Editor’s Word: This text is a reprint. It was initially revealed February 13, 2022.

On this interview, repeat visitor Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, a board-certified household doctor and creator of the guide, “The Clot Thickens: The Enduring Thriller of Coronary heart Illness,” opinions the underlying mechanisms for coronary heart illness, which for the final century has been the main explanation for dying within the U.S.

Of all of the books he is written, that is my favourite, because it goes into nice element, supplying you with the organic understanding of the method of atherosclerosis resulting in coronary heart assaults and strokes. He additionally has strong methods for decreasing your heart problems danger.

By the way, when you perceive the illness course of, then you may as well perceive how each COVID-19 and the COVID jab can contribute to coronary heart illness. When requested why he is taken such an curiosity in coronary heart illness, Kendrick replies:

“Once I was coaching as a pupil in medication, Scotland had the very best charge of coronary heart illness on the earth. Early on the reply for why was, ‘Oh, properly, it is as a result of we now have such horrible eating regimen, and we eat garbage meals like deep fried Mars bars.’

So, you eat an excessive amount of saturated fats, the saturated fats will get became ldl cholesterol in your bloodstream, after which it is absorbed into arteries and varieties narrowings and thickenings, which all sounds believable in case you do not give it some thought too arduous.

However I additionally occur to go to France rather a lot, and what I seen about France was, they eat a number of saturated fats. They eat extra, in reality, than anybody else in Europe, and definitely greater than Scotland. So, [this saturated fat] speculation actually did not work for the French. They’ve the very best saturated fats consumption in Europe and lowest charge of coronary heart illness, and this has been the case for many years.

In the event you took all the danger elements for France and Scotland [such as smoking, high blood pressure and diabetes], then the French had barely [higher risk], in response to typical considering. However, in reality, they’d one-fifth [the rate among age-matched men].

So, I assumed, that is attention-grabbing. It does not make a lot sense in response to what we’re informed. Then whereas I used to be in medical faculty, a tutor in cardiology stated … LDL can not cross the endothelium. On the time, I did not know what LDL was, nor did I do know what the endothelium was, nevertheless it sounded essential.

She had been taking a look at coronary heart illness as a distinct course of for many years … So, I believe that is actually the place I bought began. When you begin questioning what the issue is, you find yourself questioning increasingly and also you begin considering, gosh, that is simply nonsense, is not it? This entire speculation is simply nonsense. So, I began choosing it aside.”

The Thrombogenic Speculation

“The Clot Thickens” is Kendrick’s effort to elucidate another speculation for what truly causes coronary heart illness. If it isn’t saturated fats and ldl cholesterol, what’s it? In 1852, a Viennese researcher, Karl von Rokitansky, developed what he referred to as the encrustation speculation of coronary heart illness.

Immediately, this speculation has been renamed the thrombogenic speculation. “Thrombo” stands for thrombosis, i.e., blood clots, and “genesis” means the reason for, or the beginning of. So, the thrombogenic speculation is that blood clots are the essential pathology that causes all coronary heart illness.

In a nutshell, when a blood clot varieties in your artery wall, which might occur for plenty of causes, it’ll sometimes be lined over and dissolved. An issue arises, nevertheless, if the blood clot isn’t absolutely eradicated and one other blood clot varieties in the identical “susceptible” space. This then turns into what’s conventionally known as atherosclerotic plaque.

“The atherosclerotic plaque is principally a buildup of blood clot, restore, blood clot, restore, blood clot, restore,” Kendrick explains. “If the blood clotting course of is quicker than the restore course of, you’ve got a plaque that step by step grows and ultimately thickens the artery wall till it narrows sufficiently that the ultimate blood clot, on prime of the present plaque, is the factor that may trigger a coronary heart assault or stroke …

In the event you reduce by means of the plaque and have a look at it, it virtually appears to be like like tree rings. You may see there’s been a clot, restore, clot, restore, clot, restore, clock, restore over time.

It is broadly accepted {that a} blood clot forming on an current plaque will trigger the plaque to develop in dimension. You’ll find 10,000 papers saying that that is the case. What the mainstream will not settle for is {that a} blood clot on a wholesome artery wall can provoke the entire course of.

So, to an extent, all I am saying to individuals is, properly, we all know blood clots trigger the ultimate occasion. We all know blood clots trigger plaques to develop. Why will not you settle for that blood clots are the factor that begins it within the first place? As a result of then we now have one course of all over, and it is smart, as a result of it matches with what you possibly can see.”

As famous by Kendrick, the traditional view is that low-density lipoprotein or LDL will get into the artery wall the place it initiates plaque formation. It then, inexplicably, stops initiating plaque, and the plaque continues to develop by means of the addition of repeated clots.

Nonetheless, Kendrick says, when you begin drilling down into the ldl cholesterol, aka LDL speculation, the entire thing begins to crumble. LDL merely can not clarify the illness development. But regardless of the various holes within the idea, the concept LDL causes coronary heart illness is touted as an absolute, incontrovertible fact.

What is the Mechanism?

To be able to justify a speculation, you might want to have a mechanism of motion. When you perceive the mechanism of the particular illness course of, then you possibly can put the puzzle items collectively. Kendrick begins his rationalization:

“Your blood vessels are lined with endothelial cells, a bit like tiles on a wall. Endothelial cells are additionally lined themselves in a factor referred to as glycocalyx. In the event you attempt to decide up a fish, it’s going to slip by means of your fingers; it is very slippery. The explanation it is slippery is as a result of it is lined in glycocalyx and the glycocalyx is extremely slippery. It is nature’s Teflon.

So principally, in our case, the glycocalyx [is inside] our blood vessels, to permit the blood to journey by means of with out it sticking, with out harm occurring. So, you’ve got this type of damage-repellent layer on prime of your endothelial cells.

Now, if that layer is broken, after which the endothelial cell itself beneath is broken, then the physique will say, ‘Oh, we have harm to a blood vessel, we should have a blood clot there as a result of we might bleed out.’ So, a blood clot varieties on the realm of injury, and instantly stops [the bleeding].”

The blood clot does not simply carry on rising and rising. If it did, you’d die anytime you had a blood clot. As a substitute, when a clot varieties, different processes step in to stop it getting too huge, which is why each blood clot does not trigger a stroke or coronary heart assault. As soon as the clot has stabilized, and has been shaved down, the realm is roofed over by endothelial progenitor cells, made within the bone marrow, that float round in your blood stream.

When a progenitor cell finds an space that has been broken, it attaches itself to that space, together with others, forming a brand new endothelial layer. The remaining blood clot is now mendacity “inside” the artery wall itself. So, principally, it is the restore course of that may result in plaque buildup inside the artery wall. In time, if harm outstrips restore, this could slim the artery and scale back blood circulate.

What Damages Endothelial Cells?

The query is, what can harm the endothelium within the first place? Right here, Kendrick makes use of the SARS-CoV-2 mechanism for instance:

“The COVID virus enters endothelial cells by means of the ACE2 receptor. It prefers endothelial cells as a result of they have ACE2 receptors on them. It will get into the endothelial cell and begins replicating, then bursts out, damaging the cell. Bingo, you have bought an space of injury.

After all, added to this, when cells have viruses inside them, they ship out misery alerts to the immune system saying, ‘I have been contaminated, come and kill me,’ and so the immune system begins to have a go on the endothelial cells. That is why you may get an issue, as a result of the endothelial cells are being broken and stripped off.

Blood clotting happens on the factors of injury and hey, presto, you are having clotting, you are having strokes, you are having coronary heart assaults, which is the factor that folks at first could not perceive [about COVID-19]. But it is very clear that what’s taking place is you have bought harm to the endothelial cells.

Clearly, you and I each know that in case you get a [COVID jab], the cells are triggered to supply the spike protein, and these cells are sending out misery messages saying, ‘I am contaminated.’ It’s a must to be very cautious if you wish to stick one thing into cells that then says to the immune system, ‘Please come and destroy me,’ as a result of that is what the immune system goes to do.

However transferring on from that, what different factor may cause endothelial harm? The reply is issues like smoking. Smoke particles get out of your lungs, they go into your blood vessels and so they trigger harm … You smoke one cigarette and an entire bunch of microparticles seem in your bloodstream, which implies endothelial cells are dying.

Fortunately as endothelial cells die, one other message is distributed to the bone marrow saying, we’d like extra endothelial cells and it stimulates endothelial progenitor cell manufacturing. These endothelial progenitor cells rush round masking over the areas of injury.

Some people who smoke have sufficient restore occurring and if you’re youthful, it is okay. As you become old and your restore methods start to fail a bit, cigarette smoking turns into increasingly of an issue.”

Different issues that may trigger endothelial harm embody:

Repairing the Glycocalyx

As defined by Kendrick, the glycocalyx layer resembles a garden, with slippery filaments that stick up. Inside this glycocalyx layer you’ve got nitric oxide synthase (NOS), which produces nitric oxide (NO), and you’ve got NO itself, in addition to plenty of different anticoagulant proteins. The glycocalyx is definitely a potent anticoagulant layer, so it stops blood clots forming. If glycocalyx is broken, your danger of blood clotting will increase.

“It is a very difficult layer,” Kendrick says. “It is like a jungle stuffed with issues that say, ‘Do not keep on with this, keep away from this.'” Inside it, you even have albumin, protein advanced produced by the liver. Albumin accommodates the proteins that assist preserve and restore the glycocalyx. A truth that the majority medical doctors are unaware of is that, in case you have a low albumin degree, you are considerably extra more likely to die of coronary heart illness.

The excellent news is that whereas the glycocalyx layer might be quickly destroyed, it will also be quickly repaired. (Experiments have proven that in an space the place the glycocalyx has been fully stripped off, it may be fully repaired in a single second.) Dietary supplements like chondroitin sulfate and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) might be useful on this regard.

“In the event you attempt to clarify that by means of the LDL mechanism, it simply does not work,” Kendrick says. “They’ve found that in case you give chondroitin sulfate as a complement — which usually is for arthritis and stuff like that — it reduces the danger of coronary heart illness fairly significantly. How do you clarify that? Effectively, you possibly can clarify that since you’re defending your glycocalyx.

These are the form of issues that make no sense in case you like wanting on the typical concepts of coronary heart illness, however are instantly and simply defined in case you say, ‘We’ve got to maintain our glycocalyx wholesome and we now have to maintain our endothelial cells beneath them wholesome.’

In any other case they are going to be broken and stripped off, after which we’ll get a blood clot, and if we hold getting blood clots at that time, we’ll find yourself with a plaque and ultimately one of many blood clots on that plaque will kill you from a coronary heart assault or a stroke.”

Blood Circulation Restriction Coaching

A life-style technique that may assist restore endothelial harm is blood circulate restriction (BFR) coaching. In response to BFR, your physique produces vascular endothelial progress issue (VEGF), which acts as “fertilizer” for the endothelium. You may be taught the ins and outs of BFR in my free BFR report. VEGF additionally induces the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO), a potent vasodilator, and it stimulates endothelial progenitor cells.

“NO protects the endothelium. It’s anticoagulant — essentially the most potent anticoagulant we now have within the physique. It is actually the magic molecule for cardiovascular well being,” Kendrick says.

“At one time NO was often called Endothelial Derived Rest Issue (EDRF) NO was one thing nobody believed might probably exist within the human physique. NO is definitely a free radical. Everybody says free radicals are terribly damaging and unhealthy.

To that I reply, ‘Effectively, you might want to know that the chemical that’s the single most essential protecting chemical within the physique for the cardiovascular system is an extremely free radical referred to as nitric oxide.'”

Some anticancer medication are designed to dam VEGF, because the tumor wants angiogenesis — which is the creation of recent blood vessels which can be required to supply enough “vitamins” With out these new blood vessels, the tumor dies off. Sadly, in case you block VEGF, you additionally block NO, which then raises your danger for coronary heart illness.

“These medication have been virtually faraway from the market,” Kendrick says, “as a result of regardless of their anticancer exercise, they have been procardiovascular illness to fairly a scary diploma.

[That’s why], in case you are given bevacizumab or Avastin as an anticancer drug, they now offer you angiotensin changing enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), that are blood strain decreasing tablets, and ACE inhibitors have a selected affect on bradykinin, which will increase NO synthesis.”

Methods to Decrease Your Thrombotic Threat

In his guide, “The Clot Thickens: The Enduring Thriller of Coronary heart Illness,” Kendrick opinions many alternative methods that may decrease your illness danger. This is a short-list of examples lined in far better depth within the guide, in addition to a few of my very own suggestions that I carry up within the interview: