Arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis is a condition involving narrowing or hardening of the arteries. It happens when cholesterol accumulates along the walls of the arteries and leads to the obstruction of the blood vessels. Hardening of arteries primarily occurs when an individual has been on a diet with unhealthy high levels of cholesterol. Blockages in the arteries can enhance the risk of heart failure. In fact, this is the leading cause of death in several urban societies. High levels of cholesterol in the blood might also be related with age and emotional stress. Arteriosclerosis is seen to occur in people who mostly live a largely sedentary lifestyle. An extreme type of arteriosclerosis is atherosclerosis wherein the accumulated cholesterol is attacked by the immune cells.
Symptoms
Arteriosclerosis generally occurs in the limbs first. At first, there might be no symptoms and the disease develops gradually. It might start progressing in adulthood and the first signs and symptoms are generally noticed when there's a disruption in the blood supply to the muscles and tissue due to arterial blockage. The most common symptoms are as follows:
• Individuals with arteriosclerosis might complain of chronic pain in the legs. The legs might also become visibly dark and cold to touch. The pain might make it difficult for the individual to carry out simple movements such as walking.
• There might also be a loss of hair on the hands and legs
• Another common symptom of arteriosclerosis is muscle pain in the thighs, calves and feet. Due to this the person could feel it uncomfortable to sit or sleep. Thus, it's vital to consult a doctor if the pain continues.
• As a result of the reduced blood flow, there might also be numbness in the feet and legs. This is generally felt after sitting in one position for some time. The muscles might also feel achy and stiff.
Causes
Risk factors that cannot be controlled
These include gender as well as age. As a person ages, the arteries harden and become less elastic and so the heart needs to pump harder so that the blood gets supplied to all parts of the body. Men are at a higher risk of developing this disease. This can be credited to the estrogen in women which provides a sort of natural protection from the disease. However, the estrogen levels drop after menopause and thus the risk of this disease increases. Also, there's nothing much that can be done since these risk factors are uncontrollable.
Risk factors that can be controlled
The risk of this disease can enhance significantly based on certain lifestyle choices. These risk factors include high fat diet, smoking, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. High blood sugar levels as a result of diabetes can also cause harm to the walls of the arteries. Smoking cigarette also contains many toxins that are harmful for the walls of the arteries. All these factors place an individual at risk for coronary artery disease.
Homeopathy for Arteriosclerosis
Homeopathy believes in treating the individual as a whole rather than targeting just the condition or disease. Many who follow this science believe that it can cure several severe ailments out of which arteriosclerosis is one.