Women Atypical – Maybe!
Sixty-percent of the population, and the majority of them women, do not present with high cholesterol and other lipids upon blood testing that indicate they are at high cardiovascular risk. It is important to understand that there are many other factors that increase heart disease risk that have nothing whatsoever to do with cholesterol levels; in fact, cholesterol is not even a cause of heart disease, but rather a response to some other cause…but this is another story! Other factors that are commonly overlooked even by cardiologists include atherosclerosis assessments; tests that measure hardness of arteries (not blockage!). A test known as an arterial elasticity index is used for this. Problems with the nervous system, and it’s connections to the heart, are another risk factor; persons with high blood sugar and diabetes cause damage to the nerves that travel (innervate) the heart and are long-known causes of sudden cardiac death. High levels of fibrinogen, a clotting factor, is often overlooked and cause strokes and heart attacks from clot formation (curcumin, garlic and onions help with this). A technology known as cardiobeam pulse testing measures with gentle sound waves the health of the left ventricle of the heart, heart valves, thickness of blood and hardness of large and small arteries; blood work can be 100% “normal” even though one or all of these tests may be abnormal. Why don’t internists and cardiologists check for these things? Just lazy I guess!