Keep your arteries clean-it’s easier than you think

Ask the average person what causes clogged arteries and they will say: CHOLESTEROL!

My response to that is: Get that old, tired idea out of your head and open your eyes to the truth.

NOT the “truth” according to statin manufacturers, but the REAL truth which reflects how Nature designed your body to stay healthy.

Here are three popular myths about cholesterol and atherosclerosis, why these old ideas are not accurate, what the REAL deal is behind clogged arteries and most importantly, how you can help keep yours in tip-top shape.

3 Popular myths (and facts) about atherosclerosis and cholesterol

Popular Myth #1:  Cholesterol is a harmful, artery-clogging substance
Fact:  Cholesterol is a health-enhancing substance that your body needs.  Here are some of its vital functions:

• Cholesterol is a powerful antioxidant that protects you against free radical damage and cancer.
• Cholesterol is Nature's healing ointment that helps repair wounds, including tears and irritation in your arteries.
• Many hormones are made from cholesterol, including those that regulate mineral metabolism and blood sugar (and thus protect you against osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes), the stress hormones and all of the sex hormones.
• Your brain and nervous system must have cholesterol to function properly.
• Cholesterol plays a role in your body's utilization of serotonin, thereby protecting you against depression.
• Cholesterol is needed by your liver to manufacture bile salts, which digest fats.
• Your body uses cholesterol to manufacture vitamin D in your skin when you're out in the sun.
• It makes your cells waterproof so they can maintain the delicate chemistry inside and outside of the cell membrane.
• Cholesterol helps your body fight infections.

Without cholesterol, you would die.  Plain and simple.

Myth #2: ALL saturated fats are bad
Fact: Your body must have saturated fats to stay healthy!

Saturated fats are necessary for your body to make hormones, they enhance the integrity of your cell walls, and they make up the myelin sheath that surrounds and protects your nerves and transmits nerve impulses. 

They also provide energy for your heart, and the heart draws upon its reserves of saturated fat during times of stress.

The danger that arises with saturated fats is when you have far too many of them, and they are not properly balanced out with unsaturated fats.  That’s when your platelets can begin to get too sticky and contribute to atherosclerosis.

The fats that are truly 100 percent harmful all of the time are trans-fats.  Those are the fats that can practically guarantee you will be paying a visit to the cardiologist (or the undertaker) very soon. 

Myth #3: Cholesterol clogs arteries
Fact: Injuries to the inner lining of your arteries and the resulting inflammation cause a repetitive "signal" for cholesterol to come on the scene and do its repair work.  But that’s only part of the story.

When your body tries to heal an inflamed artery, the affected area also becomes a "magnet" for fibrous proteins called fibrinogens, calcium deposits, and wastes and toxins in your blood.

All of these substances together can keep building up until eventually you can develop atherosclerosis.

So inflammation is the true culprit behind clogged arteries.  Cholesterol is present at the scene of the crime, but it’s not the perpetrator.

Inflammation can also upset your body's cholesterol monitoring cycle—here’s how:

Normally low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) carry cholesterol through your bloodstream and drop it off to the cells that need it.  Then high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) come through, "mop up" any excess cholesterol and bring it to your liver to be recycled. 

Your liver knows precisely how much cholesterol you need at any time, and if there’s too much in your bloodstream, it binds the excess to bile and puts it into your intestinal tract to be excreted with your bowel movements.

But when this process is disturbed by arterial inflammation, constipation and/or liver malfunction, that can contribute to elevated cholesterol.

Help keep your arteries clean!
Now that you know the real truth behind atherosclerosis, here are six very effective ways you can help keep your arteries clean and healthy.

1) Reduce your intake of refined carbs and sugar
Sugar is a very inflammatory substance and when your diet includes lots of refined carbs your blood sugar monitoring system can get overtaxed.  This allows glucose to build up in your bloodstream and trigger inflammation in your arterial walls. 

Concentrate on real foods—fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry, dairy, real butter, legumes, nuts and seeds.  When you nourish your body with real foods, you are more likely to stay full longer and therefore won’t be as tempted to reach for refined carbs like cookies, chips or crackers. 

2) Help keep your digestion efficient 
The Great Taste No Pain health system will teach you about the health risks of sugar, plus give you scrumptious ways to incorporate better, healthy carbohydrate sources into your meals.

Many of the Great Taste No Pain recipes are made with things like whole grains, legumes, beans and vegetables--good, healthy sources of complex carbs that help give you lasting energy and nourish your friendly flora. 

Plus you'll learn about the dietary science of food combining, which can help improve digestion and nutrient absorption. 

Not only can this help make gas, bloating, constipation, acid reflux and excess weight a thing of the past, but better elimination of wastes means that worn-out excess cholesterol can be properly eliminated, instead of being reabsorbed into circulation.  

3) Get enough Omega-3 essential fatty acids
Omega-3 essential fatty acids have shown to be an important tool to help fight atherosclerosis in these two ways:

1- They have anti-inflammatory properties, which may help counteract any inflammation you might have stirring in your arteries.

2- They can help keep clots from forming by reducing the stickiness in your platelets and curbing the production of the fibrinogens which are part of clogged arteries.

Problem is, our food supply doesn't contain a fraction of the Omega-3 EFAs that it used to (thanks to our heavy reliance on processed foods, vegetable oils and grain-fed animals).

So one of the best ways to help make sure you’ve got enough of these heart-healthy nutrients is to take a very high-quality fish oil formula like VitalMega-3.

The suggested 2-capsule daily serving packs a heart-loving 1,200 mg. of EPA, DHA and other Omega-3 fatty acids, which more than satisfies the levels recommended by many experts for better cardiovascular health.

4) Get enough vitamins B12
Vitamin B12 is crucial for the health of your blood vessels because it converts homocysteine to methionine (a benign amino acid).  Homocysteine is a sulfur amino acid which is the by-product of your digestion of proteins, and if allowed to build up in your bloodstream, it can stir inflammation and increase your risk of 

heart disease.

Hydroxaden 2.5 spray is an easy, convenient way to make sure you’re getting the B12 you desperately need for cardiac health, as well as to help encourage a healthy nervous system and boost your energy too!  Just five quick sprays under your tongue each day is all it takes.

5) Get moving
Regular exercise is your ticket to minimizing the risk of developing or worsening existing heart disease, hypertension and elevated cholesterol.

You don’t have to get fancy—even brisk walking is helpful!

Studies have shown that three 10-minute walking sessions each day are almost as effective as one half-hour session in preventing heart disease.  So get your doctor’s nod of approval and get busy.

6) Get tested
The following tests are emerging as very effective in detecting arterial inflammation in the making, so ask your doctor to perform them if you are concerned:

• C-reactive protein (CRP): Levels of CRP rise when blood vessels are inflamed.
• Fibrinogen: Fibrinogen is a clotting factor and high blood levels of it increase your risk of atherosclerosis.
• Homocysteine: A buildup of homocysteine in your blood can trigger damage to your blood vessel walls.

Heart disease continues to be our number one killer, but as you can see, there is a whole lot you can do to help keep your arteries nice and clean for years to come!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia

PS:  You’ve asked for it and we’ve listened--our new multi-vitamin formula Super Core is coming soon!