What causes blockages
Dr. Filice was on staff from 2003 until 2007
What causes blockages to develop in the arteries?
Robert Filice, M.D.
What causes blockages to develop in the arteries? Essentially, there is agreement that atherosclerosis develops as the result of damage to the interior lining of the blood vessel with the repair process then going haywire. What is not agreed upon is what causes the damage, and how the repair process ends up creating a blockage in the artery.
The best theory today about the cause of the initial insult to the lining of the artery (the endothelium) is that it results from some combination of mechanical stress (stretching of the arterial wall, as from high blood pressure...the lower pressure veins never develop plaque, or nicks caused during the process of angiography) and oxidative stress (free radicals released in the process of metabolism that are not neutralized by internal antioxidants).
The body attempts to heal all such damage, and under ideal circumstances is able to do so without trouble. However there are many things which can derail normal healing, and cause the beginning of plaque in the vessel wall. Such factors taken in total will predispose the patient to heart disease.
All of the modifiable risk factors for coronary disease can be categorized as stressors which damage the artery lining or conditions which impair the body's healing response. Stressors include hypertension (high blood pressure) and anything that creates it (like stress), and anything that produces more free radicals (like poor diet, smoking, heavy metal toxicity, increased homocysteine levels, elevated blood fats, medications, and excess iron).
Healing response interference would come from factors such as inadequate anti-oxidants, hormonal deficiencies or excesses, other nutritional deficiencies, insulin resistance, elevated blood sugars, increased lipoprotein (a), levels, and increased clotting tendency of the blood).
The average cardiologist's approach to coronary disease and atherosclerosis consists of this: Invasive testing to demonstrate blocked arteries, medication to control blood pressure, and diet and/or medication to control elevated cholesterol levels.
Our approach at CMRS involves careful attention to and testing for over 20 modifiable risk factors including the emotional state, non-invasive assessment of the condition of the arterial system, non-drug natural medicine and life style correction of risk factors, and intravenous chelation therapy.
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