In the final stages of the disease a piece of plaque will break off the arterial wall. It creates a blood clot or blocks a smaller artery. The flow of blood and oxygen stops

Next to last stage of the disease:
The swelling, the scar and the plaque have narrowed the artery. The pipe carrying the oxygen rich blood is smaller. Not as enough blood is getting through the narrow, wounded area. Cells at the end of the pipeline begin to die from the lack of oxygen. The body reacts to the cells' call for help. The heart turns the blood pressure up higher. With higher blood pressure all cells get their life-giving oxygen.

As the width of the artery (the pipe supplying blood) gets more narrow, and blood pressure goes up, the blood flows faster and with greater force. The blood squeezes through narrow, wounded areas. The immune system cells and cellular repairs now have to function in this high pressure flow of blood. The conditions can be compared to working in hurricane-force winds.

Just when you think it couldn't get worse:
The blood flow now has enough force to knock a piece of the plaque off the arterial wall. Experts believe this plaque acts like flying pieces of broken glass in a storm. They cut and tear everything they come in contact with. Experts believe this caused the original injury in the arterial wall. The repair cycle has to begin again in another section of the wall.

The 2 most deadly conditions (a blood clot or a blocked artery) are occurring. A large piece of plaque has broken off the wall and has blocked a smaller artery. Maybe it was the high blood pressure that knocked the plaque off the wall. It could have been jarred lose during the fight between the foreign invaders and macrophages. Maybe, a big blob of LDL fat hit the plaque and knocked it off the wall.

It doesn't matter how the blood clot or blocked artery was formed. What matters is the flow of blood and oxygen to the down stream cells has stopped. How long do you think your cells can live without oxygen? The body feels the pain from every cell that dies from the lack of oxygen. When heart tissue cells aren't getting oxygen, it's called a heart attack. When brain cells aren't getting oxygen, it's called a stroke. These conditions are painful, and often deadly. When cells die from the lack of oxygen, there isn't much anyone can do to help them.

A Summary of What We Know about the
Arterial Wall Repair Cycle

1. We're absolutely sure that high fat diets start the buildup high bad cholesterol levels in your blood. Pour enough grease down the kitchen sink and eventually it will clog the pipes.

2. We're positive that high LDL bad cholesterol levels will clog your blood pipes or circulatory system.

3. We know arterial plaque is made of hardening LDL cholesterol.

4. We know the actions taken by the immune system cells. We know the sequence of steps in the cellular repair process of the arterial wall.

5. We know that it's a piece of arterial plaque that forms a blood clot or blocks a smaller artery causing heart attacks and strokes.

6. Here comes a part we are not sure of: Experts believe that it is the pieces of circulating plaque that causes the initial injury to the arterial wall. The injury send the body into a cellular repair cycle. The injury leads to heart attacks and strokes. The truth is, no research has proven what initially injuries the arterial wall.

7. You can see why doctors focus on treating high blood pressure and high LDL bad cholesterol levels. Being fat or smoking, strains, poisons and creates additional problems for the body.

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