Cardiovascular disease, heart issues? What's the cause? Could be ADHD drugs, antidepressants, antihistamines, covid vax. Or metals or seed oils. A series on identifying the root causes of disease.
Did the doc who prescribed antibiotics for a sinus infection explain how the drug can affect heart rhythm, thereby leading to sudden cardiac arrest? Were nontoxic solutions suggested first?
The heart is a muscle that contracts and relaxes to pump blood around the body. Electrical signals trigger the process of contraction and relaxation, thereby regulating the rate and rhythm of the heart. QT prolongation occurs when the heart muscle takes longer to contract and relax than usual. It can affect heart rhythms and lead to sudden cardiac arrest.
Certain medications can cause QT prolongation, including some belonging to the following groups: antibiotics, antifungals, diuretics [prescribed for high blood pressure among other reasons], antidepressants, antipsychotics, antiarrhythmics.
Exposure to [air pollution] over a few hours to weeks can trigger cardiovascular disease–related mortality and nonfatal events; longer-term exposure (e.g., a few years) increases the risk for cardiovascular mortality… and reduces life expectancy… reductions in [air pollution] levels are associated with decreases in cardiovascular mortality within a time frame as short as a few years… It is the opinion of the writing group that the overall evidence is consistent with a causal relationship between PM2.5* [air pollution] exposure and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This body of evidence has grown and been strengthened substantially since the first American Heart Association scientific statement was published.
*PM2.5 is a type of air pollution with inhalable particles 2.5 micrometers or smaller [source]
Contents
Genes Aren’t the Problem (So, What Is?)
Implications
Cardiovascular Disease Terminology
Root Causes of Cardiovascular Disease, Atherosclerosis, Vasculitis, Heart Inflammation, Cardiomyopathy, Heart Problems, Blood Clots (Thrombosis, Pulmonary Embolism), Heart Attack, Stroke
Toxic Drugs as First-Line Treatment? Used for a Prolonged Period?
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Context
Genes Aren’t the Problem (So, What Is?)
With knowledge of causal factors, true healing is possible.
Establishment medicine has long promoted the belief that genes are a “blueprint” for a person’s biology and health. This was proven incorrect by the Human Genome Project completed in 2003.
Defective genes are spoken about as if they are “disease time bombs,” fatalistically programmed to go off inside of us... And yet, despite common misconceptions… diseases that result from errors in the nucleotide sequence of a single gene… [account for] less than 1% of all diseases… Following the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, it is no longer accurate to say that our genes “cause” disease.
Genomic researcher Craig Venter remarked… “Genes have very little impact on life outcomes. Our biology is way too complicated for that and deals with hundreds of thousands of independent factors. Genes are absolutely not our fate. They can give us useful information about the increased risk of a disease, but in most cases they will not determine the actual cause of the disease, or the actual incidence of somebody getting it.” … As we migrate from one country to another, our chances of being diagnosed with most chronic illnesses are determined not by the country we come from but by the country we migrate to… [and] the concordance between identical twins for breast cancer was found to be only 20%. Instead of our genes, our lifestyle and environment account for 90–95% of our most chronic illnesses.
Genes are better understood as potentialities.
Genes express differently based on the cells’ environment — which means our exposure to toxins, nutrients, stress, exercise, and so on.
Those environmental factors determine whether genes are “signaled” or not.
Implications
The presumption that conditions that seemed to “run in the family” were due to genetic inheritance overlooked all the other things (the “environment”) that family members may share: the food they eat, the toxins in their water, the electro-magnetics in their area, the chemicals in their cleaning products, the way they deal with emotions, their stress levels and so on.
The implications of the genetic “blueprint” model were profound and long-lasting. Western medicine promoted the false belief that disease is due to genetic inheritance, propagating a medical system built on the false belief of fated outcomes and “no cures”, resulting in:
Helplessness, disempowerment
A focus on symptom management
Excessive use of pharmaceutical drugs
Distraction from identifying and addressing root causes
Dr. Bruce Lipton: “We are not victims of our genome”
My research on how environment [toxins, nutrition, exercise, stress relief, etc] shapes genetic activity was published in 1977… Twenty years after I started my stem cell research, the same conclusions were officially recognized by science in advancing the revolutionary field of Epigenetics … the science of how environment controls genetic activity. The most exciting consequence of these studies is the revelation that we are truly masters of our genome…We are empowered creators, not victims of our genome.
While genes play a role in life and disease, there are innumerable epigenetic triggers that differentiate us from mice and each other [and express as health or illness].
Cardiovascular Disease Terminology
ANGINA — A name for pain that’s caused by reduced blood flow to the heart; felt as pain, pressure or burning in chest, neck or arm; “chest discomfort that occurs when the heart doesn’t get enough oxygen” [source]
AORTIC VALVE STENOSIS — “Aortic valve narrows and doesn’t open as it should”; may result from rheumatic fever (inflammation) or calcification of the valves [source]; the aorta is the largest artery and stenosis means a narrowing or constriction; see more: Aortic Stenosis
ATHEROSCLEROSIS — Also called clogged arteries, refers to the narrowing of arteries due to plaque build-up, thereby reducing normal blood flow
BLOOD CLOT (COAGULATION) — When a blood vessel is injured, blood cells and proteins create a clot over the injury to prevent excessive bleeding; typically, the blood clot naturally dissolves after the injury has healed; clots that do not dissolve naturally and limit the flow of blood are called thrombosis [source]
CARDIAC ARREST — The heart stops beating (electrical issue) [source]; “results in loss of consciousness and absence of a pulse” [source]
CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASE or HEALTH — Umbrella terms that encompass heart health / cardiovascular disease plus metabolic health / metabolic disease including blood pressure and insulin resistance [source and source]
CARDIOMYOPATHY — Deterioration of the heart muscle’s ability to contract
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD) — An umbrella term for conditions related to the heart and circulatory system
CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE — “Conditions that affect the flow of blood through the brain” [source]
CHOLESTEROL — “A substance made by the liver or consumed in the diet from animal-based products”; serves a number of important roles in the body; was incorrectly blamed by western medical establishment as the cause for plaque formation in the arteries when in fact it is simply a symptom of a deeper condition, usually inflammation; “used by the body as a kind of internal bandage when our arterial lining becomes damaged by inflammation… build-up in the arteries may actually be a protective mechanism” [source and source]
CLOGGED ARTERIES — See atherosclerosis
CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE — See heart failure
CORONARY HEART DISEASE / CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (CAD) — See atherosclerosis [source]
HEART ATTACK — Blood flow to the heart becomes suddenly blocked (circulatory issue) [source]; also called myocardial infarction
HEART DISEASE — A “catch-all phrase” for conditions that affect the heart’s functioning [source]
HEART FAILURE — The heart muscle weakens and has trouble pumping blood [source]
ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE — See coronary heart disease
ISCHEMIC STROKE — See stroke
MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION — See heart attack
MYOCARDITIS — Inflammation of the heart muscle; “an inflammation of the myocardium that can often be associated with cardiac dysfunction and arrhythmias, and is even one of the leading causes for sudden cardiac death in athletes” [source]
PERICARDITIS — Inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart
PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE (PAD) — Clogged arteries that reduce blood flow to the extremities (legs, feet, arms, hands); see atherosclerosis
POTS (POSTURAL ORTHOSTATIC TACHYCARDIA SYNDROME) — “A disorder of the autonomic nervous system” and “a blood circulation disorder marked by an unusually rapid rise in heart rate when transitioning from a sitting or lying position to standing” [source]
STROKE — A blood vessel in the brain ruptures and bleeds or there’s a blockage in the blood supply to the brain; an ischemic stroke is due to a blood clot or blocked arteries; a hemorrhagic stroke occurs when an artery in the brain bursts or leaks [source]
THROMBUS / THROMBOSIS — A blood clot that limits the flow of blood. “Thromboses are the most common cause of death in developed countries.” Heart attacks and strokes account for the highest proportion of thrombosis-associated deaths in the United States. [source]
TRIGLYCERIDES — “A form of fat in your blood that is stored for later energy use; they are absolutely necessary, but can become a problem if you eat more calories than your body burns” [source]
Root Causes of Cardiovascular Disease, Atherosclerosis, Vasculitis, Heart Inflammation, Heart Problems, Blood Clots (Thrombosis, Pulmonary Embolism), Heart Attack, Stroke
The following conditions are listed separately: Blood Pressure Issues; Heart Rate Issues, Irregular Heartbeat, POTS, Heart Palpitations
These underlying conditions are directly associated with heart problems:
Inflammation, chronic [source and source and source and source and source and source and source]
Blood sugar issues, insulin resistance, diabetes [source and source and source and source and source and source]
Nervous system issues (cardiac ANS, HRV) leading to irregular heartbeat [source and source and source]
