Editor’s Word: This text is a reprint. It was initially printed February 13, 2022.
On this interview, repeat visitor Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, a board-certified household doctor and writer of the ebook, “The Clot Thickens: The Enduring Thriller of Coronary heart Illness,” critiques the underlying mechanisms for coronary heart illness, which for the final century has been the main reason for demise within the U.S.
Of all of the books he is written, that is my favourite, because it goes into nice element, providing you with the organic understanding of the method of atherosclerosis resulting in coronary heart assaults and strokes. He additionally has strong methods for decreasing your heart problems threat.
By the way, when you perceive the illness course of, then you may also perceive how each COVID-19 and the COVID jab can contribute to coronary heart illness. When requested why he is taken such an curiosity in coronary heart illness, Kendrick replies:
“After I was coaching as a scholar in medication, Scotland had the very best fee of coronary heart illness on this planet. Early on the reply for why was, ‘Oh, properly, it is as a result of we now have such horrible eating regimen, and we eat garbage meals like deep fried Mars bars.’
So, you eat an excessive amount of saturated fats, the saturated fats will get changed into ldl cholesterol in your bloodstream, after which it is absorbed into arteries and kinds narrowings and thickenings, which all sounds believable in case you do not give it some thought too exhausting.
However I additionally occur to go to France rather a lot, and what I seen about France was, they eat quite a lot of saturated fats. They eat extra, the truth is, than anybody else in Europe, and definitely greater than Scotland. So, [this saturated fat] speculation actually did not work for the French. They’ve the very best saturated fats consumption in Europe and lowest fee of coronary heart illness, and this has been the case for many years.
For those who took all the danger elements for France and Scotland [such as smoking, high blood pressure and diabetes], then the French had barely [higher risk], based on standard pondering. However, the truth is, they’d one-fifth [the rate among age-matched men].
So, I assumed, that is attention-grabbing. It does not make a lot sense based on what we’re instructed. Then whereas I used to be in medical faculty, a tutor in cardiology mentioned … LDL can’t cross the endothelium. On the time, I did not know what LDL was, nor did I do know what the endothelium was, nevertheless it sounded essential.
She had been coronary heart illness as a unique course of for many years … So, I feel that is actually the place I received began. When you begin questioning what the issue is, you find yourself questioning increasingly and also you begin pondering, gosh, that is simply nonsense, is not it? This entire speculation is simply nonsense. So, I began choosing it aside.”
The Thrombogenic Speculation
“The Clot Thickens” is Kendrick’s effort to elucidate another speculation for what truly causes coronary heart illness. If it is not saturated fats and ldl cholesterol, what’s it? In 1852, a Viennese researcher, Karl von Rokitansky, developed what he known as the encrustation speculation of coronary heart illness.
At this time, this speculation has been renamed the thrombogenic speculation. “Thrombo” stands for thrombosis, i.e., blood clots, and “genesis” means the reason for, or the beginning of. So, the thrombogenic speculation is that blood clots are the essential pathology that causes all coronary heart illness.
In a nutshell, when a blood clot kinds in your artery wall, which might occur for quite a few causes, it’ll usually be lined over and dissolved. An issue arises, nevertheless, if the blood clot will not be totally eradicated and one other blood clot kinds in the identical “susceptible” space. This then turns into what’s conventionally known as atherosclerotic plaque.
“The atherosclerotic plaque is principally a buildup of blood clot, restore, blood clot, restore, blood clot, restore,” Kendrick explains. “If the blood clotting course of is quicker than the restore course of, you will have a plaque that progressively grows and finally thickens the artery wall till it narrows sufficiently that the ultimate blood clot, on prime of the prevailing plaque, is the factor that may trigger a coronary heart assault or stroke …
For those who minimize by means of the plaque and have a look at it, it virtually seems like tree rings. You may see there’s been a clot, restore, clot, restore, clot, restore, clock, restore over time.
It is broadly accepted {that a} blood clot forming on an current plaque will trigger the plaque to develop in dimension. You’ll find 10,000 papers saying that that is the case. What the mainstream will not settle for is {that a} blood clot on a wholesome artery wall can provoke the entire course of.
So, to an extent, all I am saying to individuals is, properly, we all know blood clots trigger the ultimate occasion. We all know blood clots trigger plaques to develop. Why will not you settle for that blood clots are the factor that begins it within the first place? As a result of then we now have one course of all over, and it is sensible, as a result of it suits with what you may see.”
As famous by Kendrick, the standard view is that low-density lipoprotein or LDL will get into the artery wall the place it initiates plaque formation. It then, inexplicably, stops initiating plaque, and the plaque continues to develop by means of the addition of repeated clots.
Nonetheless, Kendrick says, when you begin drilling down into the ldl cholesterol, aka LDL speculation, the entire thing begins to crumble. LDL merely can’t clarify the illness development. But regardless of the various holes within the principle, the concept that LDL causes coronary heart illness is touted as an absolute, incontrovertible fact.
What is the Mechanism?
In an effort to justify a speculation, it’s good to have a mechanism of motion. When you perceive the mechanism of the particular illness course of, then you may put the puzzle items collectively. Kendrick begins his clarification:
“Your blood vessels are lined with endothelial cells, a bit like tiles on a wall. Endothelial cells are additionally lined themselves in a factor known as glycocalyx. For those who attempt to decide up a fish, it’s going to slip by means of your fingers; it’s totally slippery. The explanation it is slippery is as a result of it is lined in glycocalyx and the glycocalyx is extremely slippery. It is nature’s Teflon.
So principally, in our case, the glycocalyx [is inside] our blood vessels, to permit the blood to journey by means of with out it sticking, with out injury occurring. So, you will have this type of damage-repellent layer on prime of your endothelial cells.
Now, if that layer is broken, after which the endothelial cell itself beneath is broken, then the physique will say, ‘Oh, we have got injury to a blood vessel, we will need to have a blood clot there as a result of we might bleed out.’ So, a blood clot kinds on the world of harm, and instantly stops [the bleeding].”
The blood clot does not simply carry on rising and rising. If it did, you’d die anytime you had a blood clot. As an alternative, when a clot kinds, different processes step in to forestall it getting too huge, which is why each blood clot does not trigger a stroke or coronary heart assault. As soon as the clot has stabilized, and has been shaved down, the world is roofed over by endothelial progenitor cells, made within the bone marrow, that float round in your blood stream.
When a progenitor cell finds an space that has been broken, it attaches itself to that space, together with others, forming a brand new endothelial layer. The remaining blood clot is now mendacity “inside” the artery wall itself. So, principally, it is the restore course of that may result in plaque buildup inside the artery wall. In time, if injury outstrips restore, this may slim the artery and cut back blood circulate.
What Damages Endothelial Cells?
The query is, what can injury the endothelium within the first place? Right here, Kendrick makes use of the SARS-CoV-2 mechanism for instance:
“The COVID virus enters endothelial cells by means of the ACE2 receptor. It prefers endothelial cells as a result of they have ACE2 receptors on them. It will get into the endothelial cell and begins replicating, then bursts out, damaging the cell. Bingo, you’ve got received an space of harm.
After all, added to this, when cells have viruses inside them, they ship out misery alerts to the immune system saying, ‘I have been contaminated, come and kill me,’ and so the immune system begins to have a go on the endothelial cells. This is the reason you may get an issue, as a result of the endothelial cells are being broken and stripped off.
Blood clotting happens on the factors of harm and hey, presto, you are having clotting, you are having strokes, you are having coronary heart assaults, which is the factor that folks at first could not perceive [about COVID-19]. But it’s totally clear that what’s occurring is you’ve got received injury to the endothelial cells.
Clearly, you and I each know that in case you get a [COVID jab], the cells are triggered to provide the spike protein, and these cells are sending out misery messages saying, ‘I am contaminated.’ You need to be very cautious if you wish to stick one thing into cells that then says to the immune system, ‘Please come and destroy me,’ as a result of that is what the immune system goes to do.
However shifting on from that, what different factor could cause endothelial injury? The reply is issues like smoking. Smoke particles get out of your lungs, they go into your blood vessels they usually trigger injury … You smoke one cigarette and an entire bunch of microparticles seem in your bloodstream, which suggests endothelial cells are dying.
Fortunately as endothelial cells die, one other message is distributed to the bone marrow saying, we want extra endothelial cells and it stimulates endothelial progenitor cell manufacturing. These endothelial progenitor cells rush round protecting over the areas of harm.
Some people who smoke have sufficient restore occurring and whenever you’re youthful, it is okay. As you become old and your restore methods start to fail a bit, cigarette smoking turns into increasingly of an issue.”
Different issues that may trigger endothelial injury embody:
• Excessive blood sugar ranges and diabetes — The protecting glycocalyx layer is manufactured from proteins and sugars — Excessive blood sugar damages the glycoprotein layer, thinning it down in a measurable method. Excessive blood sugar can cut back the glycocalyx layer by as a lot as two-thirds. This, in flip, exposes the endothelial cells to the bloodstream and anything damaging that may be there.
The injury to the glycocalyx is why diabetics are susceptible to each arterial and capillary (small vessel) illness. You may’t get atherosclerosis within the capillaries, as there is not any room. As an alternative, the capillaries grow to be damaged down and destroyed. This in flip could cause ulcers, resulting from poor circulation within the pores and skin of your legs and ft.
Peripheral neuropathy happens because the ends of nerve cells are disadvantaged of oxygen. Additionally visible issues (diabetic retinal injury) and kidney injury. Blood strain may additionally grow to be elevated as your coronary heart has to work tougher to push blood by means of a community of broken/lacking small blood vessels.
• Heavy metals comparable to aluminum and lead.
• Hypertension, because it places stress on the endothelium — Atherosclerotic plaque (atherosclerosis) does not happen except the strain is raised, including biomechanical stress.
Repairing the Glycocalyx
As defined by Kendrick, the glycocalyx layer resembles a garden, with slippery filaments that stick up. Inside this glycocalyx layer you will have nitric oxide synthase (NOS), which produces nitric oxide (NO), and you’ve got NO itself, in addition to quite a few different anticoagulant proteins. The glycocalyx is definitely a potent anticoagulant layer, so it stops blood clots forming. If glycocalyx is broken, your threat of blood clotting will increase.
“It is a very difficult layer,” Kendrick says. “It is like a jungle filled with issues that say, ‘Do not stick with this, steer clear of this.'” Inside it, you even have albumin, protein complicated produced by the liver. Albumin incorporates the proteins that assist preserve and restore the glycocalyx. A truth that the majority medical doctors are unaware of is that, when you have a low albumin stage, you are considerably extra prone to die of coronary heart illness.
The excellent news is that whereas the glycocalyx layer might be quickly destroyed, it may also be quickly repaired. (Experiments have proven that in an space the place the glycocalyx has been utterly stripped off, it may be utterly repaired in a single second.) Dietary supplements like chondroitin sulfate and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) might be useful on this regard.
“For those who try to clarify that by means of the LDL mechanism, it simply does not work,” Kendrick says. “They’ve found that in case you give chondroitin sulfate as a complement — which usually is for arthritis and stuff like that — it reduces the danger of coronary heart illness fairly significantly. How do you clarify that? Properly, you may clarify that since you’re defending your glycocalyx.
These are the kind of issues that make no sense in case you like wanting on the standard concepts of coronary heart illness, however are instantly and simply defined in case you say, ‘We now have to maintain our glycocalyx wholesome and we now have to maintain our endothelial cells beneath them wholesome.’
In any other case they are going to be broken and stripped off, after which we are going to get a blood clot, and if we hold getting blood clots at that time, we are going to find yourself with a plaque and finally one of many blood clots on that plaque will kill you from a coronary heart assault or a stroke.”
Blood Move Restriction Coaching
A way of life technique that may assist restore endothelial injury is blood circulate restriction (BFR) coaching. In response to BFR, your physique produces vascular endothelial development issue (VEGF), which acts as “fertilizer” for the endothelium. You may be taught the ins and outs of BFR in my free BFR report. VEGF additionally induces the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO), a potent vasodilator, and it stimulates endothelial progenitor cells.
“NO protects the endothelium. It’s anticoagulant — probably the most potent anticoagulant we now have within the physique. It is actually the magic molecule for cardiovascular well being,” Kendrick says.
“At one time NO was often called Endothelial Derived Leisure Issue (EDRF) NO was one thing nobody believed might probably exist within the human physique. NO is definitely a free radical. Everybody says free radicals are terribly damaging and unhealthy.
To that I reply, ‘Properly, you could want to know that the chemical that’s the single most essential protecting chemical within the physique for the cardiovascular system is an extremely free radical known as nitric oxide.'”
Some anticancer medicine are designed to dam VEGF, because the tumor wants angiogenesis — which is the creation of latest blood vessels which are required to supply ample “vitamins” With out these new blood vessels, the tumor dies off. Sadly, in case you block VEGF, you additionally block NO, which then raises your threat for coronary heart illness.
“These medicine had been virtually faraway from the market,” Kendrick says, “as a result of regardless of their anticancer exercise, they had been procardiovascular illness to fairly a scary diploma.
[That’s why], if you’re given bevacizumab or Avastin as an anticancer drug, they now offer you angiotensin changing enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), that are blood strain decreasing tablets, and ACE inhibitors have a selected influence on bradykinin, which will increase NO synthesis.”
Methods to Decrease Your Thrombotic Threat
In his ebook, “The Clot Thickens: The Enduring Thriller of Coronary heart Illness,” Kendrick critiques many alternative methods that may decrease your illness threat. Here is a short-list of examples lined in far better depth within the ebook, in addition to a few of my very own suggestions that I convey up within the interview:
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Keep away from pointless use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) comparable to ibuprofen and naproxen — Whereas they successfully inhibit irritation, they’ll trigger platelet aggregation by blocking COX-2. In different phrases, they activate your blood clotting system, making blood clots extra doubtless. |
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Get loads of smart solar publicity — Solar publicity triggers NO that helps dilate your blood vessels, decreasing your blood strain. NO additionally protects your endothelium, and will increase mitochondrial melatonin to enhance mobile vitality manufacturing. |
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Keep away from seed oils and processed meals — Seed oils are a major supply of the omega-6 fats known as linoleic acid (LA), which I imagine could also be way more dangerous than sugar. Extreme consumption is related to most all continual ailments, together with hypertension, weight problems, insulin resistance and diabetes. LA will get embedded in your cell membranes, inflicting oxidative stress, and may stay there for as much as seven years. Oxidative linoleic acid metabolites (OXLAMs) are what’s inflicting the first injury, together with endothelial injury. |
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Decrease your insulin and blood sugar ranges — Easy methods to perform this embody, avoiding ultraprocessed meals and synthetic sweeteners, considerably proscribing your LA consumption and getting common train. |
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Deal with continual stress, which raises each blood sugar and blood strain, promotes blood clotting and impairs your restore methods. Cortisol, a key stress hormone, reduces endothelial cell manufacturing. |
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Give up smoking. |
