Well since we are back on the topic of heart disease, since it is the number one killer of mankind in the world, I thought it might be beneficial if I shared some important information about heart disease and cardiomyopthy. What is Cardiomyopathy? It is called by most " heart muscle disease " but can be related to any disease of the heart. As a rule of thumb it is usually referred to as " severe myocardial disease ". It means your heart muscle is not pumping as it should be due to both internal and external forces. What are some of these external and internal forces that bring it about you may ask? Good Question. Here are some causes of Heart Disease.

Alcoholism or severe use of alcohol, prescription drugs as well as other drugs and smoking are three of the largest external forces that are causes of heart disease. On the other hand the most common cause of heart failure internally speaking is ischemia. What is that you may ask? It is a restriction of blood supply to the heart. Yes the heart muscle is the strongest muscle in the human body, but it needs fuel as all other muscles do. A lack of blood supply leads to a lack of oxygen, glucose and other blood fuels needed to fuel the pumping action of the heart. If you don’t put gas in your car it’s simple the car won’t go anywhere, will it? The same is with the Heart Muscle, it needs fuel. The following is a list of internal variables that may cause Cardiomyopathy.

Some causes of Cardiomyopathy are:

Atherosclerosis: which are lipid-laden plaques obstructing the lumen of the arteries.

Hypoglycemia: which is a lower than normal level of glucose.

Tachycardia: which is an abnormal rapid beating of the heart.

Hypotension: low blood pressure, e.g. in septic shock, heart failure.

Thromboembolism: which are blood clots.

Now I want to talk about a trace mineral that is very important to start getting into your diet and that is Selenium. Selenium is one of the most important trace minerals needed for the heart, to keep it pumping properly and well fed so that you may live an active life to be free of a Heart Attack, prevent heart disease and heal from a Stroke. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine published 2006," it was hypothesized that low selenium concentrations are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and that selenium supplements help prevent coronary heart disease." Have you suffered from a Stroke? Then please just continue to read on.

Now I want to get off topic for a moment and give some interesting case studies to bring home the importance of selenium in your diet. I don’t know if you have ever heard of a man named Stewart Berger. In regards to health and nutrition he wrote 5 best selling books on diet and nutrition. He got his degree from Tuft Medical School in Boston and he is most noted for " The Southhampton Diet for Weight Loss ", " Forever Young", " 20 Years Younger in 20 Weeks" and " How to be your own Nutritionist " and guess what. He died at the age of 40 of Cardiomyopathy. What was he lacking in his diet? Selenium, that is what he was deficient in.

Next case study is a well know lady by the name of Dr. Gail Clark chief cardiologist at W. St. Louis County group of hospitals not to mention chief cardiologist for the St. Mary’s Health Center in Richmond Heights St. Louis County. She died at the age of 47 of a Heart Attack. Yes, you guessed it, a Cardiomyopathy Heart Attack. What trace mineral do you think that she was deficient in? I’ll leave that one up to your imagination.

Last case study is a great athlete by the name of Reggie Lewis who played for the Boston Celtics. Not only was he a great athlete who worked out regularly, didn’t swear, use four letter words, avoided drugs, never talked badly about another person and was loved dearly by his teammates, family and friends, not to mention he was in excellent physical condition as well. In April 1993 he collapsed during a game with the San Antonio Spurs. His diagnosis was Cardiomyopathy. Since Reggie was in excellent physical condition he survived the first heart attack. The Boston Celtics paid 12 Cardiologists a million dollars each to save Reggie. Well guess what? On July 28, 1993 Reggie died of Cardiomyopathy. That is 12 Million Dollars they spent to save Reggie when all they had to do was send a medical student to the library to read on Cardiomyopathy and learn that for 20 cents a day they could have given him selenium supplements. Does that make sense to you? For the sake of common sense they just had to pay a few cents a day to maybe save Reggie from a massive heart attack. I am talking about preventing heart disease and curing cardiomyopathy by a natural remedy. If you want to prevent a Heart Attack make sure you are getting some selenium in your weekly diet.

Now what foods are rich in Selenium you may ask. Well Brazil Nuts have the highest concentration of Selenium not to mention Sardines, and Tuna. Yes meats have a small percentage of selenium but nothing compared to the amount your heart may need to keep it pumping regularly and sytematically like it is suppose to. Please prevent heart disease by making sure you are feeding that heart muscle of yours the proper trace minerals needed as well as lots of exercise, consuming beverages with a high ( ORAC ) value and not eating foods with alot of hydrogenated oils, trans fats and preservatives. Don’t forget about resveratrol to fight free radicals building up in the blood, not to mention prevent atherosclerosis which is a hardening of the artieries. So eat more dark grapes, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries. Now about the Heart. It is the strongest muscle of the human body but it needs the proper food to keep it functioning well. Take Care of your Heart and your heart will take care of you.

By the way here are some Heart and Stroke Prevention tips just for you. Carnitine Fumarate, Selenium, Resveratrol and Garlic are some ot the best nutrients, supplements and minerals you can take to prevent Heart Disease. These are just some Heart and Stroke tips I leave with you.