Arteriosclerosis

Published on Circulatory system.

Arteriosclerosis is a general term for the hardening of the arteries and, according to medical records, the primary cause of death in the western world. Atherosclerosis is a type of arteriosclerosis that affects medium and large calibre arteries, such as the coronary, carotids, and the arteries of the iliac and femur.

It is characterized by the deposit of fat, calcium and other elements on the artery walls, which reduces their width and diminishes the flow of blood to tissues. This may lead to blockage (thrombosis), ischemia, and gangrene. It happens predominantly to men between the ages of 50 and 70. People with high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure are prone to arteriosclerosis.

The arteries are the yang portion of the circulatory system. They carry oxygen and nutrients to the cells. Artery problems are typical of a more masculine behaviour, very yang, very regimented, very controlling, dominated by Cartesian thought, very radical. Artery problems are more common in the upper part of the body, which is the more masculine part, namely the thorax, arms and head, but they may also occur in the legs.

Artery problems reveal an inability to deal with emotions. They show incapacity to do what is necessary to let go and be happy. This manifests itself in the relationship with socially close people. The person refuses to see what is good for him. Artery problems denote resistance, tension and much control. The person’s emotional process is exhausting. The person lost the joy of living. He is a very controlled person, very much driven by a deeply rooted limited vision that is very harmful to him. We mentioned earlier that the person with high cholesterol levels is prone to arteriosclerosis. In fact, cholesterol is a fat, and fat exists to protect the body. But to protect what is necessary. High cholesterol level shows that the person is protecting himself from the family and the clan lineage. It shows that the person is trying to protect himself from the inside out.

It happens, for instance, when the person is trying to protect himself from the spouse, parents or her husband. The person, however, acts in the worst possible way and hurts himself. The person feels that the clan is hurting him and instead of creating a suitable life for himself, he limits the free circulation of his life, thus slowly blocking the channels of happiness (blood vessels). The person is afraid to accept happiness. He feels guilt and does not allow his life to flow.

We stated before that people with high blood pressure are prone to arteriosclerosis. In fact, blood reflects the being, the identity. The walls of the blood vessels are the limits, the boundaries within which our incarnation as human beings must develop.

It is natural to want to test those boundaries, those limits of resistance of the blood vessels.

Contrary from the person with low blood pressure, the person with high blood pressure is ready for action, determined to act and, therefore, the blood circulation accelerates and so does the blood pressure. Nevertheless, the person with high blood pressure never materializes the action because he never ends up confronting the person who bothers him, and so there is no discharge of energy, it remains stored. The person with high blood pressure cannot engage in the process of being frontal and direct with others. He is afraid of conflict and does not realize that becoming frontal is something that must happen as soon as possible, in a simple and easy way, by expressing what he thinks and feels.

It is common for the person with high blood pressure to convince himself that next time he will be able to act. This keeps the organism ready for action, keeps it from relaxing, and the person develops chronic high blood pressure and never really engages in frontal confrontation.

The person with high blood pressure always stays on the edge of conflict, always troubled by conflict, but he never reaches any solution.

Of course, if things are not cleared up, one day the person will say what he has to say; he will do it in an angry, cowardly and exaggerated way, thus creating even more conflict, when things could have been resolved in a calm manner. The person whines, complains, shows rage, and ends up blowing his top off, seldom with the right person and often with the wrong person.

This lack of frontal attitude gives rise to a major internal conflict. The person remains on the defence, always prepared for a conflict that probably he will never carry out.

These are people with long lasting unresolved emotional problems and who have great difficulty living life with happiness.

© Copyright by Luís Martins Simões, developed by RUPEAL