Speaker 1: Welcome back. About one in every four deaths in the United States is caused by heart disease, and today we’re gonna discuss risks prevention and, for Valentine’s Day, the role of emotions in heart health. Dr. Erica Steele from Holistic Family Practice in Virginia Beach is joining us. We found you.
Speaker 2: We did. Oh my gosh. I know. Instead of where’s. Swears, Dr. Steele? Yes.
Speaker 1: All right, so first of all, this is a serious topic, especially in February, which is heart and one. What are the leading causes of heart disease?
Speaker 2: So ironically, of course, we know the general ones like genetics and things of that regard, but a lot of its essential lifestyle. A lot of its smoking, poor diet, not exercising, and not taking care of one overall.
Speaker 1: One thing interesting in the lead-in was the role emotions play. Yeah. So tell me about that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it’s fascinating. I’m in a class for my Ph.D., and right now, we talk about type A personalities and perfectionists, right? And so I’m recovering.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, me too. I don’t think I’ve recovered, but go ahead. It’s okay.
Speaker 2: Every day is a new day, so none. We tend to judge ourselves and rebuke ourselves. And we think that we’re not enough. And so that actually leads to a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. Wow. Okay.
Speaker 1: And I know they call it the silent killer because sometimes the symptoms are hard to define or identify. So what are some of the people who are most at risk for heart disease?
Speaker 2: As we know, especially minorities and especially minorities. And I think it’s because a lot to do with the stigmas. We, as women of color, tend to hold onto a lot. We tend to bury the shoulders of responsibilities emotionally. We hold things in, people think we’re strong, and there are all those stigmas. Not to say that other people don’t experience it as well, but I think. So when we exclude ourselves from our lives, we’re not really being fully present.
We’re not taking care of ourselves. We’re not drinking the water, not moving our bodies, and not eating well. We’re stressing out. We’re actually not attached to our emotions. We’re disconnected from our feelings. So all those things really play a role in our survival society, affecting chronic disease, especially cardiovascular disease.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Okay. So how do we prevent it? How do we even nip it in the bud? We may have kids, and we want to stop it early.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I really think it’s about presence. And, getting back to the basics, meaning, When you first wake up, pray, meditate, set the intention for your day, drink water, half your body weight ounces in water every day, eating adequate amounts of protein. I talk about it all the time on this show. Protein helps the body to repair and heal. Moving our body, even if it’s simple as taking the stairs or parking the farthest parking spot from the store. Incorporating those things and really creating a healthy. Lifestyle is gonna really help you overall.
Speaker 1: Okay. I’m thinking, I’m trying to take the stairs. Yeah, I’m trying to do everything you’re saying. So what if that is not enough?
Speaker 2: Obviously, there are providers like myself, right? Some doctors can help. Some people need medications. They need stabilizers, especially if they’re unwilling to take personal responsibility for their health, and they just continue to do the same thing and expect a different result.
So thank God we have excellent surgeons. We have that cardiac hospital here. We have excellent medications for people that are really not willing to take that personal responsibility Naturally. I’m looking for people who really wanna change their lifestyle, right? Who really? Take personal empowerment, and they wanna do something; they wanna be in action.
We’re not a victim of our genes. Our genes are only less than 30% of our actual overall health. So meaning that you can have a gene that, let’s say, is hypertensive, but because you have a healthy lifestyle, you’re not necessarily gonna manifest it. So I think people sometimes get into a vulnerable state with their health, and they just throw their hands up and say, there’s nothing I can do. But that’s not really true.
Speaker 1: Okay. Now you’re doing a cooking class. I am. Which is one of them. Because if you eat better, yes. You can live better, of course.
Speaker 2: Many people don’t know how to eat. They get, they’re like, overwhelmed. And they’re like, what do I do? I wanna eat healthily, but how do I do it? And so I started cooking classes this year to teach people how to eat well. And I do a full. Spread. It’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack for the day. So we get all the macronutrients in there, your proteins, fats, and carbs. So everybody will. I dunno; you could cook. Can I gotta take your class so I can learn? Thank you.