What if you could learn to reverse one of the most dreaded degenerative diseases we face today? Atherosclerosis (arteriosclerosis), the buildup of plaque in the arteries leading to heart disease is, according to Dr. Levy, easy to prevent when we understand how it starts: “deficiency of vitamin C in the innermost lining of the arteries… Once this intima is damaged by lack of vitamin C, he explains, a plaque-building process starts that, independent of individual different cardiac risk factors, always results in arterial blockage”. How would you like to have the tools in your own hands that can help you not only prevent this disease but reverse it? Please read on to find out.

Coronary Heart Disease is Arterial Scurvy.

In his book “Stop America’s # 1 killer!” Dr Levy explains that vitamin C deficiency can manifest in specific areas of the body while the rest of the body is in the normal level. This is the case of arterial scurvy, periodontal disease and cataracts. But what causes vitamin C to be deficient only in a specific area of the body and not in the rest of the body? His answer is “Significant daily toxin exposure causes toxins to keep oxidizing vitamin C stores making it unavailable to tissues”. Let us look in detail at how atherosclerosis starts and how it develops through the different stages of degeneration.

The Genesis of Arterial Narrowings and Blockages.

Arteries are blood vessels that deliver blood away from the heart. The blood pressure needed to bring blood to the farthest organs in the body puts great stress in the big arteries close to the heart. It is in these arteries under the highest pressure where atherosclerosis mostly happens (it’s very uncommon to find atherosclerosis in the small capillaries). High blood pressure and atherosclerosis then go hand in hand , with the first probably being the main factor for the second.

To understand arterial narrowings, it would be good to understand the anatomy of the artery. The artery wall is composed of 3 layers:

1. Intima: Innermost layer, it’s composed of a thin layer of connective tissue high in collagen.
2. Media: Consisting of an inner layer of elastic fibers, a thick layer of smooth muscle cells contained by another outer layer of elastic fibers and collagen fibers intertwined through the muscle layer.
3. Adventitia: A very dense structure of collagen, elastic fibers, smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are cells that multiply to produce different types of connective tissue like cartilage, collagen, bone, tendon, etc. Vitamin C deficiency will keep fibroblasts from making collagen and proteins and cause mature fibroblasts to become weak.

Furthermore, our blood vessel cells are surrounded by a ‘glue’ called ‘ground substance’ which literally holds many of our tissues together. It is a gel-like framework with connective tissue cells and fibers intertwined. Ground substance has a lot of very large molecules known as glycoproteins, which are composed of protein, carbohydrates and in the presence of vitamin C interconnect to form a thick gel that binds our cells together. Vitamin C is essential for this glue to stay strong.

When vitamin C is low, the process of atherosclerosis progresses in this order:

One, when vitamin C is deficient the ‘glue’ becomes loose, runny and watery, breaking down the vessel wall. This is the first step in atherosclerosis. Glycoprotein is then found leaking into the blood.

Two, the loss of stiffness causes the ground substance to change from water-insoluble to water-soluble, which allows unwanted substances (Calcium, fats and cholesterol) to accumulate there by crossing inside the inner wall and causing thickening as a result. This protective thickening acts as a compensation mechanism for the loss of ‘glue’ but it also begins narrowing the arterial diameter. What is more, this thickening can keep vitamin C and other nutrients from reaching deep into the tissues where they are needed.

Three, the body further tries to fortify this weak area with fibroblasts (collagen and fiber), while macrophages (a type of white blood cell) enter the intima to eat up the invading cholesterol, fats and calcium. All of this translates into more thickening of the wall.

Four, all this leads to the second stage of atherosclerosis: the accumulation of cells in the intima area of the blood vessel, specially macrophages that eat up the unwanted substances. As more lipids get deposited, more macrophages show up clearly thickening the area where the artery was first deficient in vitamin C. Furthermore, the lack of vitamin C in the area promote the invasion of inflammatory agents like toxins from a root-canal treated teeth or periodontal disease, making the development of atherosclerosis much more pronounced. This will become a downward spiral as infection and toxicity deplete the area of much needed vitamin C. Until vitamin C levels in the arteries normalize, the degenerative process of atherosclerosis will continue mercilessly. A constant supply of vitamin C is needed.

This constant supply is even more important because collagen is the most abundant protein in the body, accounting for 30% of the body’s total protein content, and it is collagen’s characteristic stiffness that makes our organs resistant to rupture. Tissues high in collagen are: tendons, ligaments, cornea, lens, skin, bone, teeth, cartilage, heart valves, blood vessels, smooth muscles, gut and some organs, also the tissue surrounding cells.

Five, in advanced stages of atherosclerosis, capillaries develop inside blockages to provide some blood supply. Capillaries are thin compared to the arteries close to the heart, consisting only of the intima layer and they are so tiny they only allow one single row of red blood cells to pass through. This exposes these frail capillaries to blood pressures that can rupture them and cause bleeding in the plaque itself resulting in total blockage of the artery. The end result can be a heart attack when blood flow is dramatically reduced.

High BP and Vitamin C deficiency.

High blood pressure can start atherosclerosis by overtaxing collagen deprived blood vessel walls. For the artery to keep its strength in the presence of high blood pressure, the collagen in the 3 layers of the artery has to be optimal in quantity and quality. For this, vitamin C has to be taken on a regular basis. Scarred tissue is more sensitive than normal connective tissue to vitamin C deficiency and needs more vitamin C than healthy tissue. When the levels of vitamin C remain low for a long time, adequate amounts of collagen and proteins cannot be synthesized and the body has to compensate with something called ‘proliferative reaction‘ in order to strengthen the vessel wall. It does this by stimulating intense cellular multiplication with fibroblasts in the intima and media over areas deficient in collagen. Ironically, these plaques are high in collagen. Since they are in direct contact with the blood, this allows them to pick vitamin C better. But while collagen production is increasing in the plaque it can still deficient in the artery if vitamin C is deficient in the body. What is more, the deeper areas (the media) of the atherosclerosis blood vessel remain weak even when the layer on top (the intima) is being thickened by new fibers. These advanced lesions known as fibrous plaques can become sites of hemorrhage, complete blood vessel blockage and/or calcification. The slightest hemorrhage will provoke more plaque growth proving that advanced atherosclerosis plaques are more difficult to reverse than early lesions.

All this process we have just described affects the epicardial arteries, which are those outside the heart, specially those arteries concentrated in areas of highest physical stress such as points of branching. These arteries are exposed with only the resistance offered by the blood vessel itself. However, advanced atherosclerosis does not happen in arteries within the heart: the intramyocardial coronary arteries. These have a dense strong heart muscle surrounding them and even when they are depleted of collagen there is no need for compensating their weakness. Thus, high blood pressure is only a risk factor for atherosclerosis when the deficiency of vitamin C is been long term, the arterial walls are depleted and have no additional support around them.

Vitamin C deficiency then acts in two ways: increasing blood pressure and the high blood pressure damages the artery wall in return. On the contrary, sufficient vitamin C lowers blood pressure and this reduces the development of atherosclerosis.

Inflammation and Vitamin C deficiency.

Inflammation is a “protective response to the injury or destruction of tissue, aiming to lessen the injuring agent and wall off the injured area” It is this walling off that becomes the problem, because when an injured area in the body is walled off in an attempt to protect it, it cannot receive the nutrition (vitamin C, etc) and oxygen it needs and it cannot be detoxified either. This leads to more inflammation, which leads to more starvation and toxification, turning it into a dangerous downward spiral. Inflammation then can cause low vitamin C and severe cardiovascular disease.

Many if not all causes of arterial inflammation deplete Vitamin C.

Chronic dental disease that goes unchecked, like root canal-treated teeth has been associated with chronic inflammation in atherosclerosis with increased risk of heart attack from the total blockage of a heart artery according to Dr. Levy. The way this happens is the diseased teeth release toxins into the blood, these toxins then target the arterial wall. When this happens vitamin C depletion can start. Since vitamin C is a powerful anti microbial, the lack of vitamin C in areas with progressing atherosclerosis can allow the microbes to colonize there. These microbes attack the blood vessels first even if the rest of the body is also vitamin C deficient. Lack of vitamin C can encourage the presence of these microbes therefore promoting more inflammation. Toxins released in the blood stream will deplete the circulating vitamin C, keeping it low in the arteries and facilitating the further invasion of these toxins. Any kind of infection like diphtheria, measles, pneumonia, viral infections like HIV etc then act as a form of atherosclerosis-inducing-disease and cause death of the arterial tissue . The rate of development of atherosclerosis can be fast in the case of infection but also the reversal.

What is more, infections can contribute to atherosclerosis by generating autoimmune reactions against the blood vessel. In this case, the immune system attacks places that are altered. An infected organ looks like something foreign to the body, so it starts mobilizing immune cells and antibodies to attack this altered tissue just as if it was a foreign invader. Vitamin C has also been proven to work very efficiently in these cases of auto-immunity.

To learn how you can reverse this process please tune in next week. Thanks for reading.

Practical suggestions for reversing atherosclerosis.

Is there a way to stop your heart artery narrowings from continuing to progress? Is there a way to open up existing narrowings without surgery? Dr Levy believes the answer is yes. He recommends a protocol whose effectivity is backed by scientific evidence. It consists of a total dental revision requiring proper removal of root canal treated teeth, abscessed teeth, dental implants, proper treatment of chronic periodontal disease, cleaning of all cavitations and replacement of mercury amalgam fillings, crowns etc with biocompatible materials. Doing this in the first place will eliminate the toxicity and infections which are constantly depleting the body of antioxidant stores in the body. As it has been discussed so far, these high levels of toxicity are related to high incidence of atherosclerosis, but also cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases like diabetes, osteoporosis, etc, all of which have been linked to the same lack of antioxidant defenses needed to reverse such conditions.

Dr Levy asserts “the only way to begin the proper restoration of health in a heart patient is the proper extraction of all root canal-treated teeth which involves more than mere extraction … the bony sockets must be properly cleaned after the extraction, or chronically infected holes (cavitations) will form and remain after superficial healing has closed over the holes”. Toxic pockets of infection in the jawbone are pathologically identical to gangrene. Dr Levy found that when these patients’ jawbones are explored closely even years after the extractions long channels of toxic cavitation are found as pockets expand and merge forming literal tunnels of gangrene.

Other sources of extreme toxicity include:

1. Chronic periodontal disease: It involves toxins and bacteria trapped in an oxygen-deprived environment. To treat it the patient must give up smoking. Secondly, the regular use of high intensity warm water mixed with 3% hydrogen peroxide irrigation will resolve periodontal disease even when advanced. Bleeding is normal and it should resume after a week of using this method. This should be done 2-3 times a day. Growth of new gum will occur in the first week of this therapy.
2. Abscessed teeth. They need prompt extraction followed by proper cleaning of the socket. Previous sites of extractions should be cleaned. Dr Levy found it common for extracted teeth explored decades afterwards to still contain the cavitation in 90% of the cases, it’s for this reason that it is necessary to revise them several times before new bone can regrow and eliminate the cavitation as a continuous source of toxicity.
3. Toxic dental fillings like mercury, stainless steel crowns, braces and plates are all sources of great toxicity. Nickel is carcinogenic and has been shown to deplete vitamin C. They all need to be properly replaced with non-toxic materials.
4. Dental implants are another source of dental toxicity and chronic infection. The routine method consists of a piece of nickel screwed into the bone in the recent extraction which is already infected. The placement of toxic metal into the bone initiates an autoimmune reaction in the body that will not stop until the implant is removed.

For any of these conditions he recommends finding a dentist familiar with these procedures. Check his website to find one: http://www.peakenergy.com/

Minimization of dietary toxicity.

If you absolutely cannot follow the dental protocol, Dr. Levy recommends to focus on the rest of the protocol which he outlines as follows:

1. Minimize high glycemic foods and refined sugars. They both promote heart disease by releasing sugar rapidly into the blood stream, which competes with vitamin C for access into the cells.
2. Chew all foods extremely well: food that is not broken down properly will create a toxic gut. Saliva gets digestion started, chewing food right makes sure it is all bathed in it.
3. Eliminate milk: milk combines poorly with a long list of foods causing bloating and digestive discomfort.
4. Eat plenty of vegetables.
5. Choose proper food combinations: this minimizes toxicity of the gut, which can be caused by poorly digested protein. A constipated gut with rotting food will produce toxins similar to those of diseased mouth. Less than a bowel movement a day is a sign of toxicity.
6. Supplement with high antioxidant nutrients: Ascorbic acid (3-6 grams/day) , magnesium glycinate (up to 2 grams), vitamin k2, vitamin E (400 IU-1,000), B vitamins, CoQ10, Glutathione, N-acetyl-cysteine, MSM, etc.

To sum up, atherosclerosis does not have to be the deadly disease it is. There are things we can do to stop it an reverse it. First, minimize toxicity in your body , then follow a high anti-oxidant diet.

Thank for reading. Stay healthy. Till next time.