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Arteriosclerosis by Daved Rosensweet M.D. Preventing and dealing with hardening of the arteries should be of fundamental concern for every one of us. It is one of the most common medical problems that can develop because we are all subject to so many of its causes, and its causes are so prevalent. This “hardening” can result in elevated blood pressure, heat attack, stroke or other problems: leading causes of trouble for Americans. Why are artery problems so prevalent? Arteries carry our blood, our blood can carry hurtful toxic and oxidative chemicals, and our blood can ‘thicken’ from common everyday factors, such as infection, that make us vulnerable to clotting. Arteriosclerosis has many causes. Although comprehensive risk assessment and treatment methods are now available, they have not yet made it into mainstream popular knowledge. The good news is that so much can be done to identify, prevent and remedy this ailment, and increase your safety and wellbeing. As with so many issues in medicine, atherosclerosis is complex. Let's begin by looking at the end: blood clots! Ultimately, it is blood clots that pose one of the most significant threats. And clots result from the hardening, damage, plaque formation and blockage of arteries. Arteriosclerosis begins with ultramicroscopic injuries to the arterial walls. Inflammation and repair ensue. Cholesterol and calcium deposition can be part of this repair. Platelets and blood fibrin can deposit, upon injury, to the arterial wall. Then they may initiate the cascade known as blood clotting. Ultimately, it is the clots in the arteries that pose the greatest danger and can cut off blood supply to heart or brain. The clotting process is also about "coagulability," and excessive or "hyper-coagulability" is a very common problem! Almost everyone that has had a hurtful clot, or is at risk for one, has been put on "anticoagulants" such as aspirin, coumadin and heparin, as far as some traditional treatments. I first learned of the causes and the prevalence of hypercoagulability from a laboratory in Arizona that specializes in the testing of the blood coagulation process. And quite a specialty it is, as the clotting mechanism is one of extraordinary biological complexity! So many different factors are involved. The laboratory director put it this way to me: "did you ever wonder why on microscopic exam during autopsies “fibrin deposition” in tissues is so common?" (I had wondered!) He went on to tell me that it is quite common to have an excessive amount of a clotting factor called fibrinogen in the blood, (that can convert to fibrin), as it is a part of the bodies' defense response to micro-injury, inflammation and infection. This condition, called "hyper-fibrinogenemia" is not something we want to see in someone at risk for stroke or heart disease. Assessing fibrinogen levels is yet another inclusion in more comprehensive risk testing. The provocateurs of hyperfibrinogenemia, inflammation and infection, are as rampant, as ever! As a friend of mine put it: "the germ theory is alive and well." And, germs are at issue to the extent that any given individual has a faltering immune system. An old-time laboratory marker of inflammation, "C-reactive protein" or "CRP" is now being used to screen for coronary risk. Atherosclerosis in a coronary artery is basically an inflammatory process. The CRP level in the blood of an arm vein of someone with atherosclerosis of the coronaries is most likely elevated, a reflection of the tremendously high CRP level in the blood of the actual inflamed coronary artery itself. Inflammation can be present with or without infection. Several kinds of damage can initiate an inflammatory response. There is also a whole school of current medical investigation that claims that damaged coronary arteries are commonly infected with germs, such as 'Nanobacter' or 'Mycoplasma.' These investigators claim that Nanobacter, much like a clam, actually excretes a protective shell around itself made of calcium and that much of the calcium found in coronary arteries is coming from these germs! We do know that some patients with coronary artery problems will improve if treated with antibiotics! Nanobacter specialists claim that chelation of the calcium shell off of these germs is required to make antibiotic treatment of them possible! Backing up from the possible endpoint of clot formation, what causes the initial injury to the arteries? There are lot' of obnoxious possibilities. Thirty-plus years ago there was some brilliant work done by Kilmer McCully M.D. He unveiled a cause of damage to the coronary arteries related to an irritating amino acid byproduct of everyday metabolism called homocystine. Ordinarily, homocystine is disarmed in a biochemical transformation process called "methylation." This conversion relies on adequate amounts of vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid. In the 1970's Dr McKully proposed that coronary artery disease could result from vitamin deficiency! He promptly was fired from his position at Harvard Medical School for this heresy. (As an interesting aside relating to medical ‘lag time,’ about a year ago I was listening to National Public Radio announcing that there was a "new discovery" by a Dr Kilmer McKully relating homocystine and heart problems. It gave me a perspective regarding the delay between brilliant discovery and the emergence of the information into medical and public general awareness). In comprehensive assessments of coronary risk factors it is now common to measure homocystine levels. Arteries can also have an initial injury from "free radicals." These are excessively reactive molecules present in our body as a result of natural biochemical processes, or, toxicity. They injure by 'oxidation' and it is one of the reasons you hear so much about the importance of "antioxidants.” (It is said by some that cholesterol is nature’s antioxidant and is elevated because of excessive free radicals and oxidative assault!) In modern times it is important to discuss toxicity when we consider cause of illness. Toxicity from 'heavy metals' can be another degenerator related to arterial problems. Lead, mercury, cadmium, and other metals can bind to and interfere with important biochemicals in the arterial wall, ones that are involved with producing nitric oxide, a factor that causes the relaxation of the arteries. In the emergency room, when someone is having chest pain from spasm of a coronary artery, we can administer a cousin of this intrinsic relaxing factor known as nitroglycerin. Oh, and what is the origin of a spasm? Stress and/or not managing it well! It is believed that atherosclerosis, the buildup of cholesterol, calcium, and byproducts of inflammation, and the formation of arterial plaque, are all a result of the initial injury to the arteries by the mechanisms I have mentioned. Toxicity, free radicals, oxidation, homocystine, lessened or compromised immunity, hidden low-grade infection, chronic inflammation: these are the culprits behind arterial injury. And hyperfibrinogenemia and increased coagulability can add the clot that can be the coup de grace. What can be done about all of this? I can only introduce you to this now. Improve nutrition, reduce and remove toxicity, develop tools to heal and release stress or any dysfunctional response to it, reduce hypercoagulability, and reduce and eliminate inflammation and infection. And do not leave out giving your heart it's heart's desires. More specifically, develop excellent nutritional habits, supplement with state-of-the-art and highest quality multi-factor vitamins, minerals, essential fats, and amino acid formulations as a basecamp. Also provide abundant anti-oxidants, and a broad array and spectrum of herbal anti-infectives and anti-inflamatories. Chelate toxic metals with oral, and if needed, intravenous chelation agents. Learn more about and include a variety of effective natural fibrin reducers and coagulability diminishers to round out the remedies. Wow! So, obviously there is more detail to this subject, especially the treatment. Limited space in this article allows me to open up this magnificent discussion. Now, take this food for thought and research. Fortunately, this topic is a huge one because so much is now known to diagnose and address the complexity of atherosclerosis! This is good!
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