Heart disease includes conditions such as coronary heart disease, heart attacks, congestive heart failure, and congenital heart disease. Despite dramatic medical advances over the past fifty years, heart disease remains a leading cause of death globally and the number one cause of death in the United States. By integrating acupuncture and Oriental medicine into your heart healthy lifestyle, you can dramatically reduce your risk of heart disease.
Taking small steps to improve your health can reduce your risk for heart disease by as much as eighty percent. Steps to prevention include:
1. Manage High Blood Pressure. High blood pressure makes the heart work harder resulting in an enlarged heart, as well as damage to blood vessels in the kidneys and brain. Acupuncture has been found to be particularly helpful in lowering blood pressure by applying acupuncture needles at specific sites along the wrist, inside the forearm or in the leg.
2. Quit Smoking. Most people associate cigarette smoking with breathing problems and lung cancer. But did you know that smoking is also a major cause of coronary artery disease? In fact, about twenty percent of all deaths from heart disease are directly related to cigarette smoking. Acupuncture has shown to be an effective treatment for smoking. Acupuncture focus on jitters, cravings, irritability, and restlessness.
3. Maintain a Healthy Weight. Obesity is associated with diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease, all of which increase the risk of developing heart disease. Acupuncture is an excellent adjunctive tool when it comes to losing weight. It can help to energize the body, control overeating, suppress the appetite, and reduce anxiety.
4. Reduce Stress. Stress is a normal part of life. But if left unmanaged, stress can lead to emotional, psychological, and even physical problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, chest pains, or irregular heart beats. Numerous studies have demonstrated the substantial benefits of acupuncture in the treatment of stress, anxiety and mental health.
5. Improve Sleep. Poor sleep has been linked with high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart failure, heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, and obesity. Acupuncture has shown great success treating a wide array of sleep problems without any of the side effects of prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids.
For more information please call Dr. Liyan Lu of Ping’s Acupuncture and Herbs Center at 661-513-9265.