History Of Heart Disease
Adapted from THE CALCIUM BOMB: The Nanobacteria Link to Heart Disease and Cancer, by Douglas Mulhall & Katja Hansen (The Writers Collective) www.calcify.com
What medical condition affects more of us than heart disease, arthritis, or cancer, and why is it suddenly such a compelling issue?
According to thousands of medical journal articles, Calcification also known as calcium deposits, hardening of the arteries, cysts, stones, and hard plaque happens in all those illnesses and more.
And it just struck home for millions.
Throngs of baby boomers are rushing to get checked for calcification since rock icon David Bowie and former President Clinton had emergency operations for it. David Letterman, Larry King, CBSs Ren Syler, actress Koo Stark, and many pro athletes have it too.
Calcification is the hardening of our body tissue by calcium salts. These salts contain other minerals, such as phosphorus, and are often harmful. They are dangerous because they provoke chronic and painful swelling, gumming up arteries and organs, with crippling or fatal results.
Calcification can sometimes be a disease on its own, but is more frequently found in other illnesses. Calcium deposits are in breast and ovarian cancer. Breast implant patients occasionally require surgery to remove calcium deposits that develop around the implant. The deposits show up as spots on mammograms and can be mistaken for cancer.
Calcification is often in arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes. Many arthritis sufferers who have calcium deposits go on to develop heart disease, but until recently the link has never been understood. Nor has the one between osteoporosisloss of bone calciumand the seemingly contrary growth of calcium deposits elsewhere as the illness progresses.
Although calcification occurs more frequently as we age, being young is no defense: it is often in sport injuries, and sidelines many athletes. Bursitis and tendonitis can contain calcium deposits. Kidney stones are usually calcified at the center.
More than half a trillion dollars are spent annually to treat calcification-related diseases. So why havent more stories explained it until now? Because until now, no one knew where it came from or how to get rid of it.
For example, look for the term calcification at the National Library of Medicines PubMed website and youll find about 23,000 articles about the condition, but few if any claim positive scientific evidence of a cause.
One of the barriers to finding a cause or treatment for calcification is that some experts have long claimed it is part of the bodys healing process. Because of this widespread idea, doctors have often not considered calcification to be at the root of the problem. They also often dont associate calcification with the trademark inflammation that accompanies it.
Yet up-to-date medical manuals such as the authoritative Merck Manual of Diagnosis a bible found in many doctors offices describe calcium phosphate crystals that make up calcification as aggressive and provoking chronic inflammation as well as attacking joints.
Now, the discovery of a tiny particle has shown a link between calcification and inflammation. Scientists who now work with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) discovered something so small that it challenges the definition of life. It made headlines when Mayo Clinic researchers found it in heart disease, while others discovered how to test for and treat it.
Basically, the scientists found that the particle generates a calcium phosphate shell while in the blood, and attacks human tissue. This provokes an immune reaction that includes chronic inflammation.
And in October, the Journal Pathophysiology published clinical trial results suggesting that when the particle is targeted with treatment, calcification seems to be reversible. [Study title: Maniscalco et al, “Calcification in Coronary Artery Disease can be Reversed by Long-Term EDTA-tetracycline chemotherapy,” Pathophysiology 11 (2004) 95101.]
The study also demonstrated reversal of most of the clinical symptoms of atherosclerosis, including coronary artery calcification, in a majority of patients who participated in the trial.
The authors of the study emphasize that the results are just preliminary, but nonetheless the treatment that they used is available now as a combination of an over-the-counter nutraceutical and a prescription of generic antibiotics.
The problem with the tiny discovered particle that seems to be generating calcification is that no one knows exactly what it is. Its DNA remains a mystery because much of cant be isolated using standard tests. So right now, scientists from NASA and a dozen or so international institutes are using nanotechnology methods to try and decipher its secrets.
Look for the next installment to see what they have found, and how it affects treatment.
Adapted from THE CALCIUM BOMB: The Nanobacteria Link to Heart Disease and Cancer, by Douglas Mulhall & Katja Hansen (The Writers Collective) www.calcify.com
What medical condition affects more of us than heart disease, arthritis, or cancer, and why is it suddenly such a compelling issue?
According to thousands of medical journal articles, Calcification also known as calcium deposits, hardening of the arteries, cysts, stones, and hard plaque happens in all those illnesses and more.
And it just struck home for millions.
Throngs of baby boomers are rushing to get checked for calcification since rock icon David Bowie and former President Clinton had emergency operations for it. David Letterman, Larry King, CBSs Ren Syler, actress Koo Stark, and many pro athletes have it too.
Calcification is the hardening of our body tissue by calcium salts. These salts contain other minerals, such as phosphorus, and are often harmful. They are dangerous because they provoke chronic and painful swelling, gumming up arteries and organs, with crippling or fatal results.
Calcification can sometimes be a disease on its own, but is more frequently found in other illnesses. Calcium deposits are in breast and ovarian cancer. Breast implant patients occasionally require surgery to remove calcium deposits that develop around the implant. The deposits show up as spots on mammograms and can be mistaken for cancer.
Calcification is often in arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes. Many arthritis sufferers who have calcium deposits go on to develop heart disease, but until recently the link has never been understood. Nor has the one between osteoporosisloss of bone calciumand the seemingly contrary growth of calcium deposits elsewhere as the illness progresses.
Although calcification occurs more frequently as we age, being young is no defense: it is often in sport injuries, and sidelines many athletes. Bursitis and tendonitis can contain calcium deposits. Kidney stones are usually calcified at the center.
More than half a trillion dollars are spent annually to treat calcification-related diseases. So why havent more stories explained it until now? Because until now, no one knew where it came from or how to get rid of it.
For example, look for the term calcification at the National Library of Medicines PubMed website and youll find about 23,000 articles about the condition, but few if any claim positive scientific evidence of a cause.
One of the barriers to finding a cause or treatment for calcification is that some experts have long claimed it is part of the bodys healing process. Because of this widespread idea, doctors have often not considered calcification to be at the root of the problem. They also often dont associate calcification with the trademark inflammation that accompanies it.
Yet up-to-date medical manuals such as the authoritative Merck Manual of Diagnosis a bible found in many doctors offices describe calcium phosphate crystals that make up calcification as aggressive and provoking chronic inflammation as well as attacking joints.
Now, the discovery of a tiny particle has shown a link between calcification and inflammation. Scientists who now work with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) discovered something so small that it challenges the definition of life. It made headlines when Mayo Clinic researchers found it in heart disease, while others discovered how to test for and treat it.
Basically, the scientists found that the particle generates a calcium phosphate shell while in the blood, and attacks human tissue. This provokes an immune reaction that includes chronic inflammation.
And in October, the Journal Pathophysiology published clinical trial results suggesting that when the particle is targeted with treatment, calcification seems to be reversible. [Study title: Maniscalco et al, “Calcification in Coronary Artery Disease can be Reversed by Long-Term EDTA-tetracycline chemotherapy,” Pathophysiology 11 (2004) 95101.]
The study also demonstrated reversal of most of the clinical symptoms of atherosclerosis, including coronary artery calcification, in a majority of patients who participated in the trial.
The authors of the study emphasize that the results are just preliminary, but nonetheless the treatment that they used is available now as a combination of an over-the-counter nutraceutical and a prescription of generic antibiotics.
The problem with the tiny discovered particle that seems to be generating calcification is that no one knows exactly what it is. Its DNA remains a mystery because much of cant be isolated using standard tests. So right now, scientists from NASA and a dozen or so international institutes are using nanotechnology methods to try and decipher its secrets.
Look for the next installment to see what they have found, and how it affects treatment.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
You should always keep in mind that whatever actions you do today can either help to prevent, delay or minimize the effect of heart disease or worsen it. The key is to control risk factors. Granted that you cannot control every risk factor for heart disease such as family history but you can definitely do something about your behavior. Age and gender also influence your risk of heart disease.
Major Risk Factors of Heart Disease
Cholesterol Levels
Cholesterol is a type of a lipid, a soft, fatlike substance that serves as a source of fuel. Excessive cholesterol can cause buildup of atherosclerotic plaque. Accumulation of plaque in arteries can block blood flow and lead to a heart attack. LDL cholesterol, the so-called “bad” cholesterol, is transported to sites throughout the body, where it’s used to repair cell membranes or to make hormones. LDL cholesterol can accumulate in the walls of your arteries. HDL cholesterol, the so-called “good” cholesterol, transports cholesterol to the liver, where it’s altered and removed from the body.
Blood Pressure
Normal blood pressure level is defined as less than 130 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) for systolic blood pressure and less than 85 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure. The higher the blood pressure, the more likely it is to take a toll on the heart and on the brain. Blood pressure should be checked whether or not your levels are high. For normal, check once every two years. For high-normal, check once a year. If extremely high, you should get immediate care. Then get multiple measurements to know if a high level is sustained over time.
Diabetes
Another risk factor for heart disease is diabetes, a chronic disease of insulin deficiency or resistance. Type 2 diabetes, the most common type, is associated with obesity and may be prevented by maintaining ideal body weight through exercise and balanced nutrition.
Tips For Controlling Risk of Heart Disease
Stop Smoking
The effect of smoking on your lungs can cause almost every other medical condition.
Get Active
Routine physical activity is highly recommended and helpful in controlling obesity. Try to perform 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. Fast walking is one of the best way to prevent heart disease. If you can lose even a small amount of weight, five pounds for example, it may have a positive effect on lipid levels and blood pressure preventing heart disease.
Limit Alcohol Consumption
Limit daily alcohol intake to three ounces or fewer to prevent heart disease. People who drink large amounts of alcohol (six to eight ounces a day) tend to have higher blood pressure.
Watch What You Eat
Eat five helpings of fruits and vegetables daily to prevent heart disease.
Maintain adequate dietary potassium, calcium and magnesium intake.
Reduce saturated fats and cholesterol to stay away from heart disease.
Copyright 2005 Mike Spencer
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About The Author Mike Spencer has been helping people protect their health for many years. To find out how you can help protect your heart and prevent heart disease visit mikes site at: http://www.heart-healthy-diet.com Tags: Heart Disease 
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