A Better Way to Screen for Heart Disease?

BIG ASK

Inflamation is at the heart of many maladies and I suggest major emotional and psychiatric conditions. Inflamation is generated by infections allergic septic or

fungal and compounded by emotionally compromised immune systems. The body is one entity................?

Rebuttal by Dr. McDougall

These "findings" are for marketing, not for the publics better health! Dr. John McDougall, Board Certified Internist and 35 years practitioner of "Healthy Lifestyle Medicine" argues convincingly on the travesty of this study. Go to

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2008other/news081110crestor.html

"Advertising Passed off as Research Confuses the Public Again."

"Study published in the New England Journal of Medicine expands the indications for statins -- and the public suffers." . . . . etc. . . .

When will this baloney of "research" stop??

Heart Disease in Poultry

Poultry have atherosclerosis and Marek's disease. Marek's was a serious disease until a vaccine was developed from a turkey virus. Dr. CG Fabricant at Cornell dicovered that the vaccine also elminated atherosclerosis in poultry. She did a great deal of work in this area and clearly demonstrated the presence of a herpes virus as the cause. She should have received a Nobel for this work. Dr. Vercellotti at the University of Minnesota did a great deal with herpes virus and human atherosclerosis. This paper is further evidence that heart disease is caused by herpes virus and a vaccine is possible. Naturally there is much more profit to be gained by statins than would be possible with a vaccine. Look what happened when a vaccine was developed for polio, no more disease and nothing to sell. The people need to press for a cure!

chronic inflammation

Chronic inflammation of what? Chronic inflammation where?

"Normal" Cholesterol

The link in the article about cholesterol says, "The "normal" values for serum lipids depend on the patient's age, sex, and race. Normal values for people in Western countries are usually given as 140–220 mg/dL in adults…"

The problem is that to have an extremely low risk of a heart attack, you have to get your cholesterol level down to around 150. A 150 to 160 range is pretty good. The Framingham Heart Study verifies this. Yet the American Heart Association recommends a cholesterol level of 200 or less.

Although dietary fat is more the culprit than dietary cholesterol, it makes no nutritional sense to eat ANY cholesterol if you're above 150. Go vegan.

clearly, statins have been falsely sold to the public as a heart attack cure-all

Noting that 1/2 of those who had heart attacks had "normal" cholesterol, it is clear that cholesterol is not the main culprit in heart attacks and that statins are not the answer (because many of those who had the heart attacks were on statins). Thus, to suggest that statins can prevent heart attacks is not logical; there is no evidence in the study or the article to support further use of statins.

Certainly, the C Reactive Protein Test is better, but one must look at other factors. Also, one wonders if such drugs as Plavix and Cumidin are as good as high Omega 3 fish oils, because the fish oils nourish the heart, counter blood stickiness and also help the brain's function--whereas Plavix and Cumidin but thin the blood, and at times, thin it too much.

There should be more tests of fish oil Omega 3, not just statins. Also, notice always the caveat at the bottom of the statin commercials that there is no necessary correlation between cholesterol and heart attacks! Add to this the serious side effects to the kidneys, liver, brain and other organs from statins and you wonder where and how the pharmaceutical industry can continue deceiving the public.s

Finally, this study was paid for by the makers of Crestor.

Somehow, the whole things smells.

Sincerely, sadly,

Dr. Sam Hamod

CRP

In summary, after reading your ENTIRE article, one could conclude that CRP readings are one tool in the arsenal of cardiac screening. Given all the other things that can effect CRP and heart health in general, it is clearly not the only tool that should be used in cardiac evaluation. My PCP stopped testing mine because I also have arthritis and the inflamation in my knees made the CRP reading meaningless.