Heart disease frequently is caused by atherosclerosis, or decreased blood flow due to artery constrictions.  What causes the arteries to constrict?  The answer is plaque build up in arteries that reduces lumen size,  increases blood pressure and reduces blood flow.

Statistics from good studies on atherosclerosis reveal that not only is blood pressure increased but also increased clotting due to the arterial plaque.  This causes heart attacks and strokes.

Why is ED significant?  ED results from a lack of blood flow to the penis.  There can be other causes for ED; but certainly restricted blood flow, due atherosclerotic plaque, can be a prime cause.

Cardiologist and nutritionist Stephen Sinatra reports in his May 2010 newsletter, Heart Health & Nutrition, on a recent study that is relevant.

This study was extensive, involving 13 different countries and over 1,500 men.  It examined men who have both ED and heart disease.   The study found the combination of both ED and heart disease resulted in twice the deaths from all causes, as compared to heart disease alone.

The chief causes of death were, of course, related to cardiovascular disease.  A 1.6 increase of death was from heart attack, stroke and heart failure. Perhaps this was due to the severity of arterial constriction and thick plaque lining the arteries.

Dr. Michael Bohm (M.D.), from the German University at Saarland was the lead author of the study. He said this:  “If a man has erectile dysfunction, then he needs to ask his physician to check for other risk factors of cardiovascular disease.” Cardiologist Stephen Sinatra fully agreed…Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

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Technorati Tags: atherosclerosis, erectile dysfunction, heart attack, heart disease, stroke

Electrical engineers tell us the earth’s surface pulsates with negatively charged, free electrons. When a person goes barefoot or sleeps on a grounded mattress, the needed electrons can flow into the circuitry of your body.

You see, free radicals are positively charged compounds that are in need of negatively charged electrons to balance their deficiency.  Various free radicals from foods, toxins and environment are the ultimate cause of heart disease, in most cases.

Free radicals are unstable and they steal electrons from weaker (but normal) compounds of your body. They interfere with your biochemistry.   Free radicals produce inflammation, the mother of all degenerative disease.  The result of inflammation in the blood greatly increased cardiovascular disease.  This  increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

When you ground the body by skin contact with the earth’s surface or by conduit from earth to body (a grounded mattress), needed electrons can flow into your body.  Why is this significant? This can be a source of needed free electrons that reduce inflammation and neutralize electrical charges.

Studies involving Dr. Sinatra have revealed why grounding your body can be beneficial.  In a small study, virtually all but one (who regularly grounded himself already), it was demonstrated that changes in blood viscosity (a cause of hypertension) and sticking, clumping of red blood cells was significant.

Blood samples were taken before and after a 40 minute grounding of the subject’s feet. Examination of the before and after grounding with microscopic slides clearly showed less stickiness and clumping of blood cells.

When there is increased viscosity blood pressure rises; when there is stickiness of red blood cells this correlates to increased heart attack and stroke…in addition to the inflammation from free radicals.

Exactly why increasing the electron availability and less clumping can be explained by the zeta (electrical charge on red blood cells).  In one of the studies that Dr. Sinatra participated in it was found that the zeta became more favorable. It apparently was due to the surface charge changes on the red blood cells.

The microscopic examination revealed that the red blood cells did not stick together and flowed more easily, reducing hypertension and clotting tendency.
This explains why regular grounding of your body can be beneficial to cardiovascular health.  It suggests grounding can reduce hypertension, heart attack and stroke because it furnishes available electrons. The previously prevailing thought was antioxidants came chiefly  from compounds found in your diet…Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

Technorati Tags: cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke, heart disease, hypebarefoot, hypertension, stroke

Far fetched as it may seem, high blood pressure and blood clotting can be related to going barefoot. In what way, you ask?

Electrical engineers tell us the earth’s surface pulsates with negatively charged, free electrons.  When a person goes barefoot or sleeps on a grounded mattress, the needed electrons can flow into the circuitry of your body.

You see, free radicals are positively charged compounds that are in need of negatively charged electrons to balance their deficiency. Free radicals are unstable and they steal electrons from weaker (but normal) compounds of your body.  Free radicals produce inflammation, the mother of all degenerative disease.  The result of inflammation in the blood  greatly increases cardiovascular disease. This  increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

When you ground the body by skin contact with the earth’s surface or by conduit from earth to body (a grounded mattress), needed electrons can flow into your body.  Why is this significant?

Studies involving Dr. Sinatra have revealed why grounding your body can be beneficial. In a small study, virtually all but one (who regularly grounded himself), it was demonstrated changes in blood viscosity (a cause of hypertension) due to the sticking and clumping of red blood cells was significant.

Blood samples were taken before and after a 40 minute grounding of the subject’s feet.  Examination of the before and after grounding with microscopic slides clearly showed less stickiness and clumping of blood cells. When there is increased viscosity blood pressure rises; when there is stickiness of red blood cells this correlates to increased heart attack and stroke.

Exactly why increasing the electron availability and less clumping can be explained by the zeta (electrical charge on red blood cells). In one of the studies that Dr. Sinatra participated in found that the zeta became more favorable, apparently due to the surface charge on the red blood cells.  The microscopic examination revealed that the red blood cells did not stick together and flowed more easily, reducing hypertension and clotting tendency.

This explains why regular grounding of your body can be beneficial to cardiovascular health. It suggests grounding can reduce hypertension and heart attack and stroke because it furnishes available electrons that were previously only thought to come from antioxidant compounds found in your diet…Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

The

Technorati Tags: grounding, heart attack, hypertension, red blood cells, stroke, zeta

Stress tends to be minimized or denied, both by the victim and his/her physician.  Yet an estimated 75% to 90% of visits to primary care physicians are because of stress related problems.

What are the negative aspects of stress?  The following are 7 major ones.

1. Stress promotes chronic, silent inflammation.  This greatly contributes to coronary artery disease.  Inflammation is the mother of all heart disease. It attracts dangerous plaque deposits of LDL cholesterol, increasing the risk of blood clots or coronary artery obstructions.  Inflammation can also be a cause of arrhythmias.
2. Stress weakens the immune system.  Colds, flu and sickness in general are facilitated and accelerated when levels of stress are higher. Toxic by-products interfere with “normal” biochemistry.  The immune system is heavily taxed to handle increased inflammation.
3. Increased clotting of blood can occur due to increased blood pressure and circulation of inflammatory by-products.
4. Blood pressure increases due to anxiety and tension.
5. Insulin resistance increases, impairing the needed uptake of insulin into cells.  Some estimate 1 in 6 people now suffer from diabetes 2.  Diabetes 2 is definitely a risk factor in heart disease.  The American Diabetes Association says more than 65% of people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke.
6. Heart rhythm disturbances occur when your biochemistry is flooded with inflammatory or toxic chemicals. Stress produces free radicals that are oxidative and destructive to homeostasis (body harmony and balance).  “Bad chemicals” of stress must be handled and eliminated.
7. Stress is known to cause heart attacks when there is no evidence of coronary artery blockage or disease. Disruption of heart rhythm is a sudden and fatal cause of these heart attacks.  The heart fails to beat and death occurs.
8. Depression is really a form of stress. It changes the body chemistry adversely.  It affects metabolism and normal body chemistry.  The perceived heaviness is real to your body.  Chemical changes occur that are destructive to your body.

What are 7 things you can do to reduce stress?

1. Stop over commitment to demands of time and work.
2. Take time for recreation and vacations.
3. Relax…take time to “notice and smell the flowers”.
4. Build family relationships by spending time with family members.
5. Get regular exercise…statistics clearly show you will live longer.
6. Be in right relationship with your Creator.
7. Employ the golden rule:  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Whatever you sow that will you also reap!…Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

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Technorati Tags: arrhythmias, coronary heart disease, heart attack, inflammation, LDL cholesterol, stress, stroke

The Journal of Health reports in vol.3 issue 7 some well researched comprehensive benefits to your health. Modern research validates turmeric’s effectiveness, especially in the past 15 years.  Numerous studies and the experience of populations like India that have high dietary intake confirm its benefits.  East Indians have decreased Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and cardiovascular diseases. Here are most of the validated health benefits:

• Anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative
• Helps blood pressure and cardiovascular health
• An excellent pain killer
• Resists DNA mutation due to oxidative damage
• Fights bacteria, viruses and fungi
• Helps balance cholesterol
• Fights Alzheimer’s disease
• Chelates copper and iron
• Aids in digestion

The overarching benefit is arguably that of reducing inflammation and free radical damage.  The significance of this is that virtually all diseases have the issue of inflammation…it is central to disease.

The unseen damage of inflammation occurs at the cellular level in the form of free radical damage.  Classic inflammation is experienced as swelling and pain in the body.

What is free radical damage?  It is the oxidative effect that damages the cellular DNA and ultimately the genetic code of the cell. Damaged cells produce disease when they multiply.  They make the cells sick so that they cannot function efficiently.  When the genetic code is damaged the rogue offspring of this cell is what defines cancer.

Virtually everyone has cancer cells in their body, but truly healthy people are able to rid their bodies of these cancer cells. A cancer needs hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of cancer cells together to form a tumor and be diagnosed as such.

To quote researcher Dr. Badmaev:  “The anti-carcinogenic activity of turmeric extract and curcuminoids may be in part explained by their well researched ability to prevent genetic mutation or mutagenesis”

How about cholesterol balance? First of all it is a well researched and proven fact that cholesterol is necessary and important for health. It is needed for proper lipid balance and for the many cortical steroid hormones as well as vitamin D. It is the core molecule for them all.

Studies show that the HDL (high density lipid) cholesterol is very good and should be in high ratio to the LDL (low density lipids).  Curcuminoids do this.

The International Journal of Vitamin Nutritional Research reports this in a small study of 10 people:  A daily dose of 500 mg of curcumin was given and it produced a 29% increase of the good HDL and significantly reduced the level of LDL. LDL’s are associated with inflammation and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.  While it is not the LDL itself that causes cardiovascular disease, it is the inflammation in the blood vessels that collects the LDL and that causes the disease.

It is the inflamed blood vessels that attract the LDL which co-relates to increased heart attack and stroke. The LDL acts like a rough bandage that can cause a clot or chip off and cause a blockage in a coronary or cerebral blood vessel.

Aside from helping cardiovascular health by keeping cholesterol healthy, curcumins lower blood pressure.  They function by inhibiting PAF (platelet activating factor).  The PAF reduces clotting tendencies. This decreases the incidence of heart attack and stroke.

The anti-inflammatory power of curcumins is believed to work in two ways. It is a free radical scavenger that is an anti-oxidant…directly reducing inflammation.  Secondly, it triggers the release of natural cortisone…probably the most powerful anti-inflammatory agent known.

More than one study has shown its anti-inflammatory benefits to arthritis sufferers. In a double blind, placebo controlled study, patients were given 300 mg of curcumin per day.  The joint swelling, stiffness and pain were all reduced.

Inflammation is a major cause of pain.  Pain is the by product of Cox 2 enzymes that produce post glandins.  Curcuminoids were studied at the famous Sloan-Kettering Cancer Research Center. Their research revealed that indeed that Cox 2 was effectively reduced by curcumins.  Inflammation as well as pain was reduced.

Hundreds of studies clearly demonstrate that inflammation is at the core of cardiovascular disease. Inflammation causes high blood pressure, cholesterol plaque formation and  increased heart attack and stroke.  Anything that can safely reduce inflammation is your best friend for health against migraine headaches, cardiovascular as well as other degenerative diseases...Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

Technorati Tags: cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, cumin, degenerative disease, HDL, heart attack, LDL, migraine headaches, pain reliever, stroke, turmeric

Dr. Julian Whitaker reports in his February 2009 newsletter that: prescription “Drugs are Bankrupting the Country”.  Medicare prescription drug benefits represent a $17,000,000,000,000 (17 trillion) in unfunded liability. That would amount to more than one third of the social security’s unfunded liability.

New York’s Commonwealth Fund has reported that 72 million adults under age 65 had a problem paying medical bills or were paying off medical debt in 2007 (it was far worse in 2008). In 2005 it was only 58 million.  It is not hard to  see that runaway costs now impacts us far worse in the economic downturn of 2009… where money is precious and more scarce.

The Washington Post reported a patient, Ron Eaker, who had filed for bankruptcy 3 years earlier, was now refused medical services. He had had 2 heart attacks but had $30,000 more unpaid medical debt since his bankruptcy had liquidated $104,000 of this debt caused by himself and his wife.

Other sources say that the U.S. residents consume 50% of the world’s prescription drugs but are only 5% of the world’s population.

The analysis cited by Dr. Whitaker was from IMS Health.  The total prescriptions written have increased by 72% in the last 10 years. Hard to believe, but that would now mean 12.6 prescriptions per person in this country.

Cost is a huge problem but patient health is arguably more important.  The paradox is that the more drugs  prescribed, the more unhealthy the population becomes! The U.S. census says we are 42nd in longevity in the world!

The FDA (Federal Drug Administration) who is the “watch dog” for U.S. citizens is receiving record numbers of serious, adverse drug reports. Over 100,000 people are killed each year from properly prescribed drugs…according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Julian Whitaker, M.D.,  in his February 2009 newsletter provides a chart of 16 drug classes that are problematic.

I would like to focus on just one of these classes, that of blood thinning. Blood thinners are often prescribed for high blood pressure, or because of dangerous blood clots.  Thick blood causes high blood pressure and inflammation in the cardiovascular system.

In the case of “thick blood”, due to excess fibrin, doctors usually recommended drugs. Increased fibrin, causing increased blood clotting and increased blood pressure, prompts doctors to prescribe the popular blood thinning drug, Coumadin.

As you may know Coumadin was originally used (and still is) as a rat and mouse killer. It works by causing bleeding that results in unstoppable hemorrhage until death.  Of course carefully controlled doses are given to humans, but bleeding also does become more of a health hazard for the human patient. You can bleed to death with an accident.

A number of diseases warrant thinning the blood to reduce lethal blood clots. Diabetes,  cardiovascular (heart & stroke),  kidney disease, Crohn’s  disease, obesity, arthritis, lung disease are common ones.  These diseases tend to increase PAT-1 which reduces the enzyme plasminogin that naturally counteracts the excess fibrin. The body is designed to balance itself but with age the fibrin outpaces the plasminogin.

Clotting tendency from too much fibrin, increases blood pressure, produces inflammation and increases the threat of clots in vital organ such as heart, brain, lungs, and kidneys.

There is also good argument to avoid blood thinning drugs like Coumadin. Drugs are foreign substances that tax the body in some way. They are expensive. Hemorrhaging is a risk.  Of course this should be discussed with your medical doctor who is best able to assess the actual risk  hazard risk of thick blood and what the best treatment would be.

Alternative doctors argue there are  better natural substitutes to reduce symptoms of stroke, heart attack. These are the proteolytic enzymes that break down proteins. Some foods that contain these are: nattokinase (fermented soy) bromolain (pineapple) and papin (papaya)

You can actually buy enzyme supplements that have a variety of enzymes contained in them. They usually have digestive as well as the proteolytic enzymes mentioned already.  You really need to be monitored by a doctor when it comes to thinning your blood or adding any blood thinner.

Thinners should not be added to your diet if you are already on a blood thinning drug.  They can greatly increase  bleeding.

The proteolytic enzymes attack protein… and the 2^nd largest selling, over the counter drug, in Germany, for pain relief, is Wobezyme. (Pain is often caused by an inflammatory proteins that are reduced by Wobezyme.)

Most health food stores sell multiple enzyme formulations such as Flavenzyme  or Wobezyme, or you can find it online... Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

Technorati Tags: cardiovascular, Flavenzyme, heart attack, proteolytic enzymes, stroke, symptoms of stroke heart attack, Wobezyme

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. 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  these resultant, evil consequences.

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 end extreme  is death.

Heart attack and stroke occur because the thickened plaque lining your arteries can cause 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 has occurred.

Besides the atherosclerotic plaque itself producing high blood pressure, another reason for hypertension is due to increases of fibrin, which is the clot matrix in your blood. Age and poor diet accelerate the thickening of your blood with fibrin. Often medical doctors will place you on a blood thinner drug. Alternative medical doctors will recommend a proteolytic enzyme like that found in pineapple or Nattokinase (fermented Japanese soy). Studies show the proteolytic enzyme therapy is quite effective.

High blood pressure occurs for two reasons. The first is due to decreased lumen size that increases the resistance to blood flow. This makes the heart work harder and increases the blood pressure.

The second reason for increased pressure is the increased viscosity of the blood… due to fibrin. Plasmin is a natural balancer of fibrin levels; unfortunately it decreases faster than the fibrin. This results in more fibrin and thick blood that produces hypertension or high blood pressure.

A leading enzyme researcher, Dr. Anthony Chichoke, reports that enzyme therapy like bromelain (in pineapple) or serratiopeptidase, can effectively reduce the thickened blood caused by too much fibrin. Aside from the stress and strain on the cardiovascular system there is serious danger of clots forming in the lungs, brain, heart and other important organs.

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 important because it can involve all inflammatory as well as healthy sources…nutrients, supplements and raw materials for hormones. It is a vehicle for the detrimental toxins that come from pesticide laced food and poor water. The body is amazing, if given the raw materials in a healthy diet, it can conquer disease and thwart a lot of toxins and insults in the form of pollutants, bacteria and viruses. But there is a limit to what it can handle.

Diet is an enormous factor in atherosclerosis and heart disease. Too much red meat causes excess homocysteine; it  is an amino acid that becomes an inflammatory  when excessive.   Sugar is overconsumed…from 136 pounds to 156 pounds are reported per person per year. It is inflammatory and contributes to diabetes 2 problems.  Trans fats (man made adulterations) are formed when all the reactive molecular handles are filled with hydrogen. Trans fats are inert and inflammatory.

Finally, toxins, pesticides and polluting chemicals contaminate your food and water.  The air is polluted by industrial and combustion end products.  All of the above cause inflammation and contribute to atherosclerosis, a major cause of high blood pressure,  heart disease and stroke.…Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

Technorati Tags: atherosclerosis, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, sugar, toxins, trans fats

Even if an artery doses not rupture to cause a heart attack or stroke, the same kind of cardiovascular accident occurs if a plaque that lines the blood vessels chips off and plugs the coronary artery or the cerebral artery. When blood flow stops to part of the heart tissue it dies or necroses.  The same thing occurs in the brain. Dead cells in the heart or brain compromise the function of these organs.

A key ingredient for causing arteriosclerosis is the accumulation of calcified plaque that lines the blood vessels and linings of the heart.  This arteriosclerosis occurs when there is inflammation in the blood vessels and it attracts LDL (low density lipids) cholesterol.  Cholesterol alone is not the problem but rather inflammation in the blood vessels.

It behooves us to control inflammation by paying attention to diet and intake of substances that inflame the blood vessels. Certain mineral and vitamins are also crucial to cardiovascular health.  Arteriosclerosis or atherosclerosis is truly a significant risk factor in both coronary heart disease and in cerebral artery disease…Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

Technorati Tags: Add new tag, arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke

Here is the problem I have with this. I believe evidence indicates it is unnecessarily expensive, unhealthy and a drug “rip off”.  Lipitor is reportedly the largest selling drug in the world, generating over 12 billion dollars for its parent company, Pfizer.

According to an alternatives researcher Gary Null, PhD., the ingredients of the pill cost 5.8 cents per pill.  It typically sold for $2.72.  Some doctors say more like $3.00 to $5.00 per pill.

If it were a scarce commodity, I could understand the enormous profit, but it is not.  If its benefits outweighed the negatives I probably would not complain. They do not. I see the sum total of good benefits are far outweighed by the bad ones. There is compelling evidence that statin drugs like Lipitor are a health hazard…studies show no significant co-relation to reduction in heart disease.

Many well controlled studies show muscle weakness in two thirds of those on cholesterol lowering drugs. (The Co enzyme, CoQ-10, is taken out with the statin drugs, causing muscle weakness especially for the heart.) According to cardiologist Steven Sinatra any slight improvement in heart attack from cholesterol lowering drugs can be explained by its mild anti-inflammatory effect. There are other more potent, less expensive, anti-inflammatory supplements.

The many cortico-steroid hormones from the adrenal cortex…testosterone, estrogens, cortisol (stress hormone) and dozens more… manufacture their hormone using the core molecule of cholesterol. Excessive depletion of cholesterol reduces these hormones as well as one of the most important vitamins to your bone health and immunity…vitamin D.

According to board certified cardiologist, Steven Sinatra, M.D., he reports that the heart failure rate of people on statin drugs (like Lipitor) is twice that of the rest of the population.

I should explain the rationale of why the idea of cholesterol lowering seemed like a good idea in order to reduce the incidence of heart disease.  Cholesterol plaque that chips off from blood vessels and plug the coronary vessels in the heart, are found in heart attack victims.  Also those plugs of plaque that block cerebral vessels of the brain cause stroke.  The simple reasoning was that lowering circulating cholesterol would lower heart attack and stroke.  Wrong!

Plenty of creditable studies have shown that the amount of circulating cholesterol does not determine whether you have a stroke or heart attack. Half the people who have heart attack are supposedly in the safe, low range statistically. Numerous studies have shown that the amount of blood cholesterol does not co-relate with a stroke or heart attack.  People with high cholesterol sometimes have no more, or can even have fewer, heart attacks than those with low cholesterol. (That includes the high ratio of LDL…the “bad kind”). The real culprit is inflammation in blood vessel linings…which  attracts cholesterol.

For more information on this subject, keep in touch through this free blog for more valuable information on heart disease and health in general. From time to time I will make posts that mainstream medicine does not address. Forward this to a friend or give them my blogsite @ http://naturalhealthsecrets.ws Denis Van Loan, DDS

Technorati Tags: cholesterol, heart attack, heart disease, heart failure, high cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, Lipitor, low cholesterol, statin drugs, stroke

I know that is a brash statement, but stay with me and I believe I can prove it. I compiled and published a comprehensive report on it that is free to you.  The American Medical Association has released new guidelines that dupe the busy M.D.’s and unsuspecting public into believing that healthy people need to lower cholesterol. Why?…because the myth has persisted that high cholesterol, especially LDL (low density lipids) cholesterol is causing heart attack and stroke.  The guidelines of “healthy” cholesterol keep being lowered to the benefit of drug companies and to the detriment of the public who take the statin drugs.

Julian Whitaker, M.D. reports in his June 2008 HEALTH & HEALING Newsletter:
“As for statin drugs, for most of the 40 million Americans recommended to take them for the rest of their lives, they’re an ineffective, expensive, side effect-riddled fraud.”

The truth of the matter is that high levels of cholesterol do not co-relate with higher cardiovascular accidents and mortality. Dozens, even hundreds of studies, provide compelling evidence that lowering cholesterol is the wrong approach to health…but not any drug funded ones. Mainstream medicine either ignores this or is unaware of it…Denis Van Loan DDS

Technorati Tags: cholesterol, heart attack, LDL, stroke