Heart Health
Take Control of Your Heart Health With Functional Medicine
Sleep regularity, metabolic health, movement regimen, genetics, and inflammation are among the pillars we evaluate when it comes to cardiovascular risk. Research shows that adhering to four simple behaviors can prevent up to 80% of heart disease. These include not smoking, exercising 3.5 hours a week, eating a healthy diet, and maintaining a healthy weight. At St. Louis Functional Medicine, we will educate patients on the relationship between poor metabolic health and heart disease, the role of insulin and gut microbiome health in driving cardiovascular disease, and how environmental toxins drive heart disease.
A Functional Approach to Cardiovascular Wellness
We address heart health by looking beyond the diagnosis to identify the root cause behind your symptoms. By utilizing advanced diagnostics and a holistic perspective, we:
Identify Underlying Triggers
Instead of just writing a prescription for high cholesterol or blood pressure, our goal is to understand why those markers are high in the first place. Through detailed laboratory work that measures inflammatory markers and oxidative stress, we gain a clear picture of what’s happening inside your body.
Use Personalized Nutrition Strategies
Your biology is unique, and your plate should be too. We design anti-inflammatory nutrition plans built around your metabolic data and genetic markers. From mastering the Mediterranean diet to stabilizing blood sugar with precision, we help you swap processed toxins for life-giving whole foods and essential fats.
Incorporate Movement as Medicine
Sedentary habits, unchecked stress, and restless nights create a hormonal storm that wears down your heart. We prescribe strategic movement designed to act as internal medicine. By recalibrating your nervous system, these methods help flush out stress hormones and build a level of cardiovascular resilience that standard workouts can’t achieve.
Optimize Key Nutrients
To function at its peak, your heart needs a toolkit of biological resources. Often, what we label as fatigue or poor circulation is actually a silent cry for help due to deficiencies in magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, CoQ10, or essential B vitamins. By identifying exactly what your body is missing, we can replenish those vital stores, providing your cardiovascular system with the high-octane fuel it needs to perform optimally.
Address Metabolic Health
Insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome are significant drivers of cardiovascular risk. We focus heavily on blood sugar regulation through diet, sleep optimization, and stress management to prevent or reverse conditions that damage the cardiovascular system over time.
The Critical Role of Sleep and Inflammation
Sleep has a profound impact on cardiovascular health, affecting nearly every aspect of heart function and disease risk. It impacts:
Blood Pressure Regulation
Deep sleep gives your body some much-needed recovery time. During this stage, your blood pressure naturally decreases in a process known as nocturnal dipping, allowing your heart and blood vessels to rest. However, when sleep is disrupted, this recovery is cut short, keeping your blood pressure elevated and placing additional stress on your cardiovascular system.
Inflammation and Immune Function
Sleep deprivation triggers inflammatory responses, elevating markers like C-reactive protein. This chronic, low-grade inflammation can damage blood vessel walls and accelerate the progression of atherosclerosis. Quality sleep allows your body to reduce inflammatory activity and repair cellular damage.
Metabolic Disruption
Poor sleep wreaks havoc on insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism. Even a single night of poor rest can make cells resistant to insulin, contributing to weight gain and metabolic syndrome, which are major risk factors for heart disease.
Autonomic Nervous System Balance
Sleep is the key to keeping your body’s stress and relaxation systems in harmony. Without enough rest, your fight-or-flight mode stays stuck in overdrive, pumping out cortisol and adrenaline. Over time, this constant stress takes a toll on your heart and overall cardiovascular health.
Reducing Systemic Inflammation
Think of chronic inflammation as the slow burn that fuels plaque buildup in your arteries. We tackle this head-on by addressing hidden triggers, such as gut imbalances, food sensitivities, and environmental toxins. By healing your gut and rebalancing its microbiome, you can significantly reduce the inflammatory stress on your heart.
Get Expert Guidance for Your Heart Health Today
The evidence for functional medicine interventions is strong, but navigating heart health requires expert guidance. We’re on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower our St. Louis community to reclaim their health. By uncovering and addressing the root causes of your concerns, we empower you to live an abundant and active life. Don’t wait for symptoms to worsen. Contact us to schedule an appointment and take control of your heart health today.