Heart Health

[phkrause]

Taking vitamin D supplements linked to better chance of avoiding heart attacks

QUEENSLAND, Australia — Vitamin D is probably most synonymous with the Sun and strong bone health, but new research out of Australia suggests a regular regimen of vitamin D supplementation can also go a long way toward promoting robust heart health. The study, based on a clinical trial, finds that vitamin D supplements may reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks among older adults (ages 60+).

https://studyfinds.org/vitamin-d-heart-attacks/?

[Rahab]

Sunshine is free. 

[Dr. Shane]

I saw this news recently.  I have been taking Vitamin D since the pandemic.

[Hanseng]

According to Dr. Esselstyn, no one with a cholesterol level below 150 has a heart attack. Probably all wfpb physicians would agree, e.g., McDougall, Pritikin's team, Dean Ornish. Heart attacks, in general are brought about by poor diet and lack of exercise. EGW's dietary regime is about as perfect as one can get. Vegan, no free oil or animal products unless obtained from healthy livestock. In that case, it would be vegetarian. 

[Gregory Matthews]

The science is more complex than has been stated by previous posts.

*  Low levels of vitamin D, clearly can result in cardiac problems.

*  High levels of vitamin D  can cause atrial fibrillation which is a major cardiac problem.

The following link will take you to an article that will provide more information. It should be noted that the adverse effects only occur in people who are taking supplements and not with people who only get their vitamin D from the sun and from  food.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20111117/Vitamin-D-and-its-good-and-bad-effects-on-the-heart.aspx#:~:text=Vitamin D in excess may not be beneficial,out of rhythm%2C a condition called atrial fibrillation.

NOTE:  On a personal basis, I have some cardiac issues that are outside of the norm.  Due to that  I am constantly evaluated in attempts to determine exactly what (why?) is going on, by specialists in the field.  In that process, the cardiac experts have warned me that I should not take vitamin D outside of specific norms.

[Hanseng]

Dr. McDougall ran a lifestyle center at the SDA St. Helena hospital for several years. He asked the cardiac physicians to recommend some patients to him. They would not; however, they themselves and their family members consulted with McDougall. Not sure if they actually went through his program. He once asked an interventional cardiologist about sending him some patients. The young doctor said to him ~something about the amount of money he made the previous year, said there was no reason to refer patients to him. Another time, a radiologist pulled McDougall  aside and said, "Doc, we know your program works, we've seen the images." In a typical M.D. program, there may be a couple of courses in nutrition. McDougall said the only nutritional intervention he learned in becoming a board-certified internist was the low or no sodium diet. Nutrition is the most effective therapeutic intervention for many of the conditions that afflict Western nations. 

Therapeutic nutrition, practiced by various health care professionals, is essentially the same diet recommended by EGW ~ 150 years ago.

Another physician, Caldwell Esselstyn, had a similar experience at the Cleveland Clinic. Physicians would not refer patients to his cardiac rehabilitation program but they themselves would attend and refer family members. Risk management got involved, said this practice had to stop. If patients found out that doctors and their families were going through a lifestyle program and the patients were not being informed of this option, that is a violation of informed consent, which requires treatment options to be reviewed with the patient.

McDougall, Ornish, Pritikin, Gregor, Ornish, Campbell, the Physicians for Responsible Medicine all knew/know the benefits of lifestyle medicine. There is not the kind of profits in lifestyle medicine that there is in coronary artery bypass surgery and interventional cardiology. A beginning, board certified physician earns more money in his first year than a new hire at Goldman-Sachs.

 

[bonnie1962]

"McDougall, Ornish, Pritikin, Gregor, Ornish, Campbell, the Physicians for Responsible Medicine all knew/know the benefits of lifestyle medicine. There is not the kind of profits in lifestyle medicine that there is in coronary artery bypass surgery and interventional cardiology. A beginning, board certified physician earns more money in his first year than a new hire at Goldman-Sachs"

As they should. Entry level Dr in Mpls,MN is  226,428.00 Not an astronomical amount when you consider the years and the $$ it took for them to get there, then factor in their malpratice insurance premiums up to 12,000.00 a year. Not all heart attack issues are as simple as you make it out to be. Lifestyle is important but a lot of that is the responsibilty of the patient. Regardless of what advice the Dr gives them to the contrary they have no intention of changing lifestyle

Of course they want to be compensated considering what it took them to get there. Most of us would be. 

By the time the patient gets to coronary artery bypass surgery and interventional cardiology a little late to change lifestyle to fix it. My husband has had multiple strokes,his was not lifestyle and most of his Dr's were worth twice what it cost in time and dedication

[Gregory Matthews]

Hanseng, your comments are totally unrelated to my post just above yours.

 

 

[Rahab]

The vitamin D test needs to be re-evaluated. 
Best D comes from the sun. 

[Hanseng]

10 hours ago, bonnie1962 said:

Not all heart attack issues are as simple as you make it out to be.

Most are are. You don't eat right and don't exercise, and smoke, cardiovascular disease is a near certainty. There are algorithms for determining the best treatment option for coronary artery occlusion. Varying degrees of coronary occlusion can be treated in different ways. 

Most patients on medication for hypertension, heart problems, diabetes can reduce or discontinue their meds in a month on a therapeutic diet, usually comprised of 10% fat, 10% protein, and 80% carbohydrates. This isn't some quackery practiced on a side road in an SDA community. Ornish runs his program or did, in conjunction with UCSF. McDougall was at St Helena hospital for years, Esselstyn was at the Cleveland Clinic.

Loma Linda wasn't founded to crank our millionaire physicians who through their tithe would support church administrators.

Luther touched the bellies and the purses of the monks. That's what health reform does. 

 

[phkrause]

On 7/2/2023 at 6:59 PM, Rahab said:

Sunshine is free. 

So true, but some bodies don't seem to absorb it from the sun as well as it should be!

[Rahab]

Yes, depending on skin tone 

[phkrause]

? Study: Weight loss drug slashes heart risk

Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

Wegovy, one of Novo Nordisk's weight loss drugs, can cut the risk of serious heart problems — like heart attacks and strokes — in patients with heart disease by 20%, according to a study published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Why it matters: The results of the study, which included 17,500 people from 41 countries, could change the way doctors treat certain heart patients, AP reports. What to watch: We've known that weight loss is connected to healthier hearts, but this research is the first to show that an obesity drug can reduce the risk of heart-related deaths in patients with heart disease. The findings could shift perceptions that this new class of pricey drugs are cosmetic treatments and put pressure on health insurers to cover them. Go deeper.

[phkrause]

Here are new guidelines for preventing stroke, the nation’s 4th biggest killer

The first new guidelines on stroke prevention in 10 years from the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, include recommendations for people and doctors that reflect a better understanding of who gets strokes and why, along with new drugs that can help reduce risk. Read more.

[phkrause]

Gender Gap: 8 Ways Women’s Heart Attacks Are Different From Men’s

Medically Reviewed by Poonam Sachdev on September 04, 2024

https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/ss/cm/how-womens-heart-attacks-are-different-from-mens?

[phkrause]

Cardiac clearance

Focusing on your heart health means eating right, exercising and paying attention to potential warning signs. One important assessment before undergoing surgery could save your life.

[phkrause]

Congestive Heart Failure and Heart Disease

Medically Reviewed by Zilpah Sheikh, MD on December 12, 2023  Written by Stephanie Watson

https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/heart-failure/guide-heart-failure?

[phkrause]

Heart Health Tips

You might not give it much thought throughout the day, but your heart is working around the clock for you. Your heart is the most important muscle in your body because it pumps blood and oxygen to all of your organs.

https://www.webmd.com/heart/heart-health-tips?

Never Ignore These 11 Heart Symptoms

If something went wrong with your heart, would you know it?

https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/features/never-ignore-symptoms?

[phkrause]

New 'Heart Patch' Could Help Solve the Transplant Shortage

April 3, 2025 – In the U.S. at any given time, thousands of adults and hundreds of children are on waiting lists for a lifesaving heart transplant, facing waits of six months or longer. Some will die in the interim, including one out of every eight children on the list. Worldwide, about 20 people die per day while waiting for any organ. 

https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/heart-failure/news/20250403/new-heart-patch-could-help-solve-transplant-shortage?

[phkrause]

How Old Is Too Old for a Heart Bypass?

There was a time, not long ago, when Sime Brkic, 80, of Mentor, Ohio, might have been denied a heart bypass surgery.

https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/features/too-old-for-bypass?

[phkrause]

Gender Gap: 8 Ways Women’s Heart Attacks Are Different From Men’s

Medically Reviewed by Poonam Sachdev on September 04, 2024

https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/ss/cm/how-womens-heart-attacks-are-different-from-mens?

[phkrause]

Pill-Free Ways to Cut Your Heart Disease Risk

Medically Reviewed by Dany Paul Baby, MD on March 04, 2024

Written by Paul Frysh

https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/ss/slideshow-cut-heart-disease-risk?

[phkrause]

Gender Gap: 8 Ways Women’s Heart Attacks Are Different From Men’s

Medically Reviewed by Poonam Sachdev on September 04, 2024

https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/ss/cm/how-womens-heart-attacks-are-different-from-mens?

[phkrause]

Bad Heart Habits

Medically Reviewed by Zilpah Sheikh, MD on August 28, 2023

https://www.webmd.com/heart/ss/slideshow-bad-heart-habits?

[phkrause]

What You Can Do to Prevent a Heart Attack

You want what’s best for your heart. And it’s simpler than you might think. These  lifestyle changes can help prevent a heart attack and heart disease.

https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/understanding-heart-attack-prevention?