Greetings! In today’s class we shall learn about the effects of poisoning on the arteries and heart! Do you have or know someone with high blood pressure? If so you won’t want to miss this lesson!
Poisoning the Arteries
The blood containing these poisons is flowing through the arterial system—nearly a thousand miles of capillaries. Wherever blood vessels 
are it goes with its poisons—into organs, glands, tissue, brain, etc. The walls of the arteries consist of cells which are subject to the same injury from poisons as the cells in the kidneys. Therefore the arteries degenerate at the same time as do the kidneys and from the same causes. There are various types of degeneracy, but that does not matter so far as our objective in this lesson is concerned.
The inner, middle, and outer layers of cells in the artery walls may develop differing pathology, but the point is they are being injured and their ability to function is decreasing.
As the cells degenerate, the walls thicken and harden. Now it is called “hardening of the arteries,” or “arteriosclerosis.” As they harden they become more brittle—easier to burst under pressure.
As the walls thicken, the passageway through them diminished in size so that more pressure from the heart is required to maintain the proper circulation. Now it is called “high blood pressure.” It is true that an increase in blood pressure can be caused by an accelerated heart-beat, or by anxiety, or by “nerves.” But that is not the dangerous type of blood pressure under consideration just now.
As the hole through the arteries grows smaller and the pressure increases and the walls become more brittle, a little extra pressure at some time from any cause may result in the rupture of a blood vessel. The most delicate ones are in the brain, and consequently such an accident often happens there. That is called a hemorrhage. A blood clot forms. If it is fatal, it is called apoplexy; if not fatal, a stroke of paralysis. Ninety thousand Americans die that way each year.
Poisoning the Heart
The blood which carries the poisons which injure the cells of the kidneys and the arteries is surging through the cavities of the heart which push it on its never-ending journey throughout the body as long as life lasts. But more; the heart has its own circulatory system by which its own muscle and nerve cells are fed, so that the injury to the arteries of the body extends throughout the heart as a part of the body. Sometimes this injury to the arteries becomes pronounced in the heart first but in either case, the heart is now degenerating.
At the same time it is being weakened it is required to work harder than normal to maintain normal circulation through a thousand miles of arteries with thick walls and a small opening. This extra work plus the weakened condition of the heart handicap the owner and sooner or later bring disaster—heart failure.
A great flood of light has been shed upon this subject by a notable experiment made in the Rockefeller Institute under the direction of Dr. Alexis Carrel who placed a living section of a chicken’s heart in a bottle in 1912. He fed its cell scientifically and removed the wastes, and the cells lived and continued to grow for 34 years although a chicken does not live over twelve years as a rule. Furthermore, Dr. Carrel discovered the the cells can live a lot longer than one would expect, when they are given proper nourishment and have their wastes removed.
If a man would take as good care of his heart from youth up as Dr. Carrel and his associates did with the chicken heart, the degeneration rate would decrease drastically. This goes for all of the other organs as well.
Let’s Recap:
1. Why do the arteries degenerate the same time as do the kidneys?
2. What happens to the arterial wall, when the cells degenerate? 
3. What is high blood pressure?
4. How can a blood cell rupture?
5. What is an hemorrhage?
6. How can the heart fail?
Object Lesson:
“As the cells degenerate, the walls thicken and harden… As they harden they become more brittle—easier to burst under pressure.”
Similarly, when poison enters into our life through the avenues of the soul, it has an hardening effect on our spiritual experience, which can lead us to become brittle and burst under pressure. Furthermore, the more hardened we are, the smaller the opening is for the Holy Spirit to reach us. “While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts…” Hebrews 3:15
Grab a friend and share the wealth, from what you’ve learned in the School of Health! In next weeks class we shall learn about the effects of poisoning on the liver, glands, nerves, and brain! God bless!