As we mentioned in Part II of this series of articles, we believe that eventually it will be proven that regular exercise, a whole food diet—free of refined foods and trans fats—and mental/emotional health can hold the key to resolving cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Moderate training of an endurance nature, but also other exercise activities, not only has a preventive effect on various illnesses and pre-illness states such as the metabolic syndrome and cancer, it is also effective in treating patients in the rehabilitation phase after illness, e.g., cardiovascular or cancer.1
The best way to express what really works best in the arena of exercise and CVD is the experience of one of my colleagues of many years, James Kellogg, DC, MD, MED, PT, AP. Dr. Kellogg has an impressive repertoire of experience in the area of exercise physiology and CVD, both professionally and personally.
Here is Dr. Kellogg’s story:
“I was a returning medic from the Vietnam conflict attending Bowling Green State University, and had presented myself to the exercise physiology lab as a test subject. After three stress tests and a visit from a Dr. Wilson from the La Crosse, Wisconsin, stress testing bank, I was given six years to live. Since I was an Olympic style weightlifter, with fewer than 10 percent body fat and felt fine, I refused to check into the hospital or take medication, because I knew that the medication would just cover up my problem.
“The stress test findings were serious: Resting Heart Rate (RHR) 94, Blood Pressure (BP) 148/94, EKG negative P-wave, >13 arrhythmias/min., O2 uptake of 36mlO2/KgBw/min. (below low) at 26 years of age. After I declined the options given to me, Dr. Wilson wrote up a five-page aerobic exercise prescription for me, which I followed for six months.
“Then I was retested at the Human Performance Lab and the results were astounding! My new stress test findings were: RHR 52, BP 128/84, positive P-wave, no arrhythmias, and O2 uptake of 72mlO2/KgBw/min. (above high). I spoke to my son about it, believing he could benefit from an exercise program, but he felt he got plenty of exercise at work. Later, my son suffered an MI (Myocard Infarct), at age 27. Now, when a patient tells me the same thing, I tell them, by definition, work tears you down and exercise builds you up. Unless you have a special job, you don’t get enough of the correct exercise at work.
“Post MI, my son had an echocardiogram performed and it revealed that a portion of the heart wasn’t beating. He then walked on the treadmill for a short time. They rechecked the echocardiogram, which revealed the whole heart beating. I told him, if he started an exercise program, the portion of his heart which wasn’t beating at first would come back. The cardiologist said no; that portion of the heart could never be viable again. Thankfully, my son did the exercise program and, one year later, with a new cardiologist, he was given a resting echocardiogram and the whole heart was beating. The body is a stimulus response mechanism; all it needs is the correct stimulus to provide the healing response.
“My stimulus was the exercise prescription: A minimum of 20 minutes of aerobic activity at my training heart rate (THR) 4X/week. The five-page exercise prescription included vital information about exercises, warm-ups, cooling-down, stretching, and a plan to gently increase intensity over six months. I developed a broader test to include the respiratory system, muscular balance, posture, body composition, BP, and stress control, and researched an exercise prescription protocol to stimulate the body to respond to each physiological deficit. My testing and exercise prescription became very popular, as I directed a cardiovascular fitness program.
“Remember, the body is a stimulus response mechanism. To receive the proper response, you must give the correct stimulus. Many people will not follow through with their exercise programs because they don’t see the results they expected. This often happens when they get their program ‘off the rack’ rather than a custom designed program for their personal, specific needs. I was so sure of the client results after testing and prescribing that I offered a money-back guarantee if they adhered to the prescription. I’ve never had to refund one dollar.”
Testing for cardiovascular fitness:
- Test Components
- Resting heart rate (RHR)
- Resting blood pressure (BP)
- Exercise heart rate (EHR)
- Exercise blood pressure
- O2 uptake
Test Sequence
1. Take RHR
2. Take BP
3. Perform ergometer test (workload vs. heart rate to determine O2 uptake) and monitor HR & BP during test
Evaluate Test Results
1. RHR normal is 70-72 bpm. The American College of Sports Medicine has guidelines on exercise testing and is a must read. BP normal is 120/80 mm Hg. If the resting BP is low, the client may be dehydrated and needs simply to drink more water.
2. If the BP is above normal, but not too elevated, considering gender and age, then the appropriate exercise program will tend to normalize an above or below normal BP.
3. O2 uptake is simply measured by comparing workload performed to heart rate during the exercise test.
Exercise Prescription:
1. To lower the RHR, use the formula to improve O2 uptake so the body can provide more energy and the heart won’t have to work so hard to meet the metabolic needs of the body.
2. To normalize BP levels, perform the aerobic activity continuously for a minimum of twenty minutes to fully dilate the blood vessels and keep their flexibility.
3. To increase the body’s ability to better utilize the oxygen it’s breathing in (O2 uptake), follow the exercise formula below. Remember, the body is a stimulus response mechanism and you must give it the correct stimulus to get the correct response.
Aerobic activity @THR X 20 min.4X/wk.THR= 220-age-RHR X 70% + RHR
Lack of physical activity has been associated with reduced risk of CVD among women. Inactive women would benefit by even slightly increasing their PA (physical activity) (e.g., walking 1 hour per week or possibly less) and even more from additional PA.2
Homeopathic and nutritional formulas are also key components in a successful exercise program to help improve the results of exercise, including O2 uptake, muscle tone, cardiovascular strength, prevention of lactic acid buildup that causes soreness, and prevention of injury. The added results of these formulas bring about a greater positive experience that make exercise more rewarding and fulfilling, which is what helps keep people into exercise for the long run.
References
1. Jennen, C.; Uhlenbruck, G.; Exercise and Life-satisfactory-fitness: Complementary Strategies in the Prevention and Rehabilitation of Illnesses; Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2004 Vol. 1 (2) Pgs. 157-65.
2. Oguma, Y.; Shinoda-Tagawa, T.; Physical activity decreases cardiovascular disease risk in women; Review and meta-analysis. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2004 JUN Vol. 26 (5) Pgs. 407-18.
Frank J. King, Jr., is a nationally recognized researcher, author and lecturer on homeopathy. In addition, Dr. King is the founder and director of King Bio, Inc., a registered homeopathic manufacturing company dedicated to completing chiropractic destiny with the marriage of homeopathy. Dr. King offers, complimentary to all Doctors of Chiropractic, his turnkey procedural system for the high volume practice called, The Chiropractic Enhancer systemÔ (CES). It is so easy to use that you can successfully apply homeopathy in your practice using any company’s products in one day. Call King Bio, Inc., Asheville, N.C. 1-800-543-3245 or e-mail: [email protected].