Some readers and friends left a message asking: Atherosclerotic plaques appear in the carotid arteries, can the plaques be "dissolved" again?
For this problem, if you understand the formation causes and pathophysiology of carotid plaques, you can understand that carotid plaques are unlikely to be like an ice cube, "dissolved" again, but in real life, there are indeed carotid plaques, through active conditioning and control, so that carotid artery plaques are reduced, carotid atherosclerosis problems are "reversed", today's popular science article, come to talk to you about the "reverse carotid plaque" of those things.
Causes and physiological mechanisms of carotid plaque formation
Hardening and aging of the arteries is an almost inevitable physiological process with age, but in this process, there are many "catalysts", such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes and other chronic diseases, smoking, obesity, overeating and other adverse factors in life, are important promoters to accelerate the development of carotid artery plaque, coupled with the difference in congenital personal genetic factors, therefore, different people in the same age, the degree of arteriosclerosis will be very different, Some people may develop atherosclerosis in their forties, while some friends are still in good health in their blood vessels in their sixties and seventies.
How do you know how much you are atherosclerosis? The simplest and most direct method is carotid artery ultrasonography, through carotid artery ultrasonography, you can intuitively understand the thickness of the carotid artery lining, but also can find the problem of carotid arteriosclerosis plaque, and through the carotid arteriosclerosis plaque and other problems, it can also predict the health status of other arterial vessels such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular vessels, which is an important examination method to assess the degree of atherosclerosis.
How do carotid arteriosclerosis plaques appear? If from the physiological mechanism point of view, the formation of carotid arteriosclerosis plaque, not all at once, but in the long-term process of gradual formation, such as hypertension, diabetes and other factors affect the carotid artery lining health, inflammatory reactions lead to carotid artery intima cracks, blood lipids in the arterial vascular wall lining below the formation of deposits, deposited lipids are engulfed by macrophages, after the oxidation process, the formation of lipid foam and gradual fusion, the formation of lipid core under the arterial lining, The blood vessels also form a fibrous cap above the lipid core compensatibly, so that a "plaque" containing the lipid core and covering the fibrous cap is formed. Whether it is a plaque problem of carotid artery plaque or other arterial blood vessels, the formation process is roughly like this.
Therefore, from the physiological mechanism point of view, the carotid artery plaque that has been formed is basically impossible to "dissolve" again, therefore, for the carotid artery plaque problem, the problem of atherosclerosis, we should not consider dissolving it with drugs or some folk remedies, but should carry out reasonable conditioning intervention for the problem of atherosclerosis to reduce and control the health risks caused by atherosclerosis.
Carotid plaque cannot be dissolved, but can be improved or even reversed
Although carotid artery plaques cannot be dissolved, but in life, there are indeed some friends who are not serious about carotid artery hardening plaques, and they actively attach importance to them from the discovery point out, through reasonable life conditioning and drug intervention, so that the carotid artery plaque problem has been improved, and even the effect of "disappearing and reversing" of plaques has been reduced or even achieved.
The 50-year-old brother Wang, a neighbor of Li Yaoshi, went to a health examination at the age of 47. Found that the carotid artery median membrane thickness reached more than 1.2mm, clearly confirmed that there is a carotid artery plaque problem, since the discovery of the problem, Wang brother realized his own problems, and did not want to have major health problems in the old age, so actively cooperate with the doctor to make changes, to 50 years old to review the carotid ultrasound, the original carotid artery hardening plaque site, carotid artery in the middle membrane thickness did not thicken but returned to the level of 1.0mm, has not reached the carotid artery plaque diagnostic standards, in fact, such a change, but also reflects that the other arterial vascular health of The body of Brother Wang has been greatly improved How did he do that? Through in-depth understanding with him, I think his 4-point experience in improving arteriosclerosis is worth learning from us.
1. Actively regulate blood lipid levels
Hyperlipidemia is an important physiological basis for the formation of atherosclerosis, it is precisely because the lipid component in the blood is too high, it will cause lipid deposition under the blood vessel lining, and want to improve the problem of atherosclerosis, actively control blood lipid levels, is to regulate arteriosclerosis, reasonable blood lipid control, not only can delay the development process of atherosclerosis, reasonable blood lipid control, but also may achieve the effect of reducing plaque.
Want to do this, on the one hand, to actively adjust the level of LDL cholesterol, the LDL cholesterol is best controlled to 1.8mmol / L or less, but also pay attention to the low HDL cholesterol situation, if you can control LDL cholesterol at the same time, increase the level of "good cholesterol" HDL, you can help HDL carry excess cholesterol back to the liver to decompose the ability, two-pronged, in order to better control and improve the plaque problem.
2. Reasonable control of other chronic disease problems
In addition to the high blood lipids, the blood pressure has also reached 140/95mmHg, which belongs to the problem of hypertension, although the blood sugar has not yet reached the standard of diabetes, it has also exceeded the normal range, it belongs to the problem of fasting blood glucose damage, for these problems, Wang Brother in taking statin to control blood lipids at the same time, through the conditioning of a healthy lifestyle, especially the method of actively strengthening exercise, blood pressure gradually dropped to 130/80mmHg or less, fasting blood glucose also gradually returned to normal levels, blood pressure, The vascular health hazards caused by elevated blood sugar are greatly reduced. However, if the increase in blood pressure and blood glucose is more serious, the drug should not be avoided from medical treatment, reasonable drug control intervention, strict control of blood pressure and blood glucose standards is also very important.
3. Do a good job of health examination regularly
In order to understand the control of blood lipids, the safety of taking statins, as well as the intervention of life conditioning of blood pressure and blood glucose, as well as the progress of atherosclerosis, Brother Wang will conduct health checks every year to further understand blood lipids, blood pressure, blood sugar, whether there is further development of carotid artery plaques, and other health conditions in terms of liver and kidney function. These timely health examinations can let us understand the control of our own arterial arteriosclerosis factors, and also understand the safety of long-term medication, which is very necessary and an important way to ensure the safety and effectiveness of medication.
4. Long-term adherence to healthy lifestyle interventions
In addition to medication, examination and other aspects, the maintenance of a long-term healthy lifestyle is also an important magic weapon for Brother Wang to finally achieve the "reversal" of carotid artery plaque. Since the discovery of carotid artery plaques, The big brother who attaches importance to health has actively made changes to himself, smoking quit, drinking as little as possible, while actively controlling the diet, because the work factor is often sedentary, after work every day will insist on exercise and exercise, through some lifestyle changes, the original excess weight of the big brother Wang has also returned to normal, the body has become stronger, 50-year-old people, look more energetic than he was 45 years old, and unconsciously, sleep has become better and better, Mood and mentality have also become more positive, such a diet, exercise, improve bad habits, sleep and other aspects of long-term maintenance, so that Wang Brother harvested a healthier body, but also so that the carotid artery plaque problem has been comprehensively improved and alleviated.
The above 4 aspects are important aspects for improving atherosclerosis problems and reducing the risk of atherosclerosis, which is simple to say, but it is not simple to do, I hope that today's sharing can enlighten friends who see it, so that everyone can understand the risk factors earlier in protecting blood vessels, and improve the conditioning of related problems and bad lifestyles as soon as possible, and better protect our arterial and vascular health.