Posts Tagged ‘heart 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.

Heart disease prevention and reversal is dependent on lifestyle. So many of our body’s critical functions dependent on micronutrients for normal muscle and nerve functions. To keep the heart rhythm steady, immune system functioning, and blood sugar levels in the normal range, sufficient nutrients are needed.

Causes of Heart Disease

The most common ones are thought of as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, family history, and stress. The problem with all these things on the front burner, we are overlooking some clearly important data. Basic research shows that high cholesterol in of itself isn’t a reliable marker. There is a gap in our basic understanding to what is going on is causing untold misery.

Ischemic Heart Disease

Ischemic heart disease is a condition of recurring chest pain or discomfort that occurs when part of the heart doesn’t get oxygen and nutrients.

Ischemic heart disease is also referred to as coronary artery disease or coronary heart disease. The coronary arteries are the blood vessels that pump oxygen-rich blood to the heart. When blood flowing through the coronary arteries is blocked, completely or partially, you are develop ischemic heart disease. This blocking of the arteries leads to a lack of oxygen-rich blood to the heart, which in turn leads to chest pain, called angina, and even myocardial infarction, or heart attack.

The epidemic of ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a phenomenon of the 21st century. It isn’t that it is a new disease, but it has reached epidemic proportions. In the united States heart disease didn’t exceed tuberculosis until the early 20th century.

Standard Thinking

Ischemic heart disease can be treated successfully with lifestyle changes, medicines, and surgical procedures. Even better, you can reduce your risk of ischemic heart disease by following heart-healthy practices, such as eating a low-fat, low-sodium diet, being physically active, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy body weight.

Another View

Heart disease is a multi-dimensional pathological condition. These are some facts: stress and infections cause Cortisol to be released, and when released in excess, can suppress immunity, cause hypertension, create insulin resistance, bring on metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. cortisol is a “stress hormone,” which is responsible for many of the long-term health consequences.

Heart Disease is a Deficiency State

According to the national Institutes of Health magnesium keeps heart rhythm steady, keeps blood sugar levels in the normal range,  promotes normal blood pressure, and maintains vascular health. A healthy heart is attainable and the way to do it is to become a healthy person.

There are three forms of vitamin K that promote arterial health. Vitamin K1 is the form of vitamin K that is found in green vegetables and is tightly bound to the plant fiber. Vitamin K2 is found mostly in meats, dairy, and egg yolks. The very foods that we are told to avoid. The best source is grass fed beef and dairy. CoQ10 which is needed for heart health is found in red meat.

PQQ may be the first new vitamin to be identified in over five decades. It’s been found to have antioxidant and neuroprotective properties as well as contributing to mitochondrial health. Mitochondrial damage and depopulation is thought to be a major factor in some diseases, particularly those involving energy-intensive organs like the brain, heart, and liver.  This is found in parsley, green peppers, papaya, spinach, carrots, cabbage and apples.

Herbs

Silymarin know as milk thistle is protective for those at high risk for cardiovascular disease. In animal studies silmarin’s antioxidant properties were shown to reduce oxidation of (LDL). It also inhibits inflammation and inhibits arthrosclerotic activity. Turning research into reality is up the consumer.

Reversal of Heart Disease

Regenerative medicine is based on the deep-seated belief that the body including the heart can and is the process of creating functional tissues by repairing and replacing cells. All abnormalities afflicting previous generation never were on the grand scale of what we are facing now. Even modest vitamin or mineral deficiencies can increase the incidence of age-related diseases, which includes heart disease.

Heart Disease isn’t a shortage of statins, or any othe pharmaceutical, it is a product of both our food supply and lifestyle.

Type 2 diabetes treatments for both cholesterol and high blood pressure fail to save lives.

Diabetes Type 2 Treatment

Key results from a landmark federal study shows that adding drugs to drive blood pressure and blood-fats lower than current targets, does not prevent heart problems, and in some cases causes harmful side effects.

Study

The study involved people with Type 2 diabetes. Diabetics have more than double the risk of being a heart attack or stoke statistic. Researches led by Columbia University’s Dr. Henry Ginsburg studied more than 5,500 diabetics who also had another health risk, such as high blood pressure or cholesterol.

All were given statin-cholesterol-lowering pills sold as Lipitor and Zocor. Half were also given Abbott Laboratories’ TriCor, and the rest got placebos. TriCor is a drug that lowers fats called triglycerides while boosting “good” cholesterol. People with very high blood fats seemed to have some benefit from TriCor.

Women taking TriCor appeared to have a higher chance to have heart problems compared to the women taking the placebo.

The blood-pressure part of the study was led by Dr. William Cushman, preventive medicine chief at Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee. About 4,700 diabetics were treated with different medicines to keep their systolic blood pressure-the top number-either below 140 or below 120.

The intense treatment did not reduce the number of heart attacks, although it prevented more strokes, a less common problem. Side effects were greater with the intense treatment.

North Chicago, Illinois-based Abbott makes TriCor and a newer version, Trilipix. The drugs had more than $1.3 billion in U.S. sales last year.

The Natural Way

There are natural ways to combat type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Natural healing is an underutilized intervention. It is both potent and convenient.

The optimal defense is a lifestyle makeover. Lifestyle changes are unmatched and have the potential to turn around chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes. This is a modality that physicians have not tapped into. This has the ability to prevent drug induced serious conditions. The pharmaceutical companies are still looking for a little green pill, the color of a dollar bill.