How Does Atherosclerosis Cause Heart Disease? What You Can Do
There are many different kinds of heart disease but the most common type by far is atherosclerosis, typically accompanied by high blood pressure, which often leads to heart attack.
Around 50 million Americans have high blood pressure.
There are over a million heart attacks in the US every year.
Here you can learn why atherosclerosis happens and how it can be helped.
Why Atherosclerosis Happens Atherosclerosis happens when the walls of the arteries become thicker and stiffer than normal.
The condition is sometimes called "hardening" of the arteries because they are less flexible than they were at one time.
The cause of the thickening and hardening is an accumulation of deposits called plaques which are composed of fats, calcium and other materials.
The process leading to plaque accumulation goes like this.
Your blood can become thicker due to increased fluid and fats in the bloodstream.
The increased fluids are typically a result of excessive sodium (salt) consumption.
Water follows salt.
When sodium gets in the bloodstream more fluids are pulled into the blood from the surrounding tissues.
When you consume a meal that is high in fat, excessive fatty acids, cholesterol and other lipids appear in the bloodstream.
These fats make the blood thicker.
Over time, the increased thickness and total volume of the blood can cause divots or indentations to form in the walls of the arteries.
These indentations create perfect spots for cholesterol and other fats to "get stuck".
Along comes some calcium (and/or some free radicals) to cause the fats to harden, calcify or oxidize.
Your immune system recognizes all of this as an injury, sending out inflammatory particles that cause the walls of the arteries to become inflamed, swollen, and thickened.
If nothing is done, a number of things can happen, such as a plaque breaking loose and becoming a clot leading to a heart attack or stroke.
How Atherosclerosis Can Be Helped Many drugs and a number of different medical procedures are used to combat atherosclerosis.
But there are natural ways to improve your arterial health...
to help and possibly reverse atherosclerosis.
Changing the diet appears to be most beneficial.
A diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables and other plant foods, but very low in meat and dairy products is recommended by a number of cardiologists.
Decreased sodium intake is also recommended.
The DASH diet is one of the eating plans that naturally lower blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
Research indicates that it is possible to "clean out" the plaque deposits through the use of various nutrients, enzymes and other natural products.
There are some specialty supplements that include a number of ingredients known to benefit the cardiovascular system.
Some of the "key" ingredients include: · Resveratrol - beneficial for lowering cholesterol levels, reducing inflammation, preventing damage to blood vessel walls and protecting against heart disease - potent antioxidant activity that may help to break apart plaques · Butcher's bloom - promotes circulation - natural diuretic that helps to decrease fluid in the bloodstream to lower blood pressure · Hawthorn - improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, increases exercise tolerance and reduce palpitations · Coenzyme Q10 - needed for the heart muscle to function optimally - COQ10 levels in the heart decrease significantly once we pass the age of 30 - particularly important for anyone who takes statin drugs as the drugs interfere with COQ10 production · Policosanol - helps to lower blood cholesterol levels A well-designed supplement will also include amino acids, vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes and other nutrients that support heart health and help to clean out the arteries.
With healthy diet, regular exercise and nutritional support, atherosclerosis can be helped.
In my next article, you will learn about a natural supplement that can give you the proper nutritional support so that your body's process can go to work.
Please click the CARDIO-KLENZ link below in the resource author box.
Around 50 million Americans have high blood pressure.
There are over a million heart attacks in the US every year.
Here you can learn why atherosclerosis happens and how it can be helped.
Why Atherosclerosis Happens Atherosclerosis happens when the walls of the arteries become thicker and stiffer than normal.
The condition is sometimes called "hardening" of the arteries because they are less flexible than they were at one time.
The cause of the thickening and hardening is an accumulation of deposits called plaques which are composed of fats, calcium and other materials.
The process leading to plaque accumulation goes like this.
Your blood can become thicker due to increased fluid and fats in the bloodstream.
The increased fluids are typically a result of excessive sodium (salt) consumption.
Water follows salt.
When sodium gets in the bloodstream more fluids are pulled into the blood from the surrounding tissues.
When you consume a meal that is high in fat, excessive fatty acids, cholesterol and other lipids appear in the bloodstream.
These fats make the blood thicker.
Over time, the increased thickness and total volume of the blood can cause divots or indentations to form in the walls of the arteries.
These indentations create perfect spots for cholesterol and other fats to "get stuck".
Along comes some calcium (and/or some free radicals) to cause the fats to harden, calcify or oxidize.
Your immune system recognizes all of this as an injury, sending out inflammatory particles that cause the walls of the arteries to become inflamed, swollen, and thickened.
If nothing is done, a number of things can happen, such as a plaque breaking loose and becoming a clot leading to a heart attack or stroke.
How Atherosclerosis Can Be Helped Many drugs and a number of different medical procedures are used to combat atherosclerosis.
But there are natural ways to improve your arterial health...
to help and possibly reverse atherosclerosis.
Changing the diet appears to be most beneficial.
A diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables and other plant foods, but very low in meat and dairy products is recommended by a number of cardiologists.
Decreased sodium intake is also recommended.
The DASH diet is one of the eating plans that naturally lower blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
Research indicates that it is possible to "clean out" the plaque deposits through the use of various nutrients, enzymes and other natural products.
There are some specialty supplements that include a number of ingredients known to benefit the cardiovascular system.
Some of the "key" ingredients include: · Resveratrol - beneficial for lowering cholesterol levels, reducing inflammation, preventing damage to blood vessel walls and protecting against heart disease - potent antioxidant activity that may help to break apart plaques · Butcher's bloom - promotes circulation - natural diuretic that helps to decrease fluid in the bloodstream to lower blood pressure · Hawthorn - improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, increases exercise tolerance and reduce palpitations · Coenzyme Q10 - needed for the heart muscle to function optimally - COQ10 levels in the heart decrease significantly once we pass the age of 30 - particularly important for anyone who takes statin drugs as the drugs interfere with COQ10 production · Policosanol - helps to lower blood cholesterol levels A well-designed supplement will also include amino acids, vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes and other nutrients that support heart health and help to clean out the arteries.
With healthy diet, regular exercise and nutritional support, atherosclerosis can be helped.
In my next article, you will learn about a natural supplement that can give you the proper nutritional support so that your body's process can go to work.
Please click the CARDIO-KLENZ link below in the resource author box.
