by Christine Illich
The fact is there are 5 diseases that are fatal to humans, the first one is Heart Attack, the second is Cancer, then Stroke, Lung Disease and last but moving up fast in the list is Diabetes. The fatal five share two common elements, Free-radicals and inflammation.
Free-radicals are molecules or atoms that are missing an electron, the free-radicals attack any healthy cells they come in contact with and steal an electron causing damage to the cell membrane. Inflammation is a process that is intended to help our body heal but in the case of disease, free-radicals cause deformities or mutations in the cells, the inflammation can not repair the damage so it actually begins to feed the now deformed or mutated cells. Let us take a closer look at all five of these fatal diseases.
Clots in the arteries cause 80% of all Heart Attacks and 83% of all Strokes. The most common cause is a condition called Atherosclerosis or “hardening of the arteries”. This is were a build up of plaque which has a hard surface inside your artery has cracked and the platelets that are designed to clot in order to protect us from bleeding to death, end up clotting over the crack and cause a complete blockage of blood flow. In the case of heart attack the blockage is near the heart and in the case of stroke the blockage cuts off the supply of blood to the brain. When it comes to heart disease, the free-radicals attack cholesterol cells in the blood supply deforming them which in turn makes them sticky; now you have bad LDL which collects and sticks to the artery walls. Inflammation dose not play a major roll in heart attacks and stoke but scientists are calling chronic inflammation a silent killer in a vast majority of diseases and illnesses.
An estimated 570,280 people died, due to cancer in the year 2005. It seems that the overall death rate is on the decline for some types of cancers, but there are others on the rise, such as esophageal, liver and thyroid cancers. ALL cancers are caused by free-radicals damaging our DNA. DNA holds the blue print for each cell that it creates. This blue print is who you are; when the free-radicals attack the DNA the blue print becomes mutated and when the new cell is produced with this new blue print you have a cancer cell. You do not have cancer until the inflammation process begins; inflammation is the bodies’ defense against illness or injury.
Inflammation tries to destroy the cells that it dose not recognize as being you, the inflammation loses this fight yet our bodies keep sending more, causing chronic inflammation. At this point the cancer cells start to feed on the inflammation cells and cancer growth begins.
More than 35 million Americans have chronic lung diseases. Every year over 349,000 people die from lung disease – a death rate of 121.4 per 100,000. The lungs are far more complex than other organs in the body. The lungs have various minor rolls to play and three major ones; they are defenders of intruders, they remove waste and toxins from the blood, and their main purpose is to supply oxygen to the blood. There are more than three dozen different types of cells inside the lungs and they all have very specific tasks to accomplish. Our lungs are constantly battling with the outside world with each breath we take. If the lung function is impaired in anyway – you may have a potentially fatal lung disease. Lung diseases such as asthma, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF), pneumonia, sarcoidosis, and many more can be fatal. In the case of lung diseases, free-radicals are coming in from the outside world in all forms of pollution; this creates inflammation which causes the obstruction of air flow.
Millions of Americans have type 2 diabetes; millions more have it and are not yet aware of it. Diabetes is the inability to use the sugar called glucose. Glucose is created when the body breaks down food for energy. The hormone insulin opens up the bodies’ cells to allow glucose to enter into the cell and be used as fuel. In diabetes the cell never opens up and the glucose flows through the blood stream causing high blood sugar levels. With diabetes the body either dose not make enough insulin or is resistant to its own natural insulin. High blood sugar can lead to very serious complications such as heart disease, kidney and eye disease and other problems like nerve damage and death. Heart disease is the leading cause of premature death in people with diabetes. Diabetes is the major cause of leg and foot amputations in Americans today. Infections are much harder to control in people with diabetes, they are at greater risk of complications and death due to infection. The number one risk for type two diabetes is too much body fat! Diabetes is on the rise; Americans are eating poorly and are lacking physical activity. Free-radicals are very active in a person with diabetes, attacking a number of cells because diabetes causes an abnormal immune function. Free-radicals are the reason you see so many different complications or side illnesses in this disease. Chronic inflammation is also a major player with this disease and in the side illnesses. All of the above diseases need medications to help regulate the disease but you need to know this, medications cause free-radical damage, and this damage is called side effects. All medications can cause side effects.
Lets take a closer look at free-radicals and inflammation and how they act.
If you have a room with ten 2 year old children; they only have one toy in the room; can you imagine the mayhem; nine children trying to steal the toy from one child. Do you think that one child has a chance? This is what free-radicals do to a cell. Now you have the parents come into the room and try to comfort the children who are without toys. The children are crying and throwing fits and are impossible to calm down, you’ll do anything, usually offer them cookies or some other sweet treat. This is only a momentary fix; you would have to keep feeding them to keep them calm. This is inflammation. But if you have ten more children enter the room all with an extra toy to share with the others; it becomes peaceful and everyone is happy. This is what anti-oxidants do.
You have the power to take your health into your own hands and put a stop to the damage now. Anti-oxidants help the body fight against free-radicals, anti-oxidants are a molecule or atom that has an extra electron. It gives this extra electron away and in turn the free-radical stops attacking healthy cells. Science has proven that ALL diseases and illnesses are caused by free-radical damage. There are risk factors for all diseases but free-radicals are the source and cause of major complications. Free-radicals can not be avoided; they are in air and water pollution, in the junk foods we eat, and caused by traumas and injuries. Free-radicals are a part of life; they even affect the aging process itself.
Anti-oxidants are essential for health, plants contain about 1,000 to 1,500 anti-oxidants, a diet of fruits and vegetables is essential, supplements are key, vitamins and minerals contain high numbers of anti-oxidants. You need to do some research and try to find fresh supplements; they tend to lose their potency the longer they sit on the self. There are also super charged, super powerful anti-oxidants in nature called Xanthones. Xanthones have the power to defeat a larger number of free-radicals at one time, due to strong carbon bonds that make the molecule stable. Each Xanthone performs a specific biological function inside the body unlike regular anti-oxidants.
Universities and scientists have been studying Xanthones for years, 200 have been identified in nature to date. The Aloe Vera plant contains one Xanthone. The Mangosteen Fruit contains 41 Xanthones. The Mangosteen fruit also contains 25,000 anti-oxidants. How can that help your health? The Mangosteen fruit has the highest number of anti-oxidants and Xanthones ever found in one source it also has been studied and papers published on (pub med at dot gov); you can type in Mangosteen and read the study findings, or you can call 1-888-374-4148 and listen to a recorded message about the powerful medicinal properties of Xanthones.
It is sad that most people save for retirement their entire adult life without realizing that possible future medical expenses can destroy any plans that they may have. By understanding your health requirements and the part that nutrition plays in that, you can greatly improve your quality of life into your retirement years.
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Article Source: Health and Fitness
