Santa Claus is alive . . . and works for the drug industry

12. December 2008 William Davis (7)


Maybe your teenagers no longer believe in Santa Claus, but I assure you: Not only is he alive, I believe that we have evidence that he works for the drug industry!

Psshaww! you say. Yet another rant from that kook, Davis. Who can he pick on next? What other imagined "conspiracies" can he uncover?

Let me recount the evidence and I'll let you decide how damning it all is:

--Christmas is a culture of excess, overeating, celebration: Cookies, candy canes, pie, chocolate, egg nog, more cookies . . . A virtual wheat and sugar frenzy!

--Wheat and sugars make us diabetic!

--What does a diabetic look like? How about big protuberant abdomen, florid cheeks, baggy eyes (from sleep apnea)? The red outfit and beard is optional, of course. Could you think of a better representation of what happens to a person when they eat goodies all the time?


I therefore submit that Santa Claus is at the root of a campaign to cultivate diabetes! Diabetes: a growth industry that is raking in billions of dollars for the drug companies!

I'd bet that Mr. Claus would agree with the dietary advice dispensed by the folks at the American Diabetes Association website:

A place to start is at about 45-60 grams of carbohydrate at a meal. You may need more or less carbohydrate at meals depending on how you manage your diabetes.


Eat more carbohydrates, get fatter in the abdomen, require more medication to keep sugar low. Then start over: eat more carbohydrates, get fatter, more medicines. Kaching!

"You may need more?" Personally, I'd be rendered comatose and helpless if I indulged in such carbohydrate gluttony.

If Mr. Claus were, instead, interested in our health and keeping us non-diabetic, Christmas would be a time for pistachios, almonds, dark chocolates, and tea.

You want health advice? Don't ask Santa Claus!

Another case of aortic valve disease reduced with vitamin D

12. December 2008 William Davis (8)
I watched Seth's aortic valve deteriorate over a two year period.

I was first consulted in 2004 to offer an opinion on Seth's heart scan score of 779 and flagrantly abnormal cholesterol patterns, including triglycerides in the 400 mg/dl range. But I heard a murmur, as well, a murmur of a leaky aortic valve, "aortic valve insufficiency."

Over the next two years, I watched Seth's aortic valve worsen, going from mild leakiness to severe.

In 2006-2007, I tiptoed into vitamin D replacement and asked Seth to add some vitamin D. Time passed and Seth's aortic valve got progressively worse.

Over the past year, However, he's maintained a truly healthy level of vitamin D, with blood levels consistently in the 60-70 ng/ml range.

While Seth's last echocardiogram showed a severely leaky aortic valve, the most recent echo showed mild leakiness ("mild aortic insufficiency")--a dramatic reduction.

I continue to see this in many, though not all, patients with aortic valve disease. Though I've more frequently witnessed either stalled progression or reversal of aortic valve stenosis (stiffness), I've now seen a handful of people with aortic valve leakiness (insufficiency) also reverse.

I've posted about this peculiar phenomenon previously:

Aortic valve disease and vitamin D
More on aortic valve disease and vitamin D

Prior to vitamin D, I had NEVER witnessed any aortic valve disease stop or reverse.

A formal trial at some point would be invaluable.

Track Your Plaque Program Data Tracking Tools

7. December 2008 William Davis (3)
At last: After talking about the new Track Your Plaque community tools for the last year, our data tracking software is now available!



Track Your Plaque is, admittedly, somewhat data-intensive. The basic concept relies on the fact that we track heart scan scores, cholesterol values, lipoprotein values like percent small LDL and Lp(a), vitamin D blood levels, intake of omega-3 fatty acids, etc. Our new data tracking tools will help Members track their data over time.

Even more interesting, you can allow other Members (not required) to view your data for comments and feedback. You can also view the program data of other Members (if they choose to make their data "public") to learn how they are going about stopping and reversing their coronary plaque.

In other words, our graphic data tracking tools are yet another way we are using to acquire a collective wisdom on how to put a stop to coronary heart disease, heart attack, and perverse "let's make money with heart procedures" hospital solutions.

One of the aspects that helps make this work is the sharing of data. So far, the people who have begun to enter their data have all made their information "public." It's not truly "public," but viewable only by other Track Your Plaque Members. Also, Members can, in effect, anonymize their data simply by using a nickname, e.g., heartprotection or hearthawk.

The data tracking tools are in beta-test version, so there are bound to be a few glitches. But we're eager to hear from our Members' experiences on how to improve these tools. Report any problems or make your suggestions on the Track Your Plaque Member Forum--Technical Support.

Yet another reason to avoid fructose

6. December 2008 William Davis (5)
Have you seen the Corn Refiners Association commercial campaigns to educate the American public on the safety of fructose? If you haven't, you can view these interesting specimens on You Tube:

"Get the facts--You're in for a sweet surprise: Fructose is safe in moderation!"

Two Moms

Two lovers


Beyond the fact that fructose stimulates liver production of glycerol, which thereby increases liver VLDL production and raises blood levels of triglycerides; likely stimulates appetite; increases cholesterol levels; fructose has also been clearly implicated in increasing blood levels of uric acid.

Uric acid is the substance that, in some people, precipitates in joints and causes gout, the painful inflammatory arthritis that has been increasing in prevalence over the last four decades since the introduction of fructose in 1967. While blood levels of uric acid in the early part of the 20th century averaged 3.5 mg/dl, more recent population assessments have averaged 6.0 mg/dl or higher. (Non-human mammals who don't eat processed foods, drink fruit drinks or beer, and don't eat candy have uric acid levels of <2.0 mg/dl.)

Uric acid is looking like it may prove to be an important risk factor for coronary disease and atherosclerotic plaque. It is no news that people with higher blood levels of uric acid are more likely to experience adverse cardiovascular events like heart attack. People with features of the metabolic syndrome also have higher uric acid blood levels; the more characteristics they have, the higher the uric acid level. However, the prevailing view has been that uric acid is simply an accompaniment of these processes, but not causal.

However, more recent observations suggest that increased levels of uric acid may instead be a cause of metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure.

Increased blood levels of uric acid have been shown to:

--Increase blood pressure
--Induce kidney damage (even in the absence of uric acid kidney stones)
--Antagonize insulin responses

A diagnosis of gout is not required to experience all of the adverse phenomena associated with uric acid. (For not entirely clear reasons, some people, perhaps based on pH or other factors, are more prone to trigger crystallization of uric acid in joints, similar to the phenomena of sugar crystallization when making rock candy.)

Which brings us back to fructose, a sweetener that clearly substantially increases uric acid levels. I suppose that the mothers and lovers in the Corn Refiners' commercials are right to a degree: Our kids will survive, as will you and I, despite increases in triglycerides, enhanced diabetic tendencies, amplified appetites, and increased uric acid due to fructose in our diet. We will also likely survive despite being 100 lbs overweight, partly due to the effects of fructose.

But if long-term health is your desire for you and your family, fructose has no role whatsoever to play.

Interestingly, the obviously expensive and slick ad campaigns from the Corn Refiners' videos have triggered some helpful video counterarguments:

High-fructose corn syrup
Conspiracy for Fat America
High-fructose corn syrup truth


A full discussion of uric acid, the scientific data behind uric acid as a coronary risk factor, and the nutritional means to reduce uric acid will be the topic of a thorough discussion in an upcoming Special Report on the Track Your Plaque website.

Free the Animal

4. December 2008 William Davis (10)
Richard Nikoley from the Free the Animal Blog contributes this informative comment:



'Bout 18 months ago, I was at 230 (5'10) and looked awful. I was on Omeprezole for years for gastric reflux, a variety of prescription meds since early 20s for seasonal sinus allergies, culminating finally in the daily, year round squirts of Flonase-esque sprays (the best for control without noticeable side-effects), and finally, Levothroid for about the last 7 years or so, as I had elevated TSH (around 9ish).

My BP was regularly 145-160 / 95-110.

I decided to get busy. I modified diet somewhat, cutting lots of junk carbs, and began working out -- brief, intense, heavy twice per week. BP began coming down immediately, such that within only a couple of weeks I was borderline rather than full blown high. Then after about six months, a year ago, I went to full blown low-carb, high fat, cutting out all grains, sugar, veg oils, etc, and replacing with animal fats, coconut, olive oil. You know the drill. Then, first of the year I felt great and simply stopped all meds, including the thyroid. I also began intermittent fasting, twice per week, and for a twist, I always do my weight lifting in some degree of fast, even as much as 30 hours.

That's when the weight really started pouring off. Take a look:

http://www.freetheanimal.com/root/2008/09/periodic-photo-progress-update.html

http://www.freetheanimal.com/root/2008/08/faceoff.html

In July I figured it's about time for a physical. Here's the lipid panel, demonstrating am HDL of 106 and Try of 47, great ratios all around:

http://www.freetheanimal.com/root/2008/07/lipid-pannel.html

However, my TSH was even higher -- 16ish. It seems odd that I was able to lose 40-50 pounds of fat (10-15 pounds of lean gain for a 30 pound net loss at that time -- now an additional 10 pounds net loss).

One disclosure is that I was drinking too much, almost daily, and quite a bit (gotta save some vices...). Anyway, I'm at the point now where I want to drill down. I know I need to see an endocrinologist and have T3 and T4 looked at, but in advance, I wanted to see if the recent changes I've made could make a difference:

1. Stopped all alcohol.
2. Stopped most dairy, except ghee and heavy cream, and cheese is now used as a "spice," i.e., tiny quantities -- no more milk.
3. 6,000 IU Vit D per day.
4. 3 grams salmon oil, 2 grams cod liver oil.
5. Vit K2 Menatetrenone (MK-4) -- side story: getting off grains reversed gum disease for which I have had two surgeries, then supplementing the K2 DISSOLVED calculus on my teeth within days -- hygienist and dentist are dumbfounded. Stephan (Whole Health Source), who comments here, has an amazing series on K2.


If you view his photos, you'll appreciate just how far he has come.

Overall, Richard's program is wonderful and his pictures clearly display his success. However, Richard, thyroid function is indeed a problem, a problem that needs to be fixed ASAP. Remember, low thyroid function used to be diagnosed at autopsy at which time the coronary arteries and other arteries of the body were found to be packed solid with atherosclerotic plaque, even in young people.

I'd recommend:

1) Consider 200 mcg Iodine per day from kelp if you do not use iodized salt.

2) Seeing your doctor right away for thyroid replacement, hopefully with consideration of your T3 status.

3) A heart scan--Not to lead to procedures, but something for you to track over time as your program improves and thyroid function is restored.

Beyond this, keep up the great work. Great blog, too!

Low Thyroid and Plaque

3. December 2008 William Davis (12)
Having now tested the thyroid status of several hundred patients over the last few months, I have come to appreciate:

1) That thyroid dysfunction is rampant, affecting at least 25% of everyone I see.
2) It is an enormously effective means to reduce cardiovascular risk.


I'm not talking about flagrant low thyroid dysfunction, the sort that triggers weight gain of 30 lbs, gallons of water retention, baggy eyes, sleeping 14 hours a day. I'm talking about the opposite extreme: the earliest, subtle, and often asymptomatic degrees of thyroid dysfunction that raises LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a), a huge effect!), and adds to coronary plaque growth.

Correcting the subtle levels of low thyroid:

1) Makes LDL reduction much easier

2) Facilitates weight loss

3) Reduces Lp(a)--best with inclusion of the T3 fraction of thyroid hormone.

Recall that, 100 years ago, the heart implications of low thyroid weren't appreciated until autopsy, when the unfortunate victim would be found to have coronary arteries packed solid with atherosclerotic plaque. It takes years of low thyroid function to do this. I advise you to not wait until you get to this point or anywhere near it.

I find it fascinating that many of the most potent strategies we are now employing in the Track Your Plaque process are hormonal: thyroid hormones, T3 and T4; vitamin D (the hormone cholecalciferol); testosterone; progesterone; DHEA, pregnenolone. Omega-3 fatty acids, while not hormones themselves, exert many of their beneficial effects via the eicosanoid hormone pathway. Elimination of wheat and cornstarch exert their benefits via a reduction in the hormone insulin's wide fluctuations.

We haven't yet had sufficient time to gauge an effect on coronary plaque and heart scan scores. In other words, will perfect thyroid function increase our success rate in stopping or reversing coronary plaque? I don't know for sure, but I predict that it will. In fact, I believe that we are filling a large "hole" in the program by adding this new aspect.

Fat and fiber composition of nuts

30. November 2008 William Davis (16)


From Mukuddem-Petersen J, Oosthuizen1 W, Jerling JC. J Nutr 2005.



If you haven't yet done so, adding raw nuts to your health program yields a broad panel of health benefits.

Contrary to conventional advice, nuts can be eaten in unlimited quantities. Provided they are raw--unroasted, unsalted (since salting only accompanies roasted nuts), not roasted in unhealthy oils like hydrogenated cottonseed or soybean (very common)--they do not make you fat, regardless of the quantity consumed. Beer nuts, honey-roasted nuts, mixed nuts roasted in unhealthy oils with salt added are either fattening or exert other unhealthy effects (e.g., hypertension, rise in Lp(a), and cancer from the hydrogenated fats).

Some notable observations from the chart:

--Hazelnuts and macadamians are the richest in monounsaturates
--Walnuts are the richest in the omega-6 linoleic acid, while also richest in the "omega-3" linolenic acid.
--From a fat composition standpoint, raw cashews and dry roasted peanuts aren't so bad.
--Pistachios figure pretty favorably in this analysis, rich in monounsaturates.
--Coconuts are unusually rich in saturated fat, though about half is lauric acid--an issue for future conversation.



Here's a listing of the fiber composition of nuts per 1 oz serving (about a handful):

Almonds (24 nuts) 3.5 g
Brazilnuts, dried (6-8 nuts) 2.1 g
Cashew nuts, dry roasted, with salt added (18 nuts) 0.9 g
Hazelnuts or filberts 2.7 g
Macadamia nuts, dry roasted, with salt added (10-12 nuts) 2.3 g
Mixed nuts, dry roasted, with peanuts, with salt added 2.6 g
Peanuts, all types, dry-roasted, without salt 2.3 g
Pecans (20 halves) 2.7 g
Pine nuts, dried 1.0 g
Pistachio nuts, dry roasted, with salt added (47 nuts) 2.9 g
Walnuts, English (14 halves) 1.9 g

Data courtesy USDA Nutrient Database


Note that almonds are the winners with 3.5 grams fiber per ounce, pistachios a close second. Pine nuts and cashews place last on the fiber content chart.

Not addressed by the charts is protein content of nuts, as well as the low sugar content, all additional beneficial aspects of nuts. Nuts are also a moderate source of magnesium (though seeds like pumpkin and sunflower shine in the magnesium content area).

Rather than micromanage the specific fat and fiber content of your diet, why not get a little of the good of everything on the list and just mix and match the nuts? (Mixed and matched on your own, of course, not a hydrogenated cottonseed oil nut mixture).

Flush-free niacin kills

29. November 2008 William Davis (12)
Here, I re-post a conversation I've posted before, that of the scam product, "no-flush" niacin, also known as "flush-free" niacin.

I find this issue particularly bothersome, since I have a patient or two each and every week who forgets the explicit advice I gave them to avoid these scam products altogether. Despite costing more than conventional niacin, they exert no effect, beneficial or otherwise. Niacin--the real thing--exerts real and substantial beneficial effects. No-flush or flush-free does nothing except drain your wallet. I continue to marvel at the fact that supplement manufacturers persist in selling this product. Ironically, it commands a significant premium over other niacin forms.

They are outright scams that should be avoided altogether.


My former post, No-flush niacin kills:

Gwen was miserable and defeated.

No wonder. After a bypass operation failed just 12 months earlier with closure of 3 out of 4 bypass grafts, she has since undergone 9 heart catheterization procedures and received umpteen stents. She presented to me for an opinion on why she had such aggressive coronary disease (despite Lipitor).

No surprise, several new causes of heart disease were identified, including a very severe small LDL pattern: 100% of LDL particles were small.

Given her stormy procedural history, I urged Gwen to immediately drop all processed carbohydrates from her diet, including any food made from wheat or corn starch. (She and her husband were shocked by this, by the way, since she'd been urged repeatedly to increase her whole grains by the hospital dietitians.) I also urged her to begin to lose the 30 lbs of weight that she'd gained following the hospital dietitians' advice. She also added fish oil at a higher-than-usual dose.

I asked her to add niacin, among our most effective agents for reduction of small LDL particles, not to mention reduction of the likelihood of future cardiovascular events.

Although I instructed Gwen on where and how to obtain niacin, she went to a health food store and bought "no-flush niacin," or inositol hexaniacinate. She was curious why she experienced none of the hot flush I told her about.

When she came back to the office some weeks later to review her treatment program, she told me that chest pains had returned. On questioning her about what she had changed specifically, the problem became clear: She'd been taking no-flush niacin, rather than the Slo-Niacin I had recommended.

What is no-flush niacin? It is inositol hexaniacinate, a molecule that indeed carries six niacin molecules attached to an inositol backbone. Unfortunately, it exerts virtually no effect in humans. It is a scam. Though I love nutritional supplements in general, it pains me to know that supplement distributors and health food stores persist in selling this outright scam product that not only fails to exert any of the benefits of real niacin, it also puts people like Gwen in real danger because of its failure to provide the effects she needed.

So, if niacin saves lives, no-flush niacin in effect could kill you. Avoid this scam like the plague.

No-flush niacin does not work. Period.


Disclosure: I have no financial or other relationship with Upsher Smith, the manufacturer of Slo-Niacin.


Copyright 2008 William Davis, MD

CT coronary angiography is NOT a screening procedure

28. November 2008 William Davis (3)
I've recently had several hospital employees tell me that their hospitals offered CT coronary angiograms without charge to their employees.

Among these hospital employees were several women in their 30s and 40s.

Why would young, asymptomatic, pre-menopausal women be subjected to the equivalent of 100 chest x-rays or 25 mammograms? Is there an imminent, life-threatening, symptomatic problem here?

All of these women were without symptoms, some were serious exercisers.

There is NO rational justification for performing CT coronary angiography, free or not.

What they really want is some low-risk, yet confident means of identifying risk for heart disease. Cholesterol, of course, is a miserable failure in this arena. Framingham risk scoring? Don't make me laugh.

Step in CT coronary angiography. But does CT coronary angiography provide the answers they are looking for?

Well, it provides some of the answers. It does serve to tell each woman whether she "needs" a heart procedure like heart catheterization, stent, or bypass surgery, since the intent of CT angiography is to identify "severe" blockages, sufficient to justify heart procedures.

Pitfalls: Because of the radiation exposure, CT angiography is not a procedure that can be repeated periodically to reassess the status of any abnormal findings. A CT angiogram every year? After just four years, the equivalent of 400 chest x-rays will have been performed, or 100 mammograms. Cancer becomes a very real risk at this point.

CT angiography is also not quantitative. Sure, it can provide a crude estimation of the percent blockage--the value your cardiologist seeks to "justify" a stent. But it does NOT provide a longitudinal (lengthwise) quantification of plaque volume, a measure of total plaque volume that can be tracked over time.

What's a woman to do? Simple: Get the test that, at least in 2008, provides the only means of gauging total lengthwise coronary plaque volume: a simple CT heart scan, a test performed with an equivalent of 4 - 10 chest x-rays, or 1 - 2.5 mammograms.

Perhaps, in future, software and engineering improvements will be made with CT coronary angiography that reduce radiation to tolerable levels and allows the lengthwise volume measurement of plaque. But that's not how it's done today.

The Wheat Deficiency Syndrome

26. November 2008 William Davis (21)
Beware the dreaded Wheat Deficiency Syndrome.

Like any other syndrome, you can recognize this condition by its many tell-tale signs:

--Flat abdomen
--Rapid weight loss
--High energy
--Less mood swings
--Better sleep
--Diminished appetite
--Reduced blood sugar
--Reduced blood pressure
--Reduced small LDL and total LDL
--Increased HDL
--Reduced triglycerides
--Reduced C-reactive protein and other inflammatory measures


Of course, you could choose to cure yourself of this syndrome simply by taking the antidote: foods made with wheat flour, like bread, breakfast cereals, pastas, pretzels, crackers, and muffins.

All the signs of the syndrome will then disappear and you can have back your protuberant abdomen, irrational mood swings, exagerrated appetite, higher blood sugar, etc.
High blood pressure vanquished

High blood pressure vanquished

19. January 2011 William Davis (28)
Heart Scan Blog reader, Eric, related his blood pressure success story to me:

I'm 34 and have been battling chronic hypertension (systolic 150-200, depending on my anxiety levels) even with multiple prescriptions for over a decade now. I've seen four different cardiologists, all stumped as to what is causing my hypertension. First, they suspected coarctation of my aorta [a constriction in the aorta], but an angiogram determined blood pressure readings were the same on both sides of the narrowing.

The second angiogram performed last year to determine if my coarct had worsened determined that it had not, but that my aorta had calcium build up. The cardiologist was stumped because he told me he hasn't seen calcium in a patient so young. Needless to say, this scared me to death, with my wife being pregnant with our first child. I asked if it could be reversed and he didn't know so he sent me to get a Berkeley lab.

The Berkeley came back with LDL 91, HDL 41, Triglycerides 73, CRP 4.1, vit D 26. The doctors weren't very knowledgeable about explaining to me what these meant and how I could correct the low vit D and high CRP. They told me to follow the low-fat diet recommended by Berkeley. Well I've already tried the DASH diet and didn't like how I felt or my energy levels, so I didn't transition.

I was at a loss until I encountered your blog and it was truly a gift. It was a refreshing feeling to meet a knowledgeable Dr. who knew what I was going through and seems to truly care about reversing calcium in the heart (something I never got from my any of my cardiologists). With your blog I have an appointment to get a heart scan here in CO and take that number along with my Berkeley results and join Track Your Plaque.

For the past 2 weeks I've been following your advice by taking a D3+K2 supplement with Omega3 Fish oil and avoiding all grain, wheat, sugar and I'm already down 4lbs to 223.5lbs at 6'5" tall and my blood pressure readings have been 128/54 and 129/60 the past 2 days! With your help I may not have the dark future my father had: dead at 48 with a massive heart attack.

Stay on the look out because I look forward to telling you how I'm one of your top calcium losers!

Eric, Colorado

Conventional medical care fails at so many levels for so many people. While Eric's doctors were busy contemplating the next angiogram, they were neglecting several crucial aspects of his health.

It's really not that tough. But it can mean doing the opposite of what conventional "wisdom" tell us.
Tags :

Comments (28) -

  • Kurt

    1/19/2011 3:40:59 PM |

    Slightly off topic, but I'm wondering if you've had patients complain of sleeplessness when they take Vitamin D. I take 1000iu in the morning; if I take more, I can't get to sleep at night.

  • Patty

    1/19/2011 3:51:39 PM |

    Congratulations to Eric! That is an incredible improvement in your blood pressure.  And I am very happy for you and your family.  

    Thanks Dr. Davis,  for continuing to share these amazing stories.

  • Anonymous

    1/19/2011 4:35:03 PM |

    I've just learned the hard way that HTN in someone young, that has to be treated with multiple meds, can sometimes be caused by a condition called primary aldosteronism.

    Eric, if your docs have not tested your plasma aldosterone and plasma renin activity, *please* ask them to.

  • Anonymous

    1/19/2011 5:06:59 PM |

    Blood pressure is related to the relative tension of the blood vessels.  So, how does that relate to the buildup of plaque?

    Is it that relaxed cells are less likely to allow plaque to adhere/incorporate?

    I have low blood pressure; sometimes 90/60.  However, I don't feel that means my risks of plaque buildup can be ignored or can it?

  • Eric

    1/19/2011 5:16:21 PM |

    Thanks for the super kind words Patty- I'm feeling better than I have in a long time!

    I'll have to see if my plasma aldosterone and plasma renin have been tested. I know my potassium levels get low, but not sure if it's related to the HCTZ Rx or not. Thanks for the heads up though!

    As far as blood pressure and plaque- I was advised that the many years my BP was uncontrolled it caused calcification of my aorta (plaque). Not sure if this is correct, Dr. D would be the expert on this. I am getting my calcium score done on Tuesday, but I know I have calcium build up based on the angiogram images.

  • Anonymous

    1/19/2011 6:50:10 PM |

    Eric, low potassium combined with HTN is often the first indicator of an aldosterone problem. They thought my low K was related to the HCTZ that I took for some 5 years, but it turned out that the other med I was on - Diovan - masked the issue.

    Most primary care docs haven't even heard of primary aldosteronism (or they don't remember the five minutes they spent on it in med school) so they don't routinely order the test. Which is a shame, because some of us spend years misdiagnosed with primary HTN when our HTN is really secondary to the aldosterone issue.

  • Eric

    1/19/2011 7:03:30 PM |

    That is crazy- during the years I have researched many secondary causes and don't remember even reading about Primary Aldosteronsim.

    How did they finally determine it was this and what treatment did you receive for it? Thanks for the info.

  • Bean

    1/19/2011 8:23:05 PM |

    Hey Doc
    Can you bring us up to speed on K2 supplementation.  I saw your "nasty natto" post from a few years ago about how it might be promising treatment but back then it was still too early to tell.. What have you learned since then? How/when do you prescribe it?  Are there particular brands you recommend?
    Thanks for this great blog and for your tenacity in speaking truth to power.

  • Apolloswabbie

    1/19/2011 9:30:49 PM |

    Awesome work and inspiring for many who no doubt also felt as thought they had no option to restore their health.  I meet these people all the time, and many are so frustrated they are no longer taking in new information; but for the ones who will try, transformation awaits.

  • Anonymous

    1/19/2011 10:26:22 PM |

    Hi Eric - regarding primary aldosteronism, I'm only in the first stage of being diagnosed, but here's what I know. The causes are most often an adrenal tumor (in which case they remove the entire gland, at least in the U.S.) or less commonly, a condition known as bilateral hyperplasia, which affects both adrenals. For the latter, they can't do surgery; usually the protocol is spironolactone and a low-salt diet for life. There's also a third possibility, a very rare condition known as GRA that requires meds. I don't know which of these I am yet - I'm waiting for the insurance company to approve further testing.

    In over 9 years of unexplained HTN, I hadn't heard of it either despite lots of research (hey, I'm a trained librarian!). I got lucky - in October I changed primary care doctors and the new doc immediately referred me to a specialist. Both recognized the high BP/low K as symptoms of PA. The high aldosterone/low renin was confirmed by a blood test. Next test is a CT scan to see if there is a tumor.

  • Andrew

    1/19/2011 11:30:28 PM |

    From Wikipedia:

    "CRP is a general marker for inflammation and infection, so it can be used as a very rough proxy for heart disease risk. Since many things can cause elevated CRP, this is not a very specific prognostic indicator. Nevertheless, a level above 2.4 mg/l has been associated with a doubled risk of a coronary event compared to levels below 1 mg/l"

    also:

    "CRP is associated with lipid responses to low-fat and high-polyunsaturated fat diets."

    Hopefully, your CRP levels have fallen along with the blood pressure.

  • Dr. William Davis

    1/19/2011 11:30:43 PM |

    Hi, Kurt--

    Yes, some people are very sensitive to the effect.

    The only way I know to deal with it is to increase dose to the desired level very, very gradually, e.g., additional 1000 units every 3-6 months.

  • Anne

    1/20/2011 11:23:00 AM |

    Slightly off topic here too - has anyone info on Hyperalphalipoproteinemia. That is high cholesterol due to high HDL. Does anyone know the figures for a typical lipid profile for a diagnosis of Hyperalphalipoproteinemia ?

    Many thanks in advance

  • Davide

    1/20/2011 2:00:25 PM |

    I'm just curious what exactly caused Eric's BP to drop in such a short period of time. Obviously, the diet changes and supplementation lead to it, but what did those things do to cause the change?

  • Gillian

    1/20/2011 2:30:56 PM |

    Dr Davis,
    I also would like to know what K2 supplement you recommend nowadays..?

  • Eric

    1/20/2011 4:25:45 PM |

    Bean & Gillian-

    Dr. Davis advised me on Track Your Plaque that he is recommending 1,000mg/day of K2 that has a mix of short acting MK4 and long acting MK7. He suggested Life Extension "Super K". Hope this helps.

    http://www.lef.org/Vitamins-Supplements/Item01224/Super-K-with-Advanced-K2-Complex.html

  • Eric

    1/20/2011 4:29:44 PM |

    Davide- I think it was a combination of diet, supplementation and reduced anxiety.

    When you have a cardiologist tell you he's never seen something like calcium in an aorta, made my anxiety level sky rocket. Especially when they had no clue how to stop or reverse the build up.

    Reading Dr. D's blog and info on Track Your Plaque put control back in my court and that was extremely beneficial to my mental stress.

    It's amazing the biological affects the mind can create.

  • Dream_Puppy

    1/20/2011 6:21:34 PM |

    Dr. Davis,

    Thank you so much for your blog. After your comment on Atenolol I have been inspired to once and for all conquer my insane hypertension. I have a blog to track my progress. I am doing low carb, real food, exercise and a shitload of supplements.

    I'll let you know how it goes.

  • Might-o'chondri-AL

    1/20/2011 7:40:37 PM |

    Hyper-alpha-lipo-proteinemia is an uncommon genetic trait detected mostly(?)among the
    Japanese, French Quebequois and South African Boers. One curious
    peculiarity is a thick Achilles tendon; another is women with HDL over 70 mg/dl (men's HDL is more confusing if they drink alcohol).

    Their cholesterol ester transport protein (CETP)is less active. Instead of HDL being able
    to pass cholesterol fractions over to lipoprotein B those esters stay "stuck" in the HDL.

    Person's HDL gets large as it fills with re-cyclable cholesterol. This only becomes problematic when their
    macrophages become overloaded with LDL it (the macrophage) picked up. Those LDL laden macrophages can, in certain individuals, go on to become the
    nefarious foam cells.

    In this case, the "full up" HDL can't "snatch" up much LDL from the "filling up" macrophage. Sure, HDL is around, but there's diminished capacity to "unload".
    I can't say if (or how) CETP can "break down" in a "normal"
    person and cause them to develop
    clinical hyper-alpha-lipoproteimenia.

  • Anne

    1/20/2011 7:51:24 PM |

    Thanks Might-o'chondri-Al ! Most interesting. My HDL is 116 so am wondering if my 'hypercholesterolemia' is due to Hyperalphalipoproteinemia as my trigs are only 36 but total is high at 333. Trying to find out as much as I can....and there isn't much info around.

  • Tami

    1/20/2011 7:57:48 PM |

    @  Might-o'chondri-AL :

    Does that mean japanese people could do bad on a high fat- low carb diet?

  • Might-o'chondri-AL

    1/21/2011 12:48:34 AM |

    Hi Tami,
    Blog being Doc Davis' I won't presume to give dietary advice.
    If you lay out your reasoning maybe readers will try to work  out a good theory with you.

    Hi Anne,
    My favorite cousin's total cholesterol ran over 300 for years; she's 76 - with  medical "help". I think, in the post before this one's comments thread, Doc Davis gives his office phone for arranging paid consultations (a man asked for it). Free internet advice has it's limitations.

  • Anne

    1/21/2011 9:05:59 AM |

    Hi Might-o'chondri-AL,
    Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately !) I live in the United Kingdom so a telephone consult to the US is out, especially as we can't get the same kinds of tests done in the UK that people in the US can get done - believe me I've tried asking for particle size tests and Lp(a) and asked privately, rather than NHS, and still not been able to get them. Ideally I should be able to ask these questions on a UK forum or blog devoted to heart health, but such a forum doesn't exist so I have to rely on the good will of people like you or Dr Davis. If I can get sufficient information to present to my cardiologist then he will do the necessary, I'm absolutely sure of that, I just need a little bit more info !

  • Anonymous

    1/21/2011 1:08:35 PM |

    @ Anne:

    I'd suggest looking for a private lab that tests for as many of the tests as Dr Davis recommends. If Claymon Biominis has branches in the UK, they can do most tests, excluding the advanced lipoprotein testing.

    In the meantime, join the Track Your Plaque site, it costs very little and has wonderful resources, an almost overwhelming array, in fact!

    When you've got your basic tests done, book a cheap flight to the USA and schedule advanced lipoprotein testing, an appt and a heart scan with Dr Davis. That's my plan.

    Good luck!

  • Anne

    1/21/2011 1:53:01 PM |

    Hi Anonymous,

    Private labs in the United Kingdom won't do any of the tests unless a doctor does a bona fide request form. I have private medical care as well as NHS and I cannot get those tests because even though they would be done privately the doc is not prepared to ask for those tests considering them unnecessary.

    Medicine is very different in the UK. Patients are unable to self refer to doctors or to private labs for tests. However, once I have just a little more info - I'm not asking for medical advice at all but just info on how Hyperalphalipoproteinemia is diagnosed - to present to my doctor he will be more likely to look into this.

    Doing phone consults to the US or even flying out there and seeing a US doc would not go down at all well with a doc here in the UK - they are unlikely to take any consultation or tests I have in the US seriously. I know that's a pain, but medicine is more tightly regulated here.

    The internet is great but it has its limitations :-( Sorry for wasting peeps time.

  • Might-o'chondri-AL

    1/21/2011 6:11:43 PM |

    O.K. Anne,
       I don't want to detail how my cousin's life has gone; there is no way to guess it relates to you. If you are young,around 30, you should consider seeking out a medical opinion now; I hear in U.K. you'll get on a waiting list.

    You asked for a symptom for a doctor to look into - your HDL reading is it. IF you already had one who said "never mind & go away" try to see a different doctor for your peace of mind. You can not conclude that you have hyperalphalipoproteinemia just because it might explain your data.  
        
    High HDL in Japanesse was originally seen as a sign of longevity. So researchers figured more of a good thing should mean it's even better. Then the genetics of hyperalphalipoproteinemia was found - in some, not all.

  • Anne

    1/21/2011 6:47:36 PM |

    Yes..I guess I should just go back and ask the doctor to explain the high HDL then and see what he comes up with then...before I start a stain that is !

  • peter

    1/19/2012 8:29:49 AM |

    very helpful: http://itunes.apple.com/pl/app/bloodnote-blood-pressure-control/id493849490?mt=8

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