Diabetes Control- Preventing Heart Disease and Strokes Naturally

Diabetes Control- Preventing Heart Disease and Strokes Naturally

Second Edition

by Thomas E Nelson

Copyright 2013 Thomas E. Nelson

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Disclaimer

By using this document you are accepting all the terms of this disclaimer notice. If you do not agree with anything in this notice you should not use this book.

This document is for general health information only; it is not to be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any health condition or problem. Users of this document should not rely on information provided within this document for their own health problems.

Any questions regarding your own health should be addressed with your own physician or other healthcare provider. There are neither warranties nor express or implied representations whatsoever regarding the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, comparative or controversial nature, or usefulness of any information contained, or referenced in this document.

The author of this document does not assume any risk whatsoever for your use of the information contained herein. Health-related information changes frequently and therefore information contained within this document may be outdated, incomplete or incorrect. Statements made about products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Use of this document does not create an expressed or implied physician-patient relationship.

You are hereby advised to consult with a physician or other professional health-care provider prior to making any decisions, or undertaking any actions or not undertaking any actions related to any health care problem or issue you might have at any time, now or in the future. In using this document you agree that the author of neither this document nor any other party is or will be liable, or otherwise responsible, for any decision made or any action taken or any action not taken due to your use of any information presented within this document.

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Dedicated researchers seek better treatments and cures for diabetes, kidney disease, Alzheimer's and every form of cancer. But these scientists face an array of disincentives. We can do better. -Michael Milken

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Table of Contents

Disclaimer

Chapter 1-Introduction

Chapter 2-How Your Heart Functions

Chapter 3-The Vascular System

Chapter 4-About Blood Clots

Chapter 5-Silent Heart Attacks

Chapter 6-About Blood Pressure

Chapter 7-About Cholesterol

Chapter 8-How Diabetes Causes Cardiovascular Disease and Strokes

Chapter 9-Preventing Cardiovascular Disease and Strokes

Basic Plaque Removal Program

Metabolic Enzymes

Heart Healthy Food

Glycemic Index Foods and Glycemic Index Foods Table

Chapter 10-End Notes

Appendix

Basic Cellular Function

How Diabetes Messes with Basic Cellular Function

Homeostasis

About the Author

Other books by the Same Author

Chapter 1-Introduction

One of the greatest issues in diabetes is disbelief, or denial. Diabetics cannot accept the fact that the symptoms they experience, if any symptoms are experienced, are as serious as they actually are. Most reason that the symptoms will simply go away after time. Unfortunately, most of the serious damage that diabetes causes produce no symptoms at all; diabetes is a very dangerous progressive disease. The same is true for heart disease. One of the problems is that the symptoms that do appear vary in intensity from one person to the next. The symptoms of developing heart disease are:

Severe or uncomfortable pressure in the chest area (center)

Moderate or severe indigestion

Pain in the neck, shoulders, or arms

Weakness or excessive fatigue

Heart palpitations

Paleness, cold sweat, and anxiety

A person does not have to experience all of these symptoms to be experiencing a heart attack; in fact, as you will later learn, some diabetics experience silent heart attacks where no symptoms develop. If any one or more of the above symptoms should occur seek medical help immediately.

Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases that has an elevated (high) association with death from cardiovascular diseases. Experts believe that it is due to the existence of myocardial defects caused by diabetes, that are independent of vascular disease. There are proteins that regulate the contraction of the heart muscle (myosin ATPase and its isoenzymes), and other proteins that regulate heart function that function abnormally in diabetics. These abnormalities along with a reduced sensitivity to calcium in the cells are believed to play a large role in causing the impaired cardiac function. Diabetes is a complex disease that results in large and small vessels disease and impaired organ function. Studies have shown that learning how to control blood sugar, and properly regulate insulin, can reverse many of these mysterious abnormalities.

Most diabetics are unaware that they are 4 times more likely to develop heart disease than non-diabetics. Nearly 9 out of every 10 diabetics (85%) will die of a heart attack or stroke. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. It is entirely possible for every diabetic to significantly reduce their chances of developing heart disease, or suffering from a stroke. It is entirely possible for diabetics to scrub the plaque from their arteries and significantly reduce their risk of suffering a stroke. They can restore damaged blood vessels (capillaries), and significantly strengthen their lung and heart muscles.

Most diabetics think that low blood sugar is not as damaging as high blood sugars. While the majority of diabetics have frequent high blood sugars, anything that will cause low blood sugars will significantly impact the risk of developing heart disease. Low blood sugars (hypoglycemia) are very stressful on the heart. Low blood sugars also increase the risk of a stroke; 3-5 times more likely. In fact the risk of developing heart disease is greater due to low blood sugars than high blood sugars (hyperglycemia).

However, the chances of surviving a heart attack are lower for those with high blood sugars. Low blood sugars cause heart palpitations, which are followed by autonomic nervous system responses to low blood pressure that cause a very rapid heartbeat. Your body’s control room (hypothalamus) will significantly increase your heart rate in hopes of circulating any glucose in the vascular system to carry it to your, brain, heart, and nervous system. The heart, central nervous system, and brain are highly dependent upon glucose to function; in fact, your central nervous system cannot function on any other type of fuel.

Heart disease in diabetics is a complication of diabetes, meaning that the things that caused your diabetes to manifest set up conditions that will lead to cardiovascular disease; unless steps are taken to control those factors. Diabetic complications, including heart disease, eye issues (cataracts, blindness, and others), neuropathy (pain and loss of feeling in the extremities), memory loss, weight gain and weight control issues, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, slow healing sores that can lead to amputations, and others, have specific causes that can be corrected and controlled if you learn how. The book Diabetes Control-6 Steps to Gaining Complete Control over Diabetes, describes in a step-by-step process how to accomplish that.

Over the past 100 years our diet has changed in many unhealthy ways. Our ancestors ate all of the things that our doctors now tell us not to eat every day, yet diabetes, and 30 other inflammatory diseases, were almost unheard of then. Let’s take a quick look at those changes.

Farming went from small family run organic farms, to massive conglomerate farms (upwards of 7,000 acres). The conglomerate farms are large corporations that are profit driven. They hired scientists to develop chemical herbicides, fertilizers, fungicides, and pesticides that heavily coat the food that they produce. They started genetically engineering the crops to produce massive volumes of crops, that are insect, disease, and drought resistant. Unfortunately, they are significantly lower in nutrients than the original strains. They abandoned crop rotation, which has led to severe soil depletion of vital nutrients. Crops are now harvested before the food is ripe, because it has to be shipped long distances to market; which lowers the already low nutritional value.

Livestock were once allowed to leisurely graze in fields on grass, usually for up to 5 years before being prepared for market. Today they are raised primarily in feedlot farms. The animals are forced to live in very crowded conditions. They are fed grain diets (an unnatural diet for them) that cause them to become sickly, because the feed is highly acidic and very difficult for them to digest. Consequently, they have to be fed antibiotics to keep them alive long enough to reach a marketable size. They are fed growth hormones which brings them to market in as little as 6 months. When the meat is collected, nitrates, nitrites, and food colorings are added to preserve the meat for longer periods of time.

Much of your food is now pasteurized, and dairy is also homogenized. Pasteurization kills living enzymes and destroys beneficial bacteria that our body relies upon for proper digestion. Homogenization breaks the saturated fats down into miniscule particles that are no longer digested, but instead enter your bloodstream directly and collect in our arteries. Homogenized dairy is now credited with causing a massive increase in heart disease in all of the countries that practice homogenization of dairy.

Salt and sugar are now highly processed, which alters their chemistry causing them to be detrimental to your health; totally unusable by your body. Table salt now contains numerous additives that are chemically based and useless to your body; and detrimental to your health; including aluminum. The good news is that some processors are now switching to sea salt, which is not processed. Pressures from the public have led to processors switching to other forms of sweeteners, like high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners; both of which, are very bad for diabetics.

World War II spawned the development of processed foods, which were needed to feed armies all around the world. Women began working in factories to support the war effort, but did not go back home after the war ended. The processed food industry flourished and continues to grow. Competition in the processed food industry led to the introduction of chemical food coloring, texture and flavor enhancers, and preservatives. Fear of recalls for E coli outbreaks led the processed food industry to begin cooking the food items at extreme temperatures, which significantly reduces the nutritional value.

During the 1950’s the fast food industry developed and flourished. Fast food is very high in calories, and fats, and is nutrient void. Currently, the average family eats nearly 1/3 of their meals at a fast food restaurant.

Your food is now grown on conglomerate farms, exposed to a massive amount of chemicals, grown in soil that is depleted of nutrients, harvested too soon, and genetically engineered. Then it is shipped to processing plants where it is cooked at extreme temperatures, has additional chemicals added to make it look better, taste better, and preserve it. Then it is canned in plastic lined cans, which the Federal government now believes is instrumental in the development of childhood obesity. Your diet is low in nutrients (vitamins and minerals), living enzymes, and essential amino acids. Consequently, your diet is also very low in antioxidants, which you will soon learn is not a good thing.

Over the past 100 years over 80,000 new chemicals were invented. The average person is now exposed to over 7,000 chemicals each day. Your drinking water contains trace amounts of 700 different chemicals. The air you breathe is loaded with trace amounts of chemicals; some cities more than others. Chemical exposure has become a very serious issue. Nearly everything you touch or are exposed to is chemically based.

Antibiotics were invented in the late 1940’s, which have saved many lives. Unfortunately, antibiotics kill beneficial bacteria along with the pathogens. The beneficial bacteria in your gut make up nearly 80% of your immune system. Diabetics suffer a loss of a massive amount of their beneficial bacteria when they become diabetic; scientists do not know why. Doctors now seriously overprescribe antibiotics and other medications. Most medications kill beneficial bacteria in your gut as well. Your body’s beneficial bacteria population has taken a major hit over the past years, because of chemical exposure, medications, antibiotics, and your diet.

Every cell in your body has small antenna-like structures called antigens; all 10 trillion cells. They sample everything that enters your body, from any source, and they determine if that substance is beneficial, neutral, or detrimental to your body’s health. If it is not natural, or beneficial, your antigens will signal your immune system to seek it out and destroy it. Since the average diabetic’s immune system is already impaired, the immune system will be severely overworked; will become fatigued/exhausted. Every meal is potentially loaded with pesticides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers, food coloring, chemical texture and flavor enhancers, antibiotics, growth hormones, and preservatives. The air you breathe, the water you drink, and the food you eat are loaded with pro-oxidants [chemicals that cause immune (inflammatory) responses], and void of antioxidants that stop inflammation. Your immune system, despite being impaired due to diabetes, is severely overworked and exhausted, because your body is unnecessarily bombarded, daily, by chemical invaders. All of this has serious consequences. Studies have proven that pesticides contribute significantly to the risk of developing heart disease; especially in diabetics.

The chemicals that you are exposed to every day, cause massive amounts of inflammation due to your immune responses. Your body uses inflammation to destroy invaders; anything that your antigens identify as unnatural or detrimental to your health. If your body is incapable of shutting down inflammation, due to a lack of antioxidants, your immune system cannot shut down violent oxidation, which results in damage to healthy cells throughout your body.

Inflammation and vitamin and mineral deficiencies cause a rapid increase in visceral fat (belly fat), which leads to fatty liver, insulin resistance, insulin management issues, elevated blood sugars, and more weight gain. A vicious cycle begins that leads to a slow, general, downgrade in health. Diabetes manifests and continues to progress leading to numerous dangerous complications; including cardiovascular disease.

The next several chapters will explain how your heart and vascular system works, then you will learn how diabetes messes with their function, and leads to cardiovascular disease and an increased risk of strokes. Then you will learn how you can take charge of your risk management process, and significantly reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease; including how to remove arterial (artery) plaque, lower your blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels to normal. You will learn how to repair damage, help your body produce more nitric oxide (heart healthy), and strengthen your cardiovascular system. There are three sections in the APPENDIX that you are highly encouraged to read before you get into the balance of this book (Cellular Basics, How Diabetes Messes with Cellular Basics, and Homeostasis). They will provide a solid foundation for understanding diabetes, how diabetes impacts your health, and how to fix it. Taking complete charge of your diabetes involves a 6 step process that is very important for you to learn and adapt. You will learn how your body functions, how diabetes messes with that, how to interpret what your body is doing, and how to fix it. You can find those 6 steps outlined in great detail in the book Diabetes Control- 6 Steps to Gaining Complete Control over Diabetes Second Edition.

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Chapter 2-How Your Heart Functions

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Your cardiovascular system is made up of your heart and all of your blood vessels. Your heart is simply a pump that moves the blood around throughout your body; it is essentially a muscle. It is approximately the size of your fist. It pumps approximately 72 times every minute, 4,320 times each hour, 103,680 times per day, and 37,843,200 times each year. Your heart circulates all of the blood in your body up to 25 times every day.

Like any muscle your heart must have a steady supply of oxygen, glucose, amino acids, and a proper ratio of calcium, potassium, and sodium in order to contract or function properly. All of these important nutrients are carried in the blood. When your heart muscle contracts, it contracts with all of its force, which makes it unique. Your skeletal muscles only exert the amount of force needed to meet the current need. Every heartbeat lasts approximately 8/10 tenths of a second. It then rests for approximately 4/10 tenths of a second. Each beat of your heart pumps approximately 70 ml (2 tablespoons) of blood from each side of your heart. A professional athlete's heart pumps approximately 140 ml of blood per side with each beat. During an average life span (approximately 70 years) the heart pumps approximately 250,000 gallons of blood (1 million liters).

Your heart's walls are made up of three layers. Your heart is divided into four parts (cavities); two upper chambers and two lower chambers. The upper chambers are named the right and left atria. The two lower chambers are named the right and left ventricle. The upper right chamber (right atrium) is called the coronary sinus. It is the larger of the two upper chambers and has very thin walls. The upper right chamber opens into the right lower chamber (right ventricle). They are separated by the right tricuspid valve (atrioventicular) which will only allow blood to flow in one direction; top to bottom (atria into the ventricle). Your right ventricle draws the used blood from your entire body and pumps it to the lungs. Your lungs re-oxygenate the blood; the tiny capillaries in your lungs pick up oxygen from the air you breathe and transfer it to the blood. Your left atrium receives this re-oxygenated blood from your lungs, through the pulmonary veins. Your left atrium is smaller than the right atrium and has very thick walls. Your left atrium pumps the re-oxygenated blood through the left bicuspid valve (atrioventicular) into the left lower chamber (left venticular). Your left ventricle and your left bicuspid valve are also smaller than the corresponding right valve and chamber. Like the right valve, the left valve will only allow the blood to flow in one direction. The blood that is pumped out of the left ventricle chamber enters the aorta artery. The aorta artery is the largest artery in your body. The blood is then circulated to all of the peripheral areas of the body.

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Chapter 3-The Vascular System

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Worry affects circulation, the heart, the glands, the whole nervous system, and profoundly affects the heart. I have never known a man who died from overwork, but many who died from doubt. Charles F. Mayo

Your vascular system is made up of arteries, veins and capillaries. One third of your vessels carry blood, nutrients, and oxygen from the heart to all areas of your body. Your arteries are larger vessels that feed into the smaller and smaller branched veins and finally into the capillaries. They form what looks like an upside-down tree. The arteries are like the trunk, the veins like the branches, and the capillaries form the very small branches. Your veins become smaller and smaller as they branch out and finally end with the capillaries, which are very small hair-like vessels. Your capillaries have very tiny holes in them that will allow nutrients and oxygen to leak out into your muscle tissues and your organs. Your capillaries (venule system-below) also have specialized cells that pick up waste materials (CO2 and others) from your body's tissues and organs and carries the waste matter off to be disposed of.

Unlike your other veins, your arteries assist your heart by providing a pulsating pressure. They react to the pumping action of your heart. Your veins (venule system-below) pick up blood from your vital organs and tissues and carry it back to the heart to be re-oxygenated and recharged with nutrients. Your body has two types of arteries; systemic and pulmonary arteries. The systemic arteries carry red, re-oxygenated and nutrient rich blood away from the pulmonary arteries into your body's tissues and organs. Your pulmonary arteries carry blue blood, which is no longer oxygenated back to your heart to be re-circulated through your lungs. While it is sometimes called blue blood, it is actually darker red than the systemic blood, because the oxygen has been removed by your body’s cells. The blood vessels appear to be blue due to the way light refracts off of the veins; like those on the bottom side of your wrists.

You actually have 3 vascular systems. The arteriole vessels are filled with oxygen and nutrient rich blood that is pumped under pressure from the largest vessels (systemic arteries) through smaller and smaller vessels, until they enter the capillary blood vessels which are nearly microscopic in size; as described. The capillary blood vessels are designed to leak blood out into the tissues throughout your body and to flow past all 10 trillion of your body’s cells. Your cells utilize specialized transporters and gates to collect the nutrients from the blood flowing by, and transport them into the inside of each cell.

The used-up blood (nutrients removed by cells) are picked up, in part, by the second vascular system; the venule system is a duplicate copy of the arteriole system, except in reverse- smallest to largest. The two systems form a loop that starts and ends at the heart. The venule system capillaries vacuum up about 17 quarts of used-up blood from around the cells each day, and returns it to the heart to be reprocessed; recharged with oxygen and nutrients. The venule system’s capillary vessels connect to the end of the arteriole capillary vessels. But, instead the slits in the capillaries draw the used blood back into the vessels to be returned to the heart.

The third system is the lymph vessels, which are a part of the lymph system. They have capillary vessels that also pick up what the venule system misses, which is about 21 quarts of fluid each day. Your daily activities (muscle movements) provide a pumping action, which carries the fluid upward to the neck area where it dumps the fluid back into the venule system to be recharged. The lymph system does more than just return fluids to your heart for recharging. The lymph system picks up fats (triglycerides and fatty acids) from your intestines during the digestion of food, and carries them upward along with the used-up blood from around cells in your tissues. Your lymph system has lymph nodes that are specialized nodules that store large amounts of white blood cells (immune system cells) that will attack and destroy any bacteria or other intruders as the blood passes through.

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Chapter 4-About Blood Clots

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Although a blood clot is jellylike and filled with fibers and platelets, it is actually 99 percent water. Science Digest

As discussed blood clots cause heart attacks and strokes. Your body produces blood clots to protect the body from blood loss after an injury. They are intended to seal wounds. After the wound heals your body will break the clot down and dispose of it. The process is called hemostasis. But, when the clotting process goes wrong the blood clots become dangerous; even fatal.

Your body has a substance known as fibrin, or fibrinogen, in your bloodstream that floats around waiting for the time that it is needed. Fibrin forms a clot by binding platelets together to form the clot; it is like glue. Normally, your body will use a special protein (plasmin) to dissolve the fibrin after a wound heals. Your platelets and your thrombin system are the major players in the process of forming a clot. Platelets are very tiny cellular elements that travel in your bloodstream. Platelets are manufactured in your bone marrow. Their primary purpose is to be ready to spring into action if an injury occurs to help stop blood loss.

Your thrombin system is made up of several blood proteins that activate when an injury occurs. A cascade of chemical reactions takes place that manufacture fibrin. Fibrinogen is a long string-like sticky substance. When these chemical reactions take place your platelets become stickier, which causes them to activate. Once the platelets are activated they begin to adhere to the damaged area of the blood vessel's walls. They form a white clot, which is called white clots because they have a white appearance. The fibrin will begin to collect and form a web-like structure that collects red blood cells and a clot is formed. The fibrin binds to the platelets to form a very tight structure.

When plaque builds up in your arteries, it eventually can become brittle and crack which provides a place for clots to form. When a clot forms in an artery the process is more dependent upon platelets to form a clot. When the clot occurs in a blood vessel the thrombin system is responsible for the formation of a clot. Both systems are involved in some form to cause the development of clots in all areas of the body.

There are other circumstances that can trigger the formation of a blood clot. If a clot forms in an area where it obstructs an artery or a blood vessel it is called a thrombus. When a clot breaks loose from the area where it formed and travels in the bloodstream, and becomes lodged in a smaller blood vessel, it is known as embolus. Both thrombus and embolus cause a blockage of blood flow.

Clots become very dangerous and life threatening when they lodge in any of the following areas:

the lungs (pulmonary artery)

the carotid arteries (head and neck)

the femoral artery (thighs)

the abdominal area (abdomen).

Again the most common cause of clot formation is when blood is allowed to pool. The most common causes of blood pooling are a slowing down of blood circulation, abnormal heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation), and peripheral vein disorders in the deep veins of the legs.

The pulmonary artery is located between your heart and lungs. When a blockage occurs in this area it is called a pulmonary embolism which causes damage to the lung, and usually results in death.

The symptoms of a clot in the lungs are:

sharp chest pains

rapid heart rate (tachycardia)

blood-tinged coughing (hemoptysis)

shortness of breath (dyspnea)

low grade fever

Pulmonary embolisms are usually caused by clots traveling from the legs to the lungs. To treat clots in the legs, a combination of heat, medications (for pain), and thrombolytics (dissolve clots), anticoagulants, elevating the legs, and bandaging the area to reduce swelling are used. The treatments will vary depending on the size of the clot and the severity of symptoms.

Your coronary arteries are located on your heart's surface. They provide your heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood and other needed nutrients. If any of your coronary arteries become clogged a heart attack will occur. These types of blockages are usually the result of a plaque rupture. When a plaque deposit on the inner wall of an artery fractures the loose particle travels through the bloodstream to a smaller area where a blockage occurs. These particles can also travel to other areas of the body and lodge. Blood clots form because of atherosclerosis, valvular heart disease (diseases of the heart valves), past heart attack(s), an enlarged heart, atrial fibrillation (abnormal rhythm), or heart failure.

The carotid