Here's an (extreme) example of just how far wrong this simpleminded way of thinking can take you. At age 63, Michael had been told for the last 20 years that he was in great health, including "perfect" cholesterol values of LDL 73 mg/dl, HDL 61 mg/dl, triglycerides 102 mg/dl, total cholesterol 144 mg/dl. "Your [total] cholesterol is way below 200. You're in great shape!" his doctor told him.
Being skeptical because of the heart disease in his family, he had a CT heart scan. His coronary calcium score: 4390. Needless to say, this is high . . . extremely high.
Extremely high coronary calcium scores like this carry high likelihood of death and heart attack, as high as 15-20% per year. So Michael was on borrowed time. It was damn lucky he hadn't yet experienced any cardiovascular events.
That's when Michael found our Track Your Plaque program that showed him how to 1) identify the causes of the extensive coronary atherosclerosis signified by his high calcium score, then 2) correct the causes.
The solutions, Michael learned, are relatively simple:
- Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation at a dose sufficient to yield substantial reductions in heart attack.
- "Normalization" of vitamin D blood levels (We aim for a 25-hydroxy vitamin D level of 60-70 ng/ml)
- Iodine supplementation and thyroid normalization
- A diet in which all wheat products are eliminated - whole wheat, white, it makes no difference - followed by carbohydrate restriction.
- Identification and correction of all hidden causes of coronary plaque such as small LDL particles and lipoprotein(a)
More about Dr. William Davis
Plaque is the stuff of coronary heart disease. It is CONTROLLABLE, it is STOPPABLE, it is REVERSIBLE. But you must be equipped with the right information on diet, nutritional supplements, and hopefully the avoidance of medication. This is the blog that accompanies the Track Your Plaque program. Nothing here should be construed as medical advice, but only topics for further discussion with your doctor. I practice cardiology in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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