Heart disease has a root cause. These conditions include coronary artery disease (heart blockages), congestive heart failure, and perhaps more.
The interesting part is that this root cause has been well known since the 1990’s. There is even a blood test to pick this up. However we, the medical system, didn’t know where it came from, so we didn’t know what to do about it. But people with this marker of inflammation developed lots of other problems other than heart disease. There were more problems with strokes, dementia, depression, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, and probably any of the many chronic diseases which have exploded in numbers in industrialized countries today. This blood test is called the C-reactive protein and is available from your doctor. It is this blood test which was found to predict future heart disease.
However, over the past few years there has been much interest that the source of inflammation may be coming from the gut. There are over 100 trillion bacteria that live there and are separated from the largest collection of immune cells by one thin sheet of cells with the surface area of a doubles tennis court. Any small defect in that cell layer can set off an inflammatory chain reaction. Although there may be no immediate symptoms from such micro-leaks, the ongoing inflammation may take years before the damage becomes evident.
At first the damage may be functional, meaning it may affect the ability of the organ or body part to do its role properly. However ongoing inflammation may then create an organic or structural problem which may need even more invasive action like surgery. And even once corrected, if the inflammation is not addressed, the functional problems continue, until another break occurs again and again and again. Moreover because the inflammation is found in the blood, its effects are really throughout the entire body. Even if the first heart disease event is successfully treated, if the inflammation is not resolved, then another heart event may recur. It is also possible that a different organ may break down as well. The cycle then continues again.
Certainly, handling one break down after another has been a common way to handle this. But to really stop this cycle, at some point the damage within the gut will need to be addressed as well. This would not only include healing the lining, but also, addressing the types of bacteria we are harboring as well.
Of course, the types of bacteria we have managed by harbor have been determined over the last several years by our food. Given the eating habits of our modern world, more attention will need to be placed here. In many cases with strategies to address the gut, the inflammation is reversible, thereby stopping the cycle of organic and functional break downs. Many would agree this is a new approach to dealing with our fast-growing chronic health care problems.
Additional Reading:
Chronic Disease Overview
C-Reactive Protein May Predict Brain Changes
(Dis)Trust your gut: the gut microbiome in age-related inflammation, health, and disease
Role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis: latest findings and interpretations
