Millions of men and women in the U.S. have coronary artery disease (CAD), which refers to the build-up of cholesterol deposits (or plaque) in the arteries leading to the heart.
But the “Roto-Rooter”® approach that cardiologists use to treat this common condition completely misses the mark. And, in many cases, it causes far more harm than good.
Let me explain…
Cardiologists see CAD as a plumbing problem
When someone presents with symptoms of CAD, such as shortness of breath or angina, a cardiologist will order a cardio-angiogram (a medical imaging technique) to detect blood flow and possible blockages in the coronary arteries that supply the heart muscle.
If they see a blockage, they go in and scour it out—as you would a blocked pipe in your home—with a catheter. Then, they place a stent at the site of the newly opened artery to help provide support.
In more advanced cases, they may perform coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). With this invasive, “open-heart” surgery, the cardiac surgeon splits open the chest, stops the heart, and connects (or “grafts”) a section of vein taken from the leg to the blocked vessel, essentially “bypassing” the blockage.
But stent and CABG procedures compromise blood supply and can cause serious complications (including brain damage). Plus, in a recent study, patients who underwent these invasive procedures didn’t actually improve their mortality risk. (Which, as I always report, is the one, true measure of success for any treatment.) Worse yet—they suffered more adverse outcomes (such as heart attacks and heart failure) than those didn’t receive the treatments!
The real cause of heart attacks and strokes
The fact is, research over the past 15 years has shown that cholesterol deposits in the arteries aren’t the real problem when it comes to heart attacks and strokes. In fact, your body uses cholesterol to repair the artery and protect the lining from rupture! And calcification in the arteries works in the same way. It doesn’t signal that something dangerous is going to happen…rather, it’s a sign that something already did happen, and the body is trying to heal. So, it’s not typically an acute danger.
Furthermore, heart attacks (and strokes) don’t even typically occur because of the worst blockages. The new findings are that they occur because of sudden inflammation at the site of a smaller, minimal blockage. In fact, the inflammation causes the thin plaque lining of an artery to suddenly burst…causing clotting and heart attack or stroke. So, the key is calming down inflammation before that happens.
This mechanism helps explain why low-dose aspirin clearly lowers the risk of heart attack. (It seems aspirin may help prevent the inflammation that causes small plaques to rupture in addition to the more well-recognized benefit of thinning the blood to prevent clots.)
Overall, scientific research dating back at least 15 years shows that:
1.) Cholesterol isn’t the cause of CAD or heart disease.
2.) Statins don’t work to prevent CAD or heart disease.
3.) Inflammation is a major cause of CAD and heart disease.
4.) Invasive cardiac procedures, such as stents and bypasses, don’t improve mortality rates.
Cardiologists aren’t about to give up their bread and butter
Despite this strong, time-tested scientific evidence, cardiologists and heart surgeons still treat CAD as a plumbing problem by performing expensive and invasive stents and bypass procedures. (It’s their bread and butter, after all!)
But those who perform these dangerous procedures are just locking the barn door after the horses have already gotten out. And all they’re left seeing is the back–end of the horse. (They might as well be looking in a mirror.)
Thankfully, you don’t need to follow the herd or be left out of the barn…
The first step is finding a good internal medicine doctor who listens, takes time with you, and stays up–to–date with the science. They’re far less likely to push costly, invasive procedures than your typical cardiologist.
In addition, you can learn about the many safe, effective, natural approaches to protect your heart, without the use of ineffective and dangerous procedures or drugs, in my Heart Attack Prevention and Repair Protocol. To learn more about this comprehensive online learning tool, or to enroll today, click here now!
Source:
“Coronary artery disease as clogged pipes: a misconceptual model.” Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2013 Jan 1;6(1):129-32. doi.org/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.112.967778.