LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

CVD

SHOULD DIET BE A MEDICAL INTERVENTION? – (01-17-05)

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SHOULD DIET BE A MEDICAL INTERVENTION?

I am truly hoping this is just a rhetorical question put forth by the author!! It still amazes me the resistance mainstream medicine has against lifestyle changes and the therapeutic and preventative potential. I know the typical medical training is not there for a full understanding, but how can such a large group be clearly blind to literally an avalanche of medical literature supporting the benefits of diet and lifestyle as therapy?

I had an email discussion (argument?) with a cardiologist a few weeks back. He was so far off the mark it was scary. I just hope he’s not practicing anymore. He felt my estimate of 25% prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was way too high (it’s not) and felt that in diabetes and CVD it is probably even lower (actually, it’s 88% in CVD patients).

But, he concluded by saying that patients don’t stay with lifestyle changes anyway so why recommend them. I responded by saying that it is not his job to guess what the patient will or will not do–it is his job to explain the options to the patient. Anything short of that is malpractice by lack of informed consent.

Read entire article here

TRY OTHER WAYS TO LOWER YOUR RISK OF HEART ATTACK – (05-01-05)

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A Randomized Trial of Low-Dose Aspirin in the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Women

I guess it’s not the results of this study that should surprise everyone, but rather the thought process behind it.  This study did not show a benefit in women in preventing a first cardiovascular event with the use of aspirin.  What surprises me is this never ending quest to find a single agent to effect a single disease (statins, anyone?).  Many of these, “one cause, one cure” approaches affect only the disease looking to be improved, if that.

However, the other 20 recommendations to lower your risk of a heart attack like a low glycemic index diet, exercise, fish oils, lots of fruits and veggies, etc… will have a side effect of lowering your risk for just about every chronic disease.  So we focus on one single intervention like taking aspirin to lower our risk of heart attack, when we should educate the public about refined carbs and insulin resistance.

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IMPROVEMENT IN METABOLIC RISK FACTORS FOR CVD – (05-08-05)

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Effect of orlistat on cardiovascular disease risk in obese adults

Just so you know–it wasn’t me that designated April/May as “beat up the pharmaceuticals for obesity” months.

This study found improvements in several metabolic risk factors for CVD, but not enough to lower 10-year risk assessment.  Interestingly, although the patients on orlistat had lower total cholesterol, none reduced their cholesterol lowering meds.  I can practically guarantee that lifestyle changes geared towards a healthy body composition will definitely lower a patient’s need for cholesterol lowering drugs.

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WHAT ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS OF METFORMIN? – (05-16-05)

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Effect of Metformin and Intensive Lifestyle Intervention on the Metabolic Syndrome

I’ve always said that, while metformin does indeed reduced insulin resistance, I strongly advocate lifestyle changes first and foremost.  Metformin reduced incidence by 17%, lifestyle by a whopping 41%.  So, lifestyle changes are much more effective and metformin carries significant risks of side effects.  The side effects of lifestyle change?  Lowered rates of diabetes, CVD, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, cancer….

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STRONG LINKS BETWEEN CVD AND PERIODONTAL DISEASE – (10-29-07)

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The Prevalence of Inflammatory Periodontitis is negatively associated with Serum Antioxidant Concentrations

There is quite a bit of evidence now on how important oral health is to our overall health. The links between CVD and periodontal disease is particularly strong. There are several ways of looking at this, and, as always, the true answer probably lies somewhere in between. One viewpoint is that periodontal disease and it’s associated infection is a source of chronic, low grade inflammation–and we all know how damaging inflammation is.

Or, as this study suggests, these patients may have periodontal disease as a result of poor underlying health. In the case of this study, the better the patient’s antioxidant status, the less likely they were to have periodontal disease. Either way, we need to include good oral health as a part of any healthy lifestyle.

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CVD RISK? – GO FOR CT SCAN FIRST – (09-17-07)

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Multislice Computed Tomography in an Asymptomatic High-Risk Population

As this technology has advanced, it has consistently proven itself to be an effect method of screening patients already at some degree of risk for CVD. Screening for everyone would be very expensive without strong benefits.

The problem is that this technology is not being used effectively. Many patients still undergo “screening” coronary catheterization and this procedure is NOT without significant risks. Anyone who is at risk for CVD and is told by their cardiologist that they need the surgical procedure should strongly consider the CT scan first.

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HOW EFFECTIVE LIFESTYLE CHANGES ARE AT PREVENTING CVD? – (07-09-07)

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Higher Plasma DHA is Associated with Reduced Progression of Coronary Atherosclerosis in Women with CAD

There has been much controversy lately about whether coronary stenting leads to better outcomes years later or whether restonosis occurs. The current belief is that it MIGHT show a benefit. It still amazes me to what lengths we will go to avoid looking at just how effective lifestyle changes are at preventing CVD.

The stenting procedure is expensive and not without it’s own set of risks. Lifestylel changes, however, are much cheaper, safety does not even come into play, and the positive effects of lifestyle changes extend beyond CVD.

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RISKS OF CHOLESTEROL IN CORONARY HEART DISEASE – (04-30-07)

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Non–High-Density Lipoprotein and Very-Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and their Risk Predictive Values in Coronary Heart Disease

Invariably, when I give a presentation to a group in the community, maybe 1 out of 20 know their lipids outside of total cholesterol. The reality is, you absolutely, positively CANNOT appropriately manage elevated lipids without knowing where your HDL, VLDL and triglycerides are. And yet PCP and Internists still look at lipids with blinders on and will aggressively treat patients based on total cholesterol alone.

And yet here, researchers found NO association between elevated LDL and CVD risk. Good thing the only bad thing that happens from statin drug use is fatal rhabdomyolysis.

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