You know them by many names: arteries, veins, and capillaries but what these all have in common is that these are blood vessels that keep you alive by circulating blood throughout your body. Arteries are the blood vessels that carry blood to and from the heart; veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart which is why veins are usually blue in color; and finally capillaries are the smallest vessels which is part of the microcirculation system.

Blood vessels no matter how they are referenced and what their function is, is the means by which your blood flows and thus is at the very heart (pun intended) of maintaining a healthy body. Heart disease starts and stops with your blood vessels and let’s examine the issues on how these blood vessels can become damaged beginning a chain of events that could lead to a heart attack or stroke and what you can do to counteract them.

The path to a heart attack is usually a two step process. When the arteries narrow, the medical term is atherosclerosis, which by itself does not cause heart attacks. The events that precipitate a heart attack are a blood clot (thrombosis) and constriction and/or spasm of an artery also known as vasoconstriction. Now the arteries become diseased when plaque is formed in the vessel interior. When that plaque expands, the wall is pushed out and the opening where the blood flows through is narrowed. Narrowed arteries damage the blood passing through them and clotting can form where the plaque located. If you have a cut blood platelet cells clot to keep you from bleeding to death, but when the platelets are in the blood vessel these platelets can interrupt the flow of blood. These clots can lodge in the narrow arteries of the heart also called "coronary arteries" and will shut off the blood flow through that artery. Ever hear of the expression of someone having a coronary? That happens when what doctors call "coronary thrombosis" occurs. When a blood clot shuts off the flow of blood in the coronary artery, the region of the heart fed by the artery is starved of oxygen and nutrients, which results in the death of those cells, which is an infarct and that is the classic heart attack, called an acute myocardial infarction or AMI for short.

One common cause to damaged blood vessels are your cholesterol levels. Since cholesterol is not soluble in blood, it is carried through the blood in particles called lipoproteins. The two important lipoproteins are the low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and the high density lipoproteins (HDL). Having high cholesterol is when you have excessive amounts of LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream leaving too many fat deposits for the HDL to clear out. That imbalance of your cholesterol levels can be caused by your dietary intake or lack of exercise. The fat stored in your body is used for energy and the LDL carries the fat deposits to the cells which supplies that energy. A lack of a proper diet and exercise regimen aids in the buildup of LDL cholesterol in your blood which can lead to the formation of plaque which can lead to clots. Another theory to the increase of LDL cholesterol is when the LDL becomes damaged by oxidation that is by free radicals. This occurs when the oxidized LDL infiltrates the artery wall causing your white blood cells to be attracted to where this is occurring to form cholesterol deposits.

Other contributing factors to unhealthy blood vessels are when the blood platelets become activated when there is no bleeding. Platelets, which again play a major role in the process of coagulation of blood to arrest bleeding become activated and they still tend to aggregate or clump together and initiate an undesirable blood clot which can block blood flow through the vessel and that can also lead to a heart attack or stroke. When these clots are stationary they are called a thrombus and when these clots travel through the vessel it is called an embolism. Platelets can be activated by tobacco smoke and stress, as well as by diabetes and certain nutritional deficiencies and as people age a greater percentage of these platelets can become undesirably activated. Stress produces the same undesirable activation of blood platelets that smoking, diabetes and nutritional deficiencies do. When you are under stress, your adrenaline really flows. Adrenaline activates blood platelets to be prepared to clump together and form a blood clot, this natural reaction is a holdover from when humans were under the consistent treat of being attacked by wild animals many years ago. Lastly, adrenaline causes blood vessels to constrict and the result of that is high blood pressure. Too much stress can cause permanent constriction of the blood vessels as well as continuously sticky platelets.

There are several routes you can take to maintain healthy blood vessels; there are prescription medications for everything these days which includes medications for reducing your cholesterol, blood pressure and even stress. But understand what comes with these medications, the side effects and the impact it can have on your lifestyle. You can also seek natural alternatives; there are powerful antioxidants available which will naturally help you maintain your cholesterol levels which in turn will promote healthy blood vessels. Antioxidants will also combat the free radicals within your body. Having healthy blood vessels also means having healthy blood pressure and as for the stress there are natural supplements which can help you reduce your stress. As always, when considering natural supplements as an alternative have a discussion with your health care professional to see if this route is right for you, especially if you are already on prescription medications for any specific condition. Before having that discussion do your research and be prepared to discuss all of the alternatives available. You steer the ship of your life and you need to look at all of the options available to you to live a long and healthy life.

Ray Thompson is a health and wellness consultant who promotes life-changing alternatives to prescription medication. Visit the author’s website: HERE and get your FREE Report to learn more about natural supplements, antioxidants and how to achieve and maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

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Heart disease is one of the most touched health-related issues at the present time. It’s just right! Whenever we take a look at the kind of lifestyle we have today, it is not impossible that we develop certain diseases like the deadly heart disease. Even though it’s apparent that a lot of people are becoming more and more health conscious, but still there are those who aren’t.

There are several types of heart disease, but the major ones are the atherosclerosis, coronary, rheumatic, congenital, myocarditis, angina, and arrythmia heart disease. Although it can be deadly, it is also preventable. The most basic and simple ways to prevent heart disease is to exercise regularly, eat heart-healthy diet, maintain healthy weight, avoid smoking, and have regular health screenings. It is never too late for anybody to change lifestyles and practice healthy habits for the betterment ones welfare.

A heart disease is caused by many factors and smoking is one of them. Smoking is very popular when it comes to causing damages to our health. Don’t you agree? Smoking and using any tobacco products are never safe. No amount of tobacco is ever considered safe as well. Cigarette smoking and use of tobacco products are the most preventable causes of deaths around the globe.

The type of heart disease caused by smoking is coronary heart disease. Cigarette and tobacco products users have high risk of developing heart disease caused by smoking that of non smokers. Smokers who have a heart attack are more likely to die within an hour of the heart attack. Doesn’t sounds so scary?

Cigarette and tobacco smoking or any the use of any tobacco products is very rampant. Unfortunately, it increases the risk of coronary disease. All the tobacco products contain thousands of chemicals and nicotine which is very addictive. Nicotine is not only responsible for your bad breath, staining your teeth, but also increases the risk of recurrent coronary heart disease after heart bypass operation.

Smoking increases blood pressure, decreases exercise tolerance, and increases the tendency for. When the blood clots build up and block the arteries, heart attack will occur. Therefore, it is evidence enough that heart disease caused by smoking is coronary heart disease.

Studies also have shown that the risk of developing heart disease caused by smoking, after five years of giving up this bad habit, is the same as for someone who never smoked! I think this is some good news to smokers who struggle to quit and to those who are thinking of quitting. You have all the right reasons to stop. It’s never too late! Practice a healthy lifestyle and quit smoking in order for you to live longer and heart disease free.

By atherosclerosis the inside of the arterial blood vessel are thickened, hardened and stiffened, causing the space for blood flow to be narrowed or closed. This will decrease the oxygen supply to local or distant tissues.

The main symptom of this is pain, poor organ function and bad general condition. The further consequences are tissue damage, occasionally acute damage because by stop of blood flow caused by a sudden blood clot formed in the narrowed areas.

The Mechanisms and Causes of Atherosclerosis

The inner walls of the arteries consist of an innermost layer of endothelial cells (surface cells) and under these a layer of smooth muscle cells. The changes by atherosclerosis take place under the endothelial cells and in this muscle layer. The changes consist of: A certain degree of cell proliferation or tumour, accumulating of cholesterol and fat. Deposition of calcium salts. Deposition of blood elements like fibrin.

The deposits are called atherosclerotic plaque or atheroma. Atherosclerosis is one of many types of artery thickening and hardening. A common name for thickening and hardening of arteries is “arteriosclerosis”. Often atherosclerosis is also just called arteriosclerosis.

The development of atherosclerosis probably begins by a damage in the endothelium. This damage causes cholesterol and fat to penetrate into the vessel walls and deposit there. This also induces cells to proliferate. Later also calcium salts are deposited.

Factors that cause endothelial damage and thus atherosclerosis are :
-High content of cholesterol in the blood.
-High content of blood fat and especially saturated fat.
-Inflammation in the blood vessels. A sign of such inflammation is the presence of a substance called c-reactive protein.
-High amount of oxidation agents in the blood.
-High blood pressure.
-High content of low density lipoprotein (LDL) in the blood serum, and low content of high density lipoprotein (HDL) in the blood. Lipoprotein is a combination of a protein molecule and fat or cholesterol. Lipoproteins carry cholesterol or fat from place to place.
-Diabetes.
-High age.
-Smoking.
-Men have a somewhat higher chance of getting this condition than women.
-High content of the amino acid homocystein in the blood serum.

Many of these factors are ultimately caused by a bad diet and lack of daily exercise.

The Symptoms and Consequences of Atherosclerosis

Since atherosclerosis can affect all body parts, the symptoms will vary. However, general symptoms from the affected body parts are :
-Decreased performance, easy to tire out.
-Pain by physical activity, so called anoxic pain.
-By severe impairment of blood flow, tissue damage or sores can occur.

Once the heart is affected, the symptoms will be :
-General bad condition.
-Anoxic pain from the heart and surroundings by physical activity, called angina pectoris.
-Feeling of not getting enough air, or breathing problems.

Atherosclerosis can cause blood clots that close the blood flow. There are several ways this can occur :

-The atherosclerotic plaque can rupture, making a sore in the inner wall of the vessel. At such a sore blood can coagulate, making a blood clot.
-The atherosclerotic plaque itself can grow to close a blood vessel.
-Blood coagulated at an affected area can tear loose, float with the blood stream to another place and prop a blood vessel at the new place.
-A portion of the plaque itself can tear itself loose and clog some other blood vessel.

Once the heart is stricken by a blood clot, heart tissue is suddenly destroyed, a condition called heart infarction, causing sudden heart failure or death.

Once a blood clot strikes the brain, brain tissue is destroyed or impaired, causing paralysis, decreased consciousness, coma or other sudden functional impairments.

The Prevention and Treatment of Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis can be prevented and to some extend be cured by these measures, of which most are lifestyle adjustments:

-Consuming only a little or moderate amount of fat.
-Consuming only a moderate amount of sugar.
-The fat eaten had better a blending of different types of unsaturated fat from sources like: olive oil, rape oil, sunflower oil, soy oil, walnut oil and fish. And then you’ll get enough of mono-unsaturated fat, omega-3-unsaturated fat, and omega-6-poly-unsaturated fat, but not too much of any of them.
-Consuming a lot fish and only a little red meat.
-Consuming a good amount of fruit and vegetables every day.
-Supply of sufficiency vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.
-Only consuming moderate amount of salt.
-Quit smoking.
-Getting high blood pressure treated if lifestyle measures do not bring blood pressure down.
-Daily exercise fitted for one’s own condition.
-Eliminate stress in the daily life and at the job.
-Stressing down and getting enough rest.

By high cholesterol levels that do not react properly to lifestyle measures, cholesterol lowering medication can be used, such as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.

By serious local narrowing of an artery, surgery to clean out or widen the artery is sometimes performed. Sometimes the artery is replaced by a graft taken from another body part or by an artificial vessel. When this is done in the heart, it is denoted as bypass surgery.

Alternative treatment to clean out the arteries is an option. There is for instance a treatment consisting of using the substance EDTA to carry constituents of plaque away from the arteries. The molecules of this substance have the ability to grip around other molecules, for instance cholesterol molecules, and carry them away. There is however a controversy about the effectiveness of this treatment, called chelating therapy.