Garlic, Inflammation and Atherosclerosis

Recent studies have shown that garlic extract is helpful at preventing inflammation which is a leading cause for atherosclerosis.

Before a person suffers from heart disease, stroke, or vascular disease, they generally suffer from atherosclerosis first. Atherosclerosis is the slow build up of either hard or soft plaque within the wall of the arteries. The buildup of hard plaque can cause the artery wall to become thick and hard leading to constriction of blood flow. A formation of soft plaque can actually end up breaking free from the arterial wall and become a clot within the blood stream.

One of the precursors to atherosclerosis as well as problems with the heart and circulatory system is inflammation. Inflammation is the body’s response to infection or the invasion of foreign substances in which white blood cells and certain chemicals in the body kick into overdrive and attack the invader causing swelling, redness and pain. Inflammation helps get plaque buildup started by causing cells to adhere to the walls of the blood vessels. These stuck on cells then migrate into the lining of the vessel thanks to cell adhesion molecules and facilitate the progression of atherosclerosis. Therefore, researchers believe that the key to preventing atherosclerosis and the subsequent heart and vascular disease is to prevent inflammation.

This is where garlic can come in handy.

Garlic has been grown and consumed by humans for more than 5000 years and during those 50 centuries, it has always been valued for it medicinal and beneficial properties. Garlic is loaded with antioxidants that help prevent free radical damage and it is also a powerful antimicrobial capable of killing off viral, fungal and bacterial infections. It has been used not only as something that adds a little pungent zing to food, but also as a means to prevent dysentery and gangrene in hospitals during the turn of the century.

In a recent study, artery cells were exposed to garlic extract in various concentrations then exposed to a protein that is known to cause inflammation for one day. Researchers found that garlic helped inhibit the cells from sticking to the cell walls. They also found that garlic helped decrease the number of cells that migrated to the blood vessel walls.

Because of these two factors, scientists now know why people who eat garlic on a regular basis have less inflammation related pain problems and are generally more heart healthy. Garlic helps decrease inflammation and by doing so helps prevent the onset of atherosclerosis.…

Surviving Critical Illness, But at What Cost?

There is a significant increase in the chance of being diagnosed with critical illnesses such as cancer, heart attack, or stroke than dying under the age of 75.

There are more than 160,000 new cancer cases, 70,000 heart attacks and 40,000 strokes in Canada every year. It is estimated that approximately 10% of the population will be diagnosed with a critical illness.

Can you afford to be very sick?

According to a study by the CBCN (Canadian Breast Cancer Network) patients with long term cancer face serious financial difficulties, leading to use of all their savings in 44% of patients and rising debt levels in 27% of cases. The study claims that unemployment insurance only covers 15 weeks of the average 38 weeks of treatment.

Most people have contracted a life insurance, yet very few think of contracting critical illness insurance. This type of insurance is an interesting protection against unexpected outcome in life. It is a form of health insurance that provides a lump-sum payment should you become seriously ill.

How does one get insured? Quite easily. It is the insured person that decides on the required amount that will be provided by the insurance company in case of critical illness. Unfortunately, a number of low cost options are offered by some financial institutions, that only cover 3 or 4 illnesses and additionally the premiums are not guaranteed. Most products offered by known insurance companies’ covers up to 24 different critical illnesses, such as cancer, heart attacks, stroke, heart surgery, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer, paralysis, loss of vision or speech, and others.

As with life insurance, critical illness is offered as renewable term, whole life, or up to 75 years of age. Premiums are guaranteed in the contract and cannot be modified.

Certain insurance companies will even refund all premiums at the end of the contract if there were no claims after 15 or 20 years, or at the age of 75.

Now, this is what I call a win-win situation. You are insured for a many years and then you get your money back, tax-free.

Other companies offer partial cancellation, where the insured keeps 50% of his insurance at half the cost and gets reimbursed for the other 50% of premium paid.

These products are truly exceptional as they are relatively new in Canada and are still offered at relatively affordable rates.…

Ask Your Doctor About Vitamin E As a Blood Thinner

There is no doubt that vitamin E can be an important part of a healthy, daily diet.

There have been many research studies that have indicated the potential of vitamin E as blood thinner. This information may have significant implications on the use of vitamin E for helping to support a healthy heart.

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally found in nuts, oils and seeds. It is highly regarded as a natural antioxidant, although the actual metabolic function of this vitamin hasn’t been clearly determined as of date. However, there are reports of the possibility of vitamin E as blood thinner, which makes it of interest to the studies regarding healthy arteries and healthy cardiovascular circulation.

Vitamin E and Its Antioxidant Abilities

Vitamin E has been studied for its helpfulness in promoting heart health. Its anti-oxidant properties are widely publicized and they are thought to help in the potential prevention of the formation of free radicals, which can lead to health problems.

As an antioxidant, vitamin E is also known to potentially help prevent substances like cholesterol from undergoing a process called oxidation. Oxidation in bad LDL cholesterols causes them to stick to the linings of the arteries and build up, forming blockages (a condition called atherosclerosis) and clots.

Deposition of oxidized cholesterol and fat onto the arterial walls can cause the blood vessels to narrow down preventing the normal flow of blood. Other substances like calcium and fibrin can also deposit onto the walls, which may result in the hardening of the arteries. When a blood clot occurs in the blocked area, flow of blood may be stopped, which could lead to a heart attack.

Vitamin E as a Blood Thinner

Vitamin E is also thought to have some natural anti-coagulant properties – which means that it may help to thin out the blood. The hope is that this blood thinning potential might help to keep blood thin so it can freely flow in the blood vessels, even in areas where minor arterial narrowing has occurred due to plaque build-up. Moreover, with vitamin E, substances dissolved in the blood might become more mobile so they could be less likely to stick to arterial walls.

Blood Thinning Isn’t Always Ideal

Note though that blood coagulation should only fall within a definite, reasonable range. Blood thinning is ideal to a certain extent but when the clotting ability of the blood is reduced to a minimum level, excessive bleeding (nosebleeds), bleeding strokes, hemorrhages, hematuria (blood in the urine), and heavy menstrual periods in women may occur. Remember that blood clotting is a very important function of the cardiovascular system as it helps prevent too much blood loss when cuts and wounds happen.

The role of Vitamin E as potential blood thinner has two sides. On one side, vitamin E might help promote cardiovascular health and support the reduced risk for heart diseases. On another, care must be taken to …

Canine Heat Stress

It is very important that you pay attention to your dog in the hot months. I know from experience that dogs being field tested during the summer months occasionally slow down and if you are not aware what is happening, you may cause the dog irreparable harm or even death. One of my friends had that happen to her Springer Spaniel. This dog was an eager retriever that loved to fetch tennis balls. You could throw the tennis ball, as far into the woods as possible and the dog would bring it back within minutes and drop it at your feet. You could literally keep throwing the ball until your arm got tired. If you feinted as if you were throwing the ball into the woods towards east, the dog would charge into the woods while you threw the ball unseen by the dog into the woods towards west. The dog would search and search and even if it took the dog 45 minutes, she would eventually come back with the ball, because she trusted you that the ball was somewhere and she wanted to bring it back. Her owner did a lot of retrieving with the dog, and one summer when the temperatures were about 95 degrees F and the relative humidity at 90%, she took the dog for its normal run and threw balls for the dog and kept doing it until the dog collapsed. The dog got its leg caught on a ground vine, flipped over and never stood up again. The owner thought that the dog had broken her neck and since she couldn’t carry it out of the woods, she came to get Vibeke and me and we brought a spade with us and buried the dog in the woods where she had loved to run. She had clearly died of heat stroke, but we never had the heart to tell our friend the real reason the dog died.

Canine Heat Stress – Prevention

Although any dog may suffer from heat stress, certain dogs are more vulnerable. They include puppies and geriatric dogs. Overweight dogs are especially susceptible because the fat insulation reduces the dog’s ability to radiate heat. Dogs with a history of heat stress are short-nosed breeds like bulldogs and pugs, which normally have difficulty breathing and panting, but as the saying goes: “It can happen to you” – so look out. Dogs with cardiovascular or respiratory disorders may be more easily affected than other breeds. Some basic guidelines:

1. Never leave a dog in a closed automobile, an unventilated garage or other enclosure for any length of time in hot weather.

2. Kennels should have adequate ventilation to provide adequate air circulation in summer months.

3. When dogs are outdoors, some type of shade cover should be provided.

4. Avoid excessive exercise during hot weather.

5. Keep plenty of fresh drinking water available at all times for dogs.

Canine Heat Stress – Treatment

In heat stroke cases, high fever …

Should You Consider a Sugar Free Life Style? Part I

If you have a sweet tooth, a sugar free life style simple doesn’t make sense or does it? For you it makes the best sense. Perhaps the biggest reason to consider a shift in eating would be for your good health and to fight chronic health diseases, i.e. heart attack, stroke and diabetes. Although sweets add great taste and zest to your life, the empty calories are slowly killing you.

When you consider a sugar free life style, you come one step closer to becoming the best you that you can be. Why? By eliminating sugar and foods that become sugar in your gastrointestinal tract (GI tract), you will begin to feel like your old self within a matter of weeks. A brand new you will emerge. Most people feel bad daily without really knowing the cause. Most often, you feel bad because of your eating habits.

So it becomes pretty simple, change your eating habits and change the way you feel! Your decision to go sugar free can’t be just an “I’ll try it to see if it works” decision. To change your eating habits to a sugar free dietary program will require a quality decision on your part. You will need to determine if the change is right for you. Do research, read everything you can find about the benefits and then make your decision-one way or the other.

Your sugar free lifestyle, coupled with a daily caloric intake, will help you lose weight. America is overweight! Obesity has reared its ugly head even among middle school aged youngsters. Recent research has confirmed a direct correlation between the size of your waist to chronic heart diseases. Men with a waist size of larger than 39″ is at risk for heart disease and diabetes even more so than those with smaller waist sizes. So a really sensible plan in addition to a sugar free life style is a lower caloric intake. Part II of this article will discuss the daily caloric intake and how to determine the teaspoons (tps) of sugar you can consume each day.

When you consume more calories than you burn with your daily activities, your body stores these calories as fat. So the ideal situation is to burn all the calories you consume. A sugar free lifestyle goes hand in hand with a good daily exercise plan. Before you begin an exercise program, consult your physician to be sure you are healthy enough to exercise. The exercise and daily calorie plan will be discussed in a Part II article.

Yes, you should consider a sugar free life style. It will take some planning, you will need to be devoted to your plan but above all you will need to make a quality decision to stick with your sugar free life style plan. Maybe it is not too late to reverse the damage already done to your body. You may be able to get off some …