C-Reactive Protein hs-CRP Blood TestKeeping your arteries healthy is the single most important thing that you can do to increase longevity. Keeping your arteries healthy helps you prevent heart attacks, stroke, memory loss, vascular disease and impotence.
The next time you get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked, be sure to have your high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) added to you blood test. In his book, “The Real Age Makeover”, Dr. Michael Roizen explains how this test measures the amount of inflammation in your body. Inflammation can affect arteries and the immune system. Chronic infections can raise hs-CRP levels. If no chronic infection is identifiable, talk to you physician about treatment options such as starting an aspirin regimen, exercise, trying antibiotics, eating healthy fats. If these don’t work, starting a statin drug may keep the inflammation in your arteries at bay.
Our arteries are what tie the body together. They connect to every cell. For this reason, they affect our health to an overwhelming extent. Most of us think of heart attacks and strokes when we think of arteries. However, these are the extreme results and by which time a person’s arteries have most likely been severely damaged.
