Heart disease kills 600,000 people every year in the United States alone. And it’s completely preventable. It holds the indisputable ranking as the #1 cause of death of men and women. My own father became one of its victims.

In 1988, my dad showed up unexpectedly at my office, complaining of chest pain. Wasting little time, I accompanied him to the hospital and as we both surmised, found that he had been experiencing angina, due to a blockage.  Back then, the normal course of treatment in such cases was angioplasty, and sure enough, I watched as my father underwent the procedure. My own heart sank in fear as I watched through the glass as the heart monitor suddenly produced alarming signs that my dad was in heart failure.

He survived the failed angioplasty, but it resulted in a blown left ascending artery, LAD, which led to bypass surgery.

Two weeks later, recovering at home, my dad called and sternly requested that I come visit him. As his oldest son, and the only doctor in the family, I felt the full weight of the burden of the decision I had made on his behalf to undergo the original procedure, the angioplasty. My dad told me he had been thinking, and he had come to the conclusion that the angioplasty was a stupid thing to have done. He shared that as an engineer, he knew that you cannot stretch a calcified pipe, or artery, without a high chance of a rupture. He had been researching his best next steps, and said, “This doctor [Julian Whitaker, M.D.] says I need to take vitamins. What do you know about them?” I told him, “Dad, I’m a doctor! I don’t know anything about vitamins.”

He looked me straight in the eyes and asked me, “Will you find out?”  The rest, as they say, is history.

Back to the numbers, here are some recent statistics, according to the CDC here: www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm

• About 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year–that’s 1 in every 4 deaths.
• Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.
• Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease, killing nearly 380,000 people annually.

Inspired by my dad’s heart problems, I have investigated this disease for years and have come to agree with the thesis that heart disease is due to an inflammatory response. Inflammation in the arteries may result from exposure to toxins, including those in the air and water, heavy metals, and recurrent and chronic infections like gum disease, H. Pylori, and chlamydia. A diet loaded with sugar and simple carbohydrates can also inflame the arteries. The body responds to this assault protectively, laying down collagen, as a sort of bandage to contain and heal the inflammation. Collagen production is dependent on copious amounts of Vitamin C, l-lysine and l-proline.  You may remember that human beings, unlike dogs, cats, polar bears, giraffes and other mammals, do not make Vitamin C. When there is inadequate Vitamin C to repair the arteries, there is inadequate production of collagen. Lipoprotein (a) attempts to further patch the inflamed arterial wall by laying down plaque, which absorbs calcium. This becomes atherosclerosis and this is the culprit when blood flow to the heart is blocked.

As you know, the most common symptom of coronary artery disease is angina, or chest pain. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, palpitations, fast heartbeat, weakness or dizziness, nausea and sweating.

Risk factors for cardiovascular disease include:

• Nutritional Deficiencies
• Low Thyroid function
• High blood pressure
• High LDL cholesterol
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Overweight and obesity
• Poor diet
• Physical inactivity
• Excessive alcohol use

The key to a healthy cardiovascular system is taking a proactive approach rather than waiting until it’s too late.  You should order an EBCT heart scan for your patients in addition to a CIMT (carotid intima-medial thickness) to give you a baseline.

Following are the effective measures you can recommend to your patients to decrease the likelihood of heart disease, most of which I cover more in depth in my online training found within Hotze Elite Academy:

1. Eat a healthy diet and exercise – Eliminate sugar and simple carbs. Increase the amount of good, healthy oils consumed. Eat plenty of organic leafy green vegetables each day and set a goal to exercise several times a week. Great cardio workouts include walking, cycling, aerobics, basketball, tennis, dancing, swimming, etc.
2. Take your vitamins – CoQ10, vitamin C, L-Lysine, L-Proline, vitamin D, magnesium, garlic, and fish oil are loaded with benefits which include promoting heart health.
3. Assess their thyroid status. If indicated, prescribe natural thyroid hormone – Hypothyroidism has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease. It is known for causing inflammation and the deposition of mucin in the coronary arteries, which causes injury to the arteries.
4. Replenish bioidentical testosterone – In men, testosterone protects the heart and the arteries, decreasing the risk of heart disease. Testosterone lowers blood pressure by dilating the aorta and coronary arteries of the heart.
5. Balance and restore bioidentical progesterone and estrogen – For postmenopausal women, there is an increase in heart disease. When women have a drop in their key hormones, estrogen and progesterone, the inflammation in their body increases. Inflammation injures the coronary arteries, causing atherosclerosis.
6. Eliminate Smoking – Smoking cigarettes raises blood pressure, reduces the amount of oxygen to the heart, increases risk of blood clots, and damages the inside of blood vessels.
7. Eliminate toxins from the body – Environmental toxins, such as pesticides, lead to inflammation and increases the risk of atherosclerosis, high blood pressure and heart attack.
8. Reduce Stress – Take time to relax and get a good night’s sleep. Get evaluated for adrenal fatigue, which occurs when the adrenal glands, through chronic stress, cannot meet the body’s demand for cortisol. Bioidentical cortisol can help the adrenal glands recover. Deep Delta Sleep via brain wave entrainment is helpful.
9. Eliminate unnecessary prescription drugs – all prescription drugs are toxic. The NSAID medications create inflammation in coronary arteries. Statin drugs poison the patients’ hearts by lowering CoQ10.
10. Avoid excessive alcohol intake – Consume no more than one to two drinks per day for men and one per day for women. Excessive drinking increases risk of blood clots and can weaken the heart.

Beating heart disease is about beating the odds and doing everything in your power to help your patients prevent it.

When you add a natural heart health program to your practice, your patients will have solid recommendations to follow to prevent or reverse heart disease, and you will have more time, more money, and more freedom to enjoy your life!