Thefastpharma. Health news blog
May 08
Because of its efficiency as an energy store, fat has traditionally had great survival value in humans. This has been shown many times in survival situations such as shipwrecks or plane crashes. The person with the higher percentage of body fat is more likely to survive under conditions of food deprivation. The higher percentage of [...] [...more]
Posted: under Weight Loss.
Tags: Weight Loss
Because of its efficiency as an energy store, fat has traditionally had great survival value in humans. This has been shown many times in survival situations such as shipwrecks or plane crashes. The person with the higher percentage of body fat is more likely to survive under conditions of food deprivation.
The higher percentage of body fat in (pre-menopausal) females serves the biological function of helping to preserve the species in situations of famine. If women lose too much fat they become amenorrhoeic (don’t ovulate and therefore do not have periods) and thus are not able to conceive.
Fat is the highest source of food energy that can be obtained (9kcal/g compared with 4.5kcal/g for carbohydrate or protein), so fatty foods would have had survival value in a hunter-gatherer
environment. According to Professor Kerin O’Dea from Deakin University this may explain our taste for ratty foods which still persists today. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), there is now no shortage of available fat, particularly from processed foods. There is also no need to expend so much energy (and therefore ‘burn off fat) by having to chase our food. So, for the first time in human history, people can overindulge their biological liking for fat, under-indulge their physical activity requirements—and get fat in the process.
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May 08
Civilization, increased industrialization and artificial, altered environment have caused a dangerous increase in various diseases, which are called civilization diseases. These are: dental diseases, chronic stomach and intestinal diseases, heart and coronary diseases, rheumatic diseases, some nervous disorders, and cancer. The basic causes of civilization diseases are to be found in our antibiological way of [...] [...more]
Posted: under General health.
Tags: General health
Civilization, increased industrialization and artificial, altered environment have caused a dangerous increase in various diseases, which are called civilization diseases. These are: dental diseases, chronic stomach and intestinal diseases, heart and coronary diseases, rheumatic diseases, some nervous disorders, and cancer.
The basic causes of civilization diseases are to be found in our antibiological way of living, such as:
Changes in environment: air and water pollution, etc.
Changes in nutrition: health-destroying toxic food additives, foods grown in depleted soils and devitalized by processing, wrong selection of diet, overeating, etc.
Disturbances of life rhythm: lack of exercise, haste and hurry, insufficient rest and recreation, excessive use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, etc.
Civilization diseases can be cured or prevented, and a long life in good health can be accomplished, by the following remedial measures:
Improved nutrition from natural unadulterated foods, free from toxic additives and rich in vital substances (enzymes, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, proteins, etc.).
Intensified battle against the continuous pollution of water, air, soil, and food, which causes the accumulation of toxic substances in our bodies, and ultimately disease.
Improved safety and hygenic conditions at work.
Sufficient recreation and rest.
Points 2, 3, and 4 are self-explanatory. In regard to point No. 1, improved nutrition, the Society gives the following advice:
The basis of a diet which assures healthy and well-balanced nutrition should be:
Cereal products: whole grain cereals and breads, and other courses from whole corn, whole rice, and other whole grains and seeds.
Milk and milk products: cheese, curds (cottage cheese), soured milk, yogurt, kefir and butter (moderately). Milk and milk products should not be pasteurized.
Vegetables, fruits, and potatoes. Fruits and vegetables preferably should be consumed raw; potatoes peeled after cooking.
In addition, the following recommendations are given:
Meat, fish and eggs can supplement this basic diet, but a daily intake of these foods is not necessary.
Unrefined, cold-pressed vegetable oils, rich in unsaturated fatty acids, such as sunflower oil, linseed oil, soybean oil, should be included in the diet.
Honey should replace the use of white sugar and sweets.
The fact that about half of the world population lives on a vegetable diet proves the possibility of vegetarian nutrition.
In order to assure complete nutritional balance, a vegetarian diet should be supplemented with milk and milk products, nuts, soybeans, linseed, sunflower seeds, edible yeast, fruit juices, etc.
Older persons should increase intake of honey and vitamins; avoid overeating, especially of animal fats; and restrict salt intake.
All foods should be as natural as possible, without chemical additives.
So, here you have, from the highest possible authoritative source on nutrition, a macrobiotic diet which will assure you optimal health and prolong your life.
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May 08
Most research on the relationship between nutrition and multiple sclerosis has been done in Germany. All the accumulated evidence seems to indicate that this crippling disease is caused by malnutrition and is a result of the “civilized” way of life. Researchers have found that the so-called “primitive” people, for example Eskimos and some tribes in [...] [...more]
Posted: under General health.
Tags: General health
Most research on the relationship between nutrition and multiple sclerosis has been done in Germany. All the accumulated evidence seems to indicate that this crippling disease is caused by malnutrition and is a result of the “civilized” way of life. Researchers have found that the so-called “primitive” people, for example Eskimos and some tribes in Africa and Central America, do not contract multiple sclerosis. However, as soon as Eskimos come into contact with civilization and start to eat white man’s devitalized and processed foods, they contract the disease in the same proportion as civilized man. Thus, there is a firm conviction among some investigators that multiple sclerosis is a degenerative disease, caused by nutritional deficiencies and metabolic disorders due to an unnatural, unbalanced diet of devitalized foods. Consequently, all experimental treatments in Europe are centering around a nutritional approach.
Vitamin F deficiency
According to the Danish biochemist, Dr. Jorgen Clausen, multiple sclerosis has a direct connection with the deficiency of unsaturated fatty acids—vitamin F—in the diet. He has demonstrated in animal experiments that when diet is deficient in unsaturated fatty acids, the protective fatty sheaths of myelin, which cover the nerves, will be unsufficiently developed; the nerves, not fully protected by this fatty sheath, are more easily subjected to infections of the MS type. In addition to animal experiments, Dr. Clausen has supported his discovery by the geographical occurrence of MS. It has been observed that where diets are deficient in unsaturated fatty acids there is also a higher frequency of multiple sclerosis. Extensive studies made in England show that patients with multiple sclerosis show a much lower blood content of the unsaturated fatty acids than do normal individuals.
Normally, mother’s milk, which is richer than cow’s milk in unsaturated fatty acids, supplies a sufficient amount of it for the healthy development of the nervous system of a baby. It has been reported that bottle-fed babies have a higher incidence of MS than breast-fed babies. Dr. Clausen has demonstrated that rats fed a diet without unsaturated fats immediately developed symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
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Apr 29
(SIX MINOR ZONES)-2ND MAJOR ZONE—IRIS-WREATH, BLOOD AND MUSCLE ZONES In order to elucidate the second major zone—Blood and Muscle zone it will be necessary to clarify understanding of the iris-wreath (= Autonomic wreath). As is well known, the nutritional substances absorbed in the stomach and intestines are not all taken up from the blood, but [...] [...more]
Posted: under General health.
Tags: General health
(SIX MINOR ZONES)-2ND MAJOR ZONE—IRIS-WREATH, BLOOD AND MUSCLE ZONES
In order to elucidate the second major zone—Blood and Muscle zone it will be necessary to clarify understanding of the iris-wreath (= Autonomic wreath). As is well known, the nutritional substances absorbed in the stomach and intestines are not all taken up from the blood, but also partly from the lymph stream. Therefore, the state of the lymph stream as denoted by the
iris-wreath must also be considered.
If the area for central nervous system is located directly around the pupil
(Pupillary margin—Neurasthenic ring) then the area for the vegetative nervous system is to be located in the iris-wreath. The signs which appear in connection with disturbances of these systems will be described under the Sign-indications.
The designation Blood Zone for the third minor zone is so chosen since the blood supports all organs of the whole body. Also, the continuous movement of the lymph occurs because of the pulsation of the blood and the effect of muscular activity upon the autonomic nervous system. As we realise, the heart must occupy a special position in this zone, and in fact the right heart is located in the right iris at 45′-50′, and the left heart in the left iris at 10′-15′. The aorta is located in the left iris at 8′-10′.
Besides the heart, the pancreas, kidneys, adrenals and hypophysis, are also located in the second major zone, with their particular signs commencing at the iris-wreath.
The pancreas is seen in several places. The position of this gland in the body corresponds to:
The head of the pancreas—from 49′-52′ and 10′-12′ in the right iris. (The head of the pancreas is embryologically separate and extends to the transverse part of the pancreas.)
The long body and tail-end extends to the spleen, and is indicated when affected at 38′-42′ and 19′-22′, in both irides, also commencing directly at the iris-wreath.
The kidneys are shown when diseased at 28′-30′ in the right iris, and at 30′-32′ in the left iris. Like the kidneys, the suprarenal glands have their positions directly at the iris-wreath—in the right iris at 30-32′ and in the left iris at 28′-30′.
The hypophysis lies, beginning close to the iris-wreath, in the right iris from 6o’-63′, and in the left iris from 57′-60′.
The urinary bladder is also to be seen in the second major zone, at 23′ in the right iris, and at 37′ in the left iris. The prostate gland is sometimes shown at the same location adjacent to it, towards the iris-rim.
The gall-bladder has its area in the right iris from 37 ‘-39′, and the uterus from 26′-27′—also in the right iris. The area for rectum is found in the corresponding area of the left iris—32-34′.
The tonsils lie at 13′—14′ in the right iris, and at 46-47′ in the left iris. The disease signs of these last named organs, like the urinary bladder, prostate gland, gall-bladder, uterus, anus and tonsils, have no direct connection with the iris-wreath. One can thus distinguish between a
gall-bladder and a pancreatic condition when presented.
The bronchi show their signs mainly as extending from the iris-wreath to the sixth minor zone (Scurf rim): right iris 43 ‘-45′, and left iris 15′-18′. The trachea registers in the right iris at 12′-14′, whereas in the left iris the oesophagus shows at 46′-48′ in the corresponding position.
In this diagram the muscle zone is also shown. In this case it is not a question of seeing all muscles, as for example those of the stomach and intestines, but of assessing the general state of the voluntary muscles and the heart muscle.
The state of the muscular system is shown in the iris by the appearance of the lacunae. If the lacunae appear inside the iris-wreath, then the state of the muscle layers of stomach and intestines is indicated. When small lacunae are observed outside the rim of the iris-wreath, then a lability of the circulation is indicated. When the lacunae extend to the muscle zone, then the muscle fibres of the organs indicated by the particular areas involved are weakened through defective blood supply. If the lacunae extend fully to the iris margin, then it indicates that even the bones and mucous membranes suffer from nutritional disturbances.
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Apr 29
FORWARD PLANNING If you suffer from really bad cramps and the pain is accompanied by vomiting and fainting, you won’t need to be advised to stay at home until the worst is over. It is better to miss, say, a couple of hours’ work in the morning than to have to be sent home in [...] [...more]
Posted: under Pain Relief-Muscle Relaxers.
Tags: Pain Relief
FORWARD PLANNING
If you suffer from really bad cramps and the pain is accompanied by vomiting and fainting, you won’t need to be advised to stay at home until the worst is over. It is better to miss, say, a couple of hours’ work in the morning than to have to be sent home in a taxi because you have dropped like a stone by the coffee machine. If it’s the aching miseries you have to cope with at work, the best advice is to plan ahead as early and as often as you can. Use that chart you have been keeping, so that you can predict when you are going to be likely to find life difficult. If you suffer from serious mood swings, it’s a good idea to warn your friends and workmates in advance that for the next few days you’re going to be tricky. It can also help you to live through a particularly bad patch if you know in advance exactly how many hours or minutes you have to endure any irritation or provocation before a rest break or lunch hour will give you the chance to remove yourself from it. It’s a little easier to cope with mood swings if you can get off somewhere else and spend time with a different group of people. With thought and planning this sort of change is often more possible than you’d think.
But if, after all your careful planning and all your warnings, you still find yourself in the middle of a row, try to remember how useful it is to relax. Try to drop your shoulders, unclench your fists, or breathe in a lower gear. It could give you a valuable moment to regain control before the row gets even worse. It will certainly make you feel calmer, if nothing else. Of course, it won’t always work, because our emotions can run so high at period time. But it’s worth a try.
If your particular mood plummets to depression, you won’t be in a very good position to help yourself. The trouble with depression is that it makes you slow and clumsy, so that your work is noticeably below standard, and that in itself will depress you further. One of the best tonics when you’re down is to be justly praised for work you’ve done especially well. But sadly, very few employers seem to understand how very valuable praise is, and even fewer are skilled enough to give it and mean it. It’s easy enough to find fault, of course. And if you’re suffering from a change of mood, you’ll be making mistakes and be wide open to criticism. If you’re a boss yourself, you’ll be far more likely to praise the women who work for you, but it will be more difficult to persuade your superiors that they ought to praise you. Perhaps your good example will inspire them. Failing that, try praising them. It might give them the idea.
Many women find it helps to wear their prettiest clothes or dress in their favourite colour. Others say it helps to take special pains with their make-up or their hair — this is something that women who need to wear uniform can do to cheer themselves up. Far from being vanity, this is often a means of ensuring that you feel worthwhile and normal. Although it has to be admitted that if you are really deeply depressed you won’t be able to take an interest in anything, even (or especially) your appearance.
It often helps to warn your bosses that you might be off-beat for a few days, but honesty like this can have a bad effect too. It could blight your hopes of promotion, for plainly, if an
employer has to choose between two equally capable candidates for promotion and one admits to times when her work will be below par, he will choose the other person. So if you are interested in getting on, you either have to hide your difficulties from your boss, or admit to them but take great care that you are noticed when you are at your best and working exceptionally well. Never wait modestly for them to notice you. It’s a busy world and they probably won’t. You must blow your own trumpet, loud and clear. I can almost hear some mothers from the past saying ‘Nice little girls don’t show off!’ But I’m afraid successful career girls, and boys, do. They have to.
Finally, no matter how miserable, off-balance or quick tempered your moods may be making you, take heart and keep your eyes open. You’re not the only one and at least you have the comfort of knowing that you are trying to do something about it. If you look around you will see plenty of other people in bad moods — moaning or nagging or puce with anger. And a lot of them will be men!
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Apr 28
Aspirin is probably the most commonly used home remedy of all and the one parents think of at once in the face of any crisis. Paracetamol is a non-aspirin alternative with similar properties. Both are available as flavored, chewable tablets, and in liquid form, and aspirin is available in the form of rectal suppositories. Both [...] [...more]
Posted: under General health.
Tags: General health
Aspirin is probably the most commonly used home remedy of all and the one parents think of at once in the face of any crisis. Paracetamol is a non-aspirin alternative with similar properties. Both are available as flavored, chewable tablets, and in liquid form, and aspirin is available in the form of rectal suppositories. Both come in different strengths, and when you buy you should check the label to make sure that the strength is appropriate to the age of your child. Aspirin or paracetamol tablets can be crushed and mixed with a little stewed apple, jelly, or ice cream to make them more acceptable to the child. Whenever you disguise a medicine this way, however, you must be careful to watch that the child takes the whole dose. Aspirin suppositories should not be used. Their rate of absorption is uneven, and they present a greater risk of aspirin poisoning than other forms of this drug.
Until recently, aspirin substitutes such as paracetamol were used primarily when a child couldn’t take aspirin for one reason or another. It has now been suggested, however, that the use of aspirin, especially when given to a child with chicken pox or the flu, may be associated with a condition known as Reye’s syndrome. This is a relatively rare form of encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) that also involves the liver.
Although it has not been proven that aspirin causes or promotes Reye’s syndrome, it is recommended that aspirin not be given to children with chicken pox or influenza. Paracetamol, however, has not been linked to Reye’s syndrome and is an acceptable substitute. If you are in any doubt about the use of aspirin or paracetamol for your child, consult your doctor.
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Apr 28
There are about 20 varieties of poisonous snakes in Australia. Parents should discover if they occur in the area in which they live and learn how to identify them. If a child is bitten, try to kill the snake and take it to the hospital with the child, for correct identification of the snake will [...] [...more]
Posted: under General health.
Tags: General health
There are about 20 varieties of poisonous snakes in Australia. Parents should discover if they occur in the area in which they live and learn how to identify them. If a child is bitten, try to kill the snake and take it to the hospital with the child, for correct identification of the snake will permit the appropriate anti-venom to be given, which may be life-saving.
Treatment
Immediately apply a firm, constricting bandage over the snake bite and along the whole length of the limb. This should be as firm as bandaging a sprained ankle. This reduces both the production of lymph and its absorption and flow back towards the heart. The bandage should be kept in place until medical help is available, and may be tolerated for several hours without distress or damage to the limb. (There is no need for the use of a tourniquet in any case of envenomation in Australia.) Immobilize the whole limb by applying a splint, using a stick, a piece of wood or even rolled cardboard. Reassure and rest the victim, elevate the limb and transport to the nearest hospital or medical centre. Do not wash the wound, cut it, attempt to suck out the poison or allow the victim to use any physical effort.
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Apr 28
If you are a girl, and a boy takes you out and wants to buy a box of chocolates or candies or a soft drink, how can you refuse without seeming rude, when you do not want to tell him you have diabetes? This is not too difficult if you make it clear that you [...] [...more]
Posted: under Diabetes.
Tags: Diabetes
If you are a girl, and a boy takes you out and wants to buy a box of chocolates or candies or a soft drink, how can you refuse without seeming rude, when you do not want to tell him you have diabetes?
This is not too difficult if you make it clear that you do not want chocolates or sweets before they have been bought. Many girls get round this by saying they are on a diet, implying that they are concerned about their figure. This is a truthful way of handling the situation without actually revealing that you have diabetes. Otherwise just have one or two and let him eat most of them!
What do you do if you find out that some children at school are spreading the story that you have diabetes and making out that you are odd or different in some way?
If the story is out that you have diabetes and other children are stupid about it, then you can do one of two things.
First, you can pay no attention. Particularly if you do not act upset by the stories, you will find that people will soon get tired of the affair. They will find out they were wrong and that diabetes has not made any difference to you and you are not odd. Of course, if you show them you are upset, some children may go on teasing you just to provoke you.
On the other hand, you may want to clear the matter up quickly. In this case you should get some of your real friends on your side and explain to them the true facts of diabetes. Discuss what diabetes really is and let them know that you are not sick or different and that it is not really a disease. Tell them that diabetes is in fact a very common disorder in the community and that anybody could get it.
When you have some friends on your side in this way the comments of others will not seem important and will not continue long. Your friends will then stick up for you if other children try to tease you. Having explained what diabetes is, you can then shrug off the whole affair, as not very important. Now we know about it, forget it.
How many children are there with diabetes in the community?
About 1 child in every 1000 children under the age of 15 has got diabetes. This does not sound very many, and of course diabetes is not common amongst children, but obviously there are hundreds of children with diabetes in the state where you live. Children grow up into adults, so that between 5% and 10% of all people with diabetes have developed their diabetes when they were growing. Between 2% and 4% of the whole community have diabetes.
I want to do an early morning paper round. Can I?
Diabetes should not stop you, and many boys and girls with diabetes do paper rounds. The important thing is to avoid hypos while on the round before breakfast. I suggest you have one or two carbohydrate exchanges when you get up, carry sugar with you, and then have your insulin and breakfast at the usual time when you get home.
When you first start to do the round it would be a good idea to do blood glucose tests before and after the round to check that the system is working out. If it is a long, hilly paper round you may need more than just two exchanges.
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Apr 23
Reaching 100 years of age used to be so extraordinary that NBC weatherman Willard Scott devoted a few seconds of the Today show to wishing those long-lived “pretty ladies” and “fine gentlemen” much congratulations and continued health on that miraculous milestone. Nowadays, Today could devote half its air time to wishing 100-year-olds well. Just in [...] [...more]
Posted: under General health.
Tags: General health
Reaching 100 years of age used to be so extraordinary that NBC weatherman Willard Scott devoted a few seconds of the Today show to wishing those long-lived “pretty ladies” and “fine gentlemen” much congratulations and continued health on that miraculous milestone. Nowadays, Today could devote half its air time to wishing 100-year-olds well.
Just in the 10 years between 1980 and 1990, the population of people older than 85 years increased by 40 percent. By 1990, there were about 30,000 people who lived past the 100-year mark. If we stay this course, researchers predict that by the time 2080 rolls around, there could be as many as 10 million centenarians. As this legion of graying Americans pushes into triple digits, it’s likely that the record for maximum life span-currently set at 122 years-will be broken.
But where do we reach our limit?
It depends on whom you ask. There are two camps in the study of longevity. One believes that medical technology promises to churn out a future of modern-day Methuselahs. They contend that life expectancy, which is the estimated number of years that a person is expected to live on average, will reach 100 in the next generation. And soon, living to 200, 300, or more will not be out of the question. The second camp believes that all species have a genetic program for growth, development, and reproduction that inadvertently leads to a biological limit to life. As far as life expectancy goes, we’ve just about reached the practical limit, says Dr. S. Jay Olshansky of the University of Chicago.
Through a combination of curing chronic disease and controlling biological aging factors, the day will come when we live in an “ageless society,” says Ronald Klatz, D.O., M.D., biomedical researcher and president of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine in Chicago, one of the folks who believes that we’ve just begun to climb the ladder of longevity. “We won’t suffer from degenerative diseases like heart disease and cancer that plague us today,” he says. “We’ll just die of total organ shutdown when our cells are no longer able to repair and reproduce. That’s at least around age 160.”
Just as splitting an atom was unthinkable in 1928 (but was accomplished in 1938), so will medical technology advance in ways we can’t begin to imagine, adds Dr. George Webster, researcher in molecular biology and aging. “Each year, the National Library of Medicine receives about 1,700 reports on findings in biomedical research. Who ever imagined that we’d be able to clone a sheep? Yet it didn’t take scientists long to figure that out,” Dr. Webster says.
Scientists have already discovered genes that contribute to aging. They understand how hormones decline over time. They have a handle on how our DNA gets damaged through the years. They’ve studied ways to slow metabolism to prolong life. Now they just have to put it all together, says Dr. Webster. “We’ve been able to more than quadruple the life spans of worms by altering certain genes. Once we understand how these genes work, we can start producing substances that stop their action,” he says. “If medical technology grows during the next 50 years at the pace it has grown during the past 50 years, we could push life expectancy into the hundreds. That’s why I tell men of every age to start living healthfully, because if a 40-year-old or even 60-year-old man can make it another 25 years, he’ll be able to reap the benefits of anti-aging medical technology.”
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Apr 23
When there is too much inflammation in the body, the inner lining (endothelium) of the artery walls can become damaged. This causes the endothelial cells to produce various adhesion molecules that attract white blood cells and cause them to bind to the artery wall. The particular white blood cells that bind are monocytes and T [...] [...more]
Posted: under Uncategorized.
When there is too much inflammation in the body, the inner lining (endothelium) of the artery walls can become damaged. This causes the endothelial cells to produce various adhesion molecules that attract white blood cells and cause them to bind to the artery wall. The particular white blood cells that bind are monocytes and T lymphocytes. These blood cells migrate deep into the lining of the arteries. The monocytes turn into macrophages, which are a type of white blood cell that act like Ðàñ man; they engulf dead cells, bacteria and various debris. The macrophages start ingesting LDL cholesterol, and once they are filled with fat, they are referred to as foam cells. It is especially oxidized LDL particles that are ingested; these are particles that have been damaged by free radicals, either because of the way food has been processed, or because we do not have enough antioxidants in our body to prevent this. Oxidized LDL cholesterol also causes direct damage to the endothelium.
Inflammatory chemicals called cytokines are produced by the white blood cells that have entered the artery wall. These cytokines attract more white blood cells to the area and also stimulate the growth of smooth muscle cells of the artery wall. As smooth muscle cells accumulate, they cause the artery wall to thicken, which narrows the diameter of the artery. The smooth muscle cells produce enzymes that cause the breakdown of collagen and elastin in the artery wall. The macrophages also produce protein digesting enzymes that break down collagen. This makes the fatty plaque unstable and prone to rapture. If it raptures it is more likely to form a clot and block an artery completely. As atherosclerotic plaques progress, they tend to calcify, or harden because they accumulate calcium; this hardening is referred to as arteriosclerosis.
Damage to the endothelium also impairs the production of nitric oxide by cells lining the artery wall. Nitric oxide is your artery’s best friend because it dilates the arteries, has an anti inflammatory effect, and limits the ability of white blood cells to bind to the artery wall and initiate plaque formation.
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