Atherosclerosis can be reversed.

Fatty deposits can clog your arteries and create future cardiovascular issues – coronary heart disease, angina, carotid artery disease, peripheral artery disease, and even chronic kidney disease. These fatty deposits can be made up of cholesterol, calcium, fibrin, and cellular waste products.

As these deposits build up along the walls of your blood vessels, the blood flow is reduced and limits the amount of oxygen getting to your heart. It is called atherosclerosis.

https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cholesterol/about-cholesterol/atherosclerosis If part of this fatty accumulation breaks off, it can block a narrow artery that can precipitate a heart attack or stroke.

Causes of Atherosclerosis

The most common causes of atherosclerosis are high cholesterol, diet, and age. https://www.healthline.com/health/atherosclerosis#causes We hear the term cholesterol and think that it can cause heart attacks if our numbers are too high.

For most of my life, my total cholesterol ran between 104 and 114 mg/dL. I tried for years to find out if I might have a problem with too little cholesterol. Our bodies make cholesterol, and our diets provide cholesterol. I could eat eggs, cheese, burgers, and more that were rich in cholesterol and never see a total cholesterol reading over 114 mg/dL.

I did find out eventually that I should worry if my total cholesterol went below 90 mg/dL. One of my flight surgeons (I was a Naval Aviator in flight status for 16 years) seemed well versed in cholesterol. He suggested that my low cholesterol was due to heredity.

Cholesterol is needed in nearly every cell in the body. But this is healthy cholesterol – non-oxidized cholesterol. https://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/guide/understanding-numbers

Another great reason to have an annual physical is to get the annual blood tests to see where you stand with cholesterol. My last test (a month ago) was well below 200 mg/dL and my ratio was around 3.5:1.

Oxidized Cholesterol

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227151254.htm is a link to a good source of technically understanding the impact of oxidized cholesterol and heart health. Cholesterol is oxidized by eating fried foods, polyunsaturated fats, smoking, and a few more. The oxidized cholesterol is the plaque that attaches to the inner wall of the arteries and creates a condition known as atherosclerosis.

Diet and Atherosclerosis

I am an advocate of balanced nutrition, caloric restriction, and alkaline body pH. We should be eating foods that leave our bodies in an alkaline state – fruits and vegetables.

We should eat more fruits and vegetables than protein, fats, and carbohydrates because those three food groups create acidic conditions in our bodies. Breathing, exercise, and normal metabolic activities also leave our bodies in an acidic state.

Your body in an alkaline environment is usually much healthier. Studies have shown a pH above 7.35 usually promotes weight loss, improves kidney health, prevents cancer growth, prevents cardiovascular disease, prevents osteoporosis, and more. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324271

Atherosclerosis Symptoms

https://www.healthline.com/health/atherosclerosis lists chest pain (angina), pain in the legs, arms, or other parts of the body that might have a blocked artery, shortness of breath, fatigue, confusion, and overall muscle weakness, especially in the legs.

Atherosclerosis Reversal

It may seem that once a person has arteries clogged with plaque and is approaching terminal heart problems that nothing can be done. https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2020/10/reversal-of-calcification-and-atherosclerosis shows significant success at reversing atherosclerosis using lifestyle choices.

Diet, exercise, and healthy eating is key to starting and keeping a healthy body. Two plant extracts, French maritime pine bark and Centella asiatica were tested on fifty patients that had plaque buildup in their carotid arteries. None of the patients had any other kind of cardiovascular issues. This short test proved that plaque accumulation could be reversed.

A newer controlled, randomized study with nearly 400 patients was followed for four years. Ultrasound was used to measure plaque size and distribution of plaque buildup in the carotid and femoral arteries. Success was seen in those patients using standard lifestyle choices (exercise, diet, etc.) and the two plant supplements mentioned previously.

The results from a three-year Italian clinical study were published this year with 84 patients having plaque buildup in their carotid and femoral arteries with very favorable results.

I have written about doctors in Japan using vitamin K2 to reverse osteoporosis. Vitamin K2 deficiency depletes calcium from the bones and allows calcium to be deposited in the heart valves and arteries. Removing calcium buildup can also reverse atherosclerosis.

A study was done in Rotterdam with nearly 5000 participants over the age of 55 and followed for ten years with noteworthy results of reversing plaque accumulations in the arteries. https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/060113p54.shtml

Conclusion

One of the key points I extracted from the studies is that lifestyle choices had to be implemented and maintained to stop plaque buildup before any reversal of plaque could start. These lifestyle choices of proper diet, exercise, and more are required for good health to keep future plaque from reaccumulating in your heart valves and arteries.

Do not go out and buy the supplements or vitamin K2 and begin your own personal health improvement program to reverse atherosclerosis if you think you have it. This should be done under medical care. Consult your physician about verifying if you have atherosclerosis and what natural options you have based on the information provided in this article.

Life Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com

 

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