In the most recent study, investigators reviewed 61 trials, involving 25,388 patients, in a meta-analysis comparing angioplasty and stent placement with no treatment or medications alone. A meta-analysis pools numerous studies on the same subject. The findings indicated that there was no evidence that angioplasty and stent placement for coronary artery disease resulted in fewer heart attacks or deaths when compared to patients with the same level of disease who were not treated in this manner.
Interventional cardiology and cardiovascular surgery is basically a scam based on a misunderstanding of the nature of heart disease. Searching for and treating obstructive plaque does not address the areas of the coronary vascular tree most likely to rupture and cause heart attacks. If there was never another CABG or angioplasty performed or stent placed, patients with heart disease would be better off. Doctors would be forced to educate our citizens that their heart disease risk is determined by what they place on their forks. Millions of lives would be dramatically extended. To abandon the theory of stretching and cutting out areas with plaque would shut down interventional cardiology, nearly all cardiovascular surgery, and many suppliers of the biotechnology. In many cases, interventional cardiology is the major income generator to hospitals. The ending of this ill-conceived, out-dated and ineffective technology would dramatically downsize hospitals in the United States and free up over $100 billion annually in medical care costs. Besides being ineffective, interventional cardiology places the responsibility in the hands of the doctor and not the patients. When patients finally realize they must take control of their heart problems with aggressive dietary modifications (and when needed medications for temporary periods) we will essentially solve the health crisis in America.
The sad thing is surgical interventions and medications are the foundation of modern cardiology and both are relatively ineffective compared to nutritional excellence. My patients routinely reverse their heart disease, and no longer have vulnerable plaque or high blood pressure, so they do not need medical care, hospitals or cardiologists anymore. The problem is that in the real world cardiac patients are not even informed that heart disease is predictably reversed with nutritional excellence. They are not given the opportunity to choose and just corralled into these surgical interventions.
Trying to figure out how to pay for ineffective and expensive medicine by politicians will never be a real solution. People need to know they do not have to have heart disease to begin with, and if they get it, aggressive nutrition is the most life-saving intervention. And it is free.
Representative Case Studies
The interesting part of the results achieved with excellent nutrition is that lots of these individuals were already on “healthy diets” and getting worse, before following my nutritional protocols to reverse heart disease. Some were even worsening on vegetarian diets. The other notable achievement is they do not get a small amount of reversal of atherosclerosis, they get a dramatic amount of reversal:
- Case 1: 60 year old male, with chest pain. Height 5’ 8” weight 158. This 60 year old male had read “Fit For Life” over 10 years ago and was following a healthy “starch-based Mediterranean-type diet.” He ate mostly vegetarian foods with brown rice, potato and whole wheat, fruits and vegetables, chicken only a few times a month, fish once or twice a week and some olive oil on salads. He began an exercise program in June of 2006 and surprisingly found he had chest pain with exertion. His weight was stable at 158 for years. A stress thallium test indicated a significant coronary artery disease with an LDL cholesterol of 126. And Lipo (a) of 202. His CT angiogram done on 6/30/06 showed near total obstructive disease in the proximal LAD (left anterior descending artery) due to low density plaque. He began my careful dietary protocol for the reversal of heart disease and did not have angioplasty or bypass as was suggested by the cardiologists. After following my nutritional advice for one month the chest pains resolved and his weight dropped to 140 in the first 8 weeks (loss of 18 pounds). One year later a repeat of the CT angiogram showed the LAD with a non-obstructive mixed density plaque with a stenosis estimated at 50 – 70 percent estimated. His weight has remained around 138 – 140 since following my dietary suggestions. In August of 2008 the last evaluation of his coronary arteries was performed showing normal cardiac blood flow and no evidence of heart disease.
- Case 2: 44 year old male weight 240 height 5’ 9” high cholesterol. Carotid artery 60 -80 percent as measured by carotid ultrasound. First year after reading Eat To Live and then following the high nutrient protocol he lost 80 pounds. His repeat carotid ultrasound in one year showed no visible plaque.
- Case 3: Middle age male on the strict version of the Pritikin program for over 3 years while his carotid artery disease as measured by ultrasound, continued to worsen. "After a year on Pritikin, the results were same or very slight improvement. I went on very strict Pritikin for 2 years, to improve it. After 2 years on very strict Pritikin, significantly worse! The radiologist said "The lesion on the left side is stable, there is some early buildup on the right side. I got a nice picture of a lipid (fat) inclusion in the artery wall. I was recommended to Dr. Fuhrman by Jeff Novick, at the Pritikin Center. After 20 months of Fuhrman program, great results. Thinner artery walls. Radiologist comments: "Borderline evidence for evidence of atherosclerotic burden" No longer talking about a lesion or early buildup!! Barely any sign of atherosclerosis. In the 20 months, following my dietary protocol this person, Lost 10 pounds, to pinch 1/2 inch to 6'0" 157 pounds. Last 5 months no snacking, eating 3-4 oz seeds and nuts daily. Ran 2 miles/day, whereas he was running 4 miles/day during the last 2 unsuccessful years on Pritkin. Pritikin was different in that I was living on lots of whole grains, and ate 6+ meals. Much less high nutrient food.
- Case 4: 66 year old male with a history of Wolfe Parkinson White Syndrome, which was responsible for his sensitivity to develop a rapid heartbeat with the ingestion of caffeine, alcohol and sometimes even heavy exercise. He changed his diet first to vegetarian and then to low fat vegan. After a little more than one year on the very low fat vegan diet his irregular heart beat (arrthymias) worsened and he then developed atrial fibrillation. In June of 2008 he changed his diet to my nutritional recommendation, high micronutrient intake, strict salt avoidance, but not low fat, with the liberal use of nuts and especially seeds and within three months his cardiac arrhythmias completely disappeared. Since then he has religiously kept to this program with no further heart evidence of atrial fibrillation.
Conclusion
Come to your own conclusion.
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