Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States suffers a heart attack. We must be proactive and do everything that we can do, naturally and sometimes conventionally, to prevent or delay an early demise from heart disease.

The chances are that we or someone we know will die of cardiovascular disease, because heart disease is the leading cause of death of women and men in most ethnic groups. In fact, every 34 seconds, someone dies prematurely from heart disease.

Around 697,000 people died from heart disease annually just a few years ago, or one in five people, in spite of modern treatments, fancy medications and surgical procedures. Concurrently, the medical profession and pharmaceutical companies make nearly $229 billion each year making heart disease “the disease to have.”

If we knew for a fact that the risk is high of dying prematurely from heart disease, we might want to take steps to reduce that risk. The truth is that most people have no idea how. Some get a few things right, like taking certain vitamins and herbs, but almost always make the same nine mistakes.

We choose the wrong foods to eat. Some people need a ketogenic approach, while others need a high-healthy fat and high-plant protein approach, while some require no special diets, just nutritional supplements.

We must address overall body inflammation, because it can cause hardening and clogging of arteries anywhere in the body. The sources of any inflammation must be found and naturally managed, if possible.

If we do not absorb food properly in the intestines, we run the risk of many nutrient deficiencies, so it is imperative to begin a nutrition plan knowing what the absorption ability is.

Depending upon our current state of health, we may need a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercises for a specific amount of time per day and designed for our individual needs. Exercise is not the same for everyone.

Without knowing how much fat, lean mass and water our bodies are composed of, we cannot fully know if whether we have reduced our risk of disability and dying. All health improvement efforts must result in more lean mass and less fat mass.

There are literally thousands of dangerous food-nutrient-drug interactions that can serious injury a person or even cause death, and people often combine medications, nutritional supplements and foods in the dangerous ways.

Certain conditions, such as osteoporosis, arthritis, hypothyroidism and autoimmune diseases, increase the risk of dying of heart disease. Chest pain or jaw, neck, arm, back and shoulder discomfort can arise from a heart attack; feeling nauseous, light-headed and chronic fatigue are more potential symptoms.

A diagonal earlobe crease may be a sign of heart and vessel disease. Even dry ear wax and skin may indicate an increased risk or presence of heart disease. Not all diseases are preventable, but many cardiovascular issues are.

Michael Wald, DC, “the blood detective”, is a board-certified nutritionist, life coach, sports nutritionist, dietitian and certified nutrition specialist in Chappaqua, NY. For more information, visit DrMichaelWald.com. See ad, page 5.