"Atherosclerosis - How to Live A Longer, Heart-Healthy Life"

In most of the world's developed countries, atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death. According to the most recent statistics from the American Heart Association, over 80 million people in the United States have some form of cardiovascular disease.

On this page you will find a list of supplements that may help with this condition, allowing you to live a long happy life.

Atherosclerosis is a common arterial disorder.

Actually, it is a general term for several diseases where the arterial walls become thicker and less elastic, restricting blood flow.

Your arteries are the blood vessels that carry needed nutrients and oxygen from your heart to other areas of the body.

But, with this condition, there is a build up of substances such as cholesterol and dietary fats that form a hard substance known as plaque.

Plaque occludes the blood vessels, causing the heart to slow down or stop beating.

This can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, or more serious, a heart attack or stroke.

Sometimes pieces of this plaque can break apart and move through the bloodstream forming an embolism, which can lead to a stroke.

Additionally, blood clots can form around the areas of plaque. If the clot moves into the brain, heart, or lungs it can lead to a stroke also.

Many times, symptoms may not be noticed until blood flow becomes blocked. Its symptoms are dependent upon which arteries it affects.

If you have atherosclerosis in the arteries of your heart, you can have symptoms that are similar to those of a heart attack, such as chest pain.

If it occurs in the arteries that lead to your brain, you may have a weakness or numbness in your extremities, difficulty speaking, or drooping muscles in your face.

If it occurs in the arteries of your arms and legs, you may have symptoms of peripheral arterial disease, such as pain in the legs when walking.

• A weak or absent pulse below the narrowed area of your artery
• Decreased blood pressure in the affected extremity
• He may hear a whooshing sound when listening to your arteries, heard with a stethoscope
• There may be signs of a pulsating bulge in your abdomen or behind your knee
• There may be evidence of poor wound healing in the area were blood flow is restricted

• Cigarette smoking or exposure to tobacco smoke
• Diabetes
• High blood cholesterol (especially LDL or "bad" cholesterol over 100 mg/dL)
• High blood pressure
• High fat diets
• Obesity
• Physical inactivity

• American ginseng
• Arnica
• Beta-carotene
• Bilberry
• Coenzyme Q10
• Cysteine
• Dong Quai
• Gamma-linolenic acid
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Gotu Kola
• Grape seed
• Green tea
• Hawthorn
• Licorice
• Magnesium
• Melatonin
• Omega 3 fatty acids
• Quercetin
• S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe)
• Selenium
• Turmeric
• Vitamin B2
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin B9
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E

Atherosclerosis is a serious condition that causes millions of deaths worldwide each year. There are things that you can do that may improve your risk profile, including eating a healthy low-fat diet, quitting smoking and taking supplements such as those mentioned above.

Although the herbs and supplements mentioned above are not meant to replace any prescription medications you are currently taking, I think they can help.