Where is God Amidst All This Chaos?
Special: Counseled by God Free Video Event and up to 50% off!

Causes of Heart Disease: Inflammation, Oxidation, Sugar and Stress

Mark Virkler's picture

The information contained in this blog has been drawn from The Great Cholesterol Myth. I highly recommend this book. It is down-to-earth and easy to read. 

Clarifying the cholesterol story

  • LDL – A: Cholesterol is a buoyant, fluffy molecule that does no harm whatsoever as long as it is not damaged by oxidation (a process caused by free radicals that enables cholesterol to form plaque).
  • LDL – B: is a small, hard, dense molecule that promotes atherosclerosis. Blood tests today can measure the number of LDL - A and LDL – B.

An even better test is probably the calcium scan

First Cause - Chronic inflammation is the real cause of heart disease

Chronic inflammation is a component of virtually every single degenerative condition, including Alzheimer’s, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, chronic lower respiratory disease, influenza and pneumonia, chronic liver and kidney diseases, and, most especially, heart disease.

To discover if you have chronic inflammation, calculate the ratio of your triglycerides to your HDL. If, for example, your triglycerides are 150 mg/dL and your HDL is 50 mg/dL, you have a ratio of 3:1 (150:50). If your triglycerides are 100 mg/dL and your HDL is 50 mg/dL, you have a ratio of 2:1 (100:50) which is excellent for maintaining health.

In one study out of Harvard printed in Circulation, a journal published by the American Heart Association, those who had the highest triglyceride-to-HDL ratios had a whopping sixteen times the risk of developing heart disease as those with the lowest ratios. So let’s explore the root cause of inflammation.

C-Reactive Protein is a simple blood test that measures levels of C-reactive protein(CRP),  a powerful inflammatory marker.

Second Cause - Oxidation is the initiator of inflammation

Oxidation is the rusting of the body from within through the damage of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules which have lost one of their paired electrons and are thus unbalanced, doing damage to other cells they touch as they seek to grab electrons from them. Antioxidants such as pycnogenol, resveratrol, Protandim, Vitamin C, and water infused with H2 gas remove free radicals. 

Third Cause - Sugar is the real demon in the diet, not fat

Fifty years ago, two scientists were bribed by the sugar industry to throw the blame on fat rather than sugar as the main causative agent in heart disease. Our grandparents ate 5 pounds of sugar a year. Today we eat over 150 pounds of sugar a year and it produces insulin resistance, ultimately making us fat. All those fat cells are loaded with chemicals that contribute mightily to inflammation!

“How do I know if I have insulin resistance?” Good question. Though there are blood tests to determine this, there’s also a nice, simple, low-tech way to do it. Stand in front of a wall and walk toward it. If your belly touches the wall before the rest of your body, there’s an excellent chance that you’re insulin resistant. Men with waist sizes of 40 inches or more are almost certainly insulin resistant, as are women with waist sizes of 35 inches or more.

To avoid this problem, we have replaced sugar with stevia, monk fruit and erythritol. (Incidentally, we have also replaced table salt with sea salt because of the many health benefits.)

Fourth Cause - Living with chronic stress

When you add chronic stress to inflammation, oxidation and sugar, you are ripe for a heart attack. It is noteworthy that stress is the ONLY ITEM on all three lists we have studied so far for causes of heart disease (Traditional list, innovative list and biblically-stated cause - fear)

In the story about The Roseto Effect, it was shown people who overcame chronic stress by experiencing strong community, connections and spirituality, cut their heart attacks to a fraction of the national average.

In another study, the population of gray tree frogs in many American lakes was being decimated. The general consensus was that this was due to the use of a common pesticide, carbaryl (known by the brand name Sevin), which was found in large quantities in all of the lakes where frogs were dying. Rick Relyea, Ph.D., a biochemical researcher from the University of Pittsburgh, discovered the pesticide carbaryl was actually pretty innocuous to frogs in the unnaturally tranquil setting of a lab. But most tree frogs don’t live in a lab; they live in the wild, where there are constant dangers from predators.

Expose a stressed frog to the pesticide, and you’ve got a dead frog. The combination of stress hormones and pesticides was lethal. Perhaps the key ingredient to heart problems is chronic stress. 

Since I have taken the free online ENNEAGRAM profile, and determined that my personality is that of “The Protective Challenger, I realize I need to spend some focused time on learning to relax, have fun, play and celebrate, which I shall do over the coming months. Some key words which describe my personality type are “outspoken, direct, opinionated, bold, decisive, and tough.” Well, I can sure see stress in that list of words. So one of the things the Lord has had me do is get my autoharp out of the closet and begin again worshipping in the Spirit with it, as I did 35 years ago. I will now focus on de-stressing!

If you have high blood pressure, check this out.

Explore Turmeric to reduce inflamation

Laughter IS the best medicine - Ted Talk


Cardiac Event Series

  1. How Could I Have Been So Wrong?
  2.  Biblical Truths Related to Heart Disease
  3. Causes of Heart Disease: Inflammation, Oxidation, Sugar and Stress 
  4. Drugs, Nutrition and the Lord 
  5. Is Stress The Number One Cause Of Heart Attacks?
  6. Ever So SLOWLY Learning About Blood Pressure
  7. Common Denominators of Great Diets
  8. God Says I’m Healed Yet Symptoms Persist
  9. Symptoms Go into Remission as I Speak to My Body
  10. Does Heart Surgery Cause the Heart to Pick Up A Spirit of Fear  
  11. Must I Work Hard To Be Successful?
  12. Which of The 10 Commandments Can You Break And No One Raises An Eyebrow?
  13. Experience Rest By Learning How To Delegate 
  14. Living In Rest Requires Living At Peace With Myself and Others 
  15. For Heaven’s Sake, Celebrate!

     

Related Blogs: 

Gifts of Healings   Vibrant Health   
Add new comment

Add new comment

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Results

Results 421 - 430 of 479

Pages

Unique Gifts Make Winning Teams Digital Videos

The content of these videos is the same as the Unique Gifts Make Winning Teams DVD Set but in digital format. Receive your product immediately with no shipping costs!

Price: $39.95

Your Extraordinary Life Digital Video Downloads

Mark Virkler | 16 Digital Video Sessions

Can you imagine starting new believers off with the Holy Spirit! What if the first thing you were taught as a newborn Christian was how to connect easily and daily with the Holy Spirit Who was living inside you, anointing you, empowering you and transforming you?

Price: $39.95
4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice MP3 Download

4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice MP3s

by Mark Virkler | 10 Sessions

As seen on the Sid Roth "It's Supernatural" program, this audio download of the 10-hour course will draw you into a classroom experience with others who are learning to hear from God right alongside you. It follows along with the LEARN 4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice notebook.

Price: $59.95

4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice MP3s - Abridged Edition

by Mark Virkler | 10 Sessions of MP3

A complete description is available by clicking here, where you will find information on the 60-minute version of this product. The main difference is that these 10 sessions are shorter, averaging 40 minutes each. You asked for it and it's finally available! The same core teaching now abridged, making the sessions easier to fit into your Sunday School class, home group meeting or lunch hour Bible study.

Price: $39.95

Counseled by God MP3 Download

by Mark Virkler | 13 Sessions

Just Released – 35th Anniversary Edition

The foremost training in the world helping you become emotionally whole by hearing the voice of the Wonderful Counselor! ?You will receive an impartation as you listen to the 13 sessions of Mark Virkler sharing life-transforming principles on how to restore your heart by receiving daily counsel directly from God.

Price: $59.95
Language of the Heart

Language of the Heart - 10 Musical Renditions

Wayne Tester

Do you desire more freedom from anxiety, depression or past hurts? Do you need more inner healing, but you don’t know how to get it? 

Price: $9.95
Prayers That Heal the Heart MP3 Download

Prayers That Heal the Heart Audio MP3 - Revised & Expanded 20th Anniversary Edition

by Mark Virkler | 15 Sessions

Prayer counseling that breaks every yoke! Everything you need to experience deep healing of your soul and spirit. Did you know that you don’t need to be continually plagued by negative thoughts, feelings, pictures or memories?

It is not part of the "human condition" to feel the constant nagging of doubt, insecurity, or anger. No matter what sin you are trying to overcome, what lie you think you’ll always believe, or what traumas your heart has suffered in the past, you will receive total freedom and restoration by praying these prayers in faith.

Price: $59.95

Everyday Angels MP3s

By Charity Virkler Kayembe

You can partner with Heaven’s angelic hosts!

Do you have guardian angels? Does God want you to know them? Find out what Scripture reveals and how YOU can interact with the company of Heaven!

The supernatural realm permeates our natural world! Therefore, experiencing angels should be an everyday occurrence–we simply need to open our spiritual eyes to their reality and role in our lives.

Price: $49.00
Hear God Through Your Dreams MP3s

Hear God Through Your Dreams MP3s

by Mark Virkler | 5 Sessions

A newer version has just released: Click here for Hearing God Through Your Dreams MP3s by Charity Kayembe and Mark Virkler (featured on Sid Roth in November, 2016).

Price: $24.95
Hearing God Through Your Dreams MP3s by Mark Virkler and Charity Kayembe

Hearing God Through Your Dreams MP3 Downloads

Receive divine counsel nightly. Increase emotional health, wisdom and creativity

Learn How to Hear God’s Voice, Even When You Are Sleeping

Recorded live at Catch the Fire in Toronto!

Price: $39.95

Pages