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Diagnosis & Tests The doctor will listen for a bruit during a stethoscope examination of the patient's neck, abdomen, or groin area. The sound may indicate turbulence in the blood flow caused by a narrowing of the arteries. Nutritional supplements can be very effective and counseling strategies and behavioral techniques help patients to manage stress, move toward more positive attitudes, and establish broader, supportive social relationships. There is increasing evidence that elevated levels of homocysteine may be important in the genesis of atherosclerosis and cardio-vascular disease, and that nutrition can be helpful at modifying those levels. Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is the most common form of arteriosclerosis, a class of diseases in which the walls of a person's artery become thicker and less elastic through deposits along the arteries that often contain calcium. It causes about one million deaths per year in the United States alone, double the number of deaths from cancer. Fatty material (atheromas or plaque) accumulates under the inner lining of arterial walls, resulting in narrowing and eventual impairment of blood flow. It can affect medium and large arteries in the brain, heart, kidneys, other vital organs, and arms and legs. |