Arteriosclerosis Cure

Arteriosclerosis, also known as coronary artery disease, is the medical term for hardening of the arteries, a condition that occurs when too much pressure is put on the artery walls, making them hard and stiff. The name often is used interchangeably with atherosclerosis, a form of arteriosclerosis where fat builds up on and in the artery walls, restricting blood flow and increasing the chances of a blood clot. Arteriosclerosis and its more specific form, atherosclerosis, are preventable and easily treated through both lifestyle changes and medication.

Exercise and At-Home Remedies

• The best way to both treat and prevent arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis is by adopting a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise. These will help you decrease the chance of excess fat building up and putting pressure in, on and around your artery walls. Additionally, quitting smoking and reducing stress can help improve the efficiency of your heart and increase blood flow.

  Referenced in an article in MedicalNewsToday.com, a 2003 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown that a proper whole-foods diet, when compared with a diet low in saturated fats, plus regular exercise, is just as effective as the myriad of drugs available for treating the condition. Another study published in 2004 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that the best way to lower bad cholesterol (see "Medications" section) is to eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables.

Medications

• Should proper diet and exercise not help, your doctor may prescribe any of a number of medications to treat arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis. One of the primary medications used to treat atherosclerosis is cholesterol medication designed to lower the "bad" cholesterol in the arteries, known as low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Combined with a diet designed to increase the "good" cholesterol, known as high-density lipoprotein (HDL), these medications--statins and fibrates--can help clear up atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis quickly.

  Your physician also may recommend anticoagulants (heparin and warfarin) and anti-platelet medications (aspirin) to help decrease the chance of clots forming. Anticoagulants work by thinning the blood, while anti-platelet medications prevent an excess of platelets from grouping together and blocking your arteries.

  Finally, the use of blood pressure medications, such as beta blockers, also can help prevent atherosclerosis from progressing.

Surgery

• If your atherosclerosis is severe, or if medications have proven ineffective, there are a number of surgeries that may help. These include angioplasty, also known as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, wherein your doctor slides a thin tube--called a catheter--into the blocked part of your artery, and then inflates it using a small balloon. The balloon pushes the deposits against the artery walls and a stent (mesh tube) is used to hold open the artery. Used in conjunction with the stent is the anti-platelet medication clopidogrel, which helps prevent clots from forming in the stent.

  When the fatty deposits in the arteries have built up to the point where they need to be surgically removed, you'll need to undergo an endarterectomy.

  In the event that an artery has become blocked by a blood clot, your physician may order thrombolytic therapy. This involves a physician injecting a clot-dissolving drug directly into your artery at the site of the blood clot, in an attempt to break up the clot.

  Finally, in more extreme cases, you may require bypass surgery. During bypass surgery, a vessel is taken from another part of your body and used to divert the flow around the affected artery. During the procedure, your surgeon stops your heart, and a heart-lung machine is implemented to assist in breathing and to keep your blood pumping. It takes about six weeks to recover, and it is the most common form of heart surgery, as of July 2009.