Second Nature Care Blog

Sugar and The Female Heart are not So Sweet Together

[fa icon="calendar'] Sep 18, 2015 9:00:00 AM / by Dr. Isadora Guggenheim

Sugar and The Female Heart are not So Sweet Together.

Not one, but two studies showed that middle-aged women with diabetes had far greater risks of having a cardiovascular event than men with diabetes.  

One study looked at more than 3 million Tuscany, Italy residents over the age of 16 and the second study from Nanjing, China examined the risk of acute coronary syndrome in both men and women with diabetes in 11 million people. 

This "gender driven risk window" becomes prominent in peri and postmenopause. If you are close to or in full blown menopause you must get a good heart health workup. Critical labs to include are:

  • Hemoglobin A1c 
  • Homocysteine
  • Vap panel to check for particle size
  • Cholesterol, LDL's and HDL's and their ratios
  • Vitamin D3
  • Lipoprotein A or B status
  • MTHFR
  • ClQ10 status
  • Omega 3 and 6 status
  • B-vitamins status
  • Testosterone, Cortisol and DHEA
  • I run baseline CBC and metabolic panels to include liver enzymes

When a woman enters menopause or menotransformation it is a time to reflect on her life, purpose in life and her priorities to create a healthier life. Women live longer in menopause then in child-bearing years. It is paramount to integrate healthy heart changes during this transitional time. 

What changes do I recommend for peri and post-menopausal women for The Female Heart

If you are still smoking, now is the time to quit. We can sit down and explore all of your options. I have medicines to use while you are still smoking with the goal of a future quit date. 

Get familiar with juicing. Try getting one green drink 2 or 3 times per week. Choose greens, lemons, carrots, beets, ginger, turmeric, celery, wheatgrass, bitter melon, and parsley as these are anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agents. 

Eat one tablespoon of flaxseed oil or olive oil each day.  

Check out the Mediterranean diet online. See what is realistic in terms of changing your family's diet. Bread is for the birds. Bread is a waste of calories and space in your intestinal microbiome. If you need a scoop use a spoon. 

Sugar - Don't buy any artificial sweeteners or sweetened food items. Look for unsweetened foods. If you can't pronounce anything on the label; don't buy it. 

Exercise daily and break a sweat. There is no substitute. You have to move to detoxify your body daily. 

Dry Finnish sauna is proven to reduce cardiovascular risk factors. If your gym does not have one think about building a homemade one or buying one from Heavenly Heat. Have your doctor write a medical prescription for it so it can become a medical tax write-off.  

I recommend several stress reduction modalities - I.V. ozone, meditation, yoga, sleeping, connecting with good friends, gardening, reading a book, therapy, tapping, drumming, dancing or just sitting and thinking quietly. 

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Topics: Heart Health, Women's Health

Isadora Guggenheim, ND, FNP, RN, MS, CNS, LMT, owner of Second Nature Naturopathic Care, LLC
For all appointments: Tel: 845 358-8385 Fax: 845 358-2963 drguggenheim@msn.com