DETERMINING WHO IS AT RISK
If you combine both Heart disease and Stroke it accounts for close to 1 million deaths a year in the US. Worldwide, heart disease accounts for 18 million deaths. These numbers do not take into account the amount of people who survive Ht Attacks and Stroke and who remain debilitated as a result. With numbers this large, a need arises to look at the epidemeological factors that create this perfect storm as well as the diagnosis and treatment of these vascular disorders. We need to be able to separate who is actually at risk and treat them accordingly. The only way to do this is to blood profile comprehensively. The amount of testing that is done right now by Standard Practice Medicine is insufficient. It is just not deep or wide enough to cover the multiple factors that go into creating Heart Disease
I want to open up with a brief discussion of the cholesterol theory as is understood and promoted by the medical community and the general public. The cholesterol theory states that too much cholesterol (particularly LDL cholesterol) in the blood stream (from too many poor quality fats) is what causes vascular disease..This information is a result of the Framingham study, done in Framingham, Mass from 1948-1968. It was then refunded by Congress multiple times and has come up with much valuable information. The Framingham study came up with a lot of good material (i.e. smoking causes HT. Disease, the direct relationship between High Blood Pressure and Stroke, the fact that high HDL is good, and elevated Homocystiene as a risk factor for Heart Disease) but the conclusions relative to cholesterol theory and Heart Disease was and is incomplete and misleading. Heart disease is more complex than just elevated Cholesterol, LDL and Triglycerides.
The Phama Co’s jumped on the incomplete data about cholesterol and developed Statins. Statins do lower cholesterol and LDL, but at a physiologic price. Statins inhibit the production of CoQ10 and weaken muscle function. (the heart is a muscle). In Europe statins are black boxed. Dr have to combine CoQ10 with it when prescribed.
The larger, longer problem is that Statins are doing only part of the work that is necessary to produce a healthy vascular profile. Half the people who die from HT. attacks have a normal cholesterol reading of under 200 and no overt symptoms of Ht. Disease. If only Cholesterol, LDL, and Triglycerides are measured, many of the voices I listen to say the screening will miss about 60% of people at risk. If one, two or three of the common markers (Cholesterol, LDL,Triglycerides) are elevated, further testing is necessary to find the other factors creating Heart Disease. Stopping there and just giving a Statin to cure the complex nature of Heart Disease falls far short of fact.
Measuring ratios of Total Cholesterol to HDL (the good stuff) is a more important marker than LDL and Total Cholesterol numbers alone. The ratio should be 3-4 parts total cholesterol to 1 part HDL i.e. total cholesterol 200/ HDL 50.
LDL as a stand alone marker gives an incomplete picture. Quality and size of LDL in our blood stream is far more important as one of the factors that go into producing Heart Disease. In order to get that info, further testing is necessary. We need to see the size and quality of the fats in our blood streams. The quantity of LDL in 2 people can be the same amount, but size and quality very different. The person who has a small size LDL and or oxidized LDL is at much higher risk. A blood test called NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) would help clarify who is really at risk. This is not an expensive test. There are other tests I will be explaining that go into developing a well rounded picture of a persons’ vascular system. If you just stop looking after seeing elevated cholesterol and LDL, treat it with a Statin , then only part of the problem is being addressed. The patient believes they are safe, while the rest of the factors that create Heart Disease are still very much in play. It actually takes multiple markers to get a clear profile of who is most at risk and why they are in higher risk category. Persuing the other systems involved through more testing is a window into more complete treatment protocol. To see if a person is on a direct collision course with getting a heart attack or stroke , a Plac test is a great idea. Plac test measures the potential for plaque rupture. Plaque rupture is the general cause of heart attack and stroke.
In terms of total cholesterol, it is not that hard to bring down cholesterol. Guggel, Red Yeast Rice extract, and Artichoke Leaf combined with some herbs, supplements and some dietary changes can produce a 15 to 30% drop in cholesterol in 2-3 months of use. Once again, this is only addressing and looking at a part of the problem. As an aside, Statins were developed from models of extracts of Red Yeast Rice.
Normally our Liver manufactures 80%, of our cholesterol, the intestines 15%,and the rest is from skin production. I think this alone proves how necessary cholesterol is for proper overall physiologic health. Cholesterol is foundational to the production of Vit. D through the interaction between sunlight and our skin and is the basic building block for our steroidal hormones (estrogen, testosterone, progesterone). On a cellular level, Cholesterol is used to adjust the cell membrane tension for proper absorption into and elimination out of the cell.
In terms of the liver’s role in the regulation of the amount of total cholesterol in our blood stream, part of its function is to listen to a negative feedback system. That means when we eat say 20% of cholesterol through diet, the liver will cut back 20% of its production. One of my pet theories is that systemic inflammation alters that feedback loop.
The inflammatory nature of heart disease (as well as all chronic disease) is not approached enough in Modern Medicine. Inflammation in the blood stream can be seen through measuring C-Reactive Protein. C-Reactive Protein as a marker reflects systemic vascular inflammation usually derived from excess insulin and excess cortisol (stress hormone) in the blood stream (extremely common). This is also considered one of the more important tests in determining if a person is at risk for Heart Disease or Heart Attack.
The next 3 markers: Elevated Homocysteine, elevated Insulin and elevated Glucose (common that all three are elevated at the same time) induce and maintain.inflammation and oxidative damage that drive and push other undesirable process in the blood stream and elsewhere including decisions made on a DNA level. Inflammation, low level, long term, alters genetic signaling, which means cells get the wrong messages. When inflammation works its way down to a core level, disease is one of the results. C-Reactive Protein, Homocysteine and Fasting Insulin should be considered front line yearly testing for people over 40. The 2 outstanding reasons are how destructive these 3 markers are if elevated and the fact that it is very common to see that elevation in the blood tests. These changes in our body chemistry are silent and very destructive long term. Heart Disease is developed over a long period of time, decades and decades.
Elevated Homocysteine is damaging to the vascular and nervous system as well as degrading to bone structure. It is often elevated in osteoporosis, Heart Disease and Parkinson’s High dose folic acid along with B6 and B12 will reduce abnormal Homocysteine levels.
Elevated Insulin is pro inflammatory in big ways, opening up and pushing major inflammatory cascades, maintaining the state of inflammation in our blood stream.
Elevated Glucose binds with red blood cells, damaging them and forming what are known as Advanced Glycated End Products (AGE). Age produces 50 times the amount of free radicals that normally functioning tissue does. Ages are particularly hard on the Kidneys, Eyes, and Nervous System. Getting a HbA1c blood test can help see if a person is running excess AGE damage in their blood stream. It is one of the definitive tests for Type 2 Diabetes. When you get enough of these damaged proteins in your blood,, the amount of free radicals generated over whelms the body’s anti-oxidant defenses. Healthy vascular tissue gets damaged. Both elevated insulin and glucose are 2 of the results of Insulin Resistance, which is so widespread it can almost be considered average no matter how abnormal it is.
In modern Medicine, many important factors are over looked, such as the nutritional element (Low Vit D, lack of trace min Zinc/magnesium ect) Hormonal element (Low Testosterone, DHEA, Estradiol.) and the damaging effects of an imbalanced and pathological stress response (plays a large role in modern diseases)
Iron and copper loading (very common) produces oxidative damage as does excess insulin and glucose (insulin resistance is very pro-inflammatory) Seems like a lot of stuff. Think of it all happening at once. The body is really 1 system. A healer will never find these important elements of vascular disease if they never look. Good blood profiling and follow up is very important.
A brief look at high blood pressure as another wing of the problem (80 million people have Hypertension/ high blood pressure in the US) usually from a combination of things. Stress response is a major player in that arena. Stress response demands a certain chemistry from us. If that stress response loses its balance we begin to get into trouble. Working with the nervous system, improving nutrition, supplementation and applying Adaptogens (A Class of Tonic Herbs) can greatly improve stress response. We need a healthy and balanced stress response to help live normal and healthy lives.
I want to reiterate; multiple markers are necessary to determine health or oncoming problems in the vascular system. Through the blood stream you can know which way the body is going and if it is the wrong way correct it before anything happens. The body really does want to get better, it just needs help and Natural Medicine is in line with its needs.
Part of a vascular profile has to include Vit D. Standard Practice says it is optimum at 33. I strongly disagree and think it should be between 50 and 75. Vit D is unique. It does not really have a class. It seems to transcend those lines. It is a huge influence on human health. In the U.S. 80% of the population is low on Vit D.
I want to get back to inflammation and oxidative damage that is in the blood stream and driving many damaging process. The damage I am speaking of occurs in the lining of the arteries. When the artery lining is damaged through prolonged inflammation and oxidative damage, the result is a cascade of negative immunological events. If this basic problem is not approached and these underlying factors continue, so will the degradation of our Cardiovascular as well as our Cerebro-Vascular systems. Statins are just not enough.
Our Brain is on the same highway as our heart. Many of the factors that form Heart disease are the basis of nurologial decline as well. Bringing down inflammation/oxidative damage in the blood stream can be accomplished, mostly through the use of herbs (adaptogens,curcumin, boswella,ect) supplements (anti-oxidents; OPC, CoQ10 ect) Packed nutritional agents (Royal Jelly, Green Tea Extract) and dietary change.
Exercise is a big deal and also very hard to get folks to do. About 2/3 of the country is overweight and 1/3 is obese. Weight disorders are a risk factor for all cause mortality, meaning it plays into every known disorder that kills us. Insulin Resistance is at the bottom of many weight disorders. Insulin resistance is underrated in its deleterious effects, is extremely common and can be totally reversed without the use of drugs.
Blood viscosity (how thick our blood is) is a valuable marker of blood quality. Thickened blood and thrombosis (Stroke, Heart Attack) go together. Measurements, through tests like D-Dimer, Fibrinogen and Lipoprotein A can be life saving in relationship to heart disease and cancer. Thickened blood is conducive to clotting (thrombosis, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke) and to producing a pro-cancer enxviroment (cancer likes thickened and oxygen poor blood in order to multiply and metastasize). As an important aside, many chemo cancer patients die because all chemo thickens blood. If unchecked (not looking for pro clotting factors), and then given a chemo drug, it is like throwing dice with someones life and can lead to the dangerous consequences of throwing a clot.. Reducing blood viscosity can be done with proteolytic enzymes, essential fatty acids and a class of herbs called Blood Vitilizers (Chinese Herbal Medicine), along with the things that reduce inflammation and oxidative damage. Difference between drugs and herbs is that drugs knock out a process (very specific and good, just very pointed and powerful, with long term use downsides ). Natural Medicine rebuilds a body, in line with its overall needs. The 2 can be combined if necessary. Often Natural Medicine alone is enough.
Low thyroid is underrated in its effect on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Low thyroid is a much bigger problem in women below 65. Above that age it is also implicated in many disorders for men as well including Heart Disease, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease.
I mentioned low testosterone as a risk factor for Heart Disease. There has been more studies on the direct relation between low testosterone and HT Attacks then there is on cholesterol and HT Disease. Not a fan of supplemental testosterone, but am big on taking things through natural medicine that enhance and balance the whole endocrine system and in giving specifics for increasing testosterone as well. Definitely do able. I do not think Heart Disease is as complex as cancer, but it is far more complex than the way it is treated by Standard Practice Medicine. Heart Disease is a global dysfunction, involving multiply systems that need to be addressed in a comprehensive way. The only way to get that info is through blood testing. If the Dr. will not order it, many of the tests mentioned can be bought online through companies like Life Extention or Direct Labs. They are not expensive. We can do a lot more for ourselves than an insurance based medicine is willing to do. The science to prove all these things written about in this article have been well established.
I am going to list all the tests I have mentioned plus a couple of more so that you can get the totality of the approach in determining who is actually at risk and needs more aggressive intervention.
When a practitioner is working with a patient, they start with some basic tests that are necessary to determine if there is a problem. If something shows, then they widen that area out with more testing to see if they are actually at risk. Initial testing sets baseline in a number of areas and is used for comparison when protocol is set. After a number of months of therapy, retesting of troubled areas is done to see if the protocol is working. You want to see it on paper as well as in the patient subjective response (do they fell better?).
Cholesterol
LDL (Low Density Lipids) These are the first group of test I ask
(High Density Lipids) for.
Triglycerides IF something is off, than I move into
Homocystiene second set of tests. Generally you
can get the Dr to order the first 4 + Fasting Insulin Vit D
C-Reactive Protein The rest of the tests in the first
ViT D group should be part of front line
testing
.
Ratio Cholestrol/ HDL
Plac test Harry Chrissakis
NMR (Nucluer Magnetic Resonance) HerbalistandHerbs.com
VAP (Verticle Auto Profile) 13376 Rue Montainge O.H Ca
D-Dimer 530-933-8244
Fibrinogen chrissakis@digitalpath.net
Hormone panel
Thyroid panel
Ferritin (excess Iron) Ceruloplasmin (excess copper)