PATHOGENIC MOUTH GERMS CAN CAUSE HEARTH ATTACK

the idea that oral bacteria can caise hearth disease has always come as a surprise to many. Speaking with Daily Sun, Consultant Surgeon, De Emmanuel Enabulele said that physicians, healthcare, professionals and government health agencies have been preaching for years that elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, lack of exercise and a diet high in saturated fat will sure lead to an increased wish of heart attacks and eventually heart disease but no one said anything about germs.According to him, germs in the mouth enter the bllod stream through cuts in the gum and this can trigger heart attack and heart disease. He further explained that pathogenic mouth germs gain access directly to the bloodstream through tiny cuts made in the mouth when brushing.He advised that people observe good oral hygiene and seek expert advice about the type of toothbrushes they use and how to care for them.A process known as atheroscerosis is the overwhelming cause of heart disease. During this process, the inner lining of the artery walls becomes furred with a thick plaque made up of fatty deposits of cholesterol, cell waste, and other pathogenic substances. As this occurs, the arteries becomes narrowed and obstructed. The blood and oxygen supplied to the heart becomes restricted. So the heart cannot get the oxygen that it desperately needs. This causes some people to experience angina (chest pain). Atherosclerosis also leads to the occurrence of a heart attack, where the blood supply to the heart muscle is interrupted or temporarily stopped because of a blood clot in the coronary artery.So, the cause of heart disease is the process known as atherosclerosis, but what causes the buildup of plaque in the arteries? What is it that triggers this process? What causes a piece of plaque to break off and float down the bloodstream?The old adage "you are what you eat" certainly holds true when it comes to the instigation of heart disease. Any doctor will tell you that a diet high in saturated fats – fast foods, French fries, red meats, cookies, and processed foods – is likely to result in the accumulation of fatty plaque within the artery walls. At the present time, many people are battling a dreadful serious obesity problem, which is certainly linked to the high occurrence of heart disease. However numerous studies demonstrated that we are facing serious germ problem – a "silent epidemic" of germs, which like obesity, can also be associated with a high occurrence of heart disease.Researchers at Harvard Medical School have shown the atherosclerotic plaque found in the arteries of heart disease patients to contain DNA specific to porphyromonas gingivalis, the bacteria responsible for periodontal disease. The Harvard researchers actually found traces of the pathogenic oral bacteria within the sticky artery-clogging material.Connection between oral and heart diseaseVarious studies that demonstrate the connection between heart disease and the key bacteria responsible for periodontal disease.A recent study by Belgian discovered that the toxic by products of gum infections-natural bacterial poisons called endotoxins – are also released into the bloodstream where they travel to the heart and cause blood vessel injuries that promote clots.Further studies show that the most common strain of bacteria in dental plaque may cause blood clots. When blood clots escape into the bloodstream, they may increase the risk of heart attacks or other cardiovascular events like strokes. More seriously, the bacteria from periodontal disease are known to contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, the evidence is clearly out there that shows bacteria is responsible at least in part for the onset of heart disease, but obviously not everyone has caught on.It comes as a surprise that the idea of oral bacteria as a cause of heart disease has not been taken up by many in the medical establishment. Many physicians and scientists laughed at their colleague Dr. Barry Marshall when he announced hiss discovery that H. pylori bacteria are responsible for most stomach ulcers. After all, the appearance of ulcers had long been attributed to things like stress, poor diet, and aspirin overuse, and for years doctors had treated their patients according to this firmly established belief. But as it turns out, everyone was wrong except Dr. Marshall.Physicians, healthcare professionals and even government health agencies have been telling us for years that elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, lack of exercise and a diet high in saturated fat will sure lead to an increased risk of heart attacks and eventually heart disease. No one said anything about germs. That is until now. The reason that the germ connection has not been taken up into practice is because doctors have been treating patients according to the guidelines established by earlier research and medical knowledge – the out of date knowledge that does not implicate oral bacteria with heart disease. Sadly, it may take decades for the transition to take place. How many people have to suffer or die in the interim?So, how can bacteria cause heart attacks? Researchers believe that chronic infection, such as periodontal disease causes inflammation that often goes unnoticed by patients (internal inflammation is symptom-less is often impossible to detect). Ironically, inflammation is usually a helpful reaction when it sends an army of white blood cells to fight an infection, but a report claims that the inflammatory cells secretes a substance called C-reactive protein (CRP) that actually promotes atherosclerosis. Some of the research has shown that men with high levels of CRP had three times as many attacks as those with the lowest levels, which goes along with the findings of a study that found people with gum disease had three times the risk of heart attack over a 10 year period.Other research proves that acute periodontitisd is a cause of low-level inflammation all over the body. Scientists believe that the chemicals produced by the immune system’s reaction spill over the bloodstream through cuts in the gums. Then the chemicals makes their way to the liver to produce proteins that inflame the arterial walls and clot the blood. Atherosclerosis and. Ultimately, heart attack may result.Numerous studies over the past few decades have established over and over that harmful bacteria can exist, in the blood. Especially bacteria that originates in the mouth. Research has also established that antibodies against oral bacteria can be found in the bloodstream. Without a doubt oral germs enter the bloodstream and instigate a molecular chain reaction that can result in atherosclerosiss and heart disease. But how are the germs getting into the bloodstream?Doctors believe that pathogenic mouth germs gain access directly to the bloodstream through tiny cuts made in the gums when brushing. The toothbrush is made up of hundreds of sharp little needles known as toothbrush bristles that cause microscopic cuts in the gums while brushing. You may not know it, but the bristles actually hair-like and get sharper and more jagged with each use, allowing for a higher frequency of cuts and more opportunity foe germs to enter the bloodstream. The vast majority of the time, you have no idea that you are abraiding the soft tissues of your mouth because you don’t see blood when you rinse.Additionally, a typical unsanitized toothbrush is literally covered with millions of bacteria, viruses, fungi (moulds and yeast, food particles and parasites. Germs can jump from one toothbrush to another toothbrush, toothbrushes have been shown to be contaminated with E.coli bacteria and fecal coliforms because of the germs released when flushing the toilet every time you put trusty toothbrush in your mouth, chances are that you are giving a gang of nasty germs a free ride into your system."Heart diseaseOur doctors and healthcare professionals tell us that maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the essential key to lowering the risk of acquiring the disease. Regular exercise, managing stress, and eating foods low in cholesterol and saturated fat are the things we can do to protect ourselves. Meanwhile physicians prescribe cholesterol-lowering drugs to help us reduce the plague obstructing our arteries.Unfortunately, many of us don’t heed our doctors good advice until it’s too late. We stick to our under exercised, over-satiated lifestyles, relying on drugs to make us better. Many of the latest drugs used to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease simply aren’t working. A study of 3,000 people at high risk of developing heart disease, but who had not yet acquired the disease found that treatment with a statin drug did not significantly reduce their risk of heart disease. What the drugs did do, however, was increase their risk of developing cancer by 25 per cent. The article concludes that the emphasis on prescription drugs as treatment (more like a temporary cure) for heart disease demonstrates that the US may be spending more than $500 billion each year on medical care that may not be helpful and even potentially harmful to health.Clearly, we are fighting a difficult and challenging battle. Heart disease is still killing us, despite the drugs and the efforts to change lifestyle, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. So what are we to do to protect ourselves?Heart disease, also known as coronary heart disease (CHD) is a condition characterized by the narrowing and clogging of the arteries with a fatty, glue-like substance called atheroma.