“One minute he was fine and BOOM — the next minute he was dead!”
That’s how people often describe it when someone suddenly drops dead of a heart attack.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the top cause of death in the US continues to be heart disease, just ahead of cancer. But with the exception of congenital heart disease (meaning you’re born with it), heart disease doesn’t just pop out of nowhere… It’s created over time.
You see, the main cause of heart disease is atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). And that is created slowly, methodically, day after day and year after year.
Here’s what happens–let’s take a peek inside your arteries:
The creation of atherosclerosis
Stage 1: A little artery wall damage
Just like anything else, your arteries endure normal “wear and tear.” There are often signs of minor abrasions in the arteries of people as young as 20.
High blood pressure is also a culprit. Just like what tires do to a dirt road, the force of your blood being pumped through your blood vessels can cause serious damage to the walls of your arteries over time.
Stage 2: Inflammation
Once an artery becomes damaged, it sounds the alarm for your body’s repair system, which is made up of platelets and white blood cells.
Although these substances are supposed to promote healing, if the damage continues, they can get “carried away” and instead create pockets of inflammation in your arteries.
Stage 3: Enter cholesterol
Inflammation in your arteries provides the perfect spot for cholesterol buildup.
LDL cholesterol is transported inside white blood cells called macrophages through your arteries and is “dropped off” at one or more of your inflammation pockets.
Stage 4: Plaque buildup
At this point large amounts of LDL cholesterol have begun accumulating along the walls of your arteries.
Stage 5: Serious blockage…and hello heart disease
This is where your coronary arteries are so clogged with plaque that they’re squeezing off the blood supply to your heart. Hello heart disease.
Note that if a blood clot finds its way to a clogged coronary artery and completely shuts it off, you have a heart attack. If this happens in a vessel that brings blood to the brain, it’s a stroke.
How to prevent being a statistic
While the process I’ve just described is rather grim, in addition to quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising, there are two VERY effective measures you can take to help prevent becoming a statistic… And not only make it into your golden years, but be able to enjoy them as well!
1- Be a good home for your heart
All of your organs were designed to function in an alkaline environment, and that especially includes your heart.
Your heart pumps an astounding 13,000 quarts of blood a day. If there are lots of toxins in that blood, that puts a huge strain on your heart. Acid wastes in your system rob your blood of oxygen, and that causes your heart tissue to deteriorate.
So it’s essential to keep your pH as alkaline as possible and minimize the toxins flowing through your blood. Your life may literally depend on it.
The good news is that it’s not difficult. Eating for a strong heart couldn’t be easier!
2- Get your Omega-3 essential fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids have shown to be an important tool to help fight heart disease in these 4 ways:
* They’ve been medically proven to help lower blood pressure. Studies show that daily fish oil supplementation alone can lower your systolic (the top number) pressure by five points or more and your diastolic (the bottom number) pressure by three points or more!
* Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties, which may help counteract any inflammation you might have building up in your arteries.
* Omega-3 fatty acids help raise HDL cholesterol levels and lower LDL cholesterol, thereby helping to improve your HDL/LDL ratio.
* They also help keep blood clots from forming by reducing the stickiness in your platelets and curbing the production of fibrinogens–protein strands that can get tangled up with platelets and result in a clot.
Problem is, most people in developed countries are seriously lacking in Omega-3 fatty acids. So one of the best ways to help fight or prevent heart disease is to take a very high-quality fish oil formula.
Statins may lower your cholesterol, but they also cause these problems:
– Muscle pain and weakness, which can lead to incapacitation
– An increase in cancer risk
– Abnormal increases in liver enzymes
– Weakness, dizziness
– Nausea, stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea
– Sore throat, runny or stuffy nose
– Sexual dysfunction
– Peripheral neuropathy (numbness & tingling in your extremities)
– Headache
– Pain or burning when you urinate
Author: Sherry Brescia
Health Researcher : http://www.greattastenopain.com/nl/12/01_03/032712.asp