Arterial Disease Factors

Here is a partial list of things that can initiate and propagate vascular disease:

• Excess LDL
• Excess Insulin
• LOW HDL
• High Glucose
• Nitric oxide deficit
• Insufficient vitamin D
• Low vitamin K
• Excess triglycerides
• Low free testosterone
• Excess homocysteine
• Hypertension
• High cholesterol

What can be one about it?

The best approach is a multi-faceted approach involving diet, exercise (including aerobics and weight bearing exercises) and stretching. In addition one has to do some homework and decide what supplements to take.

A good place to start is with a complete blood lipid profile test including tests for testosterone levels, iodine levels, and if you can afford it or your insurance pays for it a "hair analysis" to determine any mineral deficiencies.

IF you are overweight, the best exercise is called the "Push Away" exercise. You perform this by eating one serving of each food group at a meal and then when dessert is brought on, you PUSH AWAY from the table. In simple terms, EAT less and be more selective. Eat more vegetables whether raw or cooked or in a green smoothie (OR ALL THREE). Be sure to eat a wide variety of veggies every day. Also include some fruit such as apples, oranges, bananas, pears, kiwi, red seedless grapes etc. in your diet. I would also learn how to steam green beans, kale and broccoli as a side dish. Make sure you are getting plenty of FIBER to slow down the conversion of carbohydrates and starch into sugar, thus helping to avoid after meal glucose spikes.

The best source of fiber I have found (FOR ME) is finely ground flax seed in my morning oatmeal, and eating more low calorie beans such as Lima beans, navy beans, black eye peas, green beans, baked beans etc. Try to include fiber rich foods with every meal. Let your green smoothies concentrate on celery (for lowering blood pressure) along with an apple or pear or naval orange and some green leafy vegetables such as romaine lettuce, kale, baby spinach, cucumbers, avocados, mangoes, red seedless grapes etc. If I have it on hand, I like to add a table spoon of Barley Powder or one of the many green super food mixes into the smoothie for extra benefit.

I take a full spectrum multi vitamin along with several other specific supplements. Among those I take a product called "CHOLESLO" which has lowered my triglycerides by 43% in just 71 days after starting on it. It is a natural product and NOT a drug and thus far no known or reported side effects. I have a separate blog post or two on this product alone along with my blood lipid profile numbers.

I am also looking hard at a supplement containing Transglucosidase enzyme which slows down the conversion of starchy foods into sugar thus reducing after meal spikes. I have a prior post all about how this enzyme works and where to buy it.

You also need to look at pycogenol, olive leaf extract, magnesium (preferable magnesium-L-Threonate), Co-enzyme Q10, 5000 IU of vitamin D3, fish or krill oil, Milk Thistle for your liver, Taurine capsules, vitamin C, calcium.

Around 75% of the population is believed to be deficient in magnesium alone. A good source for vitamin/mineral/herbal supplements is Puritan pride and also Swanson health products. I have ordered from BOTH

Disclaimer: I have no arrangement formal or informal with Puritan Pride or Swanson and derive NO remuneration from either. I also have NO formal training or education in the medical field. I am just a guy with type 2 Diabetes trying to beat the odds and I do a lot of research in that regard.

I have several posts on what supplements I take and why and if you look under the labels column it will help you find those posts.

Dan


Psalm 103:2,3,5

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."- Theodore Roosevelt

Wisdom From a Book entitled, "The China Study"

I received a free copy of a book some time ago and regrettably have not had the opportunity to read it or even skim through it until recently. It is very well written and researched and concerns itself with all aspects of proper diet, weight loss and long term health concepts.

In particular there is a chapter on both Type 1 and type 2 diabetes and  the best way to control it or ELIMINATE it. Here is an excerpt on Diabetes Complications from page 147:

EXCERPT:

Diabetes Complications:

• Heart disease 2-4 times the risk of death from heart disease
• Stroke 2-4 times the risk of stroke
• High blood pressure - over 70% of people with diabetes have high blood pressure
• Blindness / diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults
• Kidney disease - leading cause of end stage kidney disease and over 100,000 diabetics underwent dialysis or kidney transplants in 1999
• Nervous system disease - 60% to 70% of diabetics suffer mild to severe nervous system damage
• Amputation - over 60% of all lower limb amputations occur with diabetics
• Dental Disease - increased frequency and severity of gum disease that can lead to tooth loss
• Pregnancy complications
• Increase susceptibility to other illnesses
• DEATH

WOW, quite a list and yet every time I go to the local diabetes clinic for a check up, I witness an estimated 50-70% of people in the waiting room that are grossly overweight. Most of us to NOT take diabetes serious enough until it is too late.

Just a quick note from my own observation and dental checkups, is that much of the dental disease listed above (in my opinion) is at least partially caused by various prescription drugs (including blood pressure meds) that cause DRY MOUTH syndrome which in turn leads to gum disease and eroding of the gums etc. It would not hurt to have your dentist give you a prescription for fluoride toothpaste and to start rinsing your mouth out just before going to bed with one of the dry mouth formula solutions. I personally use BIOTENE and am very happy with it. IF you get up in the night to use the bathroom, rinse your mouth out again before going back to bed.

Controlling or curing diabetes is a combination of aerobic and weight training exercises done faithfully along with dramatically curbing your intake of refined carbohydrates. SUGAR, especially from cakes, candies, puddings, pies, cookies etc. is very detrimental to your overall health and plays havoc on your attempts at controlling or defeating type 2 diabetes.

Next post will be an easy to understand synopsis of  metabolism and what causes this wonderful God given process to go wrong leading to type 2 diabetes which accounts for 90-95% of all diabetes cases.

Dan



“That which is used - develops. That which is not used wastes away.”
― Hippocrates

“A wise man should consider that health is the greatest 
of human blessings, and learn how by his own 
thought to derive benefit from his illnesses.”
― Hippocrates