An interesting little study reported in Reuters today discusses the connection between dental health and cardiovascular disease. In short, things like gingivitis, tooth loss due to cavities, and poor dental hygiene significantly increase the risk for heart problems down the line. Being that heart disease is one of our top killers, it’s an important issue to consider.
This is one of a number of recent studies linking dental health with heart health. While at first glance it might appear surprising – and researchers are quick to point out that no causality has been established – I think a general observation about our Western perspective on health can easily be made. It’s not so much cause-and-effect as connection. The Western approach, while radical in its own way (I’m talking about life-saving surgery techniques and the advent of drugs like penicillin), also has its flaws. Treatment tends to focus on parts, not the whole, and care tends to emphasize tinkering, not prevention.
Forgetting to floss isn’t going to give you a heart attack. Rather, not taking proper care of your body generally will manifest problems in the body’s different tissues and systems. It’s not causative, but it is connected.
Further reading:
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About the Author
Mark Sisson is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, godfather to the Primal food and lifestyle movement, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Reset Diet. His latest book is Keto for Life, where he discusses how he combines the keto diet with a Primal lifestyle for optimal health and longevity. Mark is the author of numerous other books as well, including The Primal Blueprint, which was credited with turbocharging the growth of the primal/paleo movement back in 2009. After spending three decades researching and educating folks on why food is the key component to achieving and maintaining optimal wellness, Mark launched Primal Kitchen, a real-food company that creates Primal/paleo, keto, and Whole30-friendly kitchen staples.
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