Around the so-called “vascular cleansing”
A whole industry and many myths have developed.
However, our blood vessels are not pipes; even theoretically, cleaning them to get rid of cholesterol plaques or calcium deposits is not at all so simple. Does “vascular cleaning” even exist, or is it a misconception and a marketing ploy? We talked with our expert - cardiologist, functional diagnostics doctor, candidate of medical sciences Anna Nikolaevna Kotelnikova
, to learn more about the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.
On the eve of the New Year and the festive feast, be attentive to your diet and take care of yourself!
Vessel cleaning - what is it?
In official medical terminology, there is no such thing as “cleaning blood vessels” - this is everyday slang that is misleading and creates confusion. Unfortunately, it is impossible to remove cholesterol plaques that have already formed and clean a clogged vessel like a water pipe using a magic cleaning agent or “nanothreads”. An entire industry has already formed around the cleaning of blood vessels, however, the drugs and procedures that are offered to solve the problem do not have proven clinical effectiveness, the same applies to traditional methods. Restoring the functional state of the vascular endothelium is much more serious than detox, which is only appropriate for the primary prevention of vascular blockage. With atherosclerosis, when the vessels are narrowed by less than 50%, there is a risk of blood clots, heart attack or stroke
, the doctor prescribes drug therapy (
statins
,
calcium antagonists
and other drugs). However, they do not remove plaques, but compact them, thus increasing the lumen of the vessel. Therefore, it is extremely important to adhere to simple recommendations for the prevention of atherosclerosis.
In colloquial language, “cleaning” is also called cardiac surgery to expand a dangerously narrowed vessel - angioplasty, bypass surgery, stenting
. Their methods differ, but the essence is approximately the same: a catheter is inserted into the vessel, and the damaged, pathologically narrowed area is straightened and strengthened from the inside using implants - special rings, springs or tubes. The need for such operations arises if an atherosclerotic plaque closes the lumen of the vessel (artery) by more than 50%. When the blood supply is so disrupted, cells and organs are not supplied with oxygen and nutrients, and a person’s life can hang by a thread. It happens that a vessel or artery is blocked by a blood clot - a person suddenly feels very tired to the point of loss of consciousness, rapid heartbeat, suspicious pain (headaches, in the area of the heart), suffocates, and the skin turns pale. Such conditions are considered acute, and as a “cleansing” procedure, thrombolysis with special drugs is used on an outpatient basis. After stenting, bypass surgery or angioplasty, blood supply is restored, but it is necessary to take special medications and be observed by a cardiologist.
Helping the spine with osteochondrosis using dips and douses
It is not for nothing that there is an opinion that after taking a shower or visiting a bathhouse, a person feels lightness in his body. Not only his mood improves, but also his physical condition. What is the secret of water procedures?
How it works
It would seem, what benefit can be derived from dousing with cold water for a disease such as osteochondrosis, when the slightest hypothermia is strictly contraindicated for the body? It turns out that cold water relieves pain symptoms and nervous tension, and has a beneficial effect on the functioning of internal organs, increasing their tone.
The mechanism of action of cold water suggests that following the spasm experienced by the blood vessels, there is an influx of blood due to relaxation of the vessels. It is the improvement of blood circulation that contributes to the restoration of functional disorders.
One should not ignore the fact that after dousing with water, there comes a moment when the work of all body systems is stimulated. By affecting the entire surface of the body, water seems to recharge it with its positive energy. This replenishment manifests itself in what can be observed visually - covering the body with pimples and raising the hairline.
Temperature of water used for dousing
When starting douches, you should not start with warm water, then gradually lowering its temperature. During the dousing process, the body should experience short-term stress, which will be replaced by vasodilation. At the initial stage, you should not be afraid of the dousing procedure itself, or the possibility of getting hypothermia and, as a result, catching a cold. If you use warm water for dousing, then no positive effect will be achieved, since there will be no contrast between the temperature of the skin and the water. By using cold water, we kind of give the blood vessels a kind of training aimed at increasing their ability to contract and expand.
In fact, after pouring cold water on oneself (and most importantly, on the back), a person experiences a sharp cooling, followed by a feeling of an influx of heat due to a rush of blood. In some rather rare cases, there is no thermal effect, which indicates the need to change the dousing technique. A qualified specialist will tell you how this should happen.
First - dipping, then - dousing
For those who have a bathtub, it is better to start with dips, i.e. complete immersion in water with a delay there of no more than five seconds. Having filled the bath with enough water to immerse the whole body, it is necessary to make emotional preparation. The body needs to be configured to the fact that the subsequent procedure will allow it to throw off not only negative energy, get a charge of vigor, but also cope with its ailments. Conduct a short auto-training with a simultaneous mental appeal to the Universe, in which you should express gratitude to water as the source of all living things. Thus, unity with the water in the bath is achieved, and it becomes capable of exerting its healing effect.
After getting out of the bathroom, you should not dry yourself - the water should dry on the skin due to the natural body temperature. To enhance the effect of the procedure, you need to go out into the fresh air. It’s easier to do this in your own home, but in an apartment you can use the balcony, or just open the window. Do some physical exercises in the form of bending and squats, after which you can go about your normal activities.
When pouring water, it is necessary to pour water from the container so that its flow falls on the head, and then goes along the back, along the spine. Further actions after dousing are identical to those that accompany dipping.
The effect of procedures on the spine
Osteochondrosis is the destruction of the vertebral discs. Therefore, with a diagnosis such as osteochondrosis, treatment may include dipping and dousing. Indeed, in this case, spasms are relieved from those muscles that have undergone painful changes. The nervous system reacts in a similar way, receiving an energetic stimulus for its regeneration.
Improving blood circulation ultimately helps relieve headaches and spinal pain.
In combination with massage, health-improving exercises and proper nutrition, the effect of douches only intensifies. Author: K.M.N., Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences M.A. Bobyr
Why do blood vessels become clogged?
Vessels become blocked for various reasons, but most often this occurs due to cholesterol plaques and the deposition of calcium salts (calcinosis). The mechanism for the formation of such blockages is more complex than it seems, and it lies behind our everyday habits - even the most harmless at first glance. For example, when we eat highly salty foods
, blood thickening and fluid retention occur - blood pressure increases.
When we experience stress
, the hormones adrenaline and norepinephrine are produced - key vessels narrow, and pressure increases because the amount of blood that the heart needs to push remains unchanged. In a normal healthy state, the vessels cope with such loads, but over time, serious problems can begin, and this is not only hypertension.
Causes of atherosclerosis
The fact is that due to systematic additional loads, microdamages can form on the walls of the arteries. Damaged tissues swell. Cells that respond to inflammation (for example, white blood cells) accumulate around the damage, and fat and cholesterol that float in the blood also cling to them - a cholesterol plaque is formed. It is no longer possible to get rid of it using completely non-invasive methods. At the same time, the walls of the vessels become coarser and thinner - this pathological condition is called atherosclerosis, which in turn can lead to coronary artery disease and causes the need for “cleansing of blood vessels”.
Thus, it is important not only to eat right, but also to maintain the functional state of the cardiovascular system.
Causes of cervical osteochondrosis
Today our world is overwhelmed by a wave of physical inactivity or, more simply put, a sedentary lifestyle. It is partly due to an excessive passion for various mobile gadgets or the need to work at the computer for long periods of time2,11. This has extremely detrimental effects on our spine11. Low levels of physical activity and prolonged stay in a certain position3,4 can lead to disruption of metabolic processes in cartilage and bone tissue and weakening of the muscles that provide protection and support to the spinal column3.
The cervical region is the most mobile part of the spine, but also the most vulnerable5. Vulnerability is associated with anatomical features - a weak muscle corset in the neck, as well as the small size and low mechanical strength of the vertebrae5.
The development of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is promoted by:
- long-term work at the computer5;
- driving5;
- heavy physical activity2;
- injuries, for example, “whiplash” movement of the head when stopping a vehicle quickly3;
- stress4, smoking2, hypothermia2;
- inflammatory processes4;
- congenital defects of the spinal column, reducing its resistance to overload3;
- surgical interventions4.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is more often observed in dentists, office workers, designers, programmers and people in other professions whose work involves repetitive movements5.
to come back to the beginning
Good and bad cholesterol
There are several types of lipoproteins (cholesterols). Low-density lipoproteins
(LDL)
are considered bad , but there is also a good one -
high-density lipoproteins (HDL)
. The latter works almost as an antagonist of bad cholesterol, allows you to control lipid metabolism - helps in transporting substances and detoxifying the body from bad cholesterol. Below we will tell you how to maintain the correct LDL-HDL balance and what else you need to pay attention to.
Prevention of vascular atherosclerosis
Avoid foods with high cholesterol levels
Limit animal products with high cholesterol content in your diet: lard, fatty meat, offal, fatty dairy products and whole milk, egg yolk. This does not mean that you need to completely abandon animal proteins and fats. The menu should be dominated by vegetables and fruits, complex carbohydrates and cereal fibers, especially fiber. It is important to control sugar levels and not overindulge in sweets and starchy foods - it is better to replace chocolate bars and snacks with dried fruit sweets and nuts, and your body will thank you.
The method of preparing dishes also plays an important role
- before you put meat or scrambled eggs in oil on a hot sizzling frying pan, think about whether it might be better to steam it? It is forbidden? Okay, but for frying it is better to use vegetable oils, such as olive oil.
Citrus fruits also fight fat and cholesterol
, in particular the substance pectin, isolated from
grapefruit
.
Pectin
is a soluble fiber that is found only in citrus fruits themselves, but not in juice.
We get cholesterol from 2 main sources. Most of the cholesterol (about 1 g per day) is produced by our liver - and this is enough.
We get the other part directly from food.
There is another life hack: pay attention to labels in the store, try to avoid products labeled “partially hydrogenated fats”
.
Play sports - train your heart and blood vessels
WHO recommends at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week.
During training, the body is detoxified, and the blood vessels are strengthened - this is also a kind of “cleansing of blood vessels.”
Even after undergoing stenting/bypass surgery, you can play sports and even run a marathon. However, such patients first need to take medications for quite a long time and be observed by a doctor. Patients with cardiovascular diseases need to calculate the permissible level of physical activity and select its optimal option. bicycle ergometry is for.
, which allows you to take stress tests on a device similar to a bicycle with special sensors.
Check your cholesterol levels
Once a year, it is recommended to take a special blood test - a lipid profile - to see if there is an increase in the level of total cholesterol or its fractions. In this way, it is possible to understand in a timely manner whether everything is fine with lipid metabolism or whether drug correction is necessary.
Primary prevention of atherosclerosis and blockage of blood vessels also involves visiting a therapist or cardiologist once a year, even if there are no complaints.
Treat periodontal disease, control sugar levels and body weight
Everything in our body is interconnected. It has been proven that patients with periodontal disease, like patients with diabetes and overweight, are more predisposed to atherosclerosis.
In 2021, the study “Metabolic syndrome and periodontal disease: An overview for physicians”
(Srivastava MC, Verma PK) with important and very interesting conclusions. In patients with poor teeth and a predisposition to atherosclerosis, intensive periodontal therapy after 2 months showed a significant reduction in the levels of c-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Measure your blood pressure
The absolute norm for blood pressure in an adult is considered to be 120/80 mmHg, but depending on the individual characteristics of the body, deviations are possible.
Monitor calcium levels and nutrient balance in the body
It is recommended to take additional Omega-3
- the body does not synthesize these beneficial fatty acids on its own - and you need to eat a lot of seafood and season salads only with flaxseed oil to make up for this deficiency. Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are the basis not only for strong and clean blood vessels, but even a building material for the brain. The average adult is recommended to consume 250 mg of Omega 3 per day throughout his life.
Vitamin K3
prevents calcium from being washed out of the bones and deposited on the walls of blood vessels. Most K₂ is found in fermentation products: cheese and fermented milk products.
Vitamin D and C, coenzyme Q10 are also extremely important for blood vessels
Stay hydrated, give up bad habits and get enough sleep
Drink clean filtered water throughout the day - about 1.5 liters.
The permissible amount of alcohol per day, which does not harm your heart and blood vessels, is 1 glass of good quality red wine; it is better to completely give up smoking.
You can get the maximum benefit from sleep if you sleep for 7-8 hours in a comfortable environment, without light or gadgets, and wake up only with or without an alarm clock.
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis
It is impossible to get rid of osteochondrosis of the spine that has already occurred, but it is quite possible to slow down its development and prevent the onset of pain if you pay close attention to your health2:
- balance nutrition2;
- do not overeat, normalize body weight2 so as not to overload the spine5;
- exclude hypothermia, trying to avoid staying in a draft or damp room5;
- maintain physical activity2;
- play sports, swimming is especially useful5;
- organize the workplace correctly6;
- when working for a long time in a forced position, regularly change position and stretch your neck6;
- choose a comfortable pillow and mattress for a comfortable sleep2.
In advanced cases, osteochondrosis can not only reduce the quality of life, but also deprive a person of his ability to work2. Therefore, try to notice in time the factors that can lead to the destruction of intervertebral discs, and, if possible, eliminate or reduce their harmful effects on the spine. If you are concerned about neck pain, be sure to consult your doctor. Only a specialist can determine the stage of the disease, select painkillers and prescribe a course of physical therapy or physiotherapy.
The information in this article is for reference only and does not replace professional advice from a doctor. To make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment, consult a qualified specialist
Literature
- Treatment and prevention of osteochondrosis A.A. Pilipovich// General Medicine 2. 2015 - pp. 15-22
- Spinal osteochondrosis // Clinical recommendations / All-Russian public organization Association of Traumatologists and Orthopedists of Russia (ATOR) - 2021.
- Voronyanskaya L.K., Evsyutina V.B. Physical rehabilitation of patients with cervical osteochondrosis // Problems of physical education and sports / No. 9. - 2010. - pp. 19-21
- Sklyarenko O. V., Sorokovikov V. A., Koshkareva Z. V. Some aspects of the pathogenesis and diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine (literature review). Acta biomedica scientifica. 2019; 4(6): 47-53. doi: 10.29413/ABS.2019-4.6.7.
- Bezrukova, O. V. Therapeutic exercise for spinal osteochondrosis: a textbook // O. V. Bezrukova, G. I. Bulnaeva; GBOU VPO IGMU of the Ministry of Health of Russia. – Irkutsk: IGMU, 2013. – 58 p.
- Isaikin A.I. Pain in the cervical spine // Difficult patient / No. 7. - VOLUME 10. - 2012. - P. 36-41.
- Chekhonatsky A. A, Komleva N. E, Chekhonatsky V. A. Some features of the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of radiculo- and myelopathic syndromes of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine (review) // Saratov. scientific and medical journal / 2021. - T. 16, No. 1. — P. 64-68.
- Instructions for medical use of the drug Motrin® / Reg. number PN002874/01 / ,
- Childress MA, Becker BA. Nonoperative Management of Cervical Radiculopathy. American Family Physician. 2021 May 1;93(9):746-54. PMID: 27175952. 746-754
- Cervical Spondylosis (Arthritis of the Neck). from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Reviewed by Thomas Ward Throckmorton, MD, FAAOS. 2021
- Grishan M.A. “Physiological consequences of physical inactivity for the human body” Medical and pharmaceutical journal “Pulse”, vol. 20, no. 12, 2021, pp. 70-73.
- Svetoslav Nikolaev Stoev, Stanislav Radoslavov Gueоrguiev, Vasil Georgiev Madzharov, Hristina Viktorova Lebanova (2021). “Naproxen in Pain and Inflammation – A Review”, International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Phytopharmacological Research, 11(1), pp.142-148.
Women and men over 40 years old
Patients in the older age group should be especially attentive to the state of the cardiovascular system and the primary prevention of atherosclerosis. Statistically, men are more susceptible to this disease, and hormones play an important role in this.
During the reproductive period, a woman’s ovaries produce sexual estrogens, which regulate the content of fats in the blood and prevent the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels, that is, they protect the woman’s body from atherosclerosis.
During menopause, ovarian function declines, they stop producing estrogen, and its content in the blood drops sharply. This leads to the fact that cardiovascular diseases in women after menopause appear 5 times more often than before it.
Therefore, at this age it is recommended to consult a gynecologist-endocrinologist.
, who may prescribe menopausal hormone therapy if necessary. MHT can not only improve the quality of life and prolong it, but also preserve beauty from the inside.
Doctors at the Cardiology Center of the Pirogov Clinic provide qualified assistance to patients in the treatment of atherosclerosis, preventive diagnostics, as well as recovery after stenting, bypass surgery, and a heart attack.
You can make an appointment with a cardiologist or directly with Dr. Anna Nikolaevna Kotelnikova through our website.
How to treat cervical osteochondrosis
An important part of treatment is pain relief1. To relieve pain from cervical osteochondrosis, the doctor may prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)1,2,9, muscle relaxants, antispasmodics and other drugs with analgesic effects1,2,9. Among the NSAIDs, naproxen can be used as a first-line pain reliever10,12.
MOTRIN® containing naproxen has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. The drug is indicated for pain relief in adults and children over 15 years of age8. One dose of MOTRIN® is sufficient for up to 12 hours8. Without consulting a specialist, it is recommended to use the drug in a minimum dose and, according to the instructions, for up to 5 days13.
Physiotherapy
Therapeutic exercise improves blood circulation, metabolism and nutrition of the intervertebral discs. Exercises help increase the space between the vertebrae, help strengthen the muscle corset and reduce the load on the spine2.
For cervical osteochondrosis, special gymnastics is prescribed, including various sets of exercises2,3,5. For example, 2-3 times a week you can do the following exercises5:
- Place either palm under your chin, then press your chin firmly into the resisting palm, while trying to keep your chin and palm still.
- Tilt your head back and try to touch your right ear to your right shoulder (5 times). Repeat the same movement on the other side, touching your left ear to your left shoulder.
Physical therapy should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist, so before performing any exercises, be sure to consult with your doctor and get his recommendations.
Non-drug therapy
Physiotherapy is often included in complex therapy for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine2. For example, the following methods2 can be used:
- various types of massage;
- manual therapy and osteopathy;
- acupuncture;
- laser therapy;
- magnetic therapy;
- mud therapy.
to come back to the beginning