As we all know, the conventional view holds that the central event of heart disease occurs in the arteries, with the buildup of blockage called plaque. This understanding is crucial since, during the last fifty years, the pursuit of the coronary artery theory has cost us dearly:
Our nation has spent billions of dollars in unnecessary surgical costs
We’ve spent billions on medications that cause as much harm as allow for any positive benefits
This misinformation has led many to adopt a low-fat diet, which only worsens the problem.
To overcome the epidemic of heart disease, we need a new medical paradigm, a new economic system, a new ecological consciousness; in short, a new way of life. The coronary theory misses all of this, just as it misinterprets the actual pathological events.
The Old Heart Attack Belief System
Until a few years ago I believed, along with most physicians, that most heart attacks were caused by the progressive blockage caused by plaque buildup in the four major coronary arteries leading to the heart. These plaques were thought to be composed of cholesterol that built up in the arterial lumen (inside of the vessel). This buildup eventually cut off the blood supply to a certain area of the heart, resulting in oxygen deficiency in that area. This buildup would first cause pain (angina), and then progress to ischemia (heart attack).
After reviewing multiple studies the authors concluded that bypass surgery does relieve symptoms (chest pain); but that bypass surgery does not prevent further heart attacks; and that only high risk patients benefit from bypass surgery with regard to a better chance of survival. In other words, the gold standard for treating arterial blockages provides at best only minimal benefits.
What CAN Cause Heart Attacks?
The real revolution in the prevention and treatment of heart disease will come with increased understanding of the role played by the autonomic nervous system (communicating through the spine) in the genesis of ischemia and its measurement through the tool of heart rate variability (HRV). The parasympathetic branch of the nervous system is the “rest-and-digest” arm of the autonomic nervous system. The particular nerve of the parasympathetic chain that supplies the heart with nervous activity is called the vagus nerve (upper cervical spine); it slows and relaxes the heart, whereas the sympathetic branches accelerate and constrict the heart.
I believe it can be shown that an imbalance in these two branches is responsible for the vast majority of heart disease.
A shock to the nervous system only become dangerous to our health in the face of an ongoing, persistent decrease in our parasympathetic, or life-restoring, activity.
- What causes a reduction in vagal activity?
- Hypertension
- Spinal subluxation
- Smoking
- Diabetes
Physical and emotional stress causes a decrease in parasympathetic activity. Thus, all the significant risk factors suppress the regenerative nervous system activity in our heart.
If heart disease is caused fundamentally by a deficiency in the parasympathetic nervous system, then the solution is obviously to nurture and protect that system, which is the same as saying we should nurture and protect ourselves. Nourishing our parasympathetic nervous system is the same as dismantling a way of life and creating a 5 Essentials Max life. This means avoiding the excesses of industrial civilization.
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The known things that nourish our parasympathetic nervous system are:
- Contact with nature
- Healing from within
- Loving relations
- Trust
- Physical activity
- Proper spinal health and motion.
It is these things and more that we are going to teach you at the heart health workshop Monday 3/23/15. Come learn about the real cause of heart disease and how to prevent that from ever happening to you and anyone you care about. SIGN UP TODAY & CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!
If you already missed this event, be sure to check out our upcoming events here.