Monday, September 19, 2022

Are you ready for World Heart Day? Sharing ways I'm Falling into Health! + a chance for YOU to win a year's worth of supplements!

If you are connected to this blog on our social channels you may be aware that my Mama Butterfly was rushed to the hospital the day after my birthday in cardiac arrest. This year has been a blur of hospitalizations and stress/worry.

While I have had a ton to say, the stress in my life right now has prevented from me writing much. I usually liked to write in the late night hours when the world was still and as quiet as any neighborhood in New York City can be...

But this year by the time things were 'still/quiet' I would just shut down and mostly stare at the ceiling (you all know by now I am an insomniac)...'Paralyzed from Exhaustion' would be a great title to describe my nights lately.

This year, World Heart Day - observed on September 29th, hits home for me a bit more. While there is no cookie cutter solution to heart health, I am trying out a new supplement and I wanted to put it on your radar:

Wakunaga of America sent me some of their supplements and I am sharing them in the order I started testing them! First up is Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract.

What it does NOT do: There is NO pizza breath here! This supplement will not repeat on you! - I mention this because I tried a Garlic Supplement in my teens for thinning hair and it made my breath so foul I refused to stay the course. So that was my first concern when starting with this supplement and I am happy to report that there are no bad breath issues here at all.

Instructions: Take two vegan capsules with food, preferably during or right after a meal. With food, the pH of the stomach is less acidic which allows the AGE (Aged Garlic Extracts) and its constituents to survive and go into the intestinal tract for absorption. (absorption my friends is the key with any supplement, how well it is absorbed determines how effective it will be so if your supplement bottle tells you to take it with or right after a meal, it is very important to follow those instructions).

BenefitsAged Garlic Extracts have demonstrated in numerous clinical studies to support overall cardiovascular health by reducing many risk factors for heart disease (e.g., maintaining healthy coronary arteries, supports healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels already within normal ranges, enhance circulation, etc.). Wakunaga's Aged Garlic Extracts have also been shown in clinical studies to show favorable impact in areas of immune function, gingivitis, stress and gut microbiota.

Where it is grownThe garlic used to make their Aged Garlic Extracts is organically grown in California, USA, under strictly controlled conditions without the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides.

Multiple benefits of Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract include:

  •         Lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels
  •         Slowing the progression of coronary artery calcification
  •         Inhibiting the accumulation of “soft” unstable plaque
  •         Decreasing blood platelet adhesion and aggregation
  •         Enhancing circulation
  •         Supporting immune function
  •         Reducing the risk of gingivitis
  •         Easing stress
  •         Improving gut microbiota

I have been taking this supplement for a little under one month now and plan to add it to my routine as I oddly had to cancel my visit to my cardiologist which fell while Mama Butterfly was in the hospital. But her experience definitely has me taking my heart health more seriously and I plan to re-schedule all my appointments soon.

Ten Ways to Improve Hearth Health (suggestions from the American Heart Association):

  1. Balance calories with physical activity.
  2. Reach for a variety of fruits and vegetables.
  3. Choose whole grains.
  4. Include healthy protein sources, mostly plants and seafood.
  5. Use liquid non-tropical plant oils.
  6. Choose minimally processed foods.
  7. Subtract added sugars
  8. Cut down on salt.
  9. Limit alcohol.
  10. Do all this wherever you eat!

Register to win a year’s supply of your favorite Wakunaga supplement during Wakunaga’s 50th anniversary celebration (no purchase necessary; one winner per month during the year 2022): https://kyolic.com/promotion/woa50th-sweepstakes/

My Take:

Mama Butterfly's harrowing experience this year, brought hearth health to the forefront at Casa Butterfly. I have a pretty regular supplement routine and I take quite a few supplements daily, but until now I had never taken one purely for heart health and now I can't imagine not taking one!

Readers Sound Off: Do you take Vitamins and Supplements daily? If so, which ones? Which have you found the most useful/helpful so far?

˙·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: No monetary compensation has been received. Supplements were provided for Editorial Consideration. All opinions are 100% my own! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure. Like this article? Buy your Editor a coffee to say thanks for the read: paypal.me/TracyIglesias or https://cash.app/$ascendingbutterfly or Venmo: Ascending1