Host: Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey

Broadcast and podcast on webtalkradio.net. The podcast is also on the links below (to download, right click download and select “save target as.”)

Today’s program is on the causes and cures for cardiovascular disease. For this program I am made an exception to the usual format of interviewing experts and share two ten minute speeches I gave at Toastmasters on unconventional views of cardiovascular health.  The first presentation is titled The Cholesterol Conspiracy. The second presentation focuses on what we can do to prevent or reverse cardiovascular disease. Here are some notes from the presentions:

Has your doctor ever told you or have your read or heard that:

• 50% of all heart attacks occur with people with normal cholesterol levels?

• Aspirin, the best drug for reducing heart attacks, has no effect on cholesterol?

• Your liver produces 80% of the cholesterol in your body?

• Your cholesterol can be too low and impair production of sex hormones and neurotransmitters?

• The primary mechanism for statins helping doesn’t appear to be from lowering cholesterol but from lowering inflammation—and you could lower inflammation by taking fish oil supplements at a fraction of the price and with none of the risks and side effects?

• Did you know that some of the cultures with the highest consumption of fat, such as Masai tribes in Africa, Eskimos in Greenland, and natives of Crete have some of the lowest rates of heart disease?

• While statin medications slightly lower your risk of dying from heart disease, it increases your risk of dying from other diseases?

• Let’s look at the full page Lipitor ad with the picture of artificial heart inventor Dr. Robert Jarvik that has been running in many magazines. The headline says: “Lipitor reduces risk of dying of a heart attack by 36%*” That’s impressive–until you read the footnote that says: “That means in a large clinical study, 3% of patients taking a sugar pill or placebo had a heart attack compared to 2% of the patient taking Lipitor.”

• While some of the research studies have included women, none has found that statins help women reduce overall mortality.

Generic needs for good health include:

• good nutrition, e.g., a “Mediterranean” style diet

• a very good multiple vitamin/mineral/antioxidant supplement, fish oil* 2,000 mg a day—higher if cardiovascular history, and probably vitamin D

• stable blood sugar levels (most from food choices, some supplements can help)

• exercise: strength, cardio (especially interval challenges), flexibility, and balance

• good stress management

• a sense of purpose, optimism, and gratitude

• some good friends

• bonus: have a hair sample tested for minerals and toxic metals

          – if toxic metals are high pursue blood chelation

          – if minerals are low, e.g., magnesium, manganese, supplement as needed

          — be careful with calcium supplements and pair them with D and possibly K

Some of the most common vitamin/mineral deficiencies in the US:

• Omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil)

• Vitamin D

• Common causes of “adrenal burnout syndrome” include chronic stress, overuse of stimulants, poor diet, and insufficient sleep. Common symptoms include fatigue, depression, anxiety, insomnia, weight gain, an unusual number of infections. The syndrome often results in deficiencies in calcium, magnesium, manganese, sodium and/or potassium.

Supplements that are especially helpful for cardiovascular problems

• low dose aspirin (three times a week is probably sufficient), CoQ10 (especially if you are taking a statin), grape seed extract, pomegranate, coca polyphenols (e.g., high quality dark chocolate or in a supplement), garlic, Indian gooseberries (Amal), green tea, black tea, niacin (warning may cause harmless but very uncomfortable facial flushing)

Two relatively new theories about cardiovascular disease:

1. inflammation is the primary cause of cardiovascular disease and most other chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes, arthritis, fibromyalgia, cancer). –best explained in Dr. Barry Sears’ book, Toxic Fat

2. hormone unbalance greatly aggravates cardiovascular and other diseases and prompts the body to produce more cholesterol (an essential component of hormones). –best explained in Dr. Sergey Dzugan’s Your Blood Doesn’t Lie

The Life Extension Foundations’ 17 Independent Heart Attack Risk Factors

When I gave the presentation, I gave listeners a four page what to do about it handout that I put together. I subsequently found a more detailed explanation of treatment options on the Life Extension Foundation’s website and defer to their recommendations. To their list I would add excess iron (which can be treated by donating blood, reducing consumption of foods and supplements with iron, and if still a problem chelation). The Life Extension Foundation just addresses biochemical causes. Equally important is exercise, nutrition, and stress management.

You can hear my interview Dr. Barry Sears, developer of the Zone diet and the world’s expert on fish oil at . Coming soon will be an interview with Dr. Dzugan. To receive a 10% discount on your first order of Dr. Sears’ fish oil, supplements, and books, go to http://www.zonediet.com and use the promotional code ageless.

 Dr. Brickey’s other websites are www.DrBrickey.com and www.Anti-Aging-Speaker.com.

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Host: Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey

Guests: Preventive Cardiologist Dr. Michael Ozner

Broadcast and podcast starting: April 27, 2009 on webtalkradio.net. After 5-4-09 the podcast is also on the links below (to download, right click download and select “save target as.”)

Three major research studies show that bypass surgery doesn’t prevent heart attacks or death any more than conservative medical treatment. Further, research shows that angioplasties (with or without stents) don’t prevent heart attacks or deaths any more than conservative medical treatment. There is little research to contradict these well designed, peer reviewed studies published in prominent medical journals. Nevertheless, 1.5 million Americans a year have angioplasties or bypass surgery.

Dr. Ozner is very polite and doesn’t go for the jugular. He has his data speak. Cardiac surgery costs at least $60 billion a year and is the star and major profit center of most hospitals. While the medical profession is increasingly emphasizing evidence-based procedures, if it applies evidence-based criteria to cardiac surgery, it will kill the golden goose. It’s amazing that while the data has been around for decades, cardiologists continue to urge angioplasties and by-pass surgeries extensively despite it not having any better results than conservative medical treatment, in most cases. I surprised that Dr. Ozner’s colleagues haven’t tried to tar and feather him for threatening their lucrative careers.

I have been trying to sort out how different experts and organizations are emphasizing different causes of cardiovascular. In rejecting the plumbing analogy for cardiovascular disease, Dr. Ozner’s book describes a process that leads to cardiovascular disease. The process starts with excess LDL cholesterol burrowing into the artery walls, joining triglycerides, oxidizing, and prompting inflammation and its aftermath. An intervention at any stage of this process can help. Thus lowering cholesterol helps, lowering triglycerides helps, anti-oxidants help, balancing Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids helps, as does good nutrition, exercise, and stress management. Unchecked, the ultimate problem becomes inflammation, which is not only key to cardiovascular disease but also most chronic diseases.

For those who resist following detailed regimes, the basic principles of the Mediterranean or his Miami Mediterranean diet are simple: lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains, lean protein (especially from small cold water fish), and eschewing processed food. I also note that Dr. Ozner’s emphasis on stress nicely reinforced the show we had with Cardiologist Dr. Joel Okner and cardiac psychologist Dr. Jeremy Clorfene.

Overall I think The Great American Heart Hoax is the most important cardiology book in the last hundred years. Hopefully it will be a wake-up call for having cardiology become more evidence-based and more holistic. Dr. Ozner’s website is www.DrOzner.com. Dr. Brickey’s other websites are www.DrBrickey.com and www.Anti-Aging-Speaker.com.

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Host: Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey

Guests: Cardiologist Dr. Joel Okner and Cardiac Psychologist Jeremy Clorfene

Broadcast and podcast starting: March 16, 2009 on webtalkradio.net. After 3-23-09 the podcast is also on the links below (to download, right click download and select “save target as.”)

If you or someone you love has a heart attack, the cardiologist probably gives you a brief technical assessment. Anxiety levels are so high you only hear a small fraction of what the doctor says, and remember even less. Typically, there is no discussion about the psychological factors and dealing with the stress, changes, and how different your life has become. Cardiologist Dr. Joel Okner and Cardiac Psychologist Dr. Jeremy Clorfene stepped in to fill the gap with their just released book, The No Bull Book On Heart Disease: Real Answers To Winning Back Your Heart and Health.

It is easy to miss how unique their message is. First, they put cardiology in language that lay people can understand and use. In their book, in particular, they take you step-by-step through exactly what happens physically and emotionally with various diagnoses, tests, and surgeries. That kind of information is surprisingly hard to find.

The even more profound thing they do is address how heart disease impacts patients and families emotionally. Managed care initially offered great promise. Kiser Permanente in particular, was very good at offering supportive and preventive services to help subscribers avoid even bigger problems down the road. Thus, managed care done right would encourage every heart disease patient to see a cardiac psychologist. But most of managed care deteriorated to cost containment. Consequently, we are left with a perfect storm that largely ignores cardiac psychological needs. Pharmaceutical companies advertise pills as the solution. Patients want pills and quick fixes, and compensation for doctors encourages 5-minute-medicine. Even the rehab programs medicalized rehab and made it mostly about diet, exercise, and physical therapy.

The Okner and Clorofene message is that pills may be necessary but without addressing stress, lifestyle, exercise, and nutrition, a heart attack or stroke is just around the corner.

My suggestion for finding a psychologist who is particularly familiar with heart disease and other health problems is to contact a hospital’s Medical Staff office and ask for a list of psychologists who are on the medical staff or affiliate staff. Then compare that list to psychologists covered by your insurance.

Dr. Okner and Dr. Clorfene practice in Chicago and host a weekly two-hour Radio call in show, “The Doctors Are In” on WKRS 1220 AM. Information on their book is at www.nobulldocs.com. Dr. Brickey’s other websites are www.DrBrickey.com and www.Anti-Aging-Speaker.com.

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Host: Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey

Expert Guest: Dr. Alan Zelicoff

Broadcast and podcast:  7-7-08 on webtalkradio.net after 7-14-08 podcast availabe on the links below (to download, right click download and select “save target as.”)

Many of the most commonly performed medical procedures are ill advised and can do more harm than good. We go to our physicians and expect surgery of pills for our ills. Our physicians feel pressured to try to fulfill our expectations. Financial incentives provide little compensation for patient education but often richly reward performing procedures. Patients and physicians often don’t fully appreciate the statistics behind using evidence based medicine for choosing the best course of treatment. Or guest today is physician and physicist Dr. Alan Zelicoff, author of the brand new book, More Harm Than Good. If you or any family members are at risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, back pain or arthritis, you’ll want to be sure to listen and learn about how to avoid overtreatment and get the most effective treatment.

His website is www.Zelicoff.com 

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Expert Guest: Cardiologist Dr. Richard Schneider

Broadcast: 4-8-08 on webtalkradio.net After 4-15-08 available on the links below (to download, rightclick and select save target as…)

click here to see transcript of the interview 

We expect our doctors to always put our interests first. In his interview with Ageless Lifestyles Radio host Dr. Michael Brickey, distinguished cardiologist Dr. Richard Schneider, says because the healthcare system rewards quantity rather than quality of care many doctors follow the money by ordering unnecessary tests and surgeries and cutting corners. Further, a good old boys atmosphere often discourages doctors from examining their mistakes. Dr. Schneider’s book, The Cost of Courage, describes how he successfully practiced compassionate, ethical medicine and was often punished for doing it.

In the first part of the program he will offer advice on how you can make sure you are getting appropriate, effective services from your cardiologist and other physicians. In the second part of the show he will share his surprising doable solutions for fixing our healthcare system and saving 30% of our nation’s healthcare costs. His website is www.RichardRSchneider.com.

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