New Understandings

AirMed Helicopter

From time to time I hear the machine-gun fast whomp-whomp-whomp of a helicopter like this one, taking off about  half a mile from my house.

It always reminds me of, well, me.

I was a difficult patient at the E.R. I didn't want air transport, didn't think it was necessary, and resented the huge bill that would come with the service. Unnecessary waste, in my opinion.

Feeble and stupid reasoning, I know.

So it turns out I was right based on the immediate outcome, because the interventional cardiologists at the University Hospital in Salt Lake couldn't do anything for me, but I understand and appreciate the reasoning behind the E.R. doctor's insistence. I even understand her not giving me appropriate medication, as in a dose of nitroglycerin.

Dr. Polokoff says I could have sued.

I just think the E.R. doctor was scared spitless about being sued the other way, for any possible negative consequences of not absolutely insisting I be transported by helicopter. It's the standard of care, after all.

Just not my standard.

But what would you expect after walking into a hospital emergency room? Choices? Nope. Mention that this was overkill and hope to be taken seriously? Never. You give up all rights to self resolution when you walk in to the E.R. and sign the papers, and scare your wife to death that you'll die in the car with her driving and she'll likely have a fatal accident..

Sigh.

But I'm glad for, and would never do without, my ornery self-reliant attitude, my sense that I will overcome this by learning and doing better. The good doctor's resistance to my suggestions only made that resolve stronger, after all.

And I very much appreciate the doctors at the U. of U. Medical center cath lab trying and failing to correct the problem, and confirming my sense that I would have to learn and take action on my own. A new stent would be absolutely nothing compared to that.

I even appreciate the terrible food the hospital tried to serve me. It very much seemed they were determined to keep me sick, make a return visit necessary, and make sure I understood my nutrition first philosophy was out of wack with their medical expertise, when really it was the other way around.

How could anyone be more blessed, or lucky, or fortunate, or whatever you call it?

Probably couldn't have turned out any better regardless. Probably would have been worse, in fact, without the [waste of a] helicopter ride. I got a complete diagnosis and set of scans to be used for my current involvement with Dr. Polukoff.

So my  number one lesson from the visit with Dr. Polukoff is the end result.

Perspective.

My good fortune continued when I found Dr. Fuhrman, and was preceded by my wife's cure from diabetes.

And the desire to learn more and do better. I know he has lots to teach me about my specific situation, and for that I'm extremely grateful.

And I have a sense that I am indeed fortunate to have had this experience, and that I owe a debt that I want to pay back, by virtue of these experiences.

What's the opposite of a perfect storm? A perfect outcome by virtue of perfect understanding, validated by knowledge and practice.

But wait, there's more.

By working with Dr. Polukoff, I'm looking forward to substantial validation of my current course. And by learning and preparing for the visit, by re-reading Dr. Esselstein's book (done), and Dr. Fuhrman's book The End of Heart Disease (in progress), eating better (substantial progress), and exercising better (doing it - joined a gym ((Kubex)), so I'm looking forward to building some muscle along with losing some fat and improvements in my aerobic and heart fitness).

Dr. Polukoff even suggested I take in Dr. Esselstein's on-line training. Another chance to learn and build my knowledge base? Yippee!!

And having an expert review of three sets of complete scans and tests appropriate to my situation, and getting a highly personalized reading and recommendations for course correction.

It just doesn't get any better than that.

A New Beginning

The Reason For My Doctor Visit? I didn't want to be here.... again

Last time started my telling of a doctors visit.

A little more background seems appropriate.

The major attraction of a Whole Food Plant Based Diet (WFPB) is that it  works. But equally important is that it's something I can do on my own, safely and without fearing any negative consequences.

And way better in those regards than standard medical treatment.

When I started, I didn't have medical insurance.  All doctor visits, prescriptions, procedures and advanced diagnostic procedures were, therefore, on my own dime. And the way I live spare dimes are not to be wasted.

Would I prefer to have been able to afford more medical care? Well, yes and no.

Yes, it would have been an advantage to have better medical monitoring of my recovery. No, I didn't want or need the standard medical party line.

Now that I have medical insurance, and have found a specialist in my area of need, I'm more than glad to get things checked out. Dr. Polukoff is recommending a battery of tests, to be done in about three months, just prior to my next visit with him.

This coincides with my need and desires. I consider it a real blessing, more than chance, one of those "miracles" that sustain me, that I ran into him, found out he's a cardiologist with a great interest in nutritional therapy, and the way opened up for me to see him quickly.

His staff booked me for an "emergency" appointment, otherwise it would have been three months before I could see him. Like I told Dr. Polukoff, either he (the doctor) intervened, or He intervened.

Turns out it wasn't Dr. Polukoff. He barely remembered me at first.

The day before my appointment I started a new cardiac exercise regimen. For six years I have walked or run for about a half hour daily, somewhat slowly because the little dogs I drag behind me haven't tolerated a faster pace.

About a month ago Dog #1 - Daisy - expired. Dog #2 - Nilla - is more than happy to run faster. So I've been thinking about doing shorter-but-more-intense interval training, to do a better daily check on my cardiac capacity, verify I'm on track, do a better job of cardiac conditioning, and save some time.

Turns out with more intense exercise, I can consistently reproduce my angina. It goes away when I slow down, but it's a great reality check for me.

So I had all of two days of this new regimen under my belt when I visited Dr. Polukoff's office. I was ready for a rethinking of my strategy, input from a knowledgeable, caring professional, and basically loaded for bear to attack my less-than-stellar-but-still-amazing compliance, and adopt the best WFPB protocols I know.

And Dr. Esselstyn's more rigid prescriptions don't scare me. I know from past experience I will learn, I will adopt, I will adapt, and everything will work out. Because I will be, I am, my own best client and example.

I will do this.

Could I have done this on my own? Yes. Was it likely if I hadn't encountered Dr. Polukoff? Probably not. Why? Human nature, of which I am an avid partaker.

I could have joined Jim Fixx in competing for the "World's Greatest Losers" prize for self induced somnolence regarding taking you own health advice too seriously and resulting self induced death (now there's a great topic for a future blog post). He is, after all, current reigning champion, followed up by Euell Gibbons (OK, two topics).

I don't want to be in the running for that prize (pun intended, and my thanks to Jim for setting a high standard to learn from and not do likewise).

I seek valid outside professional opinions. I treasure them. I am an avid reader and fan of Dr. Fuhrman's medical advice forums. The cost of partaking in them with my own questions is too steep ($50+ per month). But I can relish the validity and perspective of what I read there.

And I'm not opposed to regular medical treatment and opinions. I just have to moderate them based on what I know from experience.

Doctors don't understand everything. Neither do I. Sometimes it's good to seek input, and take it serious.

I can do that.

Now that I have medical  insurance, and a legit doctor with knowledge and background I need and respect.

And I definitely don't expect the standard medical party line. He's the only intervention cardiologist in the State of Utah who understands the validity of the nutritional approach. A Google search for the term "nutritarian cardiologist" shows zero results. "Nutritional cardiologist" lists Dr. Caldwell Esseltyn first. I think I've got the right guy.

Next time: The many things I learned from the visit.

The Jackpot

Yesterday I hit the jackpot. And got a needed reality check.

Dr. Polukoff

I had an appointment with a doctor, an MD and an intervention cardiologist, WHO UNDERSTANDS NUTRITION AS TRUE MEDICINE! He practices it himself, he uses it in his medical practice, he's seen some outstanding results.

And he's dealt with some patients who don't want to hear a thing about it, and suffer the natural consequence of progressive disease and even death.

Wonderful when the results happen, and very frustrating for him when some folks won't listen.

Maybe a little like I've experienced.

The point is, this a true find, a gem and another miracle in my life and story.

To explain why and how, I've got to back up a little.

At my second heart attack, there was no cath lab capability locally, so I was helicoptered to another hospital. This was at the ER doc's insistence, I didn't think it was necessary and still don't. But it happened.

When the cardiologists in Salt Lake found they couldn't do anything to help me beyond giving me drugs, I knew there was better information out there. Somewhere.

The hospital nutritionist did refer me to a book by Dr. Esselstyn of the Cleveland Clinic, that described his research study of nutritional intervention for very seriously ill cardiac patients. He took a small group of patients who had been diagnosed, fully treated, and basically given up on by the cardiac care doctors there. Nobody had anything to lose by trying something different - a change in eating habits - and doubtless few of his peers believed it would succeed.

But succeed it did, and how! Everyone who complied far exceeded anyone's expectations for recovery and extended life. It worked well for even the most serious cases. A few patients complied only somewhat, with less positive results.  This was a true breakthrough, a miracle that indicates what is possible, and that full compliance guarantees positive results.

Way better than any prescription, surgery, procedure, supplement or other protocol in this regard.

So did the medical community stand up and applaud, and immediately clamor for more and better research and then turn to nutrition as the best means of care, prevention and a cost effective, works-every-time solution to a major international problem?

 Certainly..... NOT.

So now to the present day implications for me and my progress, as well as for Infinity and (thank you Buzz Lightyear) Beyond. In my next post.

A REAL Cure For Heart Disease

I'm a piker when it comes to curing heart disease.

I consider myself on the path to healing, and I do have a significant remission of symptoms that indicates I'm on the path to complete healing.

Others have done better, and my hat's off to them.

Here's an example summarized from Dr. Fuhrman's website. I'll give you the link to the more complete story and the formula. It's what I do, but better. But the best part is it's real life. It illustrates how to succeed quicker than what I've done. In a later article I'll summarize the difference.

Paul S. reversed the same type coronary artery disease I have, and had it worse than I did, but substantially reversed it within 26 months. He did it by adhering to Dr. Fuhrman's "Six Week Plan." He was running within a year after he started, and has continued on that course for years more. He had a scan 26 months after he started that verified his arteries are clear (the kind of verification I can't afford) and ran two half marathons since then (the kind of verification I can afford).

Here's the link to his story on Dr. Fuhrman's website: www.drfuhrman.com/success/SuccessStory.aspx?id=1214.

Now his cardiologist initially told him it was critical he have angioplasty as soon as possible. He found Dr. Fuhrman's website within a few days, and took immediate, drastic action. He became Dr. Fuhrman's patient, and was coached personally by the best.

He has stayed on that Six Week Plan during the intervening years, proving that radical eating changes are possible, and totally curative in his heart disease situation.  It seems likely it will work in so many others as well.

A miraculous cure? Certainly. But the real miracle is that anyone can do this. It has implications for so many situations, diseases and a vast number of people.

Paul recommends reading three books: Eat To Live, Disease Proof and The End Of Diabetes, all by Dr. Fuhrman, and he says it's all anybody really needs to understand and eat this way. He'd have added The End of  Heart Disease if it had been out.

So here's a brief outline of Dr. Fuhrman's Six Week Plan, in general order of how much to eat:

• Aim to eat a pound or more of fresh (plus anything flash-frozen) non-starchy vegetables a day, emphasizing leafy greens, and the typical things that can go into a salad like lettuce, peas, snow peas, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and sprouts. In fact, salad is the main dish. No limits, and variety is good with all these healthy foods.
• Also aim for a pound of more of cooked non-starchy vegetables as in eggplant, mushrooms,peppers, onions, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower, asparagus, zucchini, kale, collards, cabbage, peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes. While the format isn't critical, soups have advantages for these. Unlimited amounts here too.
• Eat a half cup or more of beans/legumes per day, like black, pinto, red, white and garbanzo beans, lentils, tofu, etc. Soups, chili, whatever is good to you is eligible.
• Fresh fruit, especially berries, at least four servings per day. Not dried. Not juiced. Not canned. There's a "qualified" recommendation of limits on these. They're great but not to be as highly emphasized as those listed earlier. Fruits are the "dessert" aspect of eating this way.
• Eat mushrooms, and cooked is actually better for you than raw. Cheaper types are as good for you as expensive ones. One mushroom day is plenty for nutritional purposes.
• Limited amounts of starchy vegetables and whole grains is allowed, but only one serving per day. If you have a tough time losing weight, or a condition like diabetes, ditch these and stick with the higher priority foods.
• Eat some healthy fats from nuts or seeds, but in limited amounts, no more than 1 oz. (one closed-fist handful) per day. Include one tablespoon per day ground chia seeds, ground flax, walnuts or other sources of omega-3s. Avocados work too. Don't overdo these.
• Ditch all animal products for the six weeks, including milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.
• No added oils, sugars, candy, salt, white flour bread/pasta and processed foods.

So keeping this up for just over 2 years made for a complete reversal of Paul S.'s heart function problems and pain. I eased into it, but I think he's smarter.

Dr. Fuhrman defines what you do long term to eat nutritarian as the "Life Plan." You can, like Paul, do the Six Week Plan for life. But some folks, like me, start off with 10% of calories from "outside" the Six Week Plan guidelines (I'm at 5% now), either by higher quantities things that would be limited, or just plain things that would be forbidden like animal products or even ice cream (rarely).

What I do works for me. But, I'll continue this long term plus keep on learning, and get closer to the Six Week Plan over the long haul. After all, as Dr. Fuhrman says, if you've gone to the effort to change 90-95% of what you eat, the next little bit isn't that tough.

The long term defines total success, and total healing.

Heart Disease - A Status Report

So this is a personal post about the status of my heart disease.

It's worth doing because it's a summary of major progress and a work in progress. It took me 2 1/2 years to get to my "ideal" weight, from  210 pounds to just over 160 at a height of 5'11" (I used to be 6'1", but aging and a collapsed vertebra will do that).

I've had two heart attacks, the first in May of 2005 of which could have easily killed me, with two 99% blockages in the LAD artery, and two other blockages in two other arteries, at 99% and 80%.

The second at the end of October 2010 involved a new 80% blockage in the same LAD artery.

The best doctors available said my condition was inoperable.

My friend's referral to Eat To Live is responsible for my ongoing survival and healing.

I saw my doctor twice in the two years after my heart attack, but I wasn't encouraged when I did. He says recovery is impossible. I've since changed doctors and see my cousin, who is interested but doesn't buy in to what I'm doing enough to change his recommendations to others.

But I get a whole different perspective from Dr. Fuhrman's materials, both books and website. He says every heart disease patient he treats gets better. I want that, and I believe it's happening with me.

Most important in my recovery is the status check I do six days a week. At first after my 2nd heart attack I walked for a half hour daily. Gradually I've sped up, and now I jog for half an hour every day. I let angina be my guide, and I exercise as hard as I can - without pain - and the occasional push to test my limits.

Now maybe that doesn't sound impressive to you. But for years I tried to lose weight, and never even approached what I've now achieved:

• Proved it's possible to overcome a strong genetic predisposition to coronary artery disease. 
• Eliminated 95% of the animal products, refined sugars and extra fats and oils from my diet.
• Never gone hungry, counted a single calorie or felt deprived.
• Learned to buy foods, make cost effective substitutions to recipes and grow an appropriate garden, so I spend no more than I did before (and the before was still very cheap!)
• Changed my taste preferences so I no longer miss the bad things I used to eat.
• Developed my own recipes and eating patterns so the variety and taste is completely wonderfully satisfying to me.
• Caught a vision of what this can mean for healing my family, community and world from the unnecessary expense, wasted resources and personal health tragedies that our current health, medical treatment and food culture assumes are normal and unresolvable.
• The weight loss and health this involves is a big part of my wife's total vocational recovery from a paralyzing back injury (and from diabetes, definitely related to her loss of muscle function). She wasn't expected to walk at first. Then they said she'd never stop being diabetic. But she is now fully functional, in a way her rehab doctor has never seen. That her diabetes is gone the doctor and diabetes educators said was just plain impossible. 

I now have real, immediate and justified hope in areas where I saw no current solutions before. That's really the main miracle here.

But then, I've always had hope. I always knew there'd be answers somewhere in the distant future. I just never thought I'd see 'em.

An if I can see these, maybe you can too.

A Second Heart Attack & Becoming A Nutritarian: The Irritation of Truth

I wasn't worried during my second heart attack. I missed experiencing the first one, having gone immediately unconscious (and scaring my wonderful wife to pieces).

Honestly, I knew I'd survived worse things. I was glad to be in a learning experience, and pretty confident we'd figure something out.

But I was more than glad, I was thrilled when I read Eat To Live, and when I became a nutritarian myself.

Yes, I have to admit, I'm a nutritarian. I didn't think I'd like that title, and it's not the most important thing in the world to me.

Honestly, my family comes first. But the pursuit of truth and goodness in my life is most important only after that. Being a nutritarian furthers both goals, in fact keeps me alive.

The title of this blog, The End Of Disease, probably sounds overly optimistic. Even crazy.

It refers to my most positive hopes and dreams., for myself, my family and the world, based on what I've learned is possible. The truth, as a TV show used to say, is out there.

But thousand lies compete for everyone's attention. And we live in a world where lies are common and popular. But where lies have speed, truth has endurance.

Truth is an irritation because it calls on us to change. And most of us don't change until it's abundantly clear we have to. So I am also hugely grateful to:

• The ER docs who insisted I go for surgery against my will, which I thought was thoughtless and unnecessary but turned out to be just ineffective,
  
• My wife who was persuaded by them, and who threatened me with arrest if I tried to drive myself anywhere, and
  
• The team of doctors at the University of Utah medical center who tried and failed to surgically treat my heart disease, and then made it clear if I was going to get better, I'd have to find my own answers from that point.
  

Now I know the value of what they were trying to do, but at the time I was really, really irritated. I thought "with friends like these who needs enemies?" (But I needed 'em regardless, and I could tell they cared, though at the time I was an ornery patient).

I'm also grateful for my friend Chris Daines. The origins of this blog, and my introduction to nutritarian eating, come from walking with him as he cared enough after my heart attack to get me into the daily walking habit.

On those walks we resolved the problems of the world, for a half hour every morning. He recommended and loaned me the book Eat To Live, and we agreed that if it was true it was precious, and worth living. It was also obvious that if it worked, it needed to spread.

And so we talked about creating a blog about nutritarian eating, where I'd recount my experience of being a nutritarian so a few others could benefit.

If Dr. Fuhrman's claims are true, those that would benefit include everybody we know. Every single man, woman, child of every shape, age and size. And I think Dr. Furhman thinks so, as expressed by the title of his book that's been out a couple of years now, Super Immunity.

Bold stuff for such an awkward word as nutritarian! The first time I read it I was offended. What is this? I thought when I first came across the word.

Who is making this word up? Who needs it! Certainly not me. I’d never describe myself that way. I’m already labeled by too many awkward things already. I’m so much more than any of these.

Harrumph.

Then I read the book Eat to Live. I was blown away. And overcome with joy.

It gave me hope.

Nutritarian describes a plan of eating that makes sense. It combines best nutritional truths I knew about somewhat, but amplified my understanding ten times. It has the power to promote health, vitality, long life.

It's an essential ingredient that can cure the disabling and killing diseases around me, including those affecting so many people I know and love – and miss because they’re no longer around.

It has the power to cure me.

And when I saw it, what I consider the heart of the book, I was ecstatic. Finally I understood what to do. I understood how to do it. Everything I had done, read, studied and hoped for physical health-wise was embodied in a couple of pages of text. A list rating foods. A principle of truth. It is, it seems to me, a form of Truth.

Many of my friends and relatives think this already. Yes, I am nuts. I’m nutty about truth, head over heels excited about it. Especially great, healing truth.

There’s plenty of if out there. It’s not popular. But it’s powerful, it’s effective, it works every time, and it heals everyone and everything it touches, the sooner the more powerfully.

The title of this blog, The End Of Disease, is what I believe is possible because I'm a nutritarian. It's what I believe is true. What being a nutritarian means is not final for me, it's underdevelopment, in my life and even by its author, Dr. Fuhrman.

But it's far enough along to have proved itself in my eyes, and in my life.

If you think I'm nuts to be such a big fan, I have to admit, "Yes, I'm nutty about the truth."

So if you pronounce it "nut"-ritarian, then thanks.

David's Story: Thirty Six Words

The look on their faces said it all.

I fought going to the ER during my second heart attack in October 2011. I was a very difficult patient when I got there. But they scared my wife, and she insisted.

So I was flown by helicopter to the University Hospital, where after hours of trying, the finest docs available (all on staff at the medical school) said my condition was inoperable.

Their faces told me they didn’t believe I'd live long.

The fix, a stent to open up my “Widowmaker” (LAD) artery that was 80% closed off, proved impossible. A prior stent from my heart attack 6 1/2 years previous blocked all attempts. Ominous.

For good reason. In my first heart attack three arteries were 99% blocked and one was 75%. Two blockages were in the "Widowmaker" artery.

I asked my cardiologist back then if I should change my diet and he said, “Nah, you can’t change heredity. Arteries always close up again. So exercise and take medications, and when it closes up again we’ll just put more stents in."

He was wrong. But now, I might well be dead in a year or two if I didn't find answers.

State of the art, modern, up to date medicine at its best (or really, worst).Hard to blame the doctors when that's the standard of care.

But I now call it foolishness.

I even called an old friend, who majored in nutrition (so I figured if anybody knew he would) before he went to medical school. I asked him if there was anything new, different or more effective. He answered there was not.

I took his word for it, a mistake. I wish I’d kept searching.

So with this recent heart attack, when they couldn’t operate, I knew it was serious, even fatal, if I didn’t figure out better answers. I also knew meds wouldn’t cut it. So when a new friend whose daughter was studying nutrition, told me about Eat To Live I was interested.

In fact I was desperate.

You see, for me it really is a matter of life or death.

I got the book, and it was everything I’d hoped for, and more.

The first part of the book is testimonials from people like me. Lots of medical and health situations had proven difficult to handle otherwise. They found answers through nutritarian eating. I’ll summarize:

• Weight loss after years of trying, and the weight stays off. Amounts of 15 to 150 pounds, in two weeks to a couple of years.
• Major cholesterol reductions, often over 100 points.
• Many otherwise incurable diseases, ranging from hepatitis C to diabetes, were effectively treated.
• Many other difficult health issues turned around, like depression, migraines, blood pressure, diverticulitis, sleep disorders, digestion problems, back pain and more.

So here’s my statement in the thirty six words below, a little like what you’d see in Eat To Live:

My doctor said I’d need repeated heart catheterization as a genetic certainty. He was wrong. With the answers in Eat To Live, I 'm healing my own heart disease.

– David Higbee, 45 pounds in 18 months