OTHER CARDIAC RISK FACTORS

April 15, 2010 Thursday

"Not passive, not aggressive, but be assertive. Today, I will try to communicate clearly and directly in all conversations. I will avoid manipulative, indirect and guilt-producing statements. I will be tactful, direct and gentle to whomever I speak to."

Much easier written than done. Sure, we all would like to be assertive, but feelings are feelings and people are people. In my humble opinion, the above is a suggestion.

In the last few blogs, we have discussed cholesterol and statin therapy. Today, I want to tell you it is not only about cholesterol. Ten years ago, I was using high dose vitamin D when others thought I was 'not all there'. Today, the vitamin D requirement is higher and most Americans are vitamin D deficient. When I was discussing inflammation of the arteries along with cholesterol as a cause of blocked arteries, others were still fixated on cholesterol.

Today, from research, we do know that inflammation/infection is just as important a risk factor for heart disease as the LDL cholesterol. This risk factor is called the high sensitive or cardiac C-reactive protein. This is a simple blood test your doctor can order. The problem is if the level is high (above 3.0), then most doctors do not know how to treat the high CRP. They still prescribe statins, becasue they have been shown to decrease inflammation but did one ever think that an exposure to a virus, parasite, bacteria or fungus could be the cause?

In 1969, a Harvard physician postulated that high levels of homocysteine is a risk factor for heart disease. Dr. McCully researched this amino acid as a cause of premature vascular damage. He prescribed higher doses of B12, B6 and folic acid. In 1971, the esteemed Harvard Medical School forced Dr. McCully from their institution. Didn't they feel bad when in the 1990's he won a Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work with this important cardiac factor, homocysteine?

Another risk factor is fibrinogen. This is a simple blood test (in a blue tube not a red one) that determines whether your blood is too thick or too thin. If the level is greater than 350, your blood is thick and flowing like ketchup. If your level is less than 350, we know your blood is flowing like water, not ketchup. If your level is greater than 350, you must consume more omega 3 fish oils, vitamin E (although controversial) and bromelin.

We will finish the cardiovascular topics on Sunday, but we will revisit this topic in the future. I must constantly return to CVD as this is my profession. It is not my passion. My passion is to educate you on herbs and supplements--the natural approach to the treatment of diseases.

The needle point above is a pillow of a butterfly. It was given as one of a pair to Nancy and sits on her living room couch. It is upside down, not on her couch but on this blog. Why, you may ask? Well, of course it is because it is April 15. Is it because it is income tax day? The answer is NO. It is because 98 years ago today, 1,517 people died. It does not matter whether you knew their names, but men, women and children died. Pray for them.

The RMS Titanic was a passenger liner owned by the White Star Line and built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast Northern Ireland. At the time of her construction, she was the largest passenger steamship in the world. Four days into the Titanic's maiden voyage on April 14, 1912 shortly before midnight, the ship struck an iceberg, sinking early on April 15, 1912, two hours and forty minutes later. The sinking resulted in the deaths of 1,517 of the 2,223 people on board, making it one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. There were not enough lifeboats for all the passengers. The butterfly is upside down in memory of those who died that night.

Photo credit: Rick Byrd

Until tomorrow....