The Hidden Heart Attack Time Bomb
A severe heart attack can kill faster than an assassin’s bullet.
It can hit you out of nowhere, and you can be dead in minutes if you don’t get medical help.
And if you’re one of the 121.5 million Americans living with heart disease, you could be in the crosshairs RIGHT NOW.
One of the biggest triggers for fatal heart attacks is the rupture of arterial plaque.
But what’s pulling the trigger?
Researchers have uncovered the answer, and it has NOTHING to do with cholesterol.
I’ve been telling you for years that cholesterol isn’t to blame for heart disease. It’s a scapegoat that sells a lot of drugs, but it doesn’t save a lot of lives.
How else can you explain why people with perfectly normal cholesterol levels can still suffer a heart attack… while others with high cholesterol seem to have perfectly healthy hearts?
No, there’s clearly something else going on. And researchers have finally found it in the last place you’d think to look… your mouth.
Researchers studied the coronary plaque of over 200 people who had either died from a sudden cardiac death or had surgery to clean out plaque from their arteries.
They discovered that the most common bacteria found in coronary artery samples from heart attack patients was the SAME species of bacteria that causes strep throat and lives in dental plaque: streptococcus.
That’s right… Bacteria typically found in your mouth and throat could be burrowing into your arteries and triggering heart attacks.
The results showed that people who had an immune response against these bacteria were more likely to have more severe atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries from plaque). Even worse, these individuals also had a higher risk of dying from a heart attack or from heart disease.
You’re probably wondering how these bad guys get from your mouth to your blood vessels.
They’re tricky because once they enter your bloodstream, they can travel anywhere in your body. They also have protective biofilms that function like invisibility cloaks, helping them hide from your immune system.
Then, they can break free from their protective biofilms and burrow directly into arterial plaques. This triggers inflammation, leading to the buildup of plaque.
The process snowballs until unstable plaques rupture and form blood clots, blocking blood flow and ultimately killing nearly 700,000 Americans every year.
The best way to stop these bugs from burrowing into your arteries is to prevent them from growing in your mouth. This means creating an environment where harmful bacteria can’t flourish.
Start by brushing and flossing regularly, which disrupts plaque biofilms and removes the ones hidden between your teeth. And be sure to limit your sugar intake because it directly feeds these bad bacteria.
Use a soft toothbrush to gently brush your gums and tongue, removing bacteria.
If you have partial dentures, be sure to clean any natural teeth they rest against daily with floss. For full dentures, brush them twice a day with a specially designed denture brush and denture cleaner.
Additionally, you can try a simple home remedy of baking soda, salt, and peppermint oil, which has been shown to provide antimicrobial activity against various streptococci in the mouth.
To make your own rinse, try the following recipe:
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon non-iodized salt
- 1 drop peppermint essential oil
Mix well in 1 cup of water, and swish 1-2 tablespoons for 30-60 seconds twice a day. Do not swallow.
Remember, your mouth is the gateway to your entire body. Keep that gateway clean, and you’ll be taking one of the most important steps you can take to protect your heart… and your life… for years to come.
P.S. Beware of the “life-saving” heart drug that’s killing women.
View Sources
Pekka J. Karhunen, MD, PhD, et al., Viridans Streptococcal Biofilm Evades Immune Detection and Contributes to Inflammation and Rupture of Atherosclerotic Plaques, Journal of the American Heart Association, Volume 14, Number 16, doi:10.1161/JAHA.125.041521
