If you know someone who has had a heart attack, stroke or some form of heart disease you may wonder if you will suffer too. What are the warning signs and symptoms? How can you prevent it? What are your chances of developing one of these illnesses?

The principle underlying cause of all of the above is clogged arteries. This is referred to as Atherosclerosis. Symptoms are almost impossible to detect until they've become life threatening. Consequently I want to state very clearly that most often the symptoms of clogged arteries are heart attacks, strokes and various forms of heart disease. Occasionally you will have chest pains and frequently shortness of breath as well. If this occurs it should be viewed as a major warning and should also prompt you to go see your doctor right away.

Some recent medical research has indicated that you can start developing clogged arteries in your teens and twenties. In the normal course of life no one will notice anything is wrong until they've nearly died from it. However we now know there are many ways to reduce the risk of developing dangerously clogged arteries and cardiovascular disease in general.

The most basic prevention method is to lower your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol levels and raise the "good" (HDL) cholesterol levels. This can be done by a combination of diet and exercise. When the body has an excess of LDL cholesterol in the blood it tries to counteract it with specialized white blood cells. These white blood cells are unable to process the LDL cholesterol and it ends up coating the arterial walls as plaque. This in turn prompts more action by the body thus compounding the problem. Eventually the arteries become inflamed and block blood flow to the heart or brain causing strokes and heart attacks. Your doctor can help you determine what your cholesterol levels are and the best way to reduce them.

Other risk factors include smoking, diabetes, obesity, stress and clinical depression. There are many ways to change all of these factors for the better. Many of them are interrelated. For instance, if you are overweight you increase the chances of developing type 2 diabetes, high levels of LDL cholesterol and depression. The best way to prevent clogged arteries is small, slow lifestyle changes. Make sure to consult your doctor for each major change. This will prevent you from doing too much too soon and possibly aggravating your problems.

Another way to reduce the effects is to scour the arteries using a compound known as EDTA. This is a harmless substance which causes the plaque lining the walls of all the blood vessels - not just the arteries - to be broken down and passed out of the body through the urinary system. This system could make many heart operations a thing of the past. Of course there is a lobby that disapproves, but do your research and make up your own mind. Me - I am a believer.