CCSVI in Multiple Sclerosis's Notes
Endothelial Health ProgramShare
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 9:51am
Written 10/08- Sent to Dr. John Cooke at Stanford University. Dr. Cooke's endothelial research and his book, The Cardiovascular Cure, were highly inspirational. This program was developed prior to reading Dr. Zamboni's research, and is how I became aquainted with Dr. Michael Dake. It is suggested for healthy vascular living for MS patients. I now understand that it was CCSVI and blocked jugular veins creating the breakdown in my husband's blood brain barrier, but this program- along with corrected venous drainage- will allow for healing.

Overwhelmed:
Reversing Endothelial Dysfunction in Autoimmune Disease
By Joan Beal

I am not a doctor. Not even close. I took chemistry in high school, but I
didnt like my teacher and chatted my way through labs. That was the end
of my science career. I majored in music in college, and have spent my
adult life pursuing the creative arts. Although math and science were
never to be my fort, I do enjoy puzzles. I cannot walk away from an
unfinished Sudoku, and much to my husbands frustration, I always shout
out I know who did it! before the first act of a mystery is completed. I
guess Im a big picture gal- I like to step back and find the connections
between seemingly disparate things. You could also call me a holistic
person, because I enjoy finding commonalities and patterns. Just like the
nine digits in the Sudoku box.

Multiple sclerosis is not a puzzle I was prepared for. By the time my
husband finally went to the doctor, after a month of my pleading and
cajoling, he was really sick. He was numb on his left side and his feet
were burning. He went in for an MRI and the technician added the
contrast dye to his veins. We knew he was in trouble. When we went to
meet with the neurologist, I noticed under the harsh fluorescent lights his
skin had a jaundiced pallor. And what were those strange red dots up
and down his shins? I hadnt seen him in shorts recently...what were
those?

His neurologist said that had nothing to do with his illness. He
had multiple sclerosis... it was an autoimmune disease. My husbands t-
cells were attacking the myelin on his brain and spine, and he had 20
lesions to show for it. His blood labs had come back a little funny...he had
extremely high liver enzymes, but once again the neuro said, But that has
nothing to do with his MS. She recommended a disease modifying
treatment- a daily shot of a myelin based protein called glatiramer acetate
to retrain his t-cells- gave us a list of some nutritional supplements that she
said might help, and sent us on our way.

I was incredulous. How could my healthy husband one day just wake up
with an immune system in attack mode? And why werent things like those
spots (Id later learn they were called petechiae) and his liver enzymes
and jaundice related to this new illness?

So I went to work deciphering this new code. I read medical journals on
line, became the queen of google, and found I could type multiple
sclerosis in two seconds without looking at the keyboard. And the more I
read, the more questions I had. Because MS is incurable and no one
really knows what causes it, it is open to more quackery and craziness
than almost any other disease. And it can be a dreadful illness, causing
death and paralysis in some, while remaining relatively benign in others.

It has been almost two years since my husbands diagnosis, and he is still
stable and in remission from his first flare. We thank God everyday for his
health and ability to carry on with his life. But we havent sat back on our
laurels. Jeff has radically changed his diet, maintains a healthy weight
through exercise, and takes over 25 supplements. He has also worked
on lessening the stress in his life and finding ways to deal with neuropathic
pain and fatigue, the nasty reminders of his disease. He is fortunate, and
he is determined. But we realize that nothing is guaranteed.

I am not writing about curing autoimmune disease. I do not believe I have
the abilities or knowledge to cure anyone. I am only addressing ways to
minimize the affects of autoimmune disease and to help people feel better
and remain in remission. For now, my husbands MS is not progressing,
but I do not know how to stop his MS for good. Right now, it appears that
only God can do that. Let me be clear, I am also not about blaming
people for becoming sick. There is a genetic component to each of these
diseases that no one would ever ask for or bring upon themselves. The
reasons why people develop specific autoimmune diseases goes beyond
my limited understanding. But there is hope and relief through lessening
the external factors which contribute to disease.

24 million Americans suffer from some form of autoimmune disease.
These diseases, in which the immune system appears to turn on the self,
include diabetes, MS, rheumatory arthritis, and lupus. The number of
afflicted is growing at an astounding rate. I believe all autoimmune
diseases are related. Inflammation, vascular problems, coagulation issues,
neuropathic pain and suffering are common to each affliction, although the
specific area that is affected is different. In MS, its a breech in the blood
brain barrier of the central nervous system. In rheumatory arthritis, its the
joints. If we step back far enough from the names of individual diseases
and all the various specialists who treat them, we can begin to see the big
picture....and I believe it all begins inside each and every one of us with
our blood.

The Circulatory System
Our hearts beat around 72 times per minute, over one hundred thousand
times each day....transporting our blood throughout a vast network of
vessels. Over a lifetime, the heart pumps one million barrels of blood.
Arteries are the vessels that carry blood from the heart to the organs and
tissues of the body. They begin at the base of the heart and branch like
tree trunks, becoming smaller limbs and yet smaller twigs. Finally, when
they reach the tissue cells of the body, they are so tiny that only one blood
cell can get through them at a time. When the blood vessels are this small
they are called capillaries. There are more capillaries (and more miles of
capillaries) than any other kind of blood vessel. Tiny capillaries are the
smallest arteries in the human body, and ten of these equal the thickness
of one strand of human hair.

Veins are the vessels that drain the blood from the capillaries and carry it
back to the heart. The tiny veins that drain the capillaries flow into larger
and larger vessels. When they deliver the blood back to the heart the
heart pumps the blood back to the arteries so it can make its journey once
again.

In contrast to the vascular system, the lymphatic system is a complex
network of conduits and nodes that carry a fluid called lymph. Lymph is a
clear to yellowish watery fluid which forms in between cells of the body.
This watery fluid travels in the lymph channels, through various lymph
glands and eventually drains into the bloodstream. It is formed when
interstitial fluid (the fluid that bathes cells and tissues) enters the conduits of
the lymphatic system. The interstitial fluid is in turn formed because of
filtration of blood. This clear fluid contains white blood cells, known as
lymphocytes, along with a small concentration of red blood cells and
proteins. Because white blood cells are smaller than red blood cells, they
can pass easily through membranes which red blood cells cannot
penetrate. It circulates through body tissues picking up fats, bacteria, and
other unwanted materials, removal of excess tissue fluid, filtering these
substances out through the lymphatic system to produce immune cells
such as lymphocytes (antibody producing plasma cells) and monocytes.

The flow of our blood is a microcosm of the cycle of water on our planet.
Tiny streams join larger and larger rivers which eventually flow to the sea .
The clouds draw moisture from the oceans, and create precipitation which
then falls to earth and is stored in ice and snow, melting to rejoin the
streams. So too, our bodies absorb all that is around us and all that we
ingest; the good we find in our nutrition, air, and water, and all of the
waste and toxins which we do not need. Our blood absorbs the good
and bad without prejudice and relies on our lymph system to filter for us.

The Endothelium
There are approximately 60,000 miles of blood vessels in an adult human
body. And lining these vessels is a single layer of flat cells called the
endothelium...from the Greek endo meaning within and thele meaning
nipple. Within our body, deep inside our breast, this vast network of
arteries, veins and capillaries is kept whole and maintained by a healthy
protective layer of microscopic endothelial cells.
The endothelium is the inner lining of blood vessels and lymph vessels. It
functions as an interface between the vessels and the blood.

EDRF- Nitric Oxide
In 1998 Robert F. Furchgott, Louis J. Ignarro and Ferid Murad were
awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine for the important discovery that the
endothelium is more than just a "Teflon like lining of the vessels its
actually the largest secreting organ in the body. The endothelium is a
highly active organ which is involved in regulating your circulatory stability
through numerous functions such as blood pressure, inflammatory
processes and coagulation. These doctors sought to find what they called
EDRF, or endothelium-derived relaxing factor.
Together, they discovered that the healthy endothelium secretes
substances which protect vascular health. Chief among these substances
is nitric-oxide a two atom molecule, which is considered to be the
hallmark of normal endothelial function, and the signaling factor they had
been searching for.
Nitric Oxide is involved in locally regulating processes such as
Vascular tone
Inflammation
Coagulation
Oxidation

If these processes are not strictly regulated, they can lead to impairment of
vascular health, creating atherosclerosis, cardiovascular and autoimmune
disease.

Nitric oxide protects the heart, stimulates the brain, and kills bacteria.
Because NO was previously considered merely a common air pollutant
formed when nitrogen burns, (for instance in automobile exhaust fumes)
scientists were surprised to learn that NO could exert important functions
in the body. It was particularly surprising since NO is totally different from
any other known signal molecule and so unstable that it is converted to
nitrate and nitrite within 10 seconds. NO was known to be produced in
bacteria but this simple molecule was not expected to be important in
higher animals such as mammals....but it is.

If the endothelium lining of our blood vessels becomes damaged and the
NO levels are changed, cells which are supposed to remain in our blood
can leak into our body tissue. Some of the cells can be proteins, such as
C-Reactive protein, which is produced by the liver and causes
inflammation. Signaling can become impaired, and disease results.
Current research on the endothelium.....

Professor Kenneth Smith of Kings College in London has been
researching the consequences of neuroinflammation and NO on the
properties of neural axons. His groups research has focused on the
inflammatory mediator nitric oxide, which he believes to play an important
role in causing axonal degeneration in multiple sclerosis. Nitric oxide is
produced in high concentrations in multiple sclerosis lesions and the
group has found that axons become very vulnerable to degeneration if
they are conducting trains of impulses while exposed to nitric oxide.
Blood vessels run through our brain and spinal cord and supply oxygen
and other nutrients, and the lining of those blood vessels constitutes a
biochemical barrier to protect the central nervous system from toxins,
inflammatory cells, red blood cells, blood products, and a variety of other
potential toxic insults.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.
Dr. Berislav Zlokovic of the University of Rochester Center for
Neurodegenerative and Vascular Brain Disorders has written many
papers on the effect of endothelial dysfunction on the neurovascular
system:
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a highly specialized brain endothelial
structure of the fully differentiated neurovascular system. In concert with
pericytes, astrocytes, and microglia, the BBB separates components of
the circulating blood from neurons. Moreover, the BBB maintains the
chemical composition of the neuronal "milieu," which is required for
proper functioning of neuronal circuits, synaptic transmission, synaptic
remodeling, angiogenesis, and neurogenesis in the adult brain. BBB
breakdown, due to disruption of the tight junctions, altered transport of
molecules between blood and brain and brain and blood, aberrant
angiogenesis, vessel regression, brain hypoperfusion, and inflammatory
responses, may initiate and/or contribute to a "vicious circle" of the
disease process, resulting in progressive synaptic and neuronal
dysfunction and loss in disorders such as Alzheimer's disease,
Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and
others. These findings support developments of new therapeutic
approaches for chronic neurodegenerative disorders directed at the BBB
and other nonneuronal cells of the neurovascular unit.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Endothelial dysfunction is characterized by a shift of the actions of the
endothelium toward reduced vasodilation, a proinflammatory state, and
prothrombic properties. It is associated with most forms of cardiovascular
disease, such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, chronic heart
failure, peripheral artery disease, diabetes, and chronic renal failure.
Mechanisms that participate in the reduced vasodilatory responses in
endothelial dysfunction include reduced nitric oxide generation, oxidative
excess, and reduced production of hyperpolarizing factor.
Endemann DH, Schiffrin EL.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research Multidisciplinary Research Group
on Hypertension and Hypertension Clinical Research Institute of Montral


The following Diseases have been linked to
Endothelial Dysfunction:
Diabetes
Atherosclerosis
Heart Attack and Stroke
Hypertension
Multiple sclerosis
Lupus
Scleraderma
Rheumatory arthritis
Alzheimers
ALS
Parkinsons
Hypercoagulation of blood, thrombosis, clotting disorders
Renal Failure
Metabolic Syndrome- abdominal obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance
Sleep Apnea
Glaucoma

Now that we understand how the endothelium works, the role of nitric
oxide, and why it is so important to the health of the entire body, we need
to find out how the endothelium can be damaged. Aside from genetic
mutations which contribute to endothelial dysfunction, what outside factors
could make our blood vessel walls break down, so that particles which
should go through the filtering system now instead enter into our tissue,
creating havoc and disease? Fortunately, we now know through clinical
trials and studies which outside influences can damage the endothelium-
are we also know how to counteract and avoid them.

One or two of these assaults on the endothelium might not cause damage.
Our bodies were created to remove waste and toxins through our liver,
kidneys and lymphatic system. Sadly, our lifestyles are exposing our
bodies to more than we can handle. The cumulative effect is creating
more and more autoimmune disease. Our modern, industrialized lifestyles
expose all of us to several of these outside factors: I truly believe
endothelium dysfunction and NO imbalance is the disease of modern man,
and is responsible for the increasing rates of autoimmune disease in the
industrialized nations.

To provide a contrast and by means of example, I present a day in the life
of two American women, separated by only 100 years in time.

Early 1900s- Life as it been lived for thousands of years.....
You and your husband get up from bed as the sun rises and the rooster
crows. You both get dressed and head outside together to milk the cows
and feed the livestock. You work the pump at the well get a drink of water,
which comes from a fresh spring underground. The physical exertion of
pumping water and carrying it, lifting the feed and milking the cows has
worked up a good sweat. You gather some fresh eggs from the
henhouse, and head inside to cook breakfast. The meal includes coffee
or tea made with spring water, fresh milk from the cow, eggs and toast with
apple preserves, jarred last fall. The children rise, get dressed, eat and are
soon out the door to walk to school. Your husband heads off to his work
in the barn. There is laundry to be washed and hung on the line and
gardening to do. You spend over two hours out doors, in the sunshine.
Again, hard work and more exercise. This is not a life of leisure! Fresh
fruits and vegetables are eaten in season and canned and jarred for off
season. There isnt much meat, but an occasional fish from the stream or
chicken from the henhouse. Grains are whole, and you add flaxseed to
the bread. Root vegetables and greens are plentiful. Mealtime is spent
together as a family. After dinner, and after the dishes pots and pans are
cleaned, the family sits together and reads or plays board games. Soon
the sun sets and its time for bed. Everyone is tired from the days activities
and ready to sleep.

2000s....Modern Life
You rise in the dark to the incessant buzz of the alarm clock. Its a quick
shower in city water and blow dry before heading to the kitchen to make a
pot of coffee. You get your water from the tap and microwave a breakfast
sandwich of processed ham and cheese to go. You check your e-mail on
the laptop and holler to wake your husband and the kids and hurry them
up- theres no time to waste! They get dressed, grab their backpacks and
eat their microwaved breakfasts as everyone piles into the van. Its off to
school where you drop them at the door. Then you get back on the
freeway to sit in traffic. Love those fumes! Youre starting to get a
headache. Trapped on the road, you try to make good use the time by
calling clients and checking your blackberry. Your stress levels are now
through the roof of the van. You get to the office late and have to deal
with everything that has been piled on your desk. No time for the gym,
and lunch is going to be a bag of peanut M&Ms and a can of Coke. You
never see the light of day, except through your office windows. By the
time you get home, its dark and the kids are fighting over the Playstation.
You still need to make dinner. Your husband has texted you, hes
running late and will miss dinner...again. You pile the kids back in the van
and head to a fast food place. Its drive through and the kids dont mind.
Youre famished and get a double cheeseburger, since you skipped lunch,
how could it hurt? You get everyone home and get the kids doing their
homework. Its nine pm before you know it, and your husband finally gets
home. He walks in and just wants to sit in front of the TV, hes exhausted.
You get the kids bathed and into bed. Its 11pm before you fall into bed,
head pounding. You have trouble sleeping, and it seems like by the time
you finally drift off, the damn alarm is ringing again!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I do not mean to over-romaticize or idealize the lives of men and women
from a century ago. Theirs was a very different experience, and it was
physically and emotional demanding. People got sick then, very sick, and
many died premature deaths. But not many suffered from chronic
autoimmune diseases. Our modern lifestyle is much easier in many ways:
we have automated appliances to do our labor, vehicles to transport us
and conveniences our great grandparents could only have dreamed of.
But our lifestyle has disrupted many natural and hormonal patterns; such
as the circadian rhythm. We no longer use the sun to tell us when to rise
and set. And doctors are seeing a deficiency of vitamin D (the sunshine
vitamin made by our skin when exposed to sunlight) linked to many
diseases. Not coincidentally, lack of vitamin D is one of the causes of
endothelium dysfunction.


Here are some of the modern issues which are harming our endothelium-

Causes of endothelial dysfunction:
1. Oxidative stress- Our bodies constantly react with oxygen as we
breathe and as our cells produce energy. Our utilization of oxygen is a
two-edged sword.... We need oxygen to survive, but as a consequence of
using oxygen, highly reactive molecules are produced known as free
radicals. These are electrons which have lost their partner in our
breathing or energy process, or from outside influences, and they are now
on their own. Unpaired, these free radical electrons damage the
endothelium wall and make it permeable. Free radicals disrupt the
balance of nitric oxide. In most instances, our body has enough of a
supply of antioxidants from food to neutralize these molecules, but if the
body is depleted, or there are too many coexistent factors, there is injury
to the endothelium and a change in the balance of NO.

Some external factors which can dramatically increase the number of free
radicals in our bodies and influence NO when we ingest, inhale or come
in contact with them are:
Plastics, especially PCBs and BPA (1)

Smoking and second hand smoke
Smoking reduces nitric oxide in the blood vessels and causes an increase
in ADMA, the modified amino acid which puts strain on the heart. Nicotine
also causes vessels to narrow, so that less oxygen is delivered to the
heart. Platelets become stickier, and therefore clot formation is increased.
Smoking raises the level of carbon monoxide in the blood, which
increases the risk of injury to endothelial cells. (2/13)
Metals exposure such as mercury and cadmium (3)
Air pollution, especially diesel exhaust (4)
Arsenic and chlorine found in public drinking water (5)

2. Eating Bad fats
Its really true....some fats are just not good for our bodies and should be
avoided. Heavily saturated animal and dairy fats, trans fats, hydrogenated
fats and chemically-altered fats from vegetable shortening and oils damage
the endothelium. (6)

3. Stress:
Cortisol, the hormone released into the body when we are under acute
stress, impairs endothelium production. (7)

4. Sleep deprivation- Lack of restful sleep, due to obstructive sleep
apnea, or not enough time in bed creates endothelial dysfunction and
constricts blood flow.

5. Acute Bacterial infections -
Chlamydia pneumonia, Lyme disease, Sepsis, Staph...
All of these infections can become chronic as the endothelium is
weakened, bacteria enters the tissues and the immune system is unable to
fight (8)

6. Low Vitamin D levels-
A lack of sunshine and dietary vitamin D injures the endothelium (9)

7. Low Vitamin B12 levels-
Anemia/low vit. B12 creates high levels of homocysteine in the blood (a
sulfur containing amino acid) which damages the endothelium
A strict vegetarian diet that excludes all meat, fish, dairy and eggs, or an
unbalanced diet of processed foods could create low vit. B12 levels and
damage the endothelium (10)

8. High intake of glucose-
Ingesting too much glucose in the form of simple sugars increases
endothelial cell death and increases oxidative stress (11)

9. Sedentary Lifestyle
Lack of physical exertion, especially cardio-vascular exercise, damages
the endothelium (12)

10. Overexposure to Electro Magnetic Fields
Electro-magnetic fields change the endothelium (13)
Because it this is a relatively new area of study, and there are so many
things we do not understand about how electromagnetic fields affect our
bodies, it is almost impossible to point to one source of electromagnetism
as harmful to our health. I believe, after reading the ground-breaking work
of Dr. Robert O. Becker, that we must be aware of the amount of EMF
fields we expose ourselves to, and find ways to limit their influence on our
lives.


If you go back and re-read the daily lifestyle changes of 20th century
woman vs. 21st century woman, with the above in mind, you might be
able to see how many changes affect endothelium health and are at play
in our lives today. I believe it is the cumulative effect of these influences
that is creating unprecedented levels of autoimmune disease today.

Ways to reverse endothelial dysfunction and return endothelium
health and stasis-
There are ways to restore the endothelium to its healthy natural state.
Doing this will relieve inflammation, normalize blood pressure, stop C-
reactive protein from harming the body. There is not one pill to take, or a
simple cure. This process of restoration of the endothelium is multi-
faceted, and will take discipline and dedication. But it will work....

1. Physical Activity is shown to stop endothelial dysfunction, especially
exercise of the cardiovascular kind- Inactivity increases the breakdown of
the blood vessels. A sedentary lifestyle will damage the endothelium.
Daily moderate exercise is recommended.

2. Stress reduction:
Reducing cortisol levels through lifestyle changes, including
meditation, visualization, prayer and intentional breathing and practices
such as tai chi and yoga.

3. A functioning Liver-
I recommend a monthly liver cleanse by utilizing a milk thistle supplement.
The active ingredient, or liver-protecting compound in milk thistle is known
as silymarin. This substance, which actually consists of a group of
compounds called flavonolignands, helps repair liver cells damaged by
toxic substances. Silymarin also keeps new liver cells from being
destroyed by these same substances, reduces inflammation and has
potent antioxidant effects. It has been shown to protect the endothelium.

4. Let the sun shine-
Find time to spend outdoors. It only takes fifteen minutes of sun on the
skin and eyes to generate adequate daily vitamin D intake. Skin makes
vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation from the sun. A
light-skinned person will synthesize 20,000 IU (international units) of
vitamin D in 20 minutes sunbathing on a Caribbean beach. Because of
sunscreen and our indoor lives, we are not receiving enough of this
potent vitamin. Vitamin D acts as a hormone in our bodies, working with
the parathyroid to keep proper levels of calcium in our blood. It can also
be taken as a supplement, D3, in 2,000IU daily.

5. Laughter!
A University of Maryland study showed that healthy men and women who
were shown a funny movie increased blood flow by 22% and improved
vascular and endothelial health. The effects of laughter lasted for 45
minutes after the movie had finished.

6. Nutrition and supplements-
Antioxidants- these are found in foods and can also be taken as
supplements to reach optimal levels. Antioxidants bind with free radicals
and stop the damage they cause to the endothelium.
Vitamin A and Carotenoids -Carrots, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, collards,
cantaloupe, peaches and apricots (brightly-colored fruits and vegetables)
Vitamin B -Fish, meat and dairy products
Vitamin B12 is frequently used in combination with other B vitamins in a
vitamin B complex formulation. It helps maintain healthy nerve cells and
red blood cells and is also needed to make DNA, the genetic material in all
cells.
Vitamin C -Citrus fruits like oranges and lime, green peppers, broccoli, green leafy
vegetables, strawberries and tomatoes
Vitamin E - Nuts & seeds, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, olive oil
Flavonoids -specific kind of antioxidants from plant pigments, which also reduce
inflammation and improve vascular health
-quercetin found in apple skin, red onion, red grapes
-EGCG found in green tea
-soy

Healthy fats
Salmon, trout, herring, avocados, olives, walnuts and olive oil. An omega
3 fish oil supplement is essential, especially if you do not have fish in your
diet- Recently, the scientific community has been concentrating on the
benefits of these fatty acids. The most important fish oil fatty acid is one
called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). We have long known that fish is
healthy, but it is now proven that the omega-3s in fish fat improve
endothelial function by enhancing Nitrous Oxide production, increasing
HDL (good) cholesterol levels and reducing LDL and triglyceride levels.
Further, fish oils have been shown to reduce production of free radicals
and substances that cause inflammation in the body. (13)

Healthy Proteins-
Reducing red meat proteins in your diet with vegetable and soy proteins
will help the endothelium.. Animal proteins contain mixtures of aminoacids
that produce more of the aminoacid methionine, which is the precursor for
homocysteine, which can damage the endothelium. Vegetable proteins are
healthier because they contain no saturated fat and less methionine.
Vegetable proteins also have more fiber and nutrients, called
phytonutrients. Soy proteins produce a mixture of aminoacids that have
more L-arginine. L-arginine is essential for the production of NO. Soy
proteins also contain other phytochemicals, the biochemical products of
plants, which are healthy for the endothelium. Other L-arginine sources
include fish, nuts, legumes, beans and chicken (13)

Probiotics-
Probiotics are live microorganisms (in most cases, bacteria) that are
similar to beneficial microorganisms found in the human gut. They are also
called "friendly bacteria" or "good bacteria." Probiotics are available to
consumers mainly in the form of dietary supplements and foods like
yogurt.

Essential Minerals
Studies have shown that magnesium, zinc and calcium are all important to
preserving endothelial health. There are supplements which contain all
three of the minerals in balance. (14)

Antithrombic and AntiInflammatory Herbs-
Curcumin, Salvia, Ginko, and Garlic are all shown to decrease
inflammation and regulate blood viscosity, preventing hypercoagulation.
Proteolytic Enzymes-
Both serrapeptase and nattokinase are enzymes which reduce
inflammation and pain and help blood viscosity by regulating clotting.
Bromelain- pineapple is one of the best anti-inflammatories on the planet.

7. Lessening of Electro-Magnetic Field Pollution-
This is a controversial issue, but I recommend that each individual find
ways to lessen the intake of electropollution in their own lives. It could be
as simple as moving the plug in alarm clock away from your head, using a
hands free device on your cell phone, living without the blow dryer and
microwave or as complex as moving to a rural area, away from high
power lines. We do know that electromagnetic pollution changes the
endothelial surface, but I am certainly not capable of defining a process
that has not been adequately researched. Perhaps the future will provide
more answers.


So, how have I put this knowledge to work for Jeff, my inspiration and my
muse?
I now understand that the red spots on his shins that first appeared were
petechiae and they were caused by damaged blood vessels leaking out
pinpoint drops of blood into his skin.
His high liver enzymes and jaundice were screaming signs that his liver
was completely overwhelmed, and unable to process the toxins in his
body. This process created the damage to his endothelium, and I believe
this also contributed to the breaking of his blood brain barrier and the
creation of the lesions in his central nervous system.

Now that we have returned his body to a functional level of health, the
petechiae are gone, his liver enzymes have resolved, and his MS is in
remission. As we add antioxidants such as quercetin and EGCG, we are
finding his fatigue is relenting, as damaging free radicals are bound up,
and his circulation is improving. His blood has shown signs of
hypercoagulation or sticky blood- also from endothelial damage, but this
is slowly reversing with the addition of proteolytic enzymes.

We continue to live in this modern society. Our southern Californian
home is one mile from the busiest freeway in the world, Jeff works in a
room full of computers, and our city water isnt great. Jeff finds he feels
even better when we visit our country house....with well water, no diesel
fumes, no power lines, and less commotion. Perhaps well be able to live
there someday, but until that time, Jeffs regimen is mitigating the negative
factors on his endothelial health.

I have benefitted from this research, as well. I have stroke and heart
disease in my family, and I have been a lifelong sufferer of migraines and
low blood pressure, exacerbated by what I now believe was poor
endothelial health. I am no longer dizzy when I stand up, my heart doesnt
race, and my hands and feet are warm (for the first time in my life!) and no
migraines in over a year. My vascular health has improved by changing
diet, regular exercise, stress reduction and a bunch of supplements.
Jeff continues to take his prescribed daily injection of Copaxone for his
MS. As I stated earlier, I am not a doctor, and I trust his neurologists
diagnosis. Jeffs t-cells are indeed breaking through his blood/brain
barrier and attacking the myelin in his central nervous system. What I offer
is complimentary medicine...another way for his body to heal and help
return him to balance. I do not think our lifestyle created MS or other
autoimmune diseases, but I do believe it is making them worse.


JEFFs PROGRAM-
His specific regimen for a return to endothelial health-
Diet- Jeff follows Dr. Swanks MS Diet, which means no red meat or
chemically altered or processed fats. He eats fish at least once a week,
and still enjoys chicken, turkey, low fat cheeses, eggs and mayo. He
does not eat white foods or simple carbohydrates like bread or pasta, or
chemically processed foods. No more simple sugars or artificial
sweeteners. I purchase organic fruits and vegetables and cook with olive
oil. We love to eat edamame (soy pods) and snack on blueberries and
walnuts. Jeffs adapted quite well to his new eating habits.

Exercise- Jeff exercises three to five times every week for 45 minutes to an
hour. His routine varies between mountain bike riding on the trails,
walking the dog, using an elliptical machine and weight machine. He gets
a good cardio workout and continues to build muscle strength with
resistance training.

Stress Reduction- Jeffs learned how to say no to too many work projects,
and is enjoying spending more time with all of his family members. He
takes meetings on his computer, through an i-sight network, and has
reduced his time on the freeway.

Mitigating toxins- Weve recently added air filters to our home, to keep
pollen, pollution and dust levels down. Jeff has many allergies, and this
seems to help him. We have filters on our drinking water.

Daily Nutritional Supplements:
DHEA (to balance hormonal levels) 25mg.
CO-Q10 200 mg.
B-12 sublingual (lozenge under the tongue) 5 mg.
Omega 3 fish oil 1000 mg.
Alpha Lipoic Acid 300 mg.
Inosine - (raises uric acid levels, which are low in MS patients....inosine has been shown to
scavenge peroxynitrite and help endothelium health in MS patients....contraindicated for
heart disease 2000 mg.
Glisodin (antioxidant catalyst) 500mg.

Vitamin D 4000 IU
Glutathione (antioxidant) 1000 mg
Cod Liver Oil (DHA/EPA) 1000 mg. .
Microalgae Oil 200mg.
Grape Seed Extract 200mg.
EGCG (green tea extract) 600mg
Quercetin 400mg
bromelain 400mg
Serrapeptase-enzyme 500mg
Nannokinase-enzyme 2000FU
A daily Probiotic 14 million good bacteria!
Calcium/Magnesium/ Zinc (essential minerals) 1000/500/50 mg.
2 additional daily Multi-vitamins include-
Vit. B-12 75 mcg.
Folate 400 mcg.
Vit. B-6 75 mg.
Niacin 75 mg.
Vit. B-2 75 mg.
Thiamine 75 mg.
Vitamin E 150 IU
Vit. D-3 400 IU
Vit. C 250 mg.
Vit. A 15000 IU
Phosphorus 22 mg.
Iodine 550 mcg.
Selenium 60 mcg.
Copper .30 mg.
Manganese 11 mg.
Chromium 65 mcg.
Molybdenum 50 mcg
Potassium 70 mg.
Pantothenic Acid 75 mg.
Biotin 75 mcg.
Herbs
Milk Thistle (liver tonic) 350 mg. everyday for one week out of the month
Salvia 60mg.
Ginko 60mg
Curcumin 500mg
NOTES:
Where sources are not indicated, please know that I researched to get my facts straight-
especially regarding the circulatory and lymphatic systems, and Ive compiled this paper
from a variety of web textbooks and sources-
Here are the studies I cite:
1. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, volume 205, March 2002 pp.
95-102
2.Acute smoking induces endothelium dysfunction -Kalliopi Karatzi, MSc, Christos
Papamichael, MD, Emmanouil Karatzis, MD, Theodore G. Papaioannou, PhD, Paraskevi
Th. Voidonikola, MD, John Lekakis, MD and Antonis Zampelas, PhD
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, GREECE (K.K., A.Z.)
Vascular Laboratory, Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra University Hospital,
Athens, GREECE
3.The role of mercury and cadmium heavy metals in vascular disease, hypertension,
coronary heart disease, and myocardial infarction.
Houston MC.
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, USA.
4.Persistent Endothelial Dysfunction in Humans after Diesel Exhaust Inhalation
Hkan Trnqvist1,*, Nicholas L. Mills2,*, Manuel Gonzalez3, Mark R. Miller2, Simon D.
Robinson2, Ian L. Megson4, William MacNee5, Ken Donaldson5, Stefan Sderberg3,
David E. Newby2, Thomas Sandstrm1 and Anders Blomberg1
1 Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergy, Ume University, Ume, Sweden; 2
Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; 3
Department of Medicine, Ume University, Ume, Sweden; 4 Free Radical Research
Facility, UHI Millennium Institute, Inverness, United Kingdom; and 5 ELEGI Colt
Laboratory, Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United
Kingdom
5.Association between arsenic exposure from drinking water and plasma levels of soluble
cell adhesion molecules
Environmental Health Perspectives, Oct, 2007 by Yu Chen, Regina M. Santella,
Muhammad G. Kibriya, Qiao Wang, Maya Kappil, Wendy J. Verret, Joseph H.
Graziano, Ahsan Habibul
6. Cholesterol-independent endothelial dysfunction in virgin and pregnant rats fed a diet
high in saturated fat
Authors: Robert T. Gerber;Kathleen Holemans;Ivan O'Brien-Coker;Anthony I.
Mallet;Rita Bree;F. Andr Assche;Lucilla Poston
Source: The Journal of Physiology, Volume 517,Number 2, June 1999 , pp. 607-616(10)
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing
7. Metyrapone Improves Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients With Treated Depression
Andrew J.M.Broadley, MRCP, AniaKorszun, MRCPsych, EltiganiAbdelaal, MRCP,
ValentinaMoskvina, PhD, JohnDeanfield, FRCP, Christopher J.H.Jones, FRCP,
Michael P.Frenneaux, FRCP, FACC
Received 18 August 2004; received in revised form 11 November 2005; accepted 14
December 2005. published online 08 June 2006.
8. Psychoneuroimmunology by Robert Adler. pp 958-960
9. Effect of vitamin D replacement on endothelial function and oxidative stress in vitamin D
deficient subjects
by: Ozlem Tarcin, Dilek Yavuz, Ahmet Toprak, Ahu Telli, Meral Yuksel, Dilek Yazici, Seda
Sancak, Oguzhan Deyneli, Goncagul Haklar, Sema Akalin1
Endocrine Abstracts, Vol. 14 (2007), 275.
10. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=535
11.Constant and intermittent high glucose enhances endothelial cell apoptosis through
mitochondrial superoxide overproduction
Ludovica Piconi 1, Lisa Quagliaro 1, Roberta Assaloni 2, Roberto Da Ros 2, Amabile
Maier 2, Gianni Zuodar 2, Antonio Ceriello 2 *
1Morpurgo-Hofman Research Laboratory on Aging, Udine, Italy
2Department of Pathology and Medicine, Experimental and Clinical, University of Udine,
Chair of Internal Medicine, Udine, Italy
12.Physical inactivity increases oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, and atherosclerosis
LAUFSUlrich (1) ; WASSMANNSven (1) ; CZECHThomas (1) ; MNZELThomas (2)
; EISENHAUERMarco (1) ; BHMMichael (1) ; NICKENIGGeorg (1) ;
Affiliation(s) du ou des auteurs / Author(s) Affiliation(s)
(1) Klinik fr Innere Medizin III, Universittsklinikum des Saarlandes, Homburg/Saar,
ALLEMAGNE
(2) Med. Klinik und Poliklinik II, Johannes Gutenberg -Universitat, Mainz, ALLEMAGNE
13. Int Med Res 2005;33 (5):545-554
Electromagnetic Fields Inhibit Endothelin-1 Production Stimulated by Thrombin in
Endothelial Cells
S Morimoto1, T Takahashi2, K Shimizu3, T Kanda4, K Okaishi5, M Okuro6, H Murai7, Y
Nishimura8, K Nomura9, H Tsuchiya10, I Ohashi11, M Matsumoto12
1,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12Departmen of Geriatric Medicine and 2,4Department of General
Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan; 3Health Science Research
Laboratory, Matsushita Electric Works Ltd, Osaka, Japan
14. How to Promote and Maintain a Healthy Endothelium, article 14- by Dr. Ed G. Lakatta
15. Zinc protects against apoptosis of endothelial cells induced by linoleic acid and tumor
necrosis factor 1,2,3
P Meerarani, P Ramadass, Michal Toborek, Hans-Christian Bauer, Hannelore Bauer and
Bernhard Hennig
1 From the Departments of Nutrition and Food Science and Surgery, University of
Kentucky, Lexington, and the Molecular Biology Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences,
Salzburg.
Magnesium intake and plasma concentrations of markers of systemic inflammation and
endothelial dysfunction in women1,2,3
Yiqing Song, Tricia Y Li, Rob M van Dam, JoAnn E Manson and Frank B Hu
1 From the Division of Preventive Medicine (YS and JEM) and the Channing Laboratory
(TYL, RMvD, and FBH), Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, and the Departments of Nutrition (TYL, RMvD, and
FBH) and Epidemiology (JEM and FBH), Harvard School of Public Health; Boston, MA
Written about 2 months ago Report Note
6 people like this.

Erkki KuureJoan has done excellent research job about endothelial health. I red it in June and really liked the text. So I warmly recommend it to all, who like to keep circulation/veins in better condition.
August 26 at 12:05pm Report

Arne KaminskyThanks a lot Joan!
Im going to put your work/link into our FB-site.
Its all so freaking awesome at the moment because the first time in 14years with MS ALL makes really sense to me!!!
A change is gonna come I can feel it.:-)
Best Arne
August 26 at 5:03pm Report
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