The Cost of Heart Disease and Stroke in 1998 Cost the Nation
$286.5 billion.
The Scope of the Problem in the
United States
Every 33 seconds, one American dies of
some form of heart disease or of stroke. Every day, heart disease or
stroke kills more than 2,600 Americans. And every year, these
diseases claim the lives of 1.9 million men and women in this
Nation—a number so high it could fill the Rose Bowl nearly 20 times,
Arlington National Cemetery nearly 8 times, and one-third of the
Pentagon’s 6.5 million square feet. That number is nearly twice the
number of lives claimed by cancer or collectively by World War II,
and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. That number can be reduced,
not just by keeping people with heart disease alive longer, but by
preventing heart disease in the first place.
Who lives with heart
disease or the consequences of stroke in America?
58,800,000 Americans, or 1 in 5 men and
women, have one or more types of heart disease or live with the
devastating impact of stroke. One in three men can expect to develop
heart disease or have a stroke before age 60. For women, the odds
are l in 10, although more than half of all deaths due to heart
disease each year occur among women, and heart disease is the number
one cause of death among women in this country. Further, the rate of
premature deaths due to heart disease or stroke is greater among
blacks than among whites. Heart disease disables and kills and often
can strike both women and men in the prime of their lives.
Atherosclerosis,
heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and hypertension are all
conditions falling under the umbrella term of cardiovascular disease
("cardia" relates to the heart and "vascular" pertains to the
vessels-the arteries, veins, and capillaries, which provide channels
for the flow of blood). In 1990, almost one million Americans died
from the major cardiovascular diseases (which collectively have the
deadly distinction of being the number-one killer in America).
What States carry the
highest death rates due to heart disease?
New York has the highest death rate due
to heart disease of any other State, with 172.5 deaths per 100,000
compared to the Nation’s 131 deaths per 100,000.
Missouri ranks 4th with 155.7
deaths per 100,000;
Kentucky ranks 7th with 146.3
deaths per 100,000;
South Carolina ranks 10th with
142.4 deaths per 100,000.
How big is the problem of stroke in
the United States?
Stroke is the third leading cause of
death in the United States. In 1996, it killed nearly 160,000
individuals—accounting for 7 percent of all deaths in the United
States that year. With its devastating effects including partial or
full paralysis, stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term
disability. Here are some other facts you should know:
• In the United States, there are more
than 4 million stroke survivors, most of whom are either moderately
or severely impaired.
• Stroke accounts for more than half the
patients hospitalized for acute neurological diseases.
• Stroke is a major factor in late-life
dementia that affects more than 40 percent of Americans older than
80.
• The estimated combined cost of health
care and lost productivity due to stroke in the United States was
estimated at $45.3 billion during 1999 alone.
• The estimated lifetime cost of a mild
stroke in an older individual is $100,000. The estimated lifetime
cost of a severe stroke in a younger individual is $500,000.
• Stroke risk factors that can be
changed or controlled include high blood pressure, diabetes, atrial
fibrillation, smoking, high blood cholesterol, obesity, and physical
inactivity.
Ultimely, 90% of Deaths To Stroke and Heart Disease are
Preventable Deaths
We often describe death as untimely when it
claims the lives of men, women, and children who die before
their time on our highways, or from work-related injuries,
overdoses, violent rampages, terrorist acts, or in war. Death
from heart disease or stroke is often untimely...
...and often preventable.
Learn Steps You
Can Take to Prevent or Possibly Reverse Your Cardiovascular
Condition.
A Tool in Your
Medicine Chest
You Should Not
Live Without!
Presenting
CardioZyme Enzyme Therapy...
#1 in Customer Satisfaction
What Cardiovascular Disorders Are
Helped With Enzyme Therapy?
According to past
research, enzyme therapy can help many cardiovascular disorders,
including the following conditions...
Angina pectoris
Angina pectoris
Arteriosclerosis
Atherosclerosis
Coronary heart disease
Poor blood circulation
Degenerative inflammatory processes (both acute and
chronic)
Eczema (as a result of a cardiovascular disorder)
Embolism
Endarteritis Obliterans
Hematomas
High blood pressure
Intermittent Caudication
Occlusive arterial disease
Phlebitis
Post-infarct healing process stimulation
Post-thrombotic syndrome
Raynaud's disease
Scleroderma
Smoker's and diabetic circulatory diseases
Stroke prevention
Thromboangitis obliterans
Varicose Ulcers
Atherosclerosis
Swelling (edema)
Thrombosis
Vasculitis
Occlusive arterial disease
Enzyme therapy is
used to treat those cardiovascular disorders that result from
"sticky" blood and blood dots. (See the inset "Cardiovascular
Disorders Helped With Enzyme Therapy" on page 166.) If you are to
remain healthy, your blood must maintain a constant dynamic balance
between its ability to remain liquid and free-flowing and its
ability to form blood clots to keep you from bleeding to death in
the event of an injury. If blood can't clot, tissues can't heal. But
excessive bleeding can cause death. This is what can happen to
people suffering from hemophilia because their blood lacks the
ability to coagulate.
On the other hand,
if your blood dots too easily, life threatening clots can form in
your blood vessels, inhibiting circulation, and sometimes breaking
free and causing heart attacks (when they reach the heart) or
strokes (when they reach the brain). Cholesterol and other fatty
materials may collect around the dotted deposits in the blood
vessels. When this pathological condition develops, it is called
hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis.
It is critical to
maintain a proper equilibrium between blood clotting and blood
liquefaction. Unfortunately, a disturbance in this equilibrium is
probably the most common source of illness and death in this
country. In fact, one American dies every 33 seconds from
cardiovascular disease, a condition that is largely preventable.
Every day, the body
produces about two grams of fibrin the glue needed for coagulation.
The body uses fibrin to seal wounds and to coat the internal walls
of blood vessels. This coating protects the delicate vessel wall
linings from damage by any passing particles and also smoothes any
rough spots in the vessel walls. This assures an even, rather than a
sporadic or disturbed, blood flow. The body constantly produces a
steady supply of fibrin so it will have enough on hand in the event
of an emergency (for instance, if you were to cut your finger).
For safety reasons,
fibrin is present in the bloodstream in its inactive form, as
fibrinogen. If a need arises, a series of reactions (triggered by
enzymes) is put into play. First prothrombin (the precursor of the
enzyme thrombin) is activated and changes to thrombin. Then the
thrombin converts fibrinogen to fibrin, which forms a clot. When the
clot is exposed to air, it dries out and forms a hard protective
scab.
Fortunately, the
body also has a protective mechanism to keep all of this fibrin from
accumulating on the vessel walls (interrupting blood flow) or from
being deposited in the wrong places. This "safety catch" is the
enzyme plasmin (which exists in the blood as the proenzyme
plasminogen). Plasmin dissolves clots through a process called
fibrinolysis (the lysing or cutting of fibrin), and thus maintains
blood flow equilibrium.
Even with all the
built-in protective mechanisms, some times something goes wrong.
Cardiovascular diseases occur when the blood becomes too sticky
(thick blood is the most frequent accompanying symptom of fatal
heart and vascular sys tem disorders). This sticky blood can occur
from excessive fib rin production. But it can also occur if there
is an error in plasmin activation and an insufficient amount of
fibrin is broken down. This can lead to blood flow problems in the
arteries and veins, as well as other areas of the body (including
the tear duct and the mammary and salivary glands).
Unfortunately, as we
age, our plasmin levels decrease. By the age of 60, we only possess
a fraction of the plasmin we had when we were young. This means that
blood flow is more sluggish, toxic debris remains in the vessels,
and the vessels become narrower and harden, increasing the risk of a
heart attack or stroke.
Beginning
Symptoms Of Heart Disease, Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease.
Symptoms of a
cardiovascular disease will vary depending on the specific
condition. However, some of the most frequent symptoms are high
blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, fatigue, and other effects of
reduced circulation.
Is Enzyme Therapy
The Answer?
Numerous studies
have demonstrated that one of the best ways to dissolve large clots
is with the help of enzymes. A number of enzymes are currently used
(primarily in a hospital setting) as thrombolytic and fibrinolytic
agents, including brinase (a protease from Aspergillus oryzae);
streptokinase (from bacteria), and urokinase (from human urine).
Recently, an Oregon man suffered a stroke and had no signs of brain
activity. Treatment with the enzyme urokinase (administered directly
into the area of the blood clot), was started nine hours after his
stroke began (as a "last-ditch" effort). Not only did he regain
consciousness, he also regained the ability to move his arms and
legs (remember, stroke is one of the leading causes of adult
disability). He subsequently went through six weeks of
rehabilitation and is now home but is continuing physical and speech
therapies.
Maintaining proper
enzyme levels in the blood can also help prevent cardiovascular
disease. Research has shown that proteolytic enzymes can improve
circulatory imbalances and help normalize the fibrinolytic
equilibrium. Proteolytic enzymes increase the fibrinolytic activity
of the blood and therefore normalize the equilibrium between blood
clotting and the break-up of blood clots. The result is that
deposits of fibrin are dissolved. The edema, swelling, and the
pathologic condition is reduced or eliminated. Proteolytic enzymes.
Cardiovascular Disorders improve the
blood fluidity and, therefore, improve blood flow. This improvement
in circulation improves the supply of nutrients to tissues.
Proteolytic enzymes are also natural inhibitors of inflammation
(which can occur in the vessels because of clot formation).
Systemic enzyme therapy is used as
supportive care to improve circulation and reduce any pain,
swelling, and inflammation. Enzymes stimulate the immune system,
help speed tissue repair, bring nutrients to the damaged area,
remove waste products, and improve health.
Digestive enzyme therapy is used to
improve the digestion of food, reduce stress on the gastrointestinal
mucosa, help maintain normal pH levels, detoxify the body, and pro
mote the growth of healthy intestinal flora, thus relieving the
stress on the body's own enzymes. Digestive enzymes also serve as
replacements for the body's pancreatic enzymes, leaving the
pancreatic enzymes free to perform other functions in the body, such
as improving circulation.
A prolonged regular intake of enzyme
supplement preparations with the main meals may have a beneficial
effect on the function of the pancreas, according to Drs. Max Wolf
and Karl Ransberger in their book Enzyme Therapy
(LA: Regent House, 1972). Pancreatic enzymes can then be
freed to reduce vascular inflammation.
Buy 3-in-one
package Pain Power, Cardiozyme
and Super-Digestazyme
