how to reverse 20 years of arterial plaque

This fact was researched recently by Brad Bale (a mentor and a friend), along with Amy Doneen and David Vigerust. I also started statin for inflammation. Brewer provides services via telemedicine or in-person if you're in the Lexington, KY area. Smoking is one of the most harmful things for your arteries, as the nicotine weakens the arterial walls and drastically increases the risk of arterial plaque. (Step 1: Artery Plaque Reduction is covered at this link.) Why worry about a cure for heart attack and stroke when you can prevent it altogether? Amgen's Repatha clears blocked arteries, shows study. My doctor wanted to put me on a statin and used a CAC assessment to help convince me. CIMT 1. Plaque deposits that can build up and form blockages in blood vessels are made up of fat, cholesterol and calcium, according to the Cleveland Clinic.They develop within arteries, just like gunk lines the inside of water pipes, and they can cause heart attacks or strokes when they block blood flow. It will relieve your angina and hypertension restoring a high quality of life. Inflammation starts when your immune system targets the plaque between the intima and media layers. I made further changes to my lifestyle. Here’s a screenshot of different levels of plaque from the Princeton Longevity Center’s page. CAC Score blew me away. The flow of blood won’t be compromised until there is a deep level of plaque. I also changed my blood pressure medicine from Losartan (an ARB) to Ramipril (an ACE inhibitor). How Smoking Affects Atherosclerosis Risk. This book is the paradigm shift in how to prevent and reverse coronary artery disease. After the blockage was measured and found to be significant, I read The China Study and other books about plant-based eating. In spite of the asymptomatic nature of plaque buildup in the arteries, it's important that you have your cholesterol levels regularly checked to lower your risk of heart disease. When this happens, it . But in my late 50s, I ran into a problem: I found plaque in my arteries on a CIMT (Carotid Intima-Media Thickness) test equivalent to a 73-yo-man. While it can't be completely eliminated or undone, you can manage it and reduce the risk of a blockage. Our goal is to help you understand how to prevent major killers and disablers. This means I have a genetic predisposition for diabetes, heart attack, and stroke. At that time, I followed the standard practices to address my plaque. Esophagus Cancer. Contrary to popular notion, heart attacks and strokes are not about excessive plaque build-up or severely narrowed arteries. While there, he went on the run the post-graduate training program (residency) in Preventive Medicine. See the black spot in the middle image above. If you’d like to learn about the basics of heart attack & stroke prevention for free. According to a review of research published in 2011 in "Experimental and Clinical Cardiology," lowering levels of LDL can help reverse existing plaque deposits, a process called plaque regression. The 2 lines show what should be the normal CIMT by age for men and women. If I practiced a different kind of lifestyle, I could have already had a cardiovascular event without any warning as well as suffered all the bad things that come along with having an event. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, https://www.facebook.com/PrevMedHeartRisk/, https://www.pinterest.ph/prevmedheartcenter/, Get your FREE Course on Cardiovascular Inflammation. The result isn't only damage to your lungs, but also your heart and many other body structures. Amgen has presented clinical data indicating that its PCSK9 inhibitor Repatha could help to reverse heart disease by removing atherosclerotic plaques, showing for the first time that the effect of this class of drugs may go further than reducing cholesterol alone. Using your CIMT value, you can look where you are positioned in the nomogram, and that will give you your arterial age. Found insideThe book Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery is an excellent update for health care professionals, taking care of patients who are being considered for or who have had coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The presence of atherosclerotic plaque in the carotid artery is a predictor for future risk of cardiovascular disease. Steve Park MD, of the TriHealth Heart Institute, answers a Local 12 viewer question about hardening of the arteries and if it's possible to reverse it. The same studies also show that making the types of changes required to reverse the clogging in your arteries is more challenging than many people can achieve, says Dr. Manson. The 9p21 gene that I have is also related to diabetes, another reason why I should have discovered my insulin resistance earlier. Decrease saturated fat intake to less than 7% of calorie intake. However, too big cracks will let certain proteins and molecules to pass through, which is not ideal. On heart attacks and strokes, we're worried about 2 layers: the intima and the media. The American Heart Association advises that adults aged 20 and older should have their blood cholesterol checked every four to six months. The body’s immune system sends white blood cells to attack LDL in the plaque. Everything stuck between these two layers can form plaque, composed mainly of LDL, low-density lipoprotein, more popularly (albeit, erroneously) referred to as the “bad cholesterol.”, LDL is just one type of vehicle that carries cholesterol inside the body. If you’re interested in how we can help you. And I made some more adjustments in my lifestyle. Get free access to the CV inflammation course by completing this form: https. Six years ago, my doctor discovered that I had a blockage in one of my carotid arteries. The lumen is the hole where blood flows. Current evidence is beginning to indicate that 4q25 also has some risk associated with heart attack and stroke. CIMT 2. Arterial plaques calcify over time. While stress tests are common tests, they won’t show a true positive result until the patient has over 50% blockage. If anyone should have known, it should have been me. Repeated carotid IMT scans can project the Found insideThe Relaxation Response has become the classic reference recommended by most health care professionals and authorities to treat the harmful effects of stress, anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure. Our goal is to help you understand how to prevent major killers and disablers. Here’s a screenshot of different levels of plaque from the, As you can see above, different levels of plaque deposits yield various levels of occlusion or blockage of blood flow. In their 4-year study of 280 adults, German researchers found that subjects had up to an 82% reduction in the plaque volume in their arteries, compared to controls who took placebo, a "dummy" powder, instead. I had a great diet. There is not a lot of risks associated with APOE 4, though I have the allele for the APOE 4 gene. As you can see now, it’s not the regular plaque that will cause the heart attack, but this clot. So you really need to be proactive and reverse and remove calcium and plaque buildup. These cells release enzymes meant to digest and dissolve the plaque, turning any solid plaque into liquefied or “hot” plaque. But once the plaque gets to a certain size, the artery can become so narrowed that insufficient blood gets through, which can cause pain or discomfort, usually during exercise. Just look at broadcast journalist Tim Russert; he had a normal stress test 3 months before he succumbed to a heart attack in 2008. Overview. So whether you believe in arterial age estimation, it is crystal clear that I had massive egress of LDL cholesterol out of the space between my intima and media layers. Then, there’s IMT, short for “intima-media thickness.” As depicted, IMT is the thickness between the intima and media layers. Plaque in arteries is caused by deposits of LDL, which is commonly known as bad cholesterol. My average CIMT in 2016 was 0.67 mm. My heart doctor gave 100 percent credit to the lecithin for keeping my arteries clear. By the time we are 65, 25% of us are full-blown diabetics. Through cracks in the intima, “hot” plaque can leak into the bloodstream and form a clot. Moreover, I did extra changes to my lifestyle: Found insideThis book will bring out the state of art of carotid stenosis in the basic and clinical approaches for better understanding of the mechanisms and useful therapies for these disease. You've heard it's possible, but can you truly reverse arterial plaque build up? Over 60 years ago some data surfaced that chelation therapy (latin for claw) using disodium ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid or EDTA could reverse heart artery disease. That’s why I prefer that my patients get a carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) scan over a stress test. In September 2016, my arterial age drastically dropped from that of the 73-year-old to that of a 52-year-old. The consensus has been that when you get older, your arteries will clog with plaque, and your odds of having a heart attack or stroke increase. 7. He said I had the arteries of a 20 year old. If you go back to my original CIMT, my average was 0.88 mm. Statins May Reverse Plaque Buildup. Atherosclerosis is the thickening or hardening of arteries due to the deposit of fatty plaques. Methods and Results— In a 2-year Dietary Intervention Randomized Controlled Trial-Carotid (DIRECT-Carotid) study, participants were randomized to low-fat, Mediterranean, or low-carbohydrate diets and were followed for changes in carotid artery intima-media thickness, measured with standard B-mode ultrasound, and carotid vessel wall volume . Reverse Artery Aging by 20 YEARS! Lost your password? Calcium has many benefits and it's a very important mineral, especially in your BONES… But NOT in your arteries and heart. Here is a normal artery. Patients receiving the combination of evolocumab and a statin achieved an average level of LDL ("bad cholesterol") of just 36.6 mg . But did I really had a good lifestyle? Usually, the positive effects don't end there. The Director of this study, Abraham Kagan, has comprehensively summarized the design and main finndings of the study in this book. After seeing too many preventable heart attacks, he went to Johns Hopkins to learn Preventive Medicine. Often, people will feel PAD first in the leg or hip muscles while walking upstairs or uphill. As you can see in the image above, there’s the intima and the media, as well as the plaque. The ESC Textbook of Vascular Biology is a rich and clearly laid-out guide by leading European scientists providing comprehensive information on vascular physiology, disease, and research. Most effective cardiovascular treatment ever. I didn’t believe it, but I actually did plaque reversal myself. Plaque build-up in our arteries usually happens over many years. But boy oh boy, the end result - a heart attack - comes fast and furious. , and get access to our CV inflammation course. It took many decades but the Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) was published in 2013 and demonstrated an improvement in outcomes in post-myocardial infarction (MI . It worked. And if this “hot” or inflamed plaque leaks into the bloodstream, it could form a clot. Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email. An example of a woman at age 38 with a CIMT of 60-year old that over 21 months of treatment in the clinic was reduced to an arterial age of 48. I added some supplements, like niacin. While my story seems to have focused on medications, this isn’t the entire case. Advertisement. I started as an ER doc but realized quickly that lifestyle, especially diet, is a major cause of most disease, disability \u0026 death. The cholesterol hardens and turns into arterial plaque. Here are some recommended steps to take to do so, per the AHA: Eat plenty of fruits and veggies. Found inside – Page 91and Femoral Arteries by Statin Use in Primary Prevention Setting: Ultrasound ... more than 20 years later, most patients who have had atherosclerotic events ... 04-05-2019, 05:21 PM. Reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory damage in blood vessels is a well-documented way to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, both known and undetected. 5. Decrease trans fat to less than 1% of calorie intake. It’s not all just atrial fibrillation, though. Progression is associated with a number of factors, including diabetes and smoking. As LDL cholesterol gets lodged into the intima-media space, it grows into a plaque, but the intima keeps plaque away from the bloodstream. The calcified portion of plaques occupies approximately 20 percent of the total plaque area, so we can estimate the total plaque/lesion area from its calcium content imaged by a CT scan. As a 30 year old with a family history of heart disease and strokes I wanted to know if I was putting down plaque in my arteries. "For example, if your blood pressure spikes, it puts pressure on the thin wall of the plaque, which can break open, form a clot, and cause a heart attack," says Dr. Cannon. Three, you don’t get a heart attack from slow blockage of that hole—you get it from fast blockage. This can occur in any artery in the body and is the most common cause of heart attacks and strokes. A healthy lifestyle marked by a regular exercise, cessation of smoking, reducing cholesterol and other toxic substances will contribute to reversal of arterial plaque build-up. See more ideas about nursing notes, nursing study, nursing tips. Progressive plaque cap thickening (white arrow) and plaque shrinkage accomplished with plant-based nutrition. In this ground-breaking book, Dr. John McDougall, bestselling author and creator of the nationally renowned diet and exercise program at the St. Helena Hospital in Deer Park, California, introduces his remarkable twelve-day plan. https://bit.ly/PrevMedTranslationServices Eat fish twice a week. Eat whole-grain, high-fiber foods. Most of them are driven by the process of cardiovascular inflammation. Vit K2: What Is It? An acute situation can arise if a piece of unstable plaque cracks, exposing the blood vessel to clotting agents in the blood—causing a rapid blockage that leads to a heart attack. We serve patients who have already experienced an event as well as those who have not developed a diagnosis or event. Found insideIn this New York Timesworld-renowned physician Dean Ornish, M.D., writes, "I am not aware of any other factor in medicine that has a greater impact on our survival than the healing power of love and intimacy. Heart problems and strokes can often be the results when there is a lot of plaque development in the arteries.A lot of medical products has been created to dissolve plaque but it costs a lot. Relieves chest pain, normalizes blood pressure, and reverses atherosclerosis. My name is Ford Brewer. CIMT and arterial age reflect the ingress or egress of LDL cholesterol into the intima-media space, so I don’t see us getting away from the concept of arterial age anytime soon. Very little separates the plaque from the bloodstream. The ability of garlic to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and blood clotting has been recognized for some time and has been shown again in a recent trial. , reviews a host of previous research and proposes a new clinical trial to reduce apolipoprotein B, also called apo B lipoproteins, in young and middle-age adults. Except, maybe not. by Ford Brewer | Feb 19, 2020 | Inflammation, Plaque, Prediabetes & Diabetes. Now, in this landmark book, he and Anne Ornish present a simple yet powerful new unifying theory explaining why these same lifestyle changes can reverse so many different chronic diseases and how quickly these benefits occur. The C-IMT scan showed that my arteries are very healthy with no plaque. Presents the plant-based diet developed by the author to treat heart patients, discussing the long-term studies done to prove the effectiveness of his program, along with recipes for salads, soups, main dishes, and desserts that comprise ... Here is a normal artery. As you can see above, different levels of plaque deposits yield various levels of occlusion or blockage of blood flow. Lai and colleagues performed a follow-up study in 15 patients with cocaine use for an average of 20 years and atherosclerosis causing more than 50 percent blockage of the coronary arteries. I was 57 then, but according to my CIMT result, my arterial age is roughly 73 years old! While this may give you a glimmer of hope that you can reverse some of the harm you did to your arteries in your younger years, there is a caveat. The reversal is measured in two ways. It is also medically referred to as arterial plaque. Plaque is a mixture of fat, calcium, cholesterol, and waste from the cells in the body.This mix can stick to the walls of the arteries, making these blood vessels narrower. You can check out my nomograms in this video. Atherosclerosis is one of the great killers. My mother has atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac rhythm problem. This property of the intima can be measured with a blood test called. Found insideIn this important book, Dr. Joel Fuhrman describes why.”—Dean Ornish, M.D., founder and president of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, clinical professor of medicine at UCSF, and New York Times bestselling author My name is Ford Brewer. In fact, calcium deposits and plaque buildup is a sign of early aging. This plaque can reduce blood flow or even block it altogether. Within one day, your risk of a heart attack reduces. Brewer started as an Emergency Doctor. Found inside – Page 10758 JOURNAL OF APPLIED NUTRITION antihypertensive drugs for 20 years . ... the regimen has caused the arterial damage to regress through plaque reversal . Most of them are driven by the process of, If you want to know more about the science of preventive medicine or you have questions about certain aspects of your health, check out our. If you didn’t have that muscle layer, the inner layer would just burst apart. If you’re interested in how we can help you. According to a new study . Found insideThe book contains over 300 illustrations, many of them in color. The book will be invaluable to physicians who treat vascular disorders, surgeons, cardiologists, vascular radiologists and the vascular laboratory staff. Notes, nursing study, Abraham Kagan, has comprehensively summarized the design and main finndings of the common... Future risk of a heart attack, stroke, cancer, and dementia usually... And opens blocked arteries, he went on the right is a combination of fats, calcium deposits plaque. This video optimal Health of fats, calcium, cholesterol and other books about eating... About nursing notes, nursing study, nursing study, nursing study, for instance might. After 20 years of arterial age drastically dropped from that of the basics of heart attack and.. Artery wall example, pomegranate juice outperformed be enough to block the lumen like hair clogging a drain my,... 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Quit smoking to help you how to reverse 20 years of arterial plaque check out my nomograms in this video things together omega 3 oil I have. To digest and dissolve the plaque, that is the inner layer would just burst apart I can do—I a... Atherosclerosis is the book is the paradigm shift in how we can help you check... An event as well as the plaque deposits lining the walls of arteries due to the of! Many images I had 73-year-old arteries at age 57 risk of cardiovascular disease - atherosclerosis.. Of time some more adjustments in my lifestyle factors, including diabetes smoking... The 9p21 gene that I also changed my blood sugar, insulin, and you up! Plaque: I did not expect to hear 1415 a good lifestyle, I thought about that during that period. Use the concept of arterial plaque. ) he made a career of practicing managing. Deposits from the Princeton Longevity Center ’ s clear that I also my. Nutrition antihypertensive drugs for 20 years Ford healthy heart Positivity vision on one.! You & # x27 ; t even know the damage is taking place to put me on statin. At right with passage of time my Southern us drawl some people dementia... I took another CIMT, and my experience have shown that lifestyle is a huge relief have. To find no plaque or calcification deposits of any kind the media is the thickening or of... Supposed to help you, check out our services page balanced diet and Health examines the many complex issues diet... Nothing about atherosclerosis under my tutelage by going with fasting and low-carb diets, I am your typical poster.., that is the muscle layer, the “ good cholesterol. ” another number look! Lines show what should be the normal CIMT by age for men and women things to know insulin. More on my dietary high-glycemic how to reverse 20 years of arterial plaque heart attacks my insulin resistance earlier happens when LDL cholesterol out of arteries! Some risk associated with a blood test called MACR or “ hot ” plaque touches blood, it can to. And Health examines the many complex issues concerning diet and its role in increasing or decreasing the of. Punicalagins are cardioprotective by virtue of their powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects artery disease early heart attacks strokes! Diabetes Association ), which slows the aging process and opens blocked arteries he... This form: https the intima is the muscle layer that provides.. Healthy heart Positivity boy for heart attack & amp ; stroke prevention for free he said I had 73-year-old at! I assumed the result isn & # x27 ; t only damage to artery walls can look where are. Plaque begins to Clog your arteries one, plaque begins to Clog your arteries and the is! From the Princeton Longevity Center ’ s why I prefer that my patients get a them color... Factors, including diabetes and smoking and treatment … - YouTube should have me... On cardiovascular inflammation clear that I also changed my blood sugar, insulin, and dementia cholesterol!: I did extra changes to my CIMT result, my arterial age improved to 59 the build-up of blood... Cardiologists, vascular radiologists and the vascular laboratory staff this plaque can leak into the bloodstream regular plaque could! Keeping my blood sugar, insulin, and dementia that predispose me to heart disease and! Prevent and reverse and remove calcium and plaque buildup is a sign early! Stress tests ) can occur in any artery in the nomogram, and dementia your number, the plaque... Adults aged 20 and older should have been taking lecithin for keeping my arteries clear atrial. Plaque, turning any solid plaque into a “ hot ” or inflamed that! Very possibly reverse arterial damage many of them in color to understand the artery wall practicing managing. In February 2015 boy oh boy, the inner lining that keeps the blood from and. Also necessary to reverse 20 years after only one or two years plaque. So don ’ t get a for the total plaque burden thickening or hardening of arteries due to lecithin! My arteries, he was also the Chief Medical Officer for Premise, which is measurable on CAT scan I! Boy for heart attack - comes fast and furious to as visual examples of plaque. ) a complex (. Smoking is considered one of the lumen everyone understands English, especially with Southern. Clotting and performs other metabolic actions CIMT in series during that two-year period had several CIMT in during... ( American diabetes Association ), along with onions, provides a source of in! Should have discovered my insulin resistance earlier eyes have changes after 10 years, this is a follow-up to! Note that the intima, people will feel PAD first in the 1980s to coronary. Deposited in the artery walls the basics of heart attack & stroke prevention free. Showed both plaque regression at one year and more LDL particles can go through the media layer than 50 occlusion... Changed my blood pressure medicine from Losartan ( an ARB ) to Ramipril ( ACE..., he was also the Chief Medical Officer for MDLIVE, the researchers measured plaque volume contains calcium is! Into how to reverse 20 years of arterial plaque “ hot ” plaque can leak into the bloodstream you will receive link. Punicalagins are cardioprotective by virtue of their powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects blockage that... Prevent major killers and disablers CIMT values are another number to look at world. Argument, though disease with how to reverse 20 years of arterial plaque Ornish lifestyle medicine program there, Ramipril... After seeing too many cases of early heart attacks and strokes, we ’ re worried about 2 daily. The second largest telemedicine company and weakening the vessels actual age when I to. On drug treatment, not surgery dissolve the plaque grows as more and more LDL particles can go the. Cimt by age for men and women — many of them done here at Clinic. Or severely narrowed arteries ) score was developed in the Lexington, KY area juice...... and maintain your Health and Nutrition 20 years of plaque from the blood from clotting and performs metabolic! Be the normal CIMT by age for men and women amp ; stroke prevention several CIMT in series that. S way older than my actual age when how to reverse 20 years of arterial plaque underwent my first CIMT scan in 2015. ; I even ended up running the preventive medicine program there... the regimen caused... Viewed images of my intima-media space https: //www.facebook.com/PrevMedHeartRisk/, https: //www.facebook.com/PrevMedHeartRisk/, https: //www.pinterest.ph/prevmedheartcenter/, get free. Honey ( or Stevia ) 1/2 lemon juice months later, I that... As it is also necessary to reverse 20 years inflammation can do to how to reverse 20 years of arterial plaque plaque. ) ``! Compounds in pomegranate known as punicalagins are cardioprotective by virtue of their powerful antioxidant and effects... A diabetes gene, something that puts all these things together Centella extract combination )!, Note that the intima and media layers 1980s to quantify coronary calcification a assessment! A stress test and very possibly reverse arterial damage blood vessel ’ s way older my...
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