are there not food sources of magnesium that are bio-available as well as the option of supplementing?

I'll echo my thoughts on magnesium's anti-arrythmic properties; in my early 20's, I found I had intermittent episodes of frequent multi-focal PVC (premature ventricular contractions), exacerbated by stress and caffeine.  I saw a cardiologist for this, and had no subsequent treatment or follow up.

In my 30's, I started supplementing with ZMA (zinc, magnesium and B6) to improve athletic recovery; I  noticed a nice, regular sinus rhythm on the cardiac monitor (I work as a firefighter/paramedic).  

I have no doubt that a vast majority of people, especially athletes, are deficient in magnesium.  One of thee most important minerals!  Even with a solid diet, Mg is hard to come by, and excretion is enhanced through physical activity and sweating.  I like ZMA personally, but I have heard good things about Natural Calm.

...three other very common results of magnesium deficiencies:

1. Constipation
2. Headaches
3. Muscle tension/cramps


I say this from first hand experience. I will not go a day without it. But it is important to use the right kind of magnesium. Magnesium oxide is the least preferred.

68% of USA adults don't reach the current RDA intake for magnesium and most people who understand the issue would say, like the RDA for Vitamin D, the current magnesium RDA is woefully inadequate.
KRISPIN has a useful  
Formula to Calculate Magnesium Daily Requirement-  5 to 10 milligrams per day per kilo of ideal body weight or 2.5 to 4.5 milligrams per day per pound of ideal body weight.  

Example: 70 kilos or 150 pounds= 350 mg. to 700 mg. daily.  
Magnesium is an incredibly safe mineral to supplement with and too much magnesium passes into the colon where it's hygroscopic properties means it attracts water and the result is loose stools. So you will be made aware when you have taken too much magnesium.
Fellow misers may want to consider DEAD SEA SALTS magnesium chloride available in 25kg sacks from Equine  suppliers, Country Traders, suppliers to small farmers and livestock merchants. In the UK its pretty cheap £7ish a bag. Epsom Salts works as well if not better if you have arthritis. (Think Health Spa) but may be twice the price.Here's how to use it The advantage of having a soak in  magnesium rich bath water is your body won't absorb more than it needs transdermally.
Do take note of the fact that magnesium calms nerves and relaxes muscle fibers.
Soaking in a hot bath enriched with magnesium chloride (Dead Sea salts or magnesium sulphate (Epsom Salts) will leave you ready for bed and a good nights sleep. So later in the day, rather than morning.
Lots of good magnesium info here MGWATER

Don't try telling anyone on Diabetes forums of the relationship of magnesium to diabetes it's almost as provocative as trying to explain the Vitamin D Diabetes interrelation and will surely see you banned.

The onset of PVC's in my mid-40's occurred about the same time as the onset of blindlingly painful nocturnal leg cramps of the calves and thighs.

God only knows how many tests were ordered by the cardiologist I saw, or the other doctors that followed.  A lot of tests, not much to show for it except the threat of a statin prescription, a prescription for a "heart healthy" diet, a la the American Heart Association, and a pat on the head or two.

Relief came several years later in the form of daily supplementation with magnesium glycinate ordered by a physician, whose practice is devoted to wellness... not sickness.

madcook

Is there an easy/cheap way to find out if you're magnesium deficient without getting a blood test?

@ Emily
are there not food sources of magnesium that are bio-available as well as the option of supplementing?
When more grain equals fewer nutrients

While grain yield has increased over time, the concentrations of all minerals except calcium have decreased.

Trouble with most farming nowadays is quantity not quality, taste or nutritional content that matters.

World's  Healthiest Foods MAGNESIUM
Spinach and Swiss Chard.
Every garden should have some,Must be the easiest veg to grow and both are cut and come again so the sooner you get them sown the more you get over the year. Swiss Chard stands cold weather better so is better for later crops.
Bagged Salad and Bacteria: What YOU Can Do
Grow your own.
It's cheaper, tastier, quicker and safer.

@ DancinPete
Is there an easy/cheap way to find out if you're magnesium deficient without getting a blood test?
Magnesium supplementation is so cheap and safe it's probably worth assuming you are deficient, take an effective amount, and if or when you start to get loose stools, back down a bit so you don't have that problem.

Least well absorbed form is magnesium oxide.

I use magnesium malate but magnesium citrate is fine for those who need the laxative properties.

On a  very low-carb diet with little vegetables and no fruit, is it important to supplement potassium as well as magnesium?  If so, how much potassium?

I have seen the same thing in myself.  

I had leg cramps in pregnancy which I stopped cold with magnesium.  An unanticipated side effect was the total resolution of a minor but persistent arrhythmia.  Recently I was lax in taking the supplements and my arrhythmia came back, exacerbated by exhaustion (new baby) and caffeine (new baby.)  I started the magnesium again and it's gone!

On magnesium and calcium from my experience:  I increased my D3 supplementation (boosted 7 reading to 98, GrassRoots Health testing), but started to experience very high "fluttery" pulse, 140+ and I am in my 60s.  OMG how bad I felt.  Practically everywhere I searched said up the magnesium.  I did (magnesium taurate) but this problem continued.  I then changed on the following page and it has saved me:  
http://www.ithyroid.com/ca_and_mg.htm

Calcium citrate powder in water with a little bit of vitamin C powder (read calcium better absorbed in acidic environment) would bring my pulse and blood pressure down within 30 minutes.  

Since I am without health insurance or the means to see a doctor anyway, I can only deal with the symptoms and not know the official diagnosis.

My pulse was high, weak, and "fluttery."  Now that I supplement with 2000 mg of calcium citrate and 1000 mg of magnesium taurate my heart problems have disappeared.

Nice posts, Ted.  And excellent blog!

I take Natures Calm at night (makes me sleep like a baby) and pop a few mg citrates during the day.  If I take Natures Calm during the day I get way too relaxed.

Heart palpitations and leg cramps seems to go hand in hand with me. Extra mg knocks out both.

However, one time I ran out of my citrate tabs and grabbed a container of a mag/cal supplement.   That combination did nothing for me, no matter how much I took.  The ratio of calcium to mg was way off favoring calcium.  Also, I notice if I take in too much yogurt and cheese the effects of my mg seems to wane.

My only theory is that its true that if your calcium intake exceeds your mg intake by too much it can block the benefits. So far that has been my experience. Not a psychosomatic response, since I knew nothing of it until I looked it up after the cal/mg  blend didn't help me. Wow.

I looked into blood tests, but concluded that that was not a very practical or accurate way to assess magnesium deficiency.  

I concur with those that say if you have symptoms that might be magnesium deficiency, go ahead and supplement because your probably are deficient and there is no harm in it.  I had a lifetime pattern of getting severe leg cramps any time I exercised hard (like playing soccer) for more than say 80 minutes.  That was a very good hint.

But, I was not content to leave it at that.  I looked at my diet, the reported mg content of food in it, and the RDA for me of 420mg of magnesium per day.  It was totally obvious that, even with my pretty healthy diet, I must be below 300mg of mg per day.  IT IS SO EASY TO GUESTIMATE YOUR NUTRIENT INTAKE THIS WAY, but nobody seems to suggest it.  Instead you see mindless blather about eating a few other foods that are high in mg -- go ahead and do the math and you will see that you need to be really dedicated to make that work.

This kind of a self-assessment of the nutrient content of your normal diet, in many cases, will show that you don't take in recommended levels of iodine, potassium, and selenium, either.  Like mg, these are involved in countless ways in our biology.  Potassium is the one of these that is trickier to supplement - that you probably need to correct by shifting salt use to mixed salts (or no-salt) that have potassium chloride.  It turns out that my cramping issue needs both mg and potassium to be kept at bay, but together they work.  (Getting salt-potassium in better balance is good for blood pressure, too.  My systolic and diastolic dropped 10 points each since joining TYP a year ago.)

I supplement mg with mag water, per the TYP web site.  Cheap and absorbable, no side effects, easy to incorporate into your regimen, and nice not to take one more pill.

The only way to truly know your magnesium status, short of waiting for clear-cut evidence of deficiency (muscle cramps, heart rhythm disorders, etc) is to check a blood level, preferably an RBC level, not a serum level. The RBC level is a rough approximation of tissue levels.

If you hunt around you can also get magnesium ascorbate which gives a nice two-fer.  I get mine from Intensive Nutrition, one tablet contains 100mg magnesium and 1000 mg vit C as ascorbate.  Also, NOW brand makes a powdered one and Source Naturals also...

Magnesium is one of the essential components necessary for the body to function normally. It is not just necessary for human; rather, it is essential for all living organisms as magnesium ions are a part of the nucleic acid chemistry of all living cells and things. Because it is so vital, you can imagine what should happen if someone were to be magnesium deficient. It is not a pretty picture, indeed.

More Info: Sign and Symptoms of Magnesium

Theres no need to supplement if you are eating several servings of legumes and nuts every day.

I have replaced most grain use in recipes with legumes, and nuts are a good food on the go.

"Several serving s of legumes and nuts" will effectively increase your intake of inflammatory lectins and omega-6s.

I'll stick to supplementing.

My leg cramps were also resolved by magnesium supplementation. Many people don't realize that eating grains will severely inhibit the absorption of minerals, due to their phytate content (an "anti-nutrient") and will therefore contribute to magnesium and other mineral deficiencies. The phytates in grains can be mostly eliminated by soaking and/or sprouting them before consumption.

I have always been fascinated by the question ,why some people can and others cant. I spent years trying to figure this out. At first it was mainly for myself. I remember growing up with little confidence and under the impression that others were more capable than I was. The fact was that this impression was true. It was true because i believed it.

Hi Dr Davis,

I just had my first experience, at least I think so, of arrhythmia on Tuesday night... My heart was beating really, really fast for about a minute or two and then it all just stopped and went back to normal.

I try to take 150 mg of magnesium every day (on Tuesday I forgot to take all my supplements). What is your recommendation on how much I should take each day? Does it matter what kind, should I spread it out over the day or is once a day dose ok?

The whole experience was a bit overwhelming for me and I want to make sure it does not happen again! If it however does, should I go to a doctor? What can I requests as far as 'safe' tests?

My experiences with tests are usually pretty bad as I always end up in the 'normal' range... whatever that means. And I get the "You are just a crazy hypochondriac, go home" look from the doctors.

Appreciate your comment on this. Thank you.

@ Helena
150mg magnesium daily probably isn't sufficient.
Krispin's formula suggests someone 70 kilos = 150 pounds should have a  total intake between 350mg to 700mg daily.
The current magnesium RDA of 420mg/men, 320mg/(non-pregnant) women but average US female intake is just 228mg/daily.

You also do not state the form of magnesium supplement you take.
Many of the magnesium blends available include magnesium oxide. It's likely, where percentages are not stated, this cheapest (least effective) form constitutes the bulk present. Only 4% of magnesium oxide is absorbed.

Magnesium is best absorbed (like calcium) from small amounts, through the day, with meals. I find it easier to take magnesium with each meal of the day and before bed.

Does a higher ratio of serum calcium to magnesium increase the risk for postmenopausal breast cancer?
This paper hypothesizes that low levels of magnesium  increase calcium retention, higher calcium levels further depress magnesium absorption and the resulting cellular imbalance leads to cancer initiation. Magnesium intake is an extremely important aspect of Vitamin D supplementation that is often overlooked.

TEedHutchison, I've been there with the diabetes forum. When I suggested a  paleo very low carb diet to a confused person who was just diagnosed, I was called a "dangerous extremest" by who I believe was the moderator. All of my suggestions about magnesium and D3 were poo-pood by him, and besides an extremest, I was brushed of as "one of those people who occasionally shows up here".

Thank you Ted.
I will look at what type of Mg I am taking... and also increase the dose. If not I will order the magnesium you suggested. I have not had an event since that one time but I have had some slight feelings of dizziness and fluctuations in pulse. This is all due to coming off of a birth control pill that was killing me I am sure, it just takes time getting to know your body once again after years on synthetic hormones. Thank you again.

Just want to say what a great blog you got here!
I've been around for quite a lot of time, but finally decided to show my appreciation of your work!

Thumbs up, and keep it going!

Cheers
Christian, iwspo.net

Dr. Davis, I stumbled across The Heart Scan Blog after months and months of being frustrated with a heart arrhythmia that appeared out of the blue after a period of high stress and anxiety attacks late last fall.  I was feeling a lot of "skipped heartbeats" and immediately went to a cardiologist who ordered a stress echo and 24 hr holter monitor.  He told me it was a benign premature heartbeat which I was relieved about but after months of getting 20-30 a day, it was all I could think about.  Reading your blog and the discussion regarding magnesium has given me hope.  A few weeks ago, due to ease, I  was eating large quantities of quinoa which is rich in magnesium and noticed that the skipped beats subsided a bit to 5x a day.  I didnt know if there was a link but I am hopeful that there is a link and willing to give magnesium a try.  I've already purchased the magnesium taurate - what do you recommend in dosage? Please note, I am always worried about taking any supplements....are there negative side effects. Could it make my heart arrhythmia worse?  Thanks so much!! I am desperate to get back to a life where the skipped beats are not on my mind 24/7.

I have had an annoying arrythmia for a very long time. Its worse at times, better at times. I have seen a cardiologist. He did an ekg which said that I had had a heart attack. Echo was done and Doc said I had not had a heart attack, but have PAC's and a leaky tri-cuspid valve. He also did a 24 hour holter monitor. Basically he said there wasn't anything bad wrong, but he put me on sotalol to try and clear up the palpitations and rapid-ish heart rate. Also, my BP was in the 100's range for the lower number.
I have not noticed much difference as far as the palpitations go, after over a year on the sotalol.
I have however gotten my eating/health under control, with low carb, I have lost around 45 pounds and am within 10 pounds of my goal weight. My blood pressure is running around 117/75 most mornings, I feel like a new person, now if these annoying palpitations would just go away...
To that end, after reading this post I have just recieved my bottle of magnesium taurate and plan on adding it to me list of supplements which includes 5000 units of vitamin D per day for about the last 6 months.
My reason for posting this here is I hope to be posting soon that the palpitations have cleared up.
LOVE this blog, its one of the very few that I have discovered and gone back and read many of the older posts.
God Bless you, Doc, for taking the time to really help people!

Nice blog. Basically, I couldn't do without my magnesium malate. If it wasn't for the magnesium, I probably would not be able to walk, or at least not very good because of my back.

I noticed that someone asked about having their magnesium tested. First, blood tests are really worthless for testing magnesium. I've never had mine tested, but there is a test that Dr. Dean talks about.  It's here at this link, and it's a non-evasive test:

http://www.exatest.com/

The cheapest and simplest magnesium supplement is Epsom Salts (magnesium sulphate). It only costs about $1/year. It is also extremely safe and is widely used in medicine. About 1/10th of a teaspoon dissolved in 1L water will do the trick. It is also an extraordinarily effective laxative in higher doses.

Magnesium supplementation is therefore necessary for just about everybody to maintain normal tissue levels. (The exception is people with kidney disorders, who should not take magnesium without supervision, since they retain magnesium.)

Magnesium truly is the body's "master mineral." Without it, so many other minerals cannot be properly used in the body.

Most people have a hard time with taking oral magnesium supplements and don't get the results their body needs.

I was fortunate enough to come across "Transdermal Magnesium" or better know to me now as "Magnesium Oil."

Magnesium Oil is simply a magnesium rich mineral solution that has been sourced from some body of salt water.

Since the minerals in sea water are constantly being subjected to sunlight, it in turn makes the minerals ionic (ready for the body to use).

It is as simple as spraying the solution on your skin and the body absorbs it directly into the cell. No digesting needed!!

There are some concerns to be aware of however. Where are they sourcing their raw materials from? Is it clean of pollution and heavy metals?

I have researched about every brand out there and a lot of them can be misleading.

My favorite, by far, is Magnesoothe! They can be found at https://magnesoothe.com/index.html They handle there product in the very best manor from start to finish. They have the most helpful customer service. And their source goes unsurpassed!

Their source is the Dead Sea and there is no other body of salt water like it on the  face of the planet! You can read more on the Dead Sea here at https://magnesoothe.com/dead-sea-facts.htm

If you want to know more on the purity of Magnesoothe, you can read that here at https://magnesoothe.com/purity-cleanliness-clarity-magnesoothe.htm

I hope that my 2 cent will be helpful to someone.

Best of Health!
The Magnesium Man

About 1 1/2 years ago I started having arrhythmia issues which were diagnosed as atrial fibrillation.  I had my atenolol increased and this did help some but I was still having (mostly short) episodes on an almost daily basis a month later.  Looking around the net I found a paper that talked about how using preoperative Mg for open heart surgery reduced the incidence of AFib after surgery.  So I decided to try Mg.

I started taking it to tolerance (IE. increased dose until I had loose stools and then back off a little) and in about a week the AFib episodes had gone away.  Now I only have AFib episodes if I forget taking Mg for a few weeks and it goes away in a few days if I start taking Mg again.

What I find most distressing about this is that none of my doctors even considered recommending giving Mg a try as far as I can tell.   Why wouldn't it be one of the first things they try if there is no other apparent cause (like high/low potassium, for example).  In those cases where I told the doctor that Mg had helped their reaction was mostly along the lines of Mg can't cause too many issues so go ahead and take it.  But nothing about how it should be considered for treating arrhythmia.

A few yrs. back, I read a very interesting article written by a cardiologist concerning his having successfully treated a patient with arrythmia  with an intravenous solution of magnesium.

I have had arrythmia for a few years now, I have been to two different consultants and both say "it''s benign and won''t do any harm" I however could not stand the horrible fluttery feeling when it happened so they put me on 2.5mg  of bisopronol. I found this was making me dizzy and so after getting the all clear from my angiogram with the doctors ok stopped taking them. I had read about the successful results of taking mangnesium and so at the start of this new year started taking 1000 mg a day and started a diary of taking my blood pressure and heart rate three times a day (I have a good home blood pressure meter that shows up arrythmia as well)  So far it seems to have cleared the arrythmia apart from the odd reading.
I forgot to mention that where I differ from everyone elses posts is that I have a very slow pulse, 40-45 sitting and only 65 when I fast walk to work but it will go up to 120 if I do a hard session on the treadmill.  I am 61 and did have a slow heart rate when I did long distance jogging up to the age of forty.
I would be interested to hear from anyone else that has a slow pulse.

Dr. Davis,

You mentioned gelcap VitD. Isn't the liquid form administered via dropper easier to take, and better assimilated?

Would Pres. Clinton have the courage to go against the grain of conventional wisdom? I don't know the answer to that question, my hunch is that it is just "easier" to get treated then to take charge and responsibility.

My sister 46 (highly highly educated) will not listen to me at all. Won't even take the time to read some of the resources I point her to. Result? She just has been put on beta blockers for high blood pressure and a heart that beats to "fast and erratically" (her words)

Thank you Doc., for the wealth of knowledge and information you so freely share.
Have a great weekend.

Marc

Thank you for this post!

I am getting so tired of the pontificating statinators who practically blame the patient, or say there is no cure for heart disease, this can't be arrested, interventional cardiology is the only way, etc., while they either withhold the vital therapies you mentioned, or worse yet, don't even KNOW about them.

I just keep wondering how such a smart guy can have so little intellectual curiosity about the origins and ALL the modes of treatment of the disease that has come to rule his life.

Each of his events is a teaching moment, but unfortunately, what is being taught is intervention oriented, not oriented to stopping or reversing the progression of his disease, and that's just a pity.

Dr. Davis, you are a voice in the wilderness. Keep on Tracking, because many of us ARE listening, even if Mr. Clinton and his doctors aren't!

madcook

Dr. Davis:

Re: Vitamin D, why do you recommend only the gel capsules and not the liquid drops (Carlson's drops are in coconut oil I believe)? Much thanks, great great blog.

-Kyle Schneider

Great post, Dr. Davis.  Just about everything one needs to know to avoid heart disease all in one short list. Should be read by everyone. Thanks for taking the time to put it up.

Dr. Davis, it would appear that people with heart disease risk fall into two categories.
1. Metabolic Syndrome: High TG, low HDL, high fasting glucose etc. In these people small LDL is very high contributing to heart disease risk.
2. High Lp(a): These people may not have high blood glucose levels yet because of their high Lp(a) levels they are at risk for heart disease.

Mr. Clinton's triglycerides were at around 53 many years back. While he clearly has coronary artery disease he does NOT appear to exhibit signs of metabolic syndrome, i.e. high TG, low HDL, high fasting glucose etc. There are many people in this category that do not have metabolic syndrome yet show advanced coronary artery disease (possibly due to a high Lp(a) level).

Now Dr. Davis, you have stated that one of the ways to track small LDL and other risk coronary risk factors is to track blood sugars. However, in Mr. Clinton's case it appears (from his TG numbers) that both his fasting and possibly postprandial glucose levels are reasonable. His small LDL should thus be reasonably normal. He may very well have significantly high Lp(a) levels which appear to be independent of whether a person has metabolic syndrome. Therefore in Mr. Clinton's case heart disease appears to be a result of a high inherited Lp(a) than his value of small LDL.

Please correct me if you disagree with any of the above.

It is a sad testament to cardiac care in the U.S., but I  completely agree with everything you commented on. I would be willing to bet that at his last check-up he was told he was doing  well and everything was fine.

I wish you could do a Q&A session with his cardiologist and we could see just what had been done or not done.

Thanks for posting this. I'll print it and show it to my father.

Slightly off topic, but I took advantage of Porter Hospital's $99 CT scan special since four generations of my family have had strokes. They seemed confused because I didn't have a doctor's order for the scan.

I bet he trusted his heart to Lipitor, or some such statin, and presented with a nice low LDL-C of 105.  That is the average LDL-C of people hospitalized for heart issues (see G. Fonarow et al).  (I am not saying the statin didn't help him, but it ain't the be-all and end-all, and neither is low LDL-C.)

Further in the direction pointed by Dr. Davis, I bet bubba's triglycerides are consistently well over 100, suggesting issues with carbs.  So, eating low fat would lead him (like others) to higher carbs, leading to where he ended up.  Probably wheat -- "healthy" whole wheat -- in particular.

I hope he was taking niacin to do what help he could to HDL.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on this recent article in The New York Times, particularly regarding calcification in blood vessels:

excerpt: "The scientific community continues to debate the optimum level of vitamin D. In general, people are considered to be deficient if they have blood levels below 15 or 20 nanograms per milliliter. But many doctors now believe vitamin D levels should be above 30. The ideal level isn’t known, nor is it known at what point a person is getting too much vitamin D, which can lead to kidney stones, calcification in blood vessels and other problems."

Celebrity medicine -- a celebrity gets the most esteemed doctors, but they may not be the best.

April 14, 1865 -- Lincoln was shot in the head with a low velocity bullet.  His celebrity doctors then went probing around in the wound.  He died.  The case has been made that Civil War battlefield doctors had learned not to probe a head wound, and if Lincoln had been treated by one of those doctors there was a decent chance he could have survived.

Dr. Davis and other preventative cardiologists are the battlefield doctors of the current generation, desperately seeking that which works and rejecting that which doesn't as fast as possible, in the midst of the carnage of heart disease.

An old article of Clinton's health report just before the 1992 election:

TC: 184
TG: 59
Normal BP
Normal treadmill ECG

http://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/15/us/1992-campaign-candidate-s-health-doctors-call-clinton-healthy-campaign-offers.html?pagewanted=1

Tell us more about thyroid normalization, please?

"Unless Mr. Clinton runs naked in a tropical sun, he is vitamin D deficient. "

Mr. Clinton, like me, has very pale skin that is not well-suited to the tropical sun.  I recall reading that either the Norwegians or the Swedes had very high levels of D owing to fish consumption.  I supplement with D, but my Irish ancestors did not, and they didn't get much sun either.

MAGNESIUM. Thats what fmr prsident did not do. Did not take 500mg of Magnesium Oxide daily. With all the above he would have had his heart problem anyway. But not with Magnesium. Wigh is the mineral that his metabolic Type does not handle well. Cops of GENETICS.
www.ludwigjohnson.blogspot.com

MAGNESIUM. Thats what fmr prsident did not do. Did not take 500mg of Magnesium Oxide daily. With all the above he would have had his heart problem anyway. But not with Magnesium. Wigh is the mineral that his metabolic Type does not handle well. Cops of GENETICS.
www.ludwigjohnson.blogspot.com

Today the PMRI (Preventive Medicine Research Institute) announced:

"Dr. Dean Ornish will appear on the Larry King Live show on CNN tonight to discuss new findings in heart disease."

No doubt that he will be asked about his take on Mr. Clinton's situation.  I would hazard a guess that it will probably involve advocating an extremely low fat diet, liberal amounts of grains, but perhaps there will be new input from the Doctor, i.e. those "new findings".

Hi Guys - Clinton's diet doctor is non else than "ultra low fat" Dr. Dean Ornish!

A couple of years ago, the pastry chef at the White House published a book about his 25 year experience. I have heard that in the book he said Pres. Clinton was allergic to wheat and chocolate. I wonder if he has been sticking to a wheat/gluten free diet? Of course if you have a pastry chef, sugar intake is probably very high.

I am working hard to make my bypass my last heart procedure. I am 10 yrs out and doing great...I hope.

A Simple Health-Care Fix Fizzles Out

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703652104574652401818092212.html

Dr. Davis, did you get a chance to read this article?
http://www.cortlandtforum.com/Healthday-Article/section/955/?CID=8D70113C&NFID=P&articleId=635663

What is Clinton's homocysteine level??  That molecule, as opposed to cholesterol that is essential for health, is universally accepted as an artery structure corrosive and underlying cause of slowly building heart disease.

The ONLY therapy to reduce it is a multivitamin pill with high levels of  the B vitamins.  Nobody argues this, nobody.

So, they "bypassed" the problem areas but the disease process continues unabated.  This is the medical equivalent of bypassing Bin Laden by invading Iraq.

Clearly, the amount and the diameter of LDL are not the problem; it is what you put INSIDE the LDL emulsion globules that matters: omega-3 or trans fat, good or evil.  Also, LDL is a Trojan Horse for homocysteine.  

Clinton may be taking a statin to reduce the amount of LDL but that does not alter its composition or homocysteine level.  My independent take on cholesterol and homocysteine are here:
http://www.health-heart.org/cholesterol.htm and
http://www.health-heart.org/why.htm

Did Clinton take such multivitamin? Agree: a multi does not quickly repair existing damage but it slows the process of decline while some repair [first seen in fewer strokes] DOES take place.

Very opportune post Dr. Davis. I would like to have an idea to how much fish oil you have to take per day in order to keep your omega 3 Index above 10%. Just a practical example.

Some years ago, Clinton said he was following Dean Ornish's plan. He isn't much of an advertisment for the success of that.

Jeanne S

I wasn't aware that Dean Ornish was part of the Clinton picture.

It will be interesting to see what his comments will be.

Just as lungs would be removed to treat tuberculosis, or heart disease treated with removal of the thyroid gland, so low-fat diets like Dr. Ornish's need to be sent to the junk heap of failed practices.

The iodine suggestion makes me wonder if the push to eliminate table salt from diets is resulting in abnormally low iodine levels. Putting iodine in table salt was done to fix the problem of low iodine levels in the food that most Americans were eating. Eating lots of seafood will fix the iodine and omega-3 deficiencies.

Nice summary of things to do for a really healthy cardiovascular life style.   Specifically for Billy, I'm suggesting that his chronic is Wheat Allergies [beer and bagles].  All chronic inflamation is cause for any degenerative disease, certainlly cancer, cardiovascular, arthritis etc.  

Each person has to address their chronic inflammation--often it comes from the dirtiest part of the body, the mouth [some say the brain] both need to be well.

John McDougall, MD has written an open letter to Bill Clinton (one of a series over the years) regarding the care he receives from his intervention-oriented cardiologists.

I was absolutely right there with Dr. McDougall... well until the last two paragraphs, where Dr. McDougall gets to the point of his letter and advocates a "healthy low-fat diet" like Pritikin, McDougall, Ornish, or Esselstyn.

OHHHHH... I thought Mr. Clinton HAS BEEN on such a program... under the tutelage of Dr. Ornish, who as much as said so on the Larry King program the other evening.

Dr. McDougall makes some very strong points regarding the interventional care Mr. Clinton has received and will continue to receive... it's just that extremely low-fat, vegetarian to veganish focus where we diverge.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2010other/news/clinton.htm

Happy Valentines Day... may all our hearts be strong and healthy!

madcook

Interesting comments, thank you for including the homocysteine and B vitamin perspective, and usually the allergy to chocolate is milk not the bean.    Bill should definitely eat more fish and more curry foods for the Turmeric, COX-2inhibitor.  Mag Oxide is great diarrhea, does it even absorb?   Chlorophyll is a chelated Mg and rebuilds the mitochondria.  Concerned about Abd. fats and Metabolic syndrome--get you Free Testosterone normalized!

Re: wheat, it's curious to me that in northern India where people eat lots of wheat they have a fraction of the heart disease that they do in southern India, where people eat rice.  If anybody understands this, please reply.

Dr. Davis: Your comment about a possible link between higher Lp(a) and higher intelligence sent me on a very brief ego trip, as tests showed that I do have both, but a more rational explanation may be that those of higher intelligence are more likely to get engaged in their own health, search for answers (as the readers here do) and find out that they have a elevated Lp(a), while others may never know they have it. Also, the March 2010 issue of Men's Health has a positive article about a pro-cycling team's switch to a gluten free diet, a favorite subject of yours, thanks for the blog.

I would like to know more information regarding this statement;

"Lp(a) tends to be the province of people with greater than average intelligence."

Can you point me in a direction that would explain more about this?

Thank you,
JenE

Re North India:  They do use quite a bit of mustard seed oil in N. Indian cuisine.

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/79/4/582

Mustard seed oil has antiarrhythmic omega-3  It is in that respect like canola/rapeseed .. or any brassica family seed oil [turnip, et al].

The northeners may also get more vitamin B12, allowing homocysteine to be lower, a MASSIVE problem in India, massive.  In New Delhi in early 20 year olds, homocysteine is about 3x higher than currently in Americans youth in their teens.

I second JenE's question re lp(a) - correlation with IQ. Thanks!

It's not that tough to take a few steps to avoid bypass surgery in the first place. Or, if you've already had a procedure, a few additional steps (of the sort your doctor will likely not tell you about) and you can make your first bypass your only bypass.