Endothelium has been postulated as the most important and biggest gland of the body. Its total weight is more than a liver and its mass equals to several hearts. If extended, it covers a various tennis courts surface area.

Although atherosclerosis can be triggered by many factors, they all relate to an injury to the arterial endothelium and/or underlying smooth-muscle cells and, therefore, to an inflammatory process initiated by this injury.

Unfortunately, this damage cannot be detected with commonly used tests. But impaired endothelium is a "canary in the coal mine," signaling atherosclerosis is likely to develop.

Abnormal Platelet Accumulation
When injured, endothelial cells trigger the blood platelet accumulation function at the site of injury in effort to protect and, eventually, heal (plug) the damaged areas.

If free radical damage to the endothelial cells continues, the "normal" blood platelet accumulation function becomes, at some point, abnormal and out of control - so to speak.

The sticking together platelets begin to secrete a growth factor that stimulates the outgrowth of underlaying endothelial cells which start to protrude into the arterial walls.

Atheromas
Through specific receptors, the outgrown endothelial cells ingest lipoprotein particles and accumulate cholesterol, triglycerides (triacylglycerols), macrophages and fatty streaks, transforming themselves into plaques - fat-engorged foam cells that represent "true" atherosclerosis.

Fatty plaques, called atheromas keep on enlarging and tend to cover mainly the aorta and the coronary arteries serving the heart. Far worse, plaques can become unstable or vulnerable, triggering a sudden blood clot in the artery.

Finally, connective tissue penetrates the plaques which in advanced situations can become calcified and, consequently, add rigidity leading to the arterial blockage (occlusion).

A disturbance of endothelial function and subsequent dysfunction of the endothelium, resulting in loss or reduction of its capacity of defense against proatherogenic factors plays central role in the formation of atherosclerotic plaque; therefore, it is considered as a key event in the development of atherosclerosis (Toborek M, Kaiser S.(1999) Endothelial cell functions. Relationship to atherogenesis. Basic Res Cardiol 94:295–314).

Progressive Homeostatic Process
Atherosclerotic plaque formation then is an overly progressive homeostatic process in effort to correct and balance the condition triggered by the injury of the arterial endothelium leading to its subsequent dysfunction.

As this process occurs as long as there is a presence of platelet accumulation function, the main goal of all treatments of atherosclerosis should be to:

• protect the arterial walls (endothelial cells) against free-radical attack; therefore,
• prevent the endothelial injury leading to an abnormal blood platelet accumulation leading to formation of plaques.

And this is the total opposite to standard medical methods of treating atherosclerosis that focus:

• on reducing the effects of the plaque after it has built up --
• not on eliminating the factors which created the buildup in the first place.

Endothelial Function Assessment
As a disturbance of endothelial function is considered as a key event in the development of atherosclerosis, reliable assessments of endothelial function appear highly desirable. One of the non-invasive techniques used to evaluate the vasomotor response to physical and/or pharmacological stimuli of the endothelium is flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) - when blood flow increases through a vessel, the vessel dilates.

Although not perfect, this technique is often used as a surrogate of endothelial health. It helps to detect changes in superficial arteries (e.g. brachial, radial or femoral), allowing the measurement of vascular diameter changes, blood flow and blood flow velocity. (The terms "velocity" and "flow" can sometimes be confused and thought of as being interchangeable, but they are not.)

It is being done by stopping blood flow, for example, to the lower arm with a blood pressure cuff, releasing it, and measuring the blood vessel diameter of an artery with high resolution ultrasonography.

Endothelial Dysfunction: Oxidative Free Radical-Induced Damage

Free (unbound) radicals, also called reactive oxygen species (ROS), are highly chemically reactive towards other substances, or even towards themselves. An over-abundance of these highly unstable molecular fragments - both of internal and external origin is

• known to cause oxidative stress and cell damage, and
• implicated in the progression of many degenerative diseases, one of them being atherosclerosis.

Free radicals, however, do play an important role in a number of biological processes and many of them are necessary for life, such as the intracellular killing of bacteria by phagocytic cells (granulocytes and macrophages).

The two most important oxygen-centered free radicals are superoxide and hydroxyl radical. They derive from molecular oxygen under reducing conditions. However, because of their reactivity, these same free radicals can participate in unwanted side reactions resulting in cell damage. Excessive amounts of these free radicals can lead to cell injury and death, which may contribute to many diseases such as stroke and myocardial infarction (heart attack).

Free radicals are being constantly released in the body, whenever we are exposed to harmful, both dietary and environmental factors, such as

• cigarette smoke - tabacco/nicotine (smoking is the number one cardiovascular risk factor),
• excessive, prolonged daily stress (emotional - family, personal, or work-related, and physical - workout and/or work-related, jobs like a construction worker, landscaper, waiter, etc.) resulting in:
• higher pressure in the arteries (increasead vascular resitance),
• thick, clot-prone blood (enhanced platelet activity),
• high blood pressure (hypertension),
• constriction limiting blood flow (coronary vasospasm),
• inflammation,
• erratic heartbeat (electrical instability),
• plaque buildup in the arteries (enhanced atherosclerosis);
• chronic sleep deprivation (sleeping less than six hours per night),
• air pollution (including indoor and urban air pollution, such as vehicle exhaust, smoke, industrial emissions, etc.),
  • It has been documented that ambient air pollution exposure, particularly in the countries where pollutant levels are highest, is a risk factor correlating with increased incidence total mortality from cardiovascular events, such as coronary stroke and ischemic stroke.
• alcohol,
• industrial chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, etc.),
• dirty electricity - electromagnetic pollution, also called electromagnetic interference (EMI) or electrical "noise;" a powerful, high frequency electrical energy traveling along the wiring in buildings where only standard 60-Hertz AC electricity should be;
• ultraviolet (UV) light - an electromagnetic radiation, also present in sun rays;
• ozone depletion - in the total volume of ozone in Earth's stratosphere (the ozone layer) and in stratospheric ozone around Earth's polar regions;
• processed foods,
• polyunsaturated oils (mainly vegetable oils) and rancid oils,
• food additives and preservatives,
• artificial food colourings,
• tap water,
• drugs of all kinds (recreational drugs, besides alcohol, caffeine, tabacco, such substances as amphetamine, methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, crack, ecstasy, heroin, LSD; and pharmaceutical prescription drugs).
• The commonly used antidepressant sertraline hydrochloride (Zoloft) caused up to six-fold increases in build-up of atherosclerosis plaque in the coronary arteries of premenopausal female monkeys, according to a study (Psychosomatic Medicine 77, no. 3: April 2015). This may be clinically significant for people because almost a quarter of middle-aged women in the United States take antidepressants, the most prescribed of which are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). In 2013, over 41 million prescriptions for Zoloft were filled in the United States alone.

The more free radicals are created in the body, the more damage is done on the cellular level - to the bodily cells due to a multitude spark-like reactions. Viscious free hydroxyl radicals, for example, are a severe threat to our system as they heighten the inflammatory processes in the cells by attacking:

• cellular membranes and tissues in the body,
• our genetic material (mainly DNA),
• proteins and enzymes, and
• polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Mechanisms for scavenging peroxyl radicals for the protection of cellular structures include endogenous antioxidants, such as melatonin and glutathione, and dietary antioxidants, such as vitamin E.

To make things worse, an extensive free radical damage generates other, even more destructive free radicals, creating a classical vicious cycle. Free radical-induced changes lead to mutations or even breakages, or injuries on the cellular level - such as endothelial injury - which, if not repaired, result in a variety of serious degenerative diseases, including atherosclerosis of arterial vessels.

Unfortunately, over the years, our exposure to free radicals in the everyday life has been steadily increasing. Their production has become excessive and uncontrolled, resulting in the reduced ability of our immune system to protect us from their damage.

In other words, most of the time, our natural ability of keeping them under control has been impaired - insuffcient or even absent.

However, in order to prevent further damage (and sustaine life), that cascade of unwanted, free radical-induced changes needs to be controlled and, eventually, halted. For this reason, the body has a number of mechanisms, such as the enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase used to

• minimize free-radical-induced damage and
• repair damage that occurs.

In addition, antioxidants play a key role in these defense mechanisms, especially vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and polyphenol antioxidants (POH) found in virtually all plants. Antioxidants are known for their ability to scavenge (deactivate) free radicals and up-regulate certain metal chelation reactions in order to maintain healthy metabolic function.

Further, there is good evidence bilirubin and uric acid can act as antioxidants to help neutralize certain free radicals. Bilirubin comes from the breakdown of red blood cells' contents, while uric acid is a breakdown product of purines. Too much bilirubin though can lead to jaundice, which can damage the central nervous system, while too much uric acid will cause gout.

In other words, some free radicals generated must be neutralized and/or removed from the body. By and large, it can be done in two ways through:

• reducing our exposure to them (externally), and
• optimizing the activity of specific enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase), and by providing antioxidants and/or increasing their activity in the body (internally).

Free-Radical Scavenging System: Antioxidant Protection

• growth,
• maintenance of health, and
• metabolism.

Antioxidants are essential for life as our protectors against free radical damage. Because of a close relation between free radical activity and protective function of antioxidants, it is said that atherosclerosis can be:

• caused by the absence or deficiency of antioxidants in the body,
• prevented by their regular presence in sufficient amounts, and
• reversed by their optimal or optimized supply through specific dietary supplementation.

Existing research indicates, for example, that if enough antioxidant protection is available, the oxidation of cholesterol from free radicals can be prevented. In other words, an oxidized cholesterol won't become a risk factor contributing to the atheromatous plaque formation (Mol Cell Biochem 1992 111;41-7).

The later findings though - a meta-analysis of the antioxidant vitamins use for the prevention of cardiovascular disease - still strengthen the standard mandatory contention that diet supplements are no substitute for good eating habits, exercise, weight loss and smoking cessation as a means of minimizing the risk of heart disease (The Lancet, Vol. 361, 14 June 2003). Kudos to the cardiovascular treatment guidelines influenced by drug companies!

The body has a built-in, internal free-radical scavenging system, consisting of such powerful antioxidants as:

• bilirubin and uric acid (in aqueous solutions),
• an enzyme SOD (superoxide dismutase), activated by zinc, copper and manganese;
• catalase, an enzyme frequently used by cells to rapidly catalyze the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide - a harmful metabolic byproduct;
• glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme activated by selenium. (In addition to selenium, glutathione peroxidase requires the presence of other nutrients, such as L-glycine, L-cysteine, lipoic acid, methionine, and glutamic acid; deficiencies of these nutrients can reduce the activity of glutathione peroxidase); and
• glutathione reductase, an enzyme activated by riboflavin (vitamin B2) or thyroxin (T4), also an indicator for oxidative stress.

The increased risk of free radical-induced endothelial (arterial) injury can be strongly correlated with low overall nutritional status of the body, especially with insignificant amounts of antioxidant nutrients.

Vitamin C, for example, is an antioxidant of incredible importance here, especially beacuse of its fundamental role in protecting the body against vicious free hydroxy radicals. It can also react effectively, in aqueous solutions such as blood, with free radical oxidants prior to their initiation of oxidative damage to lipids, especially to those within lipoproteins or cell membranes. Vitamin C simply provides a means to carry the antioxidized free radicals out of the body.

Vitamin E helps to remove lipid free radicals in order to prevent the alterations in membrane integrity, its potential and fluidity leading to possible membrane rupture and cell death.

Niacin interacts with other nutrients in order to regenerate their antioxidant properties.

Carotenoids (Beta-carotene, Lycopene, etc.) have the ability to react with and inactivate free-radical reactions, either in solution or in membrane systems.

Another, and the only approved by medical establishment way of supplementing the body with antioxidants is eating a diet rich in antioxidant-containing foods, such as dark orange, red and dark green vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.

By improving the nutritional status then, it is possible to control abnormal platelet accumulation, hence, atherosclerosis, that is

• prevent and reduce the incidence of endothelial injury,
• in case of injury, improve its recovery (by minimizing tissue damage and restoring its function),
• heal the endothelium and/or the underlying smooth-muscle cells, and
• stop the inflammatory process leading to atheromatous plaque formation.

Prevention and reduction of endothelial cell injury, or improvement of endothelial function appear to be most important in the process of controlling atherosclerosis.

In other words, by neutralizing and "mopping up" free radicals in the body, antioxidants play the key, crucial protective role in slowing down and - over a period of time - reversing the process of atheromatous plaque formation. As they are specifically interrelated, they must be constantly present in the body in significant amounts. This is especially important for those who have a family history of diabetes, heart disease and/or stroke.

Only micronutrients used in high doses can have beneficial and therapeutic effect. Then, and only then, you can expect non-ambiguous results.

Therefore, in light of existing studies, many official "standards" still need to be re-evaluated such as:

• Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) and Daily Value (DV) of nutrients,
• the concept of prevention of diseases induced by vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and
• the view of optimal levels of nutrients and their role in controlling degenerative diseases, such as atherosclerosis.

Fortunately, far less scepticism exists today in medical circles than several years ago when nutritional supplementation had been bluntly ridiculed by medical establishment.

Actually, back in 1998 an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine encouraged - for the first time! - the use of nutritional supplements to reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease.

Continuing research has proven the nutritional approach right; however, medical establishments still regard it as "controversial." That is another way of saying "not completely verified."

However, it is not going to be an easy task as almost all clinicians have very little understanding of the role of micronutrients in health and disease and very little knowledge of the vital role micronutrients play in atherosclerosis.

No worder then that the concept of micronutritional artery cleansing still meets with skepticism and even outright opposition of the orthodoxy. On the other hand, it is not uncommon for the medical establishment to ridicule new ideas which are later considered the standard of care. For example, finding that the bacteria H. Pylori could cause stomach ulcers was considered preposterous; now, this is a well-established fact.

It takes a great leap of faith to let a surgeon crack open your chest, cutting through the breastbone, and put you on a heart-lung machine while attempting to correct blockages in coronary arteries which limit the flow of blood to the heart muscle.

The coronary artery bypass graft operation, also known as "bypass surgery" or surgical revascularization, involves taking healthy veins, and sometimes arteries, from other parts of the body (from the leg, chest or wrist) and grafting them from the aorta to the coronary artery to "bypass" or detour (go around) the blocked vessel and route oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle.

Although bypass surgery is being done on a scheduled basis, it may be performed in an emergency.

Continue reading this article...

The term ("orthomolecular") was coined by Linus Pauling to mean "the right molecules in the right amounts" (ortho is for "right" in Greek).

Often referred to as megavitamin therapy, the orthomolecular practice uses doses of vitamins and minerals many times higher than the standard recommended Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) - a system of nutrition recommendations from the American Institute of Medicine largely based - according to some experts - upon the very lowest rank in the quality of evidence pyramid.

However, orthomolecular practitioners may use a variety of other treatment modalities, including dietary restriction and/or mega-doses of non-vitamin nutrients.

Orthomolecular nutrition focuses on using the right nutritional molecules in the right amounts for the individual or for his/her particular health condition often related and/or caused by nutritional imbalances or deficiencies.

It should be noted that vitamins and nutrients are also used in mainstream medicine, for example, to treat dyslipidemia - an elevation of lipids in the blood (e.g. cholesterol and/or triglycerides).

The scientific and medical consensus, however, is that the broad claims of efficacy by advocates of orthomolecular nutrition are "not adequately tested as drug therapies."

When this specific mega-combination comes into contact with the bloodstream, it reaches the inflamed arteries which have been injured by oxidative free radicals. (These free radicals are present in excessive amounts in the body, mainly due to past or present dietary and lifestyle indiscretions.)

The primary purpose of this method is to initiate self-healing processes in the innermost part of arterial lining (endothelium). In this way, over a period of time the accumulated buildup of fatty plaques in damaged arteries begins gradually to cease.

Does It Work?!
Those who think that micronutrients, vitamins and anti-oxidants are not necessary and that optimum nutrition is not important, state that the nutritional arterial cleansing cannot and does not work. Why? Because they just don't want to learn!

What about the results - not only heard about, but also seen and experienced by people who have underdone the nutritional arterial cleansing?

The idea of the nutritional arterial cleansing originated in the late 1970s in the United States. An American doctor, a chiropractor by training, came up with a concept of "oral chelation" and started using his own nutritional formula. Thanks to that formulation, a number of people with cardiovascular problems began experiencing an improvement in symptoms.

Since then, the nutritional arterial cleansing has a history of success in addressing cardiovascular health problems, reversing the catastrophic effects of atherosclerosis in the heart, the lower extremities, and even in the brain. Its subsequent use by hundreds of thousands of people verifies the efficacy of this concept.

What is most important, there has not been a single reported fatality due to the nutritional arterial cleansing itself. Users of the nutritional arterial cleansing formula have seen many conditions related to atherosclerosis improve. At present, excellent results have been reported with:

• coronary heart disease,
• angina pectoris (chest pain),
• high blood pressure,
• intermittent claudication (leg pains due to impaired circulation),
• gangrene,
• penile arterial dysfunction (ED), even
• migraine and other vascular headaches.

As poor circulation due to atherosclerosis is involved in these conditions, the nutritional arterial cleansing formula has consistently demonstrated a significant improvement of:

• systemic circulation as evidenced by positive changes in skin color and arterial pulsation/temperature in the feet,
• coronary circulation,
• brain function,
• vision,
• blood lipid levels, such as triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein (a) or Lp(a) for short
• homocysteine levels.

Most of people on the nutritional arterial cleansing also report increased energy and improved tactile sense (sense of touch).

Therefore, those who state that the nutritional arterial cleansing does not work should answer the following question: "How can you explain the results seen in multitudes of people over the years?"

Who Qualifies?
The nutritional arterial cleansing should be considered when there are very first signs of a decreased blood supply and/or a presence of arterial plaque. Please keep in mind though that if you are 50 years old, there is a high probability (68% in women, 82% in men) of atherosclerosis already present in your arteries, even if you are asymptomatic, that is showing no symptoms (The Lancet 2013).

Whole body computerized tomography (CT) scanning has revealed that atherosclerosis, as defined by the presence of calcification in at least one (1) of five (5) arterial beds, was present in:

• all men by age of 60 and
• all women by 70 years.

Calcification present in arterial beds (walls) included:

• carotid arteries - blood vessels carrying oxygen-rich blood to the head, brain and face, located on each side of the neck (you can easily feel them by placing your fingers gently either side of your windpipe);
• coronary arteries - blood vessels and their branches supplying all parts of the heart muscle:
  • right coronary artery (RCA) supplying blood to the right atrium, right ventricle (right large heart chamber that collects and expels blood received from the atrium), bottom portion of the left ventricle and back of the septum;
  • left coronary artery - divided into two branches:
    • the circumflex artery supplying blood to the left atrium and the side and back of the left ventricle (left large heart chamber that collects and expels blood received from the atrium),
    • the left anterior descending artery (LAD) supplying blood to the front and bottom of the left ventricle and the front of the septum (stout wall separating the ventricles from one another);
• proximal and distal aorta - the main artery originating from the left ventricle of the heart; shaped like a candy cane with the curved part toward the head (the ascending aorta, about 5 cm/2.0 in. in length) and the straight part pointing down to the abdomen (the descending aorta, the largest artery in the body);
• common iliac arteries - two branches of the abdominal aorta serving the pelvis and eventually legs (as the femoral arteries).

By age of 50 years, atherosclerosis was present in all five (5) arterial walls (beds) in:

• 82 percent of men and
• 68 percent of women.

Please keep in mind that these are the findings published in the medical journals - not in some "alternative magazines" critical of the medical establishment and drug industry.

Sources:
Thompson Randall et al. Atherosclerosis across 4000 years of human history: the Horus study of four ancient populations. The Lancet 2013;381:1211-1222.
Allison MA, Criqui MH, Wright CM. Patterns and risk factors for systemic calcified atherosclerosis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2004;24:331-336.

Of course you would! And so do I.

However, according to the National Academy of Sciences, it could take decades for natural supplements to reach mainstream doctors and hospitals.

It could also take endless years for the National Institutes of Health in Washington D.C., to complete their testing process and confirm what nutritionists have known for years: Dietary supplements do work!

I am not saying there's a conspiracy. It's just how the medical system works. If this is a natural product, you can't patent it... If you can't patent it, you can't mark it up for mega-profits...

The nutritional formula for arterial cleansing, or rather, arterial self-cleansing, is a time-tested, orthomolecular formulation of selected micronutrients that are:

• natural and essential to the body,
• brought together in special balanced ratios and significant amounts,
• helping the body maximize their utilization and, therefore,
• correcting longer standing multiple-micronutrient deficiencies and imbalances that are known to contribute to buildup of arterial plaque.

According orthomolecular nutrition, if the right building blocks (micronutrients) are present in the body in the right amounts and at the right time the body will:

• protect the arteries against free radical damage (antioxidant properties),
• reduce the blood platelet aggregation (by increasing prostacyclin production),
• keep the blood slippery (but not thinner!) enough to have it flowing more freely and being less likely to clump up and form blood clots, causing a heart attack or stroke.

By supporting all the important links in the nutritional chain and supplying the body with ample amounts of free radical scavenging nutrients, the nutritional arterial cleansing formula helps to:

• prevent and reduce the arterial endothelial cell injury and
• improve the endothelial function.

Thanks to its high concentration of selected micronutrients, the nutritional formula for arterial self-cleansing helps to:

• remove plaque from plugged arteries and, therefore,
• reduce the effects of the plaque buildup by addressing the cause of the problem, that is by eliminating the factors which created the buildup in the first place.

Such a comprehensive, targeted nutrient-dense supplementation creates a "detergent-like" action in the entire circulatory system, enabling the body to emulsify and wash - gradually and safely - atherosclerotic artery-clogging deposits away. One of its mechanisms of action is to improve fibrinolysis - the body's processes of breaking down (dissolving) blood clots, thus preventing them from growing and becoming problematic.

In other words, the nutritional arterial self-cleansing process does NO pull away "chunks of plaque" that could plug up the arteries further downstream! Thanks to the emulsifiers present in the formula, such as choline and methionine, the plaques are kept in solution and then scrubbed away gently and gradually, and most importantly - safely.

Thousands of people have proven the efficacy of this approach. And there has not been a single reported harm done by using the nutritional arterial self-cleansing geared to eradicating atherosclerosis, rather than relieving its symptoms.

"If this arterial cleansing, as you call it, is so good, why my doctor doesn't know about it? Why don't we see it on television?... Why this is not being taught in medical schools?..."

That is what sets the nutritional revascularization apart from conventional, standard medical treatments; hence, the question we hear over and over again like an old broken record: Why the nutritional arterial cleansing isn't being done!?

Well, it's rather a naive presumption that "whatever is good should be known, publicized or taught." And the answer to this question is quite obvious: the mainstream medical mind-set is not interested in an integrative approach to disease. As a result, most doctors don't care to discuss anything other than their own methods of treatment. And your doctor, by the way, most probably doesn't know much - and often doesn't even want to know - about orthomolecular nutrition.

By the very same fact of pronouncing atherosclerosis incurable, medical establishment completely excluded other modalities of its treatment. No wonder then, that many doctors keep warning their patients not to take matters into their own hands as atherosclerosis cannot be staved off by the nutritional means, for example. According to official medical authorities, unconventional and non-standard modalities for atherosclerosis are mainly exercise in futility. And anybody who claims otherwise is being considered a quack, a purveyor of pseudoscience promoting a questionable idea along with questionable products, if any. Sad, but true.

The changes following the nutritional arterial self-cleansing can also be recorded by more objective tests - safe, non-invasive techniques used to measure circulatory flow in the body such as:

• Thermography: a photographic technique that measures and records infrared heat patterns. It can be used to detect areas of poor circulation in the body.
• Plethysmography: a technique used to measure blood flow volume in the body. In atherosclerotic disease, the vigour of the blood flow may be seriously decreased.

The following picture shows a high-tech digital infrared thermal imaging of a carotid artery of a man "before" and "after" the nutritional arterial self-cleansing.

You can see an estimated 50 percent reduction of life-threatening arterial plaque buildup in the carotid artery as a result of a six-month trial of the nutritional arterial cleansing. What an amazing visual proof! Indeed, a picture is worth a thousand words...

Who says then that the nutritional arterial cleansing does not work? Those, who think that micronutrients, vitamins and anti-oxidants are not necessary for our health and that optimum nutrition is not important.

Why do they think and act that way? Because they don't want to learn and just keep ignoring the impressive results - not only heard about, but also seen and experienced by people who have undergone the nutritional arterial cleansing.

They all admit that there is a successful method to halt the progression of atherosclerosis and reduce or even remove the buildup of atheromatous plaque inside the arteries, other than temporary medical or surgical interventions.

So it comes back to that old litany - a healthful lifestyle consisting of a good balance of:

• dietary low-sugar intake,
• exercise to maintain an optimal body weight,
• no smoking, and
• moderation of alcohol intake.

It is the same standard treatment recommended at doctor's office for individuals with high cholesterol, high blood pressure and other health concerns.

However, the majority of people still remain confused about the most effective way to protect their cardiovascular health. As a matter of fact, we all can't seem to adapt ourselves to all those "dietary and lifestyle plans" for the long haul.

We all seem to wait for the Holy Grail of diet and lifestyle to be found.

Definitely, when it comes to atherosclerosis, foods have a direct impact on the quality of our blood vessels. We all know perfectly well that what we eat does affect the blood lipids, and that do not need new cholesterol-lowering drugs to keep the cardiovascular system healthy.

Withour any doubt, for the majority of people, the first line of any - medical or alternative - treatment should be a change in diet and, eventually, in lifestyle.

Simply put, the medical scientific establishment doesn't know how to evaluate a drug-free approach to health problems.

It stands to reason that any safe approach to a life-threatening disease, such as atherosclerosis, no matter how low the probable success rate, should be vigorously investigated. Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide would benefit from it. For example, if only a few surgical operations are avoided, the savings is a thousands of dollars. And the loss of life is incalculable.

Anecdotal and empirical experience regarding the nutritional approach to atherosclerosis has existed for over 30 years. While reasonable people do not expect 100 percent success for any therapy, thousands of them can say that they have experienced a remarkable improvement with this approach.

Isn't that why we have science, to investigate methods such as nutritional arterial cleansing? It is beyond comprehension that scientific medical studies neither refute nor support the nutritional approach.

Less than 6% of graduating physicians in the United States receive any formal training in nutrition.

To understand why the concept of nutritional arterial self-cleansing has not been investigated, you need to realize that there is no special interest or economic incentive to provide proof, only a large counter-incentive not to do so by those with the means to run such a study.

In other words, the only incentive is a general, rather than a special interest. So, if governments won't conduct a study on behalf of their people to verify inexpensive methods already available, who will, especially if it would cost a company millions? And why bother?

Should this method not work, it has been shown to be harmless. Furthermore, a large study is not going to do the average person much good.

Unfortunately, no effort what-so-ever has been made by the medical scientific establishment to investigate, much less verify, this approach.

Therefore, up to date, there have not been the outcome studies to document that the concept of nutritional arterial self-cleansing does not work. They do not exist because the regulators and others are opposed to doing the research - because so many people have discovered that it does work!

It is time then for true studies to be done on outcomes of the patient. The medical gold standard of research - the double blind, placebo controlled, crossover study - was great -- but only for infectious diseases. As it is impossible to hold all variables the same, this standard has become outmoded for today's outcome studies; it should go the way of the monetary gold standard.

But not everybody, including medical establishments, agrees that the evidence is enough to act upon. Until formal proof is established, this matter remains a legitimate question of judgment, which varies from one person, or institution, to another.

However, the only way to obtain scientifically acceptable proof of the association between the nutritional means, such as targeted nutritional supplementation, and atherosclerosis would be to

• take a large number of persons from the same population,
• put half of them on a artery cleansing program, and
• see if that half develops less atherosclerosis than the rest.

Such critical test should be performed in a three-to-five-year, $75-million study conducted, for example, by the American Heart Association. The conclusive evidence would be published as a formal proof of the role played by nutrition in the process of controlling atherosclerosis.

Unfortunately, such a multi-million study has not been run yet.

Should we wait then for "conclusive" evidence, which may be years away and too late for some of us? Can we accept probable evidence?

We need to realize that not taking a stand, insisting on waiting until all the evidence is in, is itself - a position and a recommendation! Not taking a stand is not really the neutral position it is made out to be.

On the other hand, physicians like to pretend, and many have kidded themselves into believing, that whatever they espouse has been "scientifically proved." Far from true!

A great deal of what established medicine recommends today with good conscience is not formally "proved"! In other words, in medicine it is not uncommon to recommend measures for which only substantial evidence exists.

Example No. 1: Many doctors have for years been recommending the lowering of blood cholesterol because this would probably help prevent coronary heart disease, but this was not "proved" until 1984, and then for only a selected category of patient.

And only in early 1985 did a panel of 13 experts convened as part of a National Institutes of Health "consensus conference" conclude "beyond a reasonable doubt" that lowering elevated blood cholesterol levels would reduce the risk of heart attacks.

"Beyond a reasonable doubt" in fact means "with a high order of probability." Surely this is not formal proof. It's a consensus decision.

Example No. 2: The health benefits of exercise: the formal proof on that is not yet in, yet practically all physicians recommend it. And they are right to do so, because the probable evidence is excellent.

Existing evidence indicates - not absolutely but with a very high order of probability - that the method of nutritional arterial self-cleansing can halt and reverse the atherosclerotic processes in the body.

As atherosclerotic plaque is controllable, the only questionable are the strategies used to achieve that.

If you really want to change then, you will need more flexibility in considering the "non-standard options." It may enble you to see more of what is possible for you - and to become less rigid in your ideas about:

• diet,
• lifestyle, and
• nutritional supplementation.

Instead of dwelling on all the reasons why this concept would NOT work for you, you will concentrate on why it would.

It all starts with changing our thinking from "whether" to "how." If you begin to focus on "how" you are going to protect and improve your arterial health, you will stop considering whether it is possible or not. In this way, your entire attitude toward your old, more comfortable dietary and lifestyle habits will begin to change for the better.

Remember, most of the time we get what we think about. So if you continually think in terms of the natural means, you are much more likely to succeed in achieving your goal which is to:

• stop the progression of atherosclerosis naturally - as well as
• cut your dependence on medications and surgery.

What sets it apart from conventional medical methods is that the concept of nutritional arterial self-cleansing - by keeping atherosclerotic plaques in solution - helps to emulsify and wash them away safely and gradually. In other words, the nutritional method does NOT pull away "chunks of plaque" that could plug up the arteries further downstream!

Why?

Because, by definition, dietary supplements nourish and heal (never destruct!) - a characteristic which is not true for any medicine. It's no wonder, then, this method helps make the plaques disappear and, at the same time, prevents formation of new atheromas. That's how the body functions and works - by nourishing and healing itself in order to maintain homeostasis and prevent any damage to it.

So if you or a loved one is dealing with this atherosclerosis, it certainly can't hurt to add therapeutic levels of cardioprotective nutrients to your daily regimen.

As soon as you begin improving the flow of oxygen-dense and nutrients-dense blood in the entire cardiovascular tree, you will start experiencing, almost immediately - literally, within weeks ! - such positive changes as:

• an increase in energy;

Palpation of Posterior Tibial Pulse

• pain-free walking;
• reduction in angina (chest pain) attacks;
• warmer hands and feet;
• measurable posterior tibial pulse (peripheral circulation);
• reduction of shaking/trembling in hands, and tingling in hands and/or feet, if any;
• improved mental alertness, cognition and memory;
• less need for sleep;
• better vision, and even
• better skin tone, resulting in a younger look.

The nutritional arterial self-cleansing - believe it or not! - can even help you improve your functional age (not the same as chronological age!) by adding more active years to your life.

First of all, however, the nutritional arterial cleansing can help you control the atherosclerosis risk factors, such as:

• hypertension,
• high blood levels of
  • lipoprotein (a),
  • homocysteine,
  • fibrinogen,
  • LDL-"bad" cholesterol,
  • triglycerides,
• nutritional deficiencies,
• complications of diabetes.

Atherosclerosis Risk Factors (An Overview)

The nutritional arterial self-cleansing can help you avoid such consequences of atherosclerosis as:

• coronary artery disease (leading to angina, heart attack, heart failure),
• carotid artery disease (leading to stroke),
• peripheral artery disease (pain in the lower limbs on walking, typically in the calf muscle, a condition called intermittent claudication, leading to amputation),
• restenosis (obstruction of bypass grafts and stents),
• kidney damage,
• "eye stroke",
• erectile dysfunction (in men),
• mesentric ischemia (inadequate blood supply to the small intestine).

Atherosclerosis Consequences (An Overview)

The nutritional arterial self-cleansing can help you avoid the risks of standard medical treatments such as:

• balloon angioplasty,
• stenting,
• endarterectomy,
• vascular bypass (coronary, cerebral, peripheral).

Atherosclerosis Standard Medical Treatments (An Overview)

The nutritional arterial self-cleansing can complement or - in some cases - even replace the intravenous (IV) chelation therapy. It may also help cut your dependence on medications such as anti-cholesterol drugs, aspirin, blood thinners, diuretics, nitroglycerin, etc.

The nutritional arterial self-cleansing can also help rejuvenate arteries and prevent their premature aging. As the joy of life depends on a sound cardiovascular system, with the nutritional arterial cleansing formula and its long list of health benefits you have nothing to lose - and your arterial health to gain.

Who says, then, that the nutritional arterial self-cleansing does not work? Those, who think that micronutrients, vitamins and anti-oxidants are not necessary for our health and that optimum nutrition is not important.

Over the years, as a brilliant entrepreneur and a tireless educator, David Rowland, independently and almost single-handedly, had built quite a vast army of so-called certified nutritional consultants. As a result of the collective effort, at some point, his FLW became a buzzword among Canadian health aficionados.

Unfortunately, in the advent of the Internet era, David Rowland - in my opinion, underestimating its potential - did not turn it into his advantage early enough. So, when, years later, Canadian federal legislation officially favoured the pharmaceutical industry, by 2013 - after nearly 30 years of hard work - David Rowland, finally, decided to dissolve his army of nutritional consultants.

Although I have listened to Mr. Rowland on many occasions, I have never had a chance to talk to him in person. But I still think of him as one of my gurus who introduced me to the fascinating world of nutrition, as well as encouraged to take an active interest in the field of nutritional supplements.

I'm Andrew Mierzejewski. And on my behalf and countless others, I would like to take this opportunity to give a hearty "thank you" to David for making, against all the odds, a true difference in the arterial health and well-being of people in North America and beyond.