Track Your Plaque APB

9. February 2008 William Davis (7)
I'm posting this intriguing comment from the Track Your Plaque Member Forum because I would like to speak to the Member who posted it.

The Member said:

I tested at 965 last year, and while I have followed the TYP diet and nutraceutical recommendations, I was totally unprepared for my first repeat scan (at the same lab/machine) on January 29, 2008. My result was 4.0, and at first I assumed the rating scale had been changed.

I then noted that 3 of the big four arteries received scores of 0, which means the same in any scale, and that four nodules had disappeared from the scan field.


Wow!!

If this is true, it would represent the biggest success in the Track Your Plaque program--ever! It would be an incredible story to tell, to convince the public and medical community that it is indeed possible, and a cause for popping a bottle of champagne! It would also represent what I would regard as essentially a cure for coronary atherosclerosis, a virtual elimination.

While we have plenty of success in stopping the progression or reducing heart scan scores, we do not have 100% success. I wish we did. The Track Your Plaque program is, to some degree, a work in progress. We learn from experiences, continually adjust to obtain the results we desire. Even as it stands today, the Track Your Plaque program is superior to any program of heart disease prevention known--by a long stretch. But it's not infallible, it's not foolproof.

That's all the more reason I would like to communicate with the Track Your Plaque Member who posted this comment. I would also like permission to view the heart scans themselves. (I can't obtain them nor view them without the individual's permission.) While we often have difficulty judging reversal just by looking at heart scans, presumed reversal to this profound degree should be obvious, even to the naked eye.

I would like to know--in detail--precisely what steps were taken and whether there was anything unique about this person's medical history or in the program they followed. This is all in an effort to learn and help others do the same.

If you are the Member who posted this comment, I would like to hear more. Please post your further thoughts on the Track Your Plaque Member Forum, or privately through our Contact page . Or e-mail us at contact@cureality.com.
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Comments (7) -

  • Anonymous

    2/9/2008 11:59:00 AM |

    Maybe he had a heart transplant and forgot to tell everyone. : )  Congrats to the TYPer with the fantastic follow-up score!

  • Anonymous

    2/9/2008 2:58:00 PM |

    This brings up a question I havent been able to find an answer to PLEASE explain. I am a 47 yerr old male with a score of 107. Here's the question: ALL of my calcium score is in 1 coronary artery, the LAD( yes I know the worst one) and yet based on calcium scororing I have absolutly no calcium(at least enough to show up as a score) in ANY of my other coronary artteries. Doesen't the same blood with the same small particle, low HDL and everything else travel through ALL the arteries? How come it only harms me in 1 artery? This doesen't make any sense to me.

  • Dr. Davis

    2/10/2008 5:15:00 AM |

    Unfortunately, there is no known explanation for this phenomenon, though it has been the subject of investigation for decades. The only consistent conclusion has been that flow phenomenon (eddies, currents, and bends) play a role--something you and I have absolutely no control over.

  • Anonymous

    2/10/2008 3:16:00 PM |

    I had the same thing( calcium score 84, all in LAD ) test done at Univercity in Chicago. When nurse called with results her explaination was that I must be a non smoker, which i am, because in smokers the plaque tends to spread more evenly in the coronary arteries and in non smokers they tend to show up in 1 or 2 arteries. She said they had no idea what caused this. She did say that if you did have calcium in your arteries, regardless of score, it was better to have it in only 1 than spread out through them all. In other words an 84 in 1 artery was BETTER then an 84 divided between 2 or 3 arteries. Ever hear of either of these theroies Dr. Davis and why would they be true? From what I've read an 84 is an 84?

  • Dr. Davis

    2/11/2008 12:56:00 AM |

    I know of no basis for such an argument. Plaque burden predicts risk for plaque rupture. I've never seen any data that addresses why one, two, or three artery distribution would factor into risk, given the same amount of plaque.

  • vin

    2/11/2008 2:33:00 PM |

    I hope you will tell us all what this miracle person did to achieve this unbelievable reduction in a very short time space.

  • Chainey

    2/12/2008 3:26:00 AM |

    Hi Dr Davis

    New to your site and finding it very interesting.

    Just thought I would mention that the hyperlink in your post, in the penultimate sentence is faulty.

    By the way, do you know of any low-carb "Diet Doctor" or other advocates (or even their long term followers) who has had a scan and publicised the results?

    I'm about to embark on low-carb, but I'm still nervous about the "lipid hypothesis" - i.e. that I'll be damaging my heart with all the saturated fat.

    I'd really like to see the concrete results from some long-term adherents to these diets.

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Are you the exception?

Are you the exception?

14. May 2006 William Davis (0)

I read about 40 heart scans this morning. In the stack was a 41-year old man with a heart scan score of 841.

That's terribly high for anyone, let alone a 41-year old person. He's lucky to find out about this before catastrophe strikes.

People like this worry me. In general, we advise men to consider a heart scan age 40 and older; women 50 and older. If there's anything exceptional about your family history or your own history, then you might notch these numbers down another 5-10 years. For instance, if your Dad had a heart attack at age 43, you might consider a scan at age 35. Or, if you've had diabetes for several years and you're a 42-year old woman, you might think about a scan. (Men tend to develop measurable plaque by heart scans 10 years before women.)

There are no hard and fast rules. It's unusual for a male to have a score >0 before age 40. Likewise, it's very uncommon for a woman to have a score >0 before age 50. But there are occasional exceptions--but they can be very important exceptions.

Our 41-year old man with the score of 841, for instance, probably had a high score since his mid-30s. I've seen several women without any obvious risk factors with scores in the several hundred range in their early 40s.

My rule: When in doubt, opt for safety. Every day, I still read about people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s dying of heart attacks. It shouldn't happen.

When in doubt, get the heart scan. The most you'll lose is the cost of the scan and a modest exposure to radiation. If your score is zero, you know you're safe for the next 5 or more years. But if you have an exceptional score at a young age, take preventive action.
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