Hardening of the arteries, also known as Atherosclerosis, is a common disorder. It generally occurs when fat, cholesterol, and other elements build up in the walls of arteries and form hard structures known as plaques.

With time, these plaques block the arteries cause troubles throughout the body.

Yes, the point at which our pipe-line system is most likely to fail is –

the valves of the Heart, but apart from these other failure prone areas are

the Muscles of the Heart wall  & the walls of the blood vessels, called the Arteries.

Hardening of the arteries is a process that often occurs with aging. As you grow older, plaque buildup makes the Arteries more narrow and stiff. This stiffness turn them into leathery, fibrous tissue, and may even become so soaked with lime salts as to become brittle, so that they move in to the condition that they have the tendency to burst under some sudden strain. When this occurs with one of the Arteries of the brain, it can cause an attack of Apoplexy or a “Stroke of Paralysis“.

Other Factors which cause Hardening of Arteries

• First of all, Prolonged Overwork and Over-strain – due especially to long hours of steady work in unwholesome shops or surroundings

• Second, the presence in the blood of the poisons of the more chronic infectious diseases, like Tuberculosis

Overstrain, or toxins in the blood, may cause this stiffening or Hardening of the arteries too soon, and then, we say that the person has become “old before his time.”

“A man is simply – As Old as His Arteries.”

• Third, the waste products that are produced in our own body, and are not properly got rid of through glands like lungs, skin, and kidneys

• Fourth, The High blood cholesterol levels – High blood cholesterol levels can result in hardening of the arteries at a younger age. For majority of the population, the high cholesterol levels are the result of an unhealthy lifestyle – most commonly, excessive use of High FAT diet.

• Fifth, the use of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Narcotics. Alcohol has a great tendency to damage the walls of the blood vessels and the Heart:

Firstly, because it is a direct poison to the cells of the Blood Vessels, when it is taken in excess, and often in what may appear to be moderate amounts, if long continued;

Secondly, because it is habitually taken, especially by the poorer or the underfed class of workers, as a alternate for food which ultimately leave their tissues half-starved;

Thirdly, because of its well known Narcotic Effects, it decreases respiration and clogs the kidneys and the skin, and hence preventing the waste products from leaving the body.