I would add this answer:

Led to the massive over-prescribing of dangerous and powerful drugs to millions of patients, resulting in very large numbers of deaths and harmful side-effects.

I have a young Cardiologist who told my husband and me on the last visit that drug companies are suffering from the downturn in the economy because of the billions that they are spending on research, and seems to believe it!!

Yes, among the most brainwashed of all are my colleagues.

When this first began (& i was firmly ensconced in the medical system) i strongly believed the DTC ads would be helpful.  I was working for a doctor at the time & believed that folks should educate themselves & be their own advocates, to learn more of the meds they took & be more aware of side effects.  (The doc i worked for was not very impressed with my thoughts, however.)

Sadly, that is not at all what has occurred with these ads.  

Instead, ads give folks a false impression of what they do & then the folks insist on the meds to their docs.  No one is better educated or making a better effort at partnering with docs rather than taking their word as gospel.

I'm long out of the conventional medical field (it has been over 5 years since i was on staff at a hospital).  But we still need to help folks learn to be their own advocates & educate themselves.  I'm so impressed with your website Dr. Davis, as it is a wonderful tool to do so.

Sad that the results of your poll show only the opinion of a small more enlightened minority...

True, but it's a start!

I can only hope that the "enlightened" further enlighten those around them.

Some of that "awareness" may just be the power of suggestion making people think they have a disease and need that drug.  For example, restless leg syndrome is rare, though it is real.  Why advertize drugs to treat a rare condition???  I'm sure individual doctors can diagnose it and know what to prescibe.  Could it be that they want people to think they have restless leg syndrome when they really don't so that drug sales will increase?  Any why is it necessary to advertize antipsychotic drugs?  Do they think the entire population is crazy???  I'm sure that psychiatrists are capable of knowing what to prescibe without direct advertizing.

I do not understand what advantage expensive Plavix has over dirt cheap low dose aspirin.

From LAtimesblogs --
Plavix advertising indirectly cost taxpayers an extra $207 million over five years

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/11/plavix-advertising-indirectly-cost-taxpayers-an-extra-207-million-over-five-years-1.html

Hello, you have tried to your best. I agree with you and really liked it. Great effort... Keeps it up!!!!

Hey I just a got a VAP blood test and my results stunned me.

LDL 173 with 80% Type B. I was stunned, because I have been taking my fish oil, eating low carb, and no grains for 8 months now. She said your HDL is 44 so a statin is a better choice than niacin, but I insisted on niacin. My Doctor isn't happy, but it's my body, so my decision.

Well yesterday I went brought that glucose meter and been taking my glucose reading and found them to range between 70 and 84.

That is until today. I went out to dinner and ordered mussels and shrimp cooked in olive oil with cherry tomatoes with a side of spinach. Low carb right?

Well an hour later I took a reading and found my blood glucose to be 137.

What the Heck?

I eat out a lot; maybe these places have been adding sugar to my Low Carb orders and that is the reason for my poor VAP test results? I am hoping the glucose meter helps me understand the weaknesses in my diet and with the niacin help me score better in my next VAP test.

All I can say is thank you Dr. Davis for sharing your knowledge with us.

Steve

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Did you see the statins article in latest issue of BW? It is a MUST read!

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_04/b4068052092994.htm?chan=magazine+channel_top+stories

I'd make it akin to pregnancy: ya either are or ya aint... no grey areas.  
could be 9mos, could be 3mos but you're still pregnant.

Scan and Track yourself...You either have a positive CAC score, lucky dude (or dudette) it's zero. If it's positive then Obliterate that Plaque (S.T.O.P.) with TYP and DR. Davis!

And if you look 3mos pregnant (and you're male) there's a 100% chance you have plaque.
And if you're female... and NOT pregnant, ditto because central obesity typically indicates Insulin Resistance the strongest plaque builder out there. 70% of the world's population are pre-diabetic or have type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and it's growing everyday.

I can't tell you how many people have come to me and told me that a doctor told them statins were "magic" or a virtual "cure" for heart disease. Of course, they are not. They don't even come close.

Yes, statins do provide a role. In a $26 billion industry, perhaps 20% of that is truly necessary.

Well said.

Maybe I should post a piece called "Are you a pregnant male?"

A little off subject, but any comments on the latest report( I believe from the  Framingham study ) that says low vitamin D levels is a very definite cardiac risk factor ONLY in people with high blood pressure and not at all in anybody else?

As with any observational study in which no intervention (e.g., treatment with vitamin D) was made, various factors as predictors of death and heart attack emerge only when powerful effects are likely.

We see enormous effects from vit D replacement regardless of BP effects. Remember also that there is more to life and health than reduction of cardiovascular disease risk. Vit D also reduces risk of falls/fractures, osteoporosis, various cancers (esp. colon and prostate), reduces blood sugar, inflammatory responses, etc.

I know this is probably not the right place to post this message but I do not know where else to. I live in the UK and I have had 'Track Your Plaque' on order for the past two weeks with Play.com (similar to Amazon). I queried why my order is taking so long and they said that the book is printed on demand. Is this correct ? If so please can you tell me when you are next doing a printing because I really do need the book before the beginning of February when I will be seeing my cardiologist and asking him for a referral for an EBCT scan. I want to go to my appointment armed with 'Track Your Plaque' !

with kind regards,
Anne

Yes, this far out from its original printing, it is now printed only on demand.

Dear Dr Davis,

Have you any idea how long it takes to get a copy printed ? I have a bicuspid aortic valve with moderate stenosis and I think it would be a good idea for my cardiologist to refer me for a scan so that we can see why the stenosis is progressing if it is due to calcification of the valve - I don't see what else it could be - but he may take some convincing and I was hoping that if I had the book it would be helpful. If I don't get a referral it will be too expensive for me to pay for myself as an EBCT scan in the UK costs around £500 or $1000.

with best wishes,
Anne

Hi, Anne-
Unfortunately, a heart scan will not be very helpful for the question of aortic valve disease. Yes, it can quantify calcium on the valve, but this is not a factor in determining when replacement is necessary, nor does it help track progression, unlike in coronary arteries.

Be sure to take a look at vitamin D--this is crucial in aortic valve issues.

Dear Dr Davis,

Oh, I see :-( My cardiologist is doing yearly echocardiograms to determine when to replace the valve, but, from my limited knowledge, I had been thinking that if I knew the exact extent of any calcification on the valve and took all steps necessary to reverse the calcification then I could reverse the progression of the stenosis and never have to have a valve replacement. I have started to take 5000iu of D3 per day yes

with best wishes,
Anne

Hi Dr. Davis,

I have a friend whose wife has mitral valve prolapse.  Would Vitamin D3 supplementation be useful in treating this?

anne,

I bought 8 books -- and they arrived in < 1wk.  Once you read it, you'll want your best friends and family to get onboard too!   No point in being immortal... ALONE.
Also, if you're considering trackyourplaque.com membership, the TYP book is included!

g

Hi, WC--
No. Vit D will not have any specific effect on mitral valve prolapse. However, it's still worth taking for all the other benefits, however.

I received a zero score in a coronary artery calcium screening. However, the clinic mailed me a report that had some comments related to mild ectasia of the ascending aorta and subtle calcification involving the descending aorta.  Any thoughts?

Then it's likely that high blood pressure, vitamin D deficiency, and some other factors (see lipoproteins) are active issues.

Dr. Davis
Thank you for the response. I am fascinated by your blog and will follow up on your suggestions.

wccaguy,

Re mitral valve prolapse: Is magnesium a factor? Bit of an obscure ref but Mg is pretty non toxic by mouth...

Peter

Magnesium depletion seems common also in diabetes.  Could perhaps Mg depletion and it's negative consequences, including valve damage as per Peter's reference, be caused by the excessive carbohydrate consumption as the primary factor?

Stan (Heretic)

http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/magnesium.shtml#carbohydrate_metabolism

Yes, magnesium depletion can develop on high-carbohydrate diets, and it also aggravtes pre-diabetic tendencies.

However, while magnesium supplementation can reduce some of the consequences of mitral valve prolapse (such as abnormal heart rhythms), it does not actually protect the valve.

A bit confusing.

Dr. Davis wrote:  However, while magnesium supplementation can reduce some of the consequences of mitral valve prolapse (such as abnormal heart rhythms), it does not actually protect the valve.

Very interesting!  That would suggest that magnesium depletion may be a coincidental marker of something else that is the common cause of both heart damage and magnesium depletion. Much like in the serum cholesterol case, perhaps?

Dear Dr Davis,

You wrote: "Unfortunately, a heart scan will not be very helpful for the question of aortic valve disease. Yes, it can quantify calcium on the valve, but this is not a factor in determining when replacement is necessary, nor does it help track progression, unlike in coronary arteries."

I've just found this article which suggests that the stenosis associated with bicuspid aortic valve can be reversed, and likens the progression of the calcification on the valve to that in atherosclerosis in arterial walls: http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/42/4/593

Can you comment on this please because if it were true then the strategies employed in Track Your Plaque would work for valves too wouldn't they ?

with best wishes,
Anne

Anne--

The review you cite preceded publication of two studies that attempted to affect progression of aortic valve disease using high-dose Lipitor or Crestor. Lipitor had no effect; Crestor, 40 mg per day, did have a small effect.

Because the Track Your Plaque program does not track aortic valve disease, I cannot say whether or not it has any effects. However, it is probably small to none--with the exception of vitamin D. I have great hopes for vitamin D's effect on slowing or reversing aortic valve disease. We are accumulating an experience with vit D, but it's too preliminary to publish.

I saw my cardiologist today for my yearly echocardiogram. The pressure gradient across my bicuspid aortic valve has increased from 35mmHg to 38mmHg since last year which my cardiologist said was good....but he's going to refer me for an EBCT scan !  And because I have private health insurance I should be covered.....they don't do EBCT scans under the NHS here in the UK so I'm really lucky

all the best,
Anne

Dear Dr Davis,

I had the results of my scan today. There's no calcification in the coronary arteries But calcification showed up on the bicuspid aortic valve. My cardiologist said there's nothing I can do about that because of the turbulent blood flow, but I'm determined that I will be able to halt the calcification or reverse it and I will be watching your blog for anything you write about aortic valve disease, especially when you write about your work with vitamin D and aortic valves. I'm currently taking 4000iu D3.

with best wishes,
Anne

Coronary atherosclerosis is a diffuse process that involves much of the length of the artery. It is therefore folly to believe that a 15 mm long stent has addressed the disease. This is no more a solution than to replace the faucet in your kitchen in a house with rotting pipes from the basement up.