What is chronic disease and can it be cured?

A chronic disease is a medical condition that persists over a long period of time, typically for years. Chronic diseases can significantly impact your quality of life. Examples include diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis (arterial disease), dementia, and certain types of cancer. Chronic diseases are caused by an interaction of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.  They become more common as we age.

The chronic diseases listed above (among others) are comorbid, which means more than one typically coexist in the same individual. They interact to cause harm. The root causes include a refined, processed, carbohydrate-rich diet, sedentary lifestyle, high levels of stress, sleep disturbances, and smoking interacting with genetic tendencies.

At the CureCenter, we emphasize the bad S’s: Sweets, Starches, Snacks, Seed oils, Sitting Salt, Smoking, Sleep/Snoring disorders, Stress and Sexual Starvation. We promote a diet of real unprocessed food and exercise, augmented with supplements and medications for specific needs.  But at least stop eating processed food, sweats and starches.

Why is it important to reverse chronic disease into remission or cure?

Events such as heart attack and stroke can become lethal quickly. However, they are actually caused by years of silent, unknown chronic disease which progresses to atherosclerosis/arterial disease. Plaque rupture or erosion is the first step in the cascade leading to the blood clots that suddenly interrupt blood flow. Changing your lifestyle and reversing chronic disease is not just important for your overall general health. It significantly reduces your risk of serious, disabling and fatal events such as heart attack or stroke.

Reversal of chronic disease will also improve overall quality of life by reducing common symptoms such as fatigue or difficulty breathing. It can prevent further complications and development of other serious diseases.

I’ve always been told that chronic disease is manageable, but not reversible. Why is this incorrect?

Let’s be honest. The business of mainstream medical care is Chronic Disease Management. Mainstream medicine is simply overseeing our health decline with “management” of chronic disease. It sets you up to be vulnerable to inevitable exposure to Covid, flu, and other external threats. We can do better.

The “Standard of Care'' goal is to manage the disease and treat its complications. Costly and profitable drugs and procedures are the mainstay of treatment with this plan, with costs rapidly rising to unsustainable levels. We may live longer, but we’re sick and racking up costs and treatments. Keep in mind: Your costs are revenue for the medical system, including health insurance. You are not the customer. You are the product.

We have good news: Chronic disease can be Prevented, Reversed, put into Remission, and even Cured!

It is reversed by better choices about nutrition and activity interacting with our genes and environment. Quit smoking, avoid alcohol and drug abuse, avoid sugar and processed foods (sweets, starches, and snacks) and get off the couch. Be aware of the addictive nature of processed foods and find support to overcome craving for them.

Our mission is to discover and measure your chronic disease, identify your individual root causes, develop aPersonalized CurePlan to reverse it, and demonstrate measurable improvement.

When improvement or remission lasts long enough, it’s reasonable to call it “cured.” No cure is 100% effective or lasts forever, but this cure can endure for years if we do the right things.

At the CureCenter, we Measure, Motivate, Mentor, Measure again, and Maintain Momentum. We call these our healthy M&M’s! They are good for you and can cure your chronic disease by restoring your health.

Here is a fun and handy acronym to summarize: SAM

S’s - Sweets, Starches, Snacks, Seed oils, Sitting, Stress, (poor) Sleep/Snoring, Salt, Smoking & Sexual Starvation.

Causes:

ADDED - Arterial disease, Diabetes, Dementia, Erectile dysfunction, Depression

Cured by:

M’s - Measure, Motivate, Mentor, Monitor, Maintain Momentum

What are LDL and HDL and how do they affect my health?

Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) are two types of lipoproteins (particles made of protein and fats/lipids) that transport cholesterol in the bloodstream.

LDL is often referred to as the "bad" cholesterol because it carries cholesterol from the liver to the cells and can build up in the blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart disease. However, this happens primarily to OXIDIZED LDL. LDL is oxidized by accumulating oxidative stress from toxin exposure.

HDL is considered the "good" cholesterol as it picks up excess cholesterol from the artery walls and takes it back to the liver to be removed from the body. But larger HDL is primarily responsible for this beneficial activity.

Maintaining a healthy balance of LDL and HDL cholesterol is important for overall health as high levels of LDL and low levels of HDL can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, while high levels of HDL and low levels of LDL can help protect against heart disease. Regular exercise, a healthy diet, and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can help maintain a healthy balance of LDL and HDL cholesterol levels.

However, there is more to LDL and HDL than a single reading. Small and large LDL and HDL affect cardiovascular health.

Large LDL is less risky and is commonly referred to as “buoyant” because it stays in circulation. This makes it less likely to penetrate the artery protective inner layer, literally bouncing off the wall like a beach ball. A preponderance of Large LDL is called a Pattern A.

Small LDL is considered higher risk. It is more “dense,” penetrating, and prone to get stuck in the wall to become fuel for inflammation which creates atherosclerotic plaque. A preponderance of Small LDL is called a Pattern B. It is associated with insulin resistance, the most common driver of arterial inflammation.

Large HDL removes cholesterol from the artery more efficiently than small HDL, transporting it to the liver for processing and removal. 

To summarize, larger LDL and HDL particles reduce risk of arterial disease and events, while smaller LDL and HDL particles increase risk.

Image Source: Berkley Heart Lab

What causes smaller LDL and HDL in the body?

Smaller LDL and HDL particle size is commonly associated with insulin resistance (prediabetes, metabolic syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes), diets high in sugar and processed foods, smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle.

How can I increase the size of LDL and HDL in my body?

Lose fat (especially visceral fat), consume less sugar, starch and processed foods, including a significant amount of vegetables and fasting. Exercise (especially resistance training and increased muscle mass) is also a key driver of larger LDL and HDL production. Individuals with diabetes and prediabetes, should also work to improve control of these conditions, as they are also a factor in LDL and HDL size.