health
More people die from cardiovascular disease than from any other cause. “Conventional” medicine often treats the symptoms and not the underlying cause. We understand that solely giving drugs to lower one’s cholesterol level is an inadequate approach to this complex situation.
The underlying cause of cardiovascular disease is inflammation. Eliminating inflammation, however, is not an easy task and there is, of course, no magic pill for this. Inflammation has many causes, including stress, lack of sleep and sleep apnea, poor diet due to both what is and what is not eaten, environmental toxins, hormonal imbalances, and genetic predisposition.
Hypertension is a serious and common problem, and simply by reducing sodium intake 100,000 deaths of Americans each year would be prevented. We work with each patient to reduce blood pressure elevations, utilizing an integrative approach and utilizing prescription medications, when necessary. Most patients can either discontinue or reduce their use of pharmaceuticals.
Determining cardiovascular risk typically includes sophisticated testing of lipids and cardiovascular and inflammatory markers. Evaluating nutritional status, toxic exposures, sleep, stress, fitness and exercise are also part of our program. Complementing our laboratory testing, we offer state-of-the art vascular ultrasounds to assess the state of plaque in the carotid arteries and the arteries of the peripheral extremities, echocardiograms to evaluate the heart, and in-home sleep apnea studies.
Treatment of cardiovascular risk always begins with lifestyle modifications, and we have assembled a talented and unique team to help each person achieve his or her goals. Whether doing biofeedback, meditation, acupuncture, or massage to lower blood pressure and stress, working with our fitness and nutrition experts to lose weight and get in shape, undergoing “detoxification” with our naturopaths, taking prescription pharmaceuticals under the care of our M.D.’s or P.A.’s, or having cognitive behavioral modification and hypnosis with our psychologist, you can be assured you will receive a comprehensive plan tailored to your personal beliefs and goals.