Can arteriosclerosis be cured?

Arteriosclerosis or arteriosclerosis, as the vernacular says, is a very common chronic disease. It causes circulatory disorders throughout the body and is ultimately often the cause of a heart attack or stroke. It is therefore only understandable to deal with the question of whether arteriosclerosis can be cured.

In medicine, the healing of a disease means that the initial state of health is restored. No residual damage may remain. Therefore the question whether one can heal an Arteriosklerose is to be answered with a clear no.

According to the current state of science it is not possible to cure arteriosclerosis. It is therefore not possible to reverse the damage that the disease has caused to the vessel walls. The calcifications (plaques) remain.

Even if it is not possible to cure the disease, doctors have a whole arsenal of weapons at their disposal in the fight against the disease. The most important basis of a good arteriosclerosis treatment is the therapy of the corresponding risk factors. In the meantime, numerous factors are known to favor the development of arteriosclerosis.

Even if the treatment of the causes cannot reverse existing damage to the vascular system, the disease can still prevent further progression. The most important are initially non-drug measures in the sense of a change in lifestyle. Patients are advised to change their diet, integrate more exercise into their daily routine, quit smoking and lose weight.

In detail this means,

That a full Mediterranean diet with lots of vegetables, fish and olive oil is recommended.
Sufficient exercise reduces the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, obesity and thus also arteriosclerosis.
An absolute nicotine renunciation would be advisable.
A structured smoking cessation treatment can be useful. At the very least, the patient should significantly reduce his cigarette consumption.
The last point of the non-drug measures is certainly weight normalization. Overweight and obesity favour the development of arteriosclerosis.

Drugs play a major role in the treatment of arteriosclerosis.

First and foremost, patients are naturally advised to change their lifestyle to a healthier diet with more exercise. The highest goal should be a weight normalization. Since these goals are often difficult to achieve in the long term, there are fortunately also a number of drugs to treat arteriosclerosis.

First it is important to eliminate the causes of arteriosclerosis. These drugs not only lower the cholesterol level but also stabilize the plaques. A plaque rupture, which more often leads to a blocked vessel, e.g. in the brain, is much rarer under this drug therapy.

Arteriosclerosis cannot be cured. However, by inhibiting the sticking together of the blood platelets (thrombocytes) with a drug, the blood becomes thinner and can pass more easily through narrowed plaque areas. For this reason, antiplatelets (e.g. ASS) are often used.

High blood pressure should be treated with ACE inhibitors, diuretics and, if necessary, beta blockers.
Diabetes mellitus can be treated with metformin, DPP4, SGLT2 inhibitors or insulin.
A lipometabolic disorder must be treated with statins.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to cure arteriosclerosis, but it is possible to stop its progression. A healthy lifestyle with sufficient exercise is important for this. However, there are also various home remedies to improve the health of the blood vessels.

Above all, the consumption of certain foods is recommended. These include, for example: They all have a positive effect on the health of the blood vessels.

Garlic, which is said to reduce the harmful LDL cholesterol and maintain the elasticity of the vessels.
This is also said of avocados, which are rich in vitamin E.
Also unsaturated fatty acids in almonds have a positive effect on fat metabolism disorders and thus reduce the risk of arteriosclerosis.
Unlimited recommended are also oils with unsaturated fatty acids, such as cold pressed olive oil.
It is also possible to take preparations with omega-3 fatty acids in tablet form, which also reduce LDL.
Other household remedies are ginkgo,
Grapefruit seed extract or
Ginger.

A homeopathic treatment of arteriosclerosis can be supportive.

Even homeopathic remedies cannot cure the disease. Since arteriosclerosis can result in potentially life-threatening diseases such as heart attack and stroke, homeopathic therapy is only recommended as a supplement to other measures (conventional medicine). Hawthorn (Crataegus) is particularly well known for its treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

It strengthens the heart. This is also said to be true for barium carbonate. St. John’s wort can also be used.

It improves the mood in patients with arteriosclerosis in the brain. However, since there are often strong interactions with other medications, this should be discussed with the treating physician. Nutrition and arteriosclerosis is a major topic.

Unfortunately, even with the right diet, arteriosclerosis cannot be cured, but it can at least significantly prevent it from progressing. Nutrition also serves as arteriosclerosis prophylaxis. If you decide to adopt a healthy lifestyle at a young age, you can prevent long-term damage to your blood vessel system.

The current recommendation is a complete Mediterranean diet with lots of vegetables and fish. Saturated animal fatty acids should be avoided as they drive the LDL cholesterol level upwards. Butter, fatty sausages should therefore only be consumed in small amounts.

Wholemeal products with a high proportion of dietary fiber, on the other hand, have a positive effect on fat metabolism and are recommended. Vegetables and fruit contain many antioxidants and thus protect the blood vessels from free radicals. A goal of this healthy nutrition should always also a weight normalization be, since predominance represents an independent and strong risk factor for Arteriosklerose.

Sport is very important to prevent arteriosclerosis or to prevent the disease from progressing. It is recommended to do sport five times a week for about half an hour. A high proportion of endurance training is important.

But also strength and coordination should be trained. Patients with heart disease must talk to their cardiologist before exercising and determine their target heart rate and blood pressure. Best for these patients is training in a so-called cardiac sports group.