It was slightly more than a year ago when, Lauren Mahoney was given a second chance at life. 

It was in 1999, when she was diagnosed with heart disease: a cardiomyopathy, which literally means “heart muscle disease” and is the deterioration of the function of the myocardium (i.e., the actual heart muscle), bringing about dangerous arrhythmias.  When this happens, the heart beat may be too fast or too slow and it may be regular or irregular.

She lived with her deteriorating heart for 10 years struggling with sleeping, walking and even eating.

In May of 2008, Lauren was referred to the Massachusetts’ Brigham and Women’s Hospital where her condition was evaluated and they advised her that she qualified to join the heart transplant list.  Lauren was quite prepared to go on the list and need time to think about it. 

She spent the summer trying to live a normal life, but struggled with each day that passed. Eventually in her own time, she came to the conclusion that this was no way to live her life and she put her name down on the transplant list.

In February 2009, she had to go back to the hospital as she wasn’t feeling well and so began a stay of 3 months in hospital, waiting for a new heart. May 21, her cardiologist walked into her room and said: “How about a new heart?”  He stated it that simply.  Well, Lauren knew this was it, and by then, was so ready for it.

At 2 a.m. on May 22, 2009, she received her new heart.

The surgery went well. her recovery was hard at first, but day-by-day it became easier with the help and support of everyone around her. Two weeks’ later, Lauren was discharged and able to return home somewhat worried at going back into the “outside world” saying goodbye to the continual hospital monitoring and constant care.

Today, Lauren is enjoying the life of a healthy 27 year old woman, bike riding, walking three miles daily and socializing with her friends; simply living in a way that she previously could only dream about.  Feeling healthy was a feeling she had virtually forgotten but now she has the wonderful opportunity to do it again.

Grateful for the sacrifice of her donor and in their honor, Lauren participates in AHA fund raising.  The donor is of course anonymous but will always be a part of her. Lauren has also been walking to raise money for Brigham and Women’s Hospital to thank them for the support that they gave her. She calls those at the Shapiro centre miracle workers and Lauren is keen to help others who find themselves with heart disease.

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Whenever the topic of conversation turns to health, weight loss and diet, it is very likely that cholesterol will be mentioned at one point or another. People these days are very wary of their cholesterol intake, primarily because of the horror stories they have heard about what this substance can do to their bodies. But the truth is that cholesterol is not bad in itself. In fact, it is an essential substance needed by the human body for various natural process. The real concern begins when we eat more cholesterol than our bodies really need.

The body only needs a little bit of cholesterol to maintain its functions and any excess is flushed away as waste. However, too much cholesterol can cause buildup and it’s difficult to get rid of. It stays in the bloodstream and eventually becomes a major blockage in the veins and arteries, reducing the healthy flow of blood throughout the body. When this occurs, the heart has to work harder and this can put you at a higher risk for heart attack and cardivascular problems. When it comes to heart health, you might need to start looking at a natural cholesterol lowering supplement.

Keep An Eye On Your Cholesterol Levels

The number of health risks can be severe, so it is important for everyone to keep an eye on their cholesterol levels regularly. As soon as it climbs above your healthy levels, you need to start taking steps to bring it down to a healthier number. One of the most commonly recommended solutions for high cholesterol are regular exercise, balanced diet, lots of rest and in some cases, medication. Cholestasys is a natural supplement which you might like to use.

Cholesterol which is found in the body can be broken into two types: LDL, or low density lipoproteins and HDL, high density lipoproteins. LDL, sometimes referred to as the bad cholesterol, is the type that accumulates in the bloodstream and hindreds bloodflow. HDL, on the other hand, is also known as the good cholesterol. Studies show that higher levels of HDL actually prevent heart attacks, because they help with the flushing out of excess cholesterol from the body. A Cholestasys review can explain the function of a supplement for lowering the bad cholesterol and raising the good cholesterol.

Many heart attacks can be linked to high levels of cholesterol, but you don’t have to let this happen to you. You should have a good understanding of what cholesterol is and how you can keep your cholesterol levels low. It is also important to monitor your cholesterol levels regularly so you should consult with your doctor as to when and how often you should go for a cholesterol screening.

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There are clear benefits of increasing your intake of omega 3 essential fatty acids, the 2 most important being DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). In particular there are well established heart benefits to taking more Omega 3 in your diet, however for anyone with high triglycerides it is also now clear that increasing your intake of essential fats can help in lowering triglycerides.

Research shows that over 90 percent of us are deficient in the important essential fatty acids found in fish oil. And research has also confirmed a wide range of heart benefits from remedying that deficiency by including more fish, or fish oil in the form of supplements, in our diet.

Some of the most important benefits from fish oil supplementation include a reduction in blood pressure, a reduction in the growth of plaque in the arteries and a reduction in the risk of fatal heart attack. And this now includes lowering triglycerides.

Triglycerides are a fat that is found in your blood and which is manufactured in your body from the food that you eat. If you have high triglycerides this increases the risk of blood clots and can also lower your HDL (good) cholesterol. The bottom line is that high triglycerides are linked to coronary artery disease which can kill you. High triglycerides is also linked to some other diseases such as diabetes.

By eating a diet with a high level of saturated fat and sugar you may be contributing to higher than normal triglyceride levels. And other risk factors are being overweight and excess alcohol consumption.

So for many people lowering triglycerides is very important, and they want to know how to lower triglycerides.

There’s a number of things that help lower triglycerides. These include reducing the amount of saturated fat in your diet, exercising more, eating less sugary foods, losing weight and reducing alcohol intake.

But it is now clear from the research that increasing your intake of omega 3 essential fatty acids by way of fish oil supplementation is an important part of a strategy to help lower triglycerides.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition publishes many of the studies about the benefits of omega 3 and a statement on the website says that “A dose-response relationship exists between omega-3 fatty acid intake and triglyceride lowering” and also that “omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil decreased serum triglyceride concentrations by 25% to 30%,”.

The role of an increase in intake of omega3 essential fatty acids is sufficiently established so that the American Heart Association specifically recommends that patients who need to lower triglycerides take 2 to 4 grams of DHA and EPA every day, as  fish oil supplements, under a physicians care.

Many people in our society suffer from higher than recommended triglyceride levels. This then is good news for them, providing them with another weapon in the arsenal to help lower triglycerides naturally.

And as well as lowering triglycerides there are other heart benefits as well as a wide range of other health benefits from increasing your intake of omega 3 fats by way of fish oil supplementation.

Of course you can eat more fish but fish is generally contaminated with mercury and can be extremely expensive. The best fish oil supplements are not contaminated and are much more cost-effective to be taken daily, though not all fish oil supplements are as good as others.

I take Omega 3 capsules every day. To find out which ones I consider to be the best visit my website.

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