Inflammation and Arterial Disease

"Inflammation is known to be an integral part of the development of atherosclerotic plaque."~ Michael Adams, a professor of pathology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Consequently, anything that reduces the inflammatory response or reduces the causes of inflammation will likely reduce atherosclerotic plaque.

One alternative is the use of such spices as chilies which contain capsaicin, an irritant that causes local dilation of capillaries, then is absorbed into the blood where it causes generalized capillary dilation. By purposefully irritating the blood vessels, they react to the irritation releasing histamines and other biological agents that diminish the subsequent response to future irritants.

One question arises, “If I diminish my immune response, that’s bad isn’t it?”
Not quite. People tend to develop overly touchy immune systems that react to various stimuli in an extreme manner. Most people call this over reactive condition allergies.  I have observed the use of chilies. I made observations related to my own use and observations related to the use by others. Among all the people studied, none has demonstrated a compromised immune system. However, each has demonstrated an immune system which does not demonstrate the extreme response to stimuli demonstrated by such symptoms as contact dermatitis in response to a mosquito bite.

Once I had developed sensitivity to mosquito bites. A single mosquito bite would cause a 2 cm welt after about five minutes without touching the affected area. After thirty minutes, the bite would become a contact dermatitis covering an area of perhaps 100 cm2.
I undertook to treat this condition by eating bee pollen. After consuming over 200 grams of bee pollen with about a liter of soft drink over a period of about three hours, I developed a mild generalized rash over my abdomen, with a clear demarcation below my ribcage. I was also bitten at that time by a mosquito. The bite caused a welt about 1 cm in diameter which disappeared without a trace about twenty minutes later, and caused me very little discomfort. The rash subsided before the next morning (I didn’t bother to pay attention to it again until then.)

Other spices can work also. Another means of action among spices is the dye effect. Certain natural dyes found in spices are used for microbiological staining. Microbiological staining causes changes in significant structures of organisms that would render the organism unviable if it weren’t already dead. When these dyes are ingested, they will alter the flora of the intestinal tract.

Onions and garlic work by a third method. The thiols in onions and garlic act as solvents for fatty deposits in blood vessels, tending to wash them away. These thiols also cause some irritation of mucus membranes, causing increased blood flow to those mucus membranes. When the thiols are dissolved in a fatty acid droplet then the irritation they cause will help bring immune cells to the region to deal with the fatty acid droplet. Meanwhile, the thiols will impair microbiological activity in the fatty acid droplet, keeping it harmless.