The Journal of the American Medical Association reported in the April 15th  issue of 1998 that properly prescribed drugs were the 4th leading cause of death in U.S. Hospitals.

Statistics about heart disease confirm that  the largest selling class of drugs, statins (cholesterol lowering) ones, do not prevent or significantly reduce coronary heart disease. Fully half of those who have heart attacks have “normal cholesterol” of 150 to 200. In spite of abundant studies on heart disease that demonstrate alternatives surpass and trump drug treatments…drugs remain the most popular.

Okay, how do you treat coronary heart disease? The most successful statistics about heart disease come from alternative heart doctors like board certified cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra and Dr. Bruce West. They  rely on supplements and emphasized whole food rather than drugs.

Numerous posts on this blog detail the best in diet and supplements…Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

P.S. If you agree or disagree or would like to add information please scroll down and add a comment.

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1. Reduce inflammation and 2.  pay attention to diet.

Diet is really the key. The wrong diet, mostly excesses of sugar, salt, red meats, animal and trans fats plus a lack of raw, fresh vegetables and fruits is the problem. Poor diets cause inflammation.   Enzymes, anti-oxidant flavenoids, polyphenols and phytonutrients are often destroyed by man’s adulteration…cooking,  canning and preserving.

There are 3000 known enzymes that benefit the body, many are destroyed at only 126 degrees Fahrenheit. There are over 4000 flavenoids (anti-oxidants that color vegetables & fruit) that reduce free radical damage and inflammation.  Other phytonutrients, many with unknown properties and importance, come only in the fresh, raw fruits,  vegetables, and nuts. They provide and facilitate assimilation of essential nutrients.

Statistics about heart disease at research centers  like Harvard University and John Hopkins University demonstrate heart health is associated with diet and not cured with drugs. Drugs can relieve signs and symptoms of heart disease but do not fix the root problems. Supplements that replace deficiencies, along with raw foods, do co-relate to reduced heart attack and heart disease symptoms…Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

P.S. Please scroll down and leave a comment if you agree, disagree or would like to add to the information.

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What causes atherosclerosis?  Inflammation is the major pre-requisite for atherosclerosis. Cholesterol is often implicated as the culprit but it needs inflammation in order to attach and line the inside of your arteries and cause atherosclerosis.  Another definition of atherosclerosis is hardening of the arteries due to the plaque containing calcium.  It is sometimes called arteriosclerosis.

The consequences of atherosclerosis are compromised general health, increased heart attack or stroke and high blood pressure. Let’s examine each of these.

Because atherosclerosis impedes the circulation and delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the entire body, optimal health is lost. The body has to work harder to be healthy.  As the plaque thickens, it is a time bomb waiting to go off.  The ultimate extreme is heart attack or stroke and death.

Heart attack and stroke occur because the thickened plaque lining your arteries can cause blood clots, or “chips” of plaque to break off and obstruct a coronary or cerebral artery. When this occurs, blood supply is blocked and death results to the tissue in that area; hence, a heart attack or stroke occurs.

High blood pressure occurs for two reasons. The first is  due to decreased lumen size and second is the increased resistance to blood flow.  This creates inflammation due to friction.  This makes the heart work harder.   It  increases the blood pressure and chance of blood vessel clots or rupture.

Inflammation can come from many sources but there are basically 4: Diet, air, toxins and hormone imbalances.

Diet or food intake is probably the most significant because it can involve all inflammatory sources plus the lack of nutrients, supplements and raw material for hormones. It is also a vehicle for the detrimental toxins that come from pesticides and poor water.  The body is amazing.  If  given the raw materials it can conquer disease and thwart a lot of toxins,  bacteria and viruses.

Diet is an enormous factor in atherosclerosis and heart disease. Too much red meat causes excess homocysteine which is an amino acid that becomes an inflammatory agent if in excess.

Foods that can be destructive are sugar, animal fats, and especially man made ones: artificial sweeteners, MSG (monosodium glutamate), trans fats, interestified fats and preservatives. For the most part man adulterated food products are identified as foreign objects by the body; they do not respond with the normal metabolism as food does. They tend to accumulate and usually there is an inflammatory response to these foreign substances.

Sugar is a huge culprit. We consume, according to multiple reports, from 136 pounds per person per year to 156 pounds per person per year. I know that is hard to believe. Sugar is found in everything from ketchup to sodas which typically have 8 to 10 teaspoons of sugar per serving.

Sugar satisfies the appetite for good food, so real food never gets consumed as it should. The healthy nutrients in raw and whole food lack consumption without an appetite for them.

Too much sugar causes inflammation and long term, tends to produce diabetes 2. The combination of excess insulin (diabetes 2 means cellular resistance to insulin) and excess glucose (from sugar) cause raging inflammation in the blood.  Two thirds of the diabetics die of cardiovascular disease…according to the diabetes association.  The accumulation of atherosclerotic plaque is no small matter.

Trans fats are yet another source of inflammation.  They are produced by man’s adulteration. When all the reactive spots on the fat molecule are filled with hydrogen the fat becomes inert and must be treated like a foreign substance. Trans fats do not leave easily…their half life is 21 days. This means only one half are removed in 21 days.  Another half of the half is removed in another 21 days and so on.  They have a cumulative effect and tax the liver that must remove them.

Other toxins enter due to air pollution, inhaled smoke, and contaminated water. While the body is capable of handling some toxins and inflammatory agents, there is a limit to what it can handle. The liver usually is the foremost defense against these toxins and foreign agents but relentless assaults on it creates a systemic problem and ultimately liver failure.

Alternative medical doctors are well aware of the assaults on the body and know that drugs can also be invaders and enemies. (In the USA we have 5% of the world’s population, yet we consume over 50% of the prescription drugs) Our longevity is also terrible here; we are listed as 42^nd in longevity worldwide by our government census. We may be on the cutting edge of health development but factors not reported drag down your health and are hidden from the general public.

Alternative medical doctors often prescribe remedies, proven in studies, to be more  effective than drugs. Probably the single item that gets little argument and is much less expensive than medical treatment and drugs is a diet of raw fruits and vegetables and naturally occurring foods like nuts and beans. The phytonutrients, enzymes, antioxidant flavenoids and catalysts that are needed for optimal health are found in these diets.

Alternative remedies often include scientifically proven supplements that dramatically reduce the degenerative diseases like atherosclerosis. The most common ones that have dramatic results and are touted by cardiologists and heart doctors in the know are:  CoQ-10, D-Ribose,  L-Carnitine and Omega 3 rich fish oil.

Another low cost item, found in study after study to reduce heart disease, is exercise.

Exercise  helps circulation, burns fats and helps oxygenate and nourish the whole body through good blood supply.

Hormone imbalances create malfunction in your biochemistry. Examples of this are diabetes and deficient steroidal hormones of testosterone and estrogens. These are directly linked to increased atherosclerosis because of  inflammation…Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

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• Chest Pain, often radiating to the left arm or jaw
• Difficult getting enough breath
• Nausea and dizziness
• Irregular heart beat
• Fatigue and tiredness without good reason

Womens symptoms for heart disease seem less pronounced. They are more subtle.   They often include:

• listlessness and fatigue…without a good cause
• difficulty sleeping, in spite of fatigue
• anxiety without a good reason
• breathing problems
• indigestion

It is a known fact in medical circles that women’s symptoms for heart disease are not the same as they are for men. There is also confusion and disagreement among experts as to why.  Premenopausal women have fewer heart attacks than men of the same age.

Post menopausal, women’s statistics about heart disease tend to better mirror those of men, especially with increasing age. Some argue that a lower iron level due to blood loss at menstruation is an influencing factor.  Post menopausal women more closely parallel the statistics about heart disease of men.  Hormones?

Some believe the difference in hormones is a chief factor. Some just think that womens symptoms for heart disease  that are different are not accurately considered in the diagnosis.

Some argue that the diagnosis is easily missed because heart disease symptoms are stereotyped as a man’s problem. Maybe it is all of the above.

Heart Disease Symptoms That May Signal Heart Attack:

• Crushing chest pain…often radiating to arm, jaw and back, especially on the left side
• Shortness of breath
• Cold sweat
• Pale, cold skin
• Nausea
• Wooziness or faint feeling

These symptoms are more dramatic and should not be ignored, especially when clustered together.  You don’t want to be in denial or ignore the symptoms….consult you medical doctor! Your life may be at stake…Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

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