Why Open Heart Shocks People

My open-heart surgery shocked me.

Many are startled by the workings of the heart, for its secrets are hidden and its trials unknown. What is seen as surgery or intervention is but a manifestation of knowledge that humbles the unaware and enlightens the seeker.

MODERN INVENTIONS, MODERN ILLNESSES, AND MODERN MAN:

In today’s world, new inventions emerge each day, and things once unknown now shape every life.

With the advancement of civilization come new afflictions, and physicians often describe them as chronic yet undiagnosed. In earlier times, these ailments did not exist, for the human body had never been exposed to the materials and substances that fill modern households. As a result, these conditions remain largely unnamed and poorly understood.

Yet in those simpler times, there was no plastic,

no flood of synthetic poisons.

Now, chemicals invade every home, in kitchens and bathrooms, in fields and farms,

absorbed by plants, by crops,

and carried in the very air we breathe.

Plastic drifts across oceans to distant shores,

and in its most enduring form, it is called PFAS,

The forever chemical that refuses to die.

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of over 14,000 human-made "forever chemicals" used since the 1940s to make products resistant to water, stains, grease, and heat. They do not break down in the environment or the human body, leading to widespread contamination and potential health issues, including cancer, immune system weakening, and high cholesterol.

Even the marvels of science conceal their shadows:

radioactive elements used in medicine and in war, heavy metals, and mercury seeping into our waters,

changing our blood, disturbing our balance, and quietly giving birth to cancer within the body of mankind.

A GAME OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY AND OUR DIET 

What underlying physiological or environmental factors contribute to atherosclerotic plaque formation in individuals who adhere to controlled or health-conscious diets, as exemplified by cases such as that of Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, whose disciplined lifestyle raises questions about non-dietary influences on cardiovascular health?

Does chronic exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through inhalation and ingestion exert cumulative effects on human cardiovascular health by forming stable complexes with iron-binding plasma proteins such as hemoglobin and transferrin, thereby altering iron homeostasis and increasing blood viscosity, phenomena observed even among individuals adhering to nutritionally balanced and health-conscious diets? 

What is your scientific evaluation of this hypothesis?”

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PFAS ARE NOW GLOBAL, EVEN IN REMOTE ECOSYSTEMS:

Research over the last decade, including studies by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the United Nations Environment Programme, and independent labs, confirms that PFAS are now found everywhere:

In rainwater and seawater across the Pacific, Arctic, and Antarctic Oceans. 

In remote island environments where there’s no local industry

In human blood, umbilical cord blood, polar bears, seabirds, and deep-sea fish. This global spread happens because PFAS are chemically stable, water-soluble, and airborne, they don’t degrade, they travel long distances through wind and ocean currents, and they bioaccumulate in the food chain.

 AIR AND WATER INTAKE, CONSTANT EXPOSURE:

PFAS are in the air we breathe, from industrial emissions, household products, and dust.

PFAS are in drinking water, even after standard filtration, unless advanced systems (activated carbon or reverse osmosis) are used.

PFAS are absorbed by plants and bioaccumulate in fish, meat, and dairy.

This means that even people living clean, isolated, or health-conscious lives are still continuously exposed to:

Breathing

Eating

Drinking

Skin contact (in treated fabrics or cosmetics)

 WHAT THIS MEANS FOR HEALTH CONSTANT PFAS EXPOSURE CONTRIBUTES TO:

Endocrine disruption (thyroid and hormone imbalance)

Immune system suppression

Lipid metabolism changes ( LDL (up),  HDL (down)

Liver and kidney stress

Vascular inflammation, which accelerates atherosclerosis even in people with perfect diets.

Diet alone can no longer protect us from many chronic diseases when invisible environmental toxins like PFAS are constantly entering our bloodstream.

 Scientific Answer,

PFAS are now a global environmental contaminant that infiltrates air, water, and biological systems.

 Their PERSISTENT BIOACCUMULATION AND INTERFERENCE WITH LIPID AND IRON METABOLISM MAKE THEM A CHRONIC, LOW-GRADE CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC STRESSOR.

Even individuals with excellent diets or disciplined lifestyles, like religious figures or health-conscious populations, can develop vascular or metabolic disease because PFAS exposure bypasses lifestyle control.

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ABOUT THE SUBTLE, LONG-TERM CHEMISTRY between environmental toxins like PFAS and our body’s essential elements such as iron and blood proteins. Let’s unpack this carefully and scientifically:

1. PFAS CONSTANT EXPOSURE, INHALATION, AND INGESTION 

PFAS exposure can happen through:

Food and water (especially contaminated fish, meat, and drinking water)

Airborne dust or vapors, particularly near manufacturing or waste sites

Household products (nonstick cookware, waterproof fabrics, etc.)

Because PFAS are chemically stable and biopersistent, they accumulate in blood, liver, and other tissues over years, they’re called “forever chemicals” for a reason.

 2. PFAS INTERACTION WITH BLOOD AND IRON COMPOUNDS 

Here’s where it gets interesting and concerning:

PFAS bind to blood proteins, especially albumin and hemoglobin, which both carry iron.

This binding doesn’t form a new compound in the strict chemical sense, but it alters how these proteins behave, potentially reducing their ability to transport oxygen and nutrients effectively.

PFAS can disturb iron metabolism indirectly by:

Affecting liver enzymes that regulate iron storage (ferritin, transferrin)

Increasing oxidative stress, which can convert ferrous iron (Fe²⁺) into ferric iron (Fe³⁺), disrupts hemoglobin’s function.

Damaging red blood cell membranes, slightly changing viscosity and flow, which you described as “thickening of blood.

So while PFAS don’t literally “build new compounds with iron,” their persistent presence and chemical binding can subtly interfere with oxygen transport, cell signaling, and vascular health.

 3. WHY THIS AFFECTS EVEN THE HEALTH-CONSCIOUS 

People who eat well, exercise, and avoid cholesterol still might experience:

Elevated cholesterol or blood pressure

Subtle fatigue or inflammation markers

Unexplained changes in thyroid or liver function

That’s because PFAS exposure bypasses lifestyle control, it’s environmental and cumulative.

 The body can’t easily excrete PFAS; their half-life in blood is 3–8 years, depending on the type.

 4. INPUT, PERSPECTIVE, AND CORRECT HUMAN 

INSIGHT:

PFAS represents a hidden metabolic stressor that can undermine otherwise excellent health habits.

In essence:

“PFAS do not create disease directly, but they create conditions under which disease becomes easier to develop, silently, slowly, and systemically.”

5. WHAT CAN BE DONE 

Filter water using reverse osmosis or activated carbon filters Ventilate when cooking on nonstick surfaces or replace them with stainless steel / cast iron

Limit high-fat animal products from contaminated regions (PFAS bioaccumulate in animal fat)

Support detox pathways: hydration, antioxidants (vitamin C, E, selenium), and a fiber-rich diet. 

Get tested, blood PFAS testing can show exposure level.

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THE TURNING POINT OF CIVILIZATION 

We stand at the crossroads of civilization, in science, in technology, and in war.

The air is thick with progress,

and yet, with pollution of every kind.

Even human behavior and thought have begun to lose their balance. Between threat and acceptance,

we move blindly, knowledge fading, confusion rising.

Diseases once rare now touch every home;

cancer claims even the newborn, while hearts grow weaker, and diabetes spreads like a silent storm.