Cardiovascular

Dr. Cherry teaches on cardiovascular health. He states coronary artery disease, heart attacks, and high blood pressure are devastating diseases that kill half of the body of Christ each year. With the first sign of heart disease, which is chest pain, 25 percent of people are dead within 5 minutes. That is one in four people who have never before known they have heart disease and the first sign of it is sudden death.

Another 25 percent of people are dead within 3 months after the diagnosis of heart disease. Leviticus 17:11 tells us, “The life of the flesh is in the blood.” The enemy’s number one tactic in heart disease is to stop the flow of blood. 

Most heart attacks occur with less than 50 percent arterial blockage. According to the law of flow dynamics seventy percent of an artery must be blocked before chest pain will occur. The fatty plaque that forms in arterial walls is filled with cholesterol and inflammatory substances. In many people arterial plaque has a thin cap on it and is at greater risk of rupturing. Cardiologists refer to this as “vulnerable plaque.” When this plaque ruptures within the artery, the body immediately works to repair the rupture by forming a blood clot over it. As the clot continues to grow it blocks the flow of blood to the heart muscle supplied by that artery. It is the loss of that heart muscle referred to as a “heart attack.”  That is why 25 percent of people are dead within 5 minutes of their first warning of a heart attack, which is chest pain, because the clot forms quickly.

Inflammation is a major cause of the plaque ruptures that occur in the arterial walls in cardiovascular disease. Omega 3 fatty acids, such as fish oil supplements, are an excellent anti-inflammatory that offers protection to the heart. Arginine, found in specific heart related supplements, dilates and relaxes blood vessels, and helps lower blood pressure. Dilation of the blood vessels is the basic mechanism of prescription blood pressure medication. Walnuts and almonds are high in arginine, but it is important to keep a constant blood level by taking it daily in supplement form.

Policosanol—from sugar cane—helps lower cholesterol in the body.  Tocotrienols, a cousin of vitamin E, from rice and rice bran also lowers cholesterol as does alium or alicin, compounds from garlic. A person can’t constantly consume a fatty diet and expect these supplements to benefit them, however.

Magnesium, calcium, grape seed extract, grape skin extract, resveratrol, and vitamin C are the natural supplements that a person with high blood should take everyday.  Magnesium also works to stabilize the heart rhythm. Hawthorne extract and taurine also stabilize heart rhythm. CoQ10 increases the strength of the contraction of the heart and also helps heart rhythm. These are the primary things a person with heart arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, should take on a daily basis.

Exercise, healthy diet, and supplements are the three important steps in keeping down blood pressure. Dealing with stress is another important aspect of cardiovascular health. When stress increases, arterial plaque buildup increases.