Diseases of the heart and blood vessels are still the number one health problem in the United States. Approximately 35% of all heart attacks occur in people with normal total cholesterol levels.

Research has shown that high levels of an amino acid called Homocysteine contributes to the progression of heart disease. Many researchers believe that the connection between Homocysteine and atherosclerosis is even stronger than the case against cholesterol. Some studies have shown that for each 5 micromoles per liter increase in homocysteine level, your risk for heart disease can increase by as much as 60 to 80%. The American Heart Association has indicated that a reasonable therapeutic goal for homocysteine levels should be less than 10 micromoles per liter.

How Homocysteine causes damage

Homocysteine injures the walls of arteries. Injured artery cells absorb LDL, or "bad" cholesterol. Homocysteine promotes the growth of smooth muscle cells in the artery which in turn narrows the lumen of the artery. As levels increase, you are at increased risk for the formation of blood clots, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.

Risk factors for increased Homocysteine levels include :


Smoking and tobacco use
Post-Heart Attack or Stroke
Kidney Failure
Advanced Age
Post menopause
Chronic, excessive alcohol consumption

How Homocysteine levels become elevated

Homocysteine levels rise when your body does not have the necessary co-factors to breakdown Homocysteine.

The necessary co-factors to breakdown homocysteine to Cysteine and Methionine are Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin B6.

How to protect yourself against high levels of Homocysteine

Have your doctor check your Homocysteine level

Take adequate amounts of Folate. Natural Folate obtained from food is only 50% absorbed by the body when taken orally. Folic Acid, the synthetic form of Folate, is 100% absorbed after oral administration. Liquids are better absorbed than pills.

Take adequate amounts of Vitamin B12. The average diet supplies 5 to 15mcg per day in a form that is available after normal digestion. Recent studies have shown that at least 800mcg to 1mg of B12 given orally is necessary for proper gastrointestinal absorption.Liquids are better absorbed than pills.

Take adequate amounts of Vitamin B6. The need for B6 increases when the amount of protein increases in the diet. Liquids are better absorbed than pills.

Increased doses of Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin B6 have been shown to reduce elevated Homocysteine levels by up to 72%.

Prescription formulations of these vitamins with levels as high as 2.5mg of Folic acid, 1mg of B12, and 25mg of B6 have been shown to normalize plasma Homocysteine levels in patients at risk for coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis and stoke.

It is reasonable to assume that judicious dietary supplementation with these vitamins may aid in preventing these illnesses.

Dr. Messina became a Board Certified Family Practitioner in 1985. He had a solo practice until 1994. At that time he helped form a group Family Practice in which he was Vice President. He left group practice in 1997 and became Medical Director of a Wellness Center. He was responsible for coordinating the efforts of nutritionists, acupuncturists, massage therapists, exercise physiologists, and Chinese medicine practitioners into patient care plans.

He became Medical Director of an independent clinical research facility in 2000. He has been the Principal Investigator in over 50 clinical trials involving osteoarthritis, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, dry eye, migraine, and diabetes prevention.

He has served as consultant to a nutritional company, and has formulated nutritional supplements.

Visit Dr. Messina's website at =>http://Physicianformulated.com/

We live in a culture that attacks our health in many ways. There are work pressures, problems raising children, financial problems, and for some people, plain outright boredom that wears on our bodies. The result is a nationwide high blood pressure problem. But are the pressures of living the only cause of high blood pressure? By no means - as a matter fact, I am convinced that the environmental pressures we blame for this problem are very minor causes.

Gorging on unhealthy foodstuff is a key reason for high blood pressure and is not limited to the middle class. It permeates the entire society. What you put in your mouth has a direct relationship to your health. But, when it comes to high blood pressure, the bad foods are just part of the problem. Even your good protein foods are part of your problem. The bad foods cause us to store bad fat throughout our bodies, especially around our mid section and around our vital organs which may cause serious problems.

The biggest culprit in producing high blood pressure is homocysteine which is produced as a by-product of digesting protein foods. It is an acid and, if not quickly broken down into harmless salts, damages your blood vessels. As a defensive mechanism, your brain orders your body to make extra cholesterol to use in patching the damaged vessels. As the cholesterol builds up on the vessel walls, it restricts the flow of blood as well as being a hiding place for bacteria which, in turn, produces pain.

If the blood vessels are not somehow cleansed and the offending homocysteine removed, eventually your veins are going to become so restricted you become a prime subject for a heart attack or fatal blood clot. Your doctor is going to prescribe a statin drug, or in other words, high blood pressure medicine. The medicine will reduce the blood pressure, but in the process, stop your body from producing enzyme CoQ10 which is essential for your heart to properly function. You become subject to a sudden and unexplained heart attack.

Testing your homocysteine level is much more important to your health than testing your high blood pressure. You can have perfect blood pressure and be subject to a fatal heart attack due to your homocysteine level.

Research has shown that increasing your intake of vitamin D, folic acid, B 6 and B 12 vitamins breaks homocysteine down so it can be purged from your body. (It would be better to use a quality natural mega-multi-vitamin that includes not only mega B vitamins but also many other essential nutrients for good health.) What could be simpler? As the cholesterol is being purged from your body, a strong antioxidant such as pycnogenol, when used at a high enough concentration, can go in and help your body repair your damaged veins. From my personal experiences working with other people,the enhanced version of pycnogenol has been a God send to them.

From my personal experiences as a result of using the enhanced version of pycnogenol since I was 58, as well as from working with other people, I know the value of using the enhanced version of pycnogenol. However, you have to decide for yourself because you are the one living in your body. There is currently only one company producing and selling the enhanced pycnogenol I use. You will need to go to http://www.whatispycnogenol.info/ and click on the products button to find the product, MariPrime. Use it for 3 months and you won't believe the difference it will make.

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