Heart Disease Articles

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a condition, which can be avoided. It is where fatty deposits accumulate in the linings of artery walls, which in turn restricts the flow of oxygen to the legs, feet, arms and other areas.

This is now an epidemic that is plaguing the elderly. This condition significantly increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Also, the condition is now affecting the 40 something population. They now are not only predisposed to the condition, but have asymptomatic PAD.

Peripheral Artery Disease

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is hardening of the arteries in the peripheral parts of the body which include the legs, feet, arms and other outer parts. In the early stages most patients will present no symptoms and will not be diagnosed.

Researchers have studied whether minimally invasive treatments like angioplasty and/or stenting should be offered to asymptomatic PAD patients. Again, the answer is to bandage a problem that is preventable. Since PAD in the legs affects an estimated 10 million people in the United States and the condition is considered a red flag for an impending heart attack or stroke the only course of action should be prevention.

When PAD produces symptoms they are noticeable. There is pain or heaviness in the legs when walking to pain in the feet/legs at rest. This can progress to sores/wounds on the feet and toes and eventual to gangrene. When plaque blocks the leg arteries blood and oxygen can’t flow freely to the area.

Study

Researchers reported at the American Heart Association’s scientific sessions 2007 that the prevalence of asymptomatic peripheral artery disease is steadily increasing.

The lead author Andrew D. Summer, M.D. of the study and a cardiologist and medical director of the Heart Station and Cardiac Prevention at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown,Pa.said: “We were interested in seeing if the prevalence of peripheral artery disease in the general U.S. population is increasing, specifically among people who don’t have known coronary artery disease.”

Researchers hypothesized that the prevalence of asymptomatic PAD is increasing and the escalation is associated with a rise in the prevalence of other common cardiovascular risk factors, including diabetes, smoking, obesity and hypertension.

Summer and colleagues analyzed data from three successive National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys, conducted in two-year increments from 1999 and 2004.The researchers then looked at the prevalence of risk factors such as: diabetes, hypertension and smoking in the 5,376 participants, age 40 and older, with no prior history of cardiovascular disease. What they found was that the prevalence of PAD had significantly increased from 3.7 percent in the 1999-2000 survey to 4.2 percent in the 2001-2002 survey and 4.6 percent in the 2003-2004 survey.

Not surprisingly PAD was highest among those ages 70 and older. There also was an increase in each age group including 40 to 49, and 50 to 69 year old subjects. The authors said the prevalence of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and smoking also increased over these three surveys. Researchers hypothesized that the prevalence of asymptomatic PAD is increasing and escalation is associated with the rise of the above mention common cardiovascular risk factors.

Common Sense 

There is no reason to hypothesize why the prevalence of PAD is increasing. There is every reason to believe that this condition is starting in the under 40 population. It shouldn’t be surprising to find this across all ages, it is a condition linked to our lifestyle. What cause plaque buildup in young adults are the same factors that cause them in the peripheral arteries.

The American lifestyle is a double whammy it harms us on two levels the first is what we do, and the second is what we don’t do. We overload our body with toxins that can’t be adequately eliminated, and deny what it needs to prevent all these horrific conditions.

The one barrier to health that can be addressed is the American diet. What are needed are people willing to watch their diet and become more active, and then we will stop manufacturing disease.

Cholesterol doesn’t cause heart disease, but it does bankroll an industry. The pharmaceutical industry isn’t giving it to you straight. The public knows what they report, they just don’t know the truth.

They make bold statements designed for the sole purpose of introducing their cholesterol lowering formula. They may create products that win market share, but do nothing to lower the incident of heart disease. They have produced conflicting reports to explain why the drugs lowers risks. There drugs aren’t effective for two reasons: one they target cholesterol, two the side effects are dangerous.

The basics of what cholesterol is and what it does. Cholesterol is multifunctional and protects us in many ways. Cholesterol establishes proper cell membrane permeability and fluidity. This is essential for determining which molecules can pass into the cell and which can not. Cholesterol plays a part in the production of sex hormones. These consists of androgen and estrogen. It is involved in the production of hormones released by the adrenal glands such as: cortisol, corticosterone, aldosterone, and some others.

Cholesterol is important dfor the manufacturing of bile acids, and converts sunshine to vitam D. It is important for the metabolism of fat soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, D, and K. Cholesterol insulates nerve fibers.

We have been conditioned by an industry without a conscience to look at cholesterol as a toxic substance. Cholesterol is produced by the liver to help the body function. Cholesterol is carried by lipoproteins, which is molecule complex or compound containing both lipid (fat) and protein. The three main types are LDL |(low density lipoproteins). HDL (high density lipoprotein) and triglycerides.

The LDL carries cholesterol from the liver to the cells. If too much is carried to the cells to use, the LDL could build up. We on average have about 70% LDL floating around. The liver manufactures and secretes LDL. The liver also removes LDL from the blood by active LDL receptors on the cells surface.

HDL carries the cholesterol away from the cells back to the liver, where it is broken down of expelled as waste.

Triglycerides are the chemical forms in which most fat exists in the body as well as food. Triglycerides in plasma originates from fats in our food, or are created by carbohydrates. Calories we consume which aren’t used right away are converted into triglycerides and stored in fat cells. This is there for when your body needs energy and there insn’t any food around for this purpose, triglycerides will be released from the fat cells to be used as energy.

So far you can see how this relates to heart disease. The lethal effect of cholesterol comes from the minds of the bureaucratic health care system “experts.” The prime cause of heart disease is inflammation. Cholesterol is there to put out the fire. Blaming cholesterol for heart is like seeing firemen near every fire, and thinking where you see a fireman there will be a fire.

The investigation of cholesterol as a prime suspect in plaque build up led to the wrong conclusions. The test used to measure cholesterol are appealing because they are easy and cheap to give. There is a cloud hanging over the tests.

There are four types of LDL particles, one is a big fluffy form known as large LDL, and three increasingly dense forms know as medium, small and very small LDL particles.  A diet in saturated fat boosts the number of large LDL particles. Where as a diet of low -fat high carbohydrates boosts the smaller forms. The big, fluffy particles are mostly benign (not causing problems), while the smaller ones can become a problem.

The smaller ones are there to fills in the artery cracks and tears, which come from long term inflammation. One of the causes of inflammation is a high carbohydrate low fat diet. It is the smaller particles that will build up plaque while trying to heal the damaged tissue.

The cholesterol theory doesn’t make sense in this context. Where it makes cents is in a $14 billion dollar cholesterol lowering medication. Recently a panel of “experts” urged that every child between the ages of 8 and 11 be tested for high cholesterol. Cholesterol testing is based on poor science, and great marketing.