Heart disease "reversal" gives health a bad name

Put the search phrase "reverse heart disease" into your internet search engine, and you'll uncover an astonishing range of sites, all making extravagant promises.

The treatment programs offered range from the bizarre (colonic irrigation, magnetism, etc.), to centers using conventional approaches like statin drugs and low-fat diets, to sites that make lofty predictions with few unique tools (slash the fat and heart disease dissolves).

95% or more of the sites you turn up are clearly pandering to the unknowing, the unsophisticated, the hopeless, or other helpless niche groups. Homeopathic preparations, chelation, magnical combinations of herbals, you name it, you'll find it attached to claims for heart disease reversal.

I've seen people use many of these treatments. Is there any effect on the rate of increase of the heart scan score? Do they impact on the 30% per year expected rate of increase? Absolutely not.

Unfortunately, this gives anyone practicing truly effective methods to reverse coronary plaque a bad name. Just associating with this suspect group of "practitioners" can make us look bad--guilt by association.

Whenever someone claims to have the secret of heart disease reversal, I ask "Can you prove it?" Show me some evidence. It doesn't necessarily have to be $30 million drug company sponsored study, but some evidence of effectiveness should be available. The only thing we should take on faith is our religion, not our health care.

Our growing number of people who have, indeed, reversed their heart scan scores--reversed heart disease--to me is persuasive evidence of the value of the Track Your Plaque approach. Not foolproof, not 100%, but the best damned approach I'm aware of, by a long shot.
Loading
Track Your Plaque: Naughty or nice?

Track Your Plaque: Naughty or nice?



Among the many wonderful surprises we've had at Track Your Plaque this holiday season was a letter from Santa Claus himself!

It seems that Santa, like the rest of us, has been busy surfing the web for useful health information the last few months. He was struck with this curious discussion we've been having about "wheat belly" and all the unhealthy consequences of wheat products in our diet.

He writes:

"I wouldn't have believed it myself, except that my waist size has grown four inches in as many years. Sure, I'm known for my healthy girth, but now even Mrs. Claus calls me fat!

"I was open to new ideas when I came across this crazy discussion about eliminating wheat from your diet. So I said, "What have I got to lose?" Well, four weeks later and 12 lbs lighter, I'm convinced. Now comes the tough part: I've got to deliver all the toys and resist all those cookies the children put out for me. I wonder if wheat makes reindeer fat, too?

"Anyway, thanks to your program I'm back to my old weight again. Doc says my blood sugar and blood pressure are also back down to normal. Thanks, Track Your Plaque! (You'll find something extra special under the tree this year.)"

And so it goes. I'm tempted to put Santa's testimonial on our homepage, but I think that may be tooting our own horn a bit too much.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Comments (6) -

  • Rich

    12/25/2007 3:57:00 AM |

    Thanks for the information Santa. I notice that you are drinking a Coke. You should lay off of that, too.

  • Anonymous

    12/25/2007 12:03:00 PM |

    Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to fellow TYPers!!!  Here is to a successful 2008, slim Santas and if anyone sees Rudolph and his bright red nose, you might mention to him that drinking alcohol to excess raises triglyceride levels.

  • mo79uk

    12/27/2007 11:28:00 PM |

    There isn't much vitamin D in the North Pole, is there? Rudolph's red nose could also be remedied...

  • Deborah

    12/28/2007 4:21:00 PM |

    But, Coke and cookies are soooo good!

    Love this post! Just thought I'd say HI! I found your blog via BlogRush!

    Deborah

  • Donner

    1/19/2008 4:30:00 AM |

    Hi, Santa!

    Thanks, as always, for your on-the-mark, pertinent information!

    However, Santa, with all due respect, Santa, Christmas is o-v-e-r, so please post a new blog, perhaps pertaining to the upcoming Valentine's Day, which would be perfectly appropriate, since that special day symbolizes "hearts".

  • buy jeans

    11/3/2010 9:07:36 PM |

    And so it goes. I'm tempted to put Santa's testimonial on our homepage, but I think that may be tooting our own horn a bit too much.

Loading