Atherosclerosis
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- atherosclerosis
About this treatment
Also indexed as:
Arterial Disease, Coronary Artery Disease, Coronary Heart Disease, Hardening of the Arteries, Plaque (Arterial)
What you need to know
Get your blood flowing freely and protect your arteries from hardening with a few healthy habits. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful:
- Say no to smoking
- Limit chemical damage to blood vessels by stopping now
- Trim the unhealthy fat
- Protect your arteries by cutting meat, dairy fats, and foods containing trans fats out of your diet
- Get to know tocotrienols
- Take 200 mg a day of these potent antioxidants to slow down the build-up of plaque in your arteries
- Take extra garlic
- 900 mg a day of standardized garlic powder can help slow down the process of hardening of the arteries
- Lower your homocysteine levels
- Reduce the blood levels of this potentially toxic substance by taking a daily B-vitamin combo containing folic acid (400 to 1,000 mcg), vitamin B12 (50 to 300 mcg), and vitamin B6 (10 to 50 mg)
These recommendations are not comprehensive and are not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or pharmacist. Continue reading the full atherosclerosis article for more in-depth, fully-referenced information on medicines, vitamins, herbs, and dietary and lifestyle changes that may be helpful.
About atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is hardening of the arteries, a common disease of the major blood vessels characterized by fatty streaks along the vessel walls and by deposits of cholesterol and calcium.
Atherosclerosis of arteries supplying the heart is called coronary artery disease. It can restrict the flow of blood to the heart, which often triggers heart attacks-the leading cause of death in Americans and Europeans. Atherosclerosis of arteries supplying the legs causes a condition called intermittent claudication, which is characterized by pain in the legs after walking short distances.
People with elevated cholesterol levels are much more likely to have atherosclerosis than people with low cholesterol levels. Many important nutritional approaches to protecting against atherosclerosis are aimed at lowering serum cholesterol levels.
People with diabetes are also at very high risk for atherosclerosis, as are people with elevated triglycerides and high homocysteine.
Last Review: 01-21-2009
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