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Russert's death
Russert's untimely death raises questions about how we're treating heart disease
Dear Friend,
You won't hear me say this often about anyone in mainstream media, but T. Russert, newsman and anchor of Meet the Press, was someone I respected. I took great joy in watching politicians squirm under his tough questioning. So, like most Americans, I was sad to hear the tragic news of his sudden death. After all, Russert was just 58 years old — relatively young by today's standards.
According to his doctors, he had diabetes, heart disease, and he was overweight. Yet without fail, every time I hear a news story or read an article on his death, the commentators express their surprise that something like this could happen to someone who was on blood pressure pills and cholesterol drugs, who exercised routinely (in fact, he worked out on the treadmill the morning he died), and who was on a diet. He'd even recently passed a stress test.
I wish I could say I was shocked by this news. Unfortunately, stories like this one only highlight what I've been telling you all along: Blood pressure doesn't cause heart disease, high cholesterol drugs aren't cure-alls, and exercise can do more harm than good. In short, none of the steps Russert's doctors told him to take to address his health concerns were doing a darn bit of good.
Instead, if someone had told him to focus on keeping his homocysteine levels low and his magnesium levels high, we might not be having this conversation in the first place. Homocysteine makes cholesterol stick to your artery walls and can also contribute the hardening of your arteries. It's simple to control your cholesterol levels by loading up on B vitamins, like B6, B12 and folate.
Magnesium also has vital heart-healthy benefits.
"Statins don't protect against heart attacks. And [Russert] didn't know that the lack of one nutrient could have cost him his life," said acclaimed neurosurgeon Dr. R. B. "The number-one cause of sudden cardiac death is magnesium deficiency. Cardiac patients and those with diabetes have the lowest magnesium levels of all."
I've written to you before about the many benefits of magnesium. This mineral prevents blood clots, dilates blood vessels, and can also stop the development of dangerous heart irregularities. It's why I've been such a long-time advocate of increasing magnesium intake for its heart-health benefits – not to mention what it does for your bones and bodily tissues. I've even used magnesium in emergency medicine to help limit brain damage in stroke victims. And yet more than half of Americans have a magnesium deficiency.
"People who are deficient in magnesium are most likely to have sudden cardiac arrest, and when they do arrest, they are harder to resuscitate,"DR. B. says. "Many simply can't be resuscitated."
Dr. S. B. surgeon in chief of New York's M. Medical Center, did a good job of summing up just why the death of the beloved newsman has so shaken both Americans in general and doctors in particular: "It makes us all feel mortal, and it also highlights the natural history of this silent killer and our limited ability to catch this killer before it strikes."
Fighting on in the battle against heart disease,
W. C. D. M.D.
Dear Friend,
You won't hear me say this often about anyone in mainstream media, but T. Russert, newsman and anchor of Meet the Press, was someone I respected. I took great joy in watching politicians squirm under his tough questioning. So, like most Americans, I was sad to hear the tragic news of his sudden death. After all, Russert was just 58 years old — relatively young by today's standards.
According to his doctors, he had diabetes, heart disease, and he was overweight. Yet without fail, every time I hear a news story or read an article on his death, the commentators express their surprise that something like this could happen to someone who was on blood pressure pills and cholesterol drugs, who exercised routinely (in fact, he worked out on the treadmill the morning he died), and who was on a diet. He'd even recently passed a stress test.
I wish I could say I was shocked by this news. Unfortunately, stories like this one only highlight what I've been telling you all along: Blood pressure doesn't cause heart disease, high cholesterol drugs aren't cure-alls, and exercise can do more harm than good. In short, none of the steps Russert's doctors told him to take to address his health concerns were doing a darn bit of good.
Instead, if someone had told him to focus on keeping his homocysteine levels low and his magnesium levels high, we might not be having this conversation in the first place. Homocysteine makes cholesterol stick to your artery walls and can also contribute the hardening of your arteries. It's simple to control your cholesterol levels by loading up on B vitamins, like B6, B12 and folate.
Magnesium also has vital heart-healthy benefits.
"Statins don't protect against heart attacks. And [Russert] didn't know that the lack of one nutrient could have cost him his life," said acclaimed neurosurgeon Dr. R. B. "The number-one cause of sudden cardiac death is magnesium deficiency. Cardiac patients and those with diabetes have the lowest magnesium levels of all."
I've written to you before about the many benefits of magnesium. This mineral prevents blood clots, dilates blood vessels, and can also stop the development of dangerous heart irregularities. It's why I've been such a long-time advocate of increasing magnesium intake for its heart-health benefits – not to mention what it does for your bones and bodily tissues. I've even used magnesium in emergency medicine to help limit brain damage in stroke victims. And yet more than half of Americans have a magnesium deficiency.
"People who are deficient in magnesium are most likely to have sudden cardiac arrest, and when they do arrest, they are harder to resuscitate,"DR. B. says. "Many simply can't be resuscitated."
Dr. S. B. surgeon in chief of New York's M. Medical Center, did a good job of summing up just why the death of the beloved newsman has so shaken both Americans in general and doctors in particular: "It makes us all feel mortal, and it also highlights the natural history of this silent killer and our limited ability to catch this killer before it strikes."
Fighting on in the battle against heart disease,
W. C. D. M.D.
This is a great thread!!
Thanks for the explanation Dixter. That is also an amazing story!! Your (new) doctors are to be commended for providing you with the right therapy for your condition(s).
Dolfnlvr - great post!! About that avg. lifespan of 74........??? YIKES!!
Connie
Thanks for the explanation Dixter. That is also an amazing story!! Your (new) doctors are to be commended for providing you with the right therapy for your condition(s).
Dolfnlvr - great post!! About that avg. lifespan of 74........??? YIKES!!
Connie
It seems that there are heated feelings regarding this particular subject. There always are heated feelings when we are forced to deal with our own mortality and the untimely death of Mr. Russert has reminded us all that, regardless of our actions here on Earth, when it is time to go, it is time to go.
The thing is this, we can all take steps to try to elongate our lives. High blood pressure and increased Cholesterol levels are indeed risk factors that can be treated homeopathically or medicinally, and doctors are not wrong to offer treatment for those conditions. High blood pressure is often a risk factor, not because you have high blood pressure, but because it indicates that there may be a blockage somewhere that is causing the increased pressure (like a hose with your thumb over the opening). So, when faced with high blood pressure, the first course of action is to lower the BP because putting pressure on your areteries and veins has its own problems. After that, if other signs are present, a doctor should run a stress echo and do a doppler of the heart to determine if there are any dangerous blockages causing the symptoms. If none are found then the only thing doctors can do is treat the symptoms and watch for progression.
Unlike television, medicine does not cure all ills, and it is not infallable. There are many mixed messages given by the body and many MANY variables that can affect how symptoms present themselves and how best to treat them. Doctors do what they can and patients need to listen to their doctors and decide what treatment sounds most amenable to THEM.
Dixter's message is all 100% true. It doesn't matter how well we take care of ourselves, or how many drugs we take. We can be absolutely healthy one minute and dead the next. Unfortunately, that's the gamble of life. No one gets off this Earth alive. We can, however, take steps to improve our quality of life and hopefully the length of it. This is witnessed by the increase in average lifespan from (1900) 45 years to (2008) 74 years.
All of your other messages are true as well. There are medications, treatments, reasons, thoughts, and questions that make one take pause and question which is the right course of action. It is an individual decision made by each of us based on whatever knowledge we can gain from the experience of others.
Let's not be argumentative, but productive by "hearing" each others experiences and opinions and using them to help each of us make the best choice for us (with the advice of a trusted doctor).
Take care everyone. Be well.
The thing is this, we can all take steps to try to elongate our lives. High blood pressure and increased Cholesterol levels are indeed risk factors that can be treated homeopathically or medicinally, and doctors are not wrong to offer treatment for those conditions. High blood pressure is often a risk factor, not because you have high blood pressure, but because it indicates that there may be a blockage somewhere that is causing the increased pressure (like a hose with your thumb over the opening). So, when faced with high blood pressure, the first course of action is to lower the BP because putting pressure on your areteries and veins has its own problems. After that, if other signs are present, a doctor should run a stress echo and do a doppler of the heart to determine if there are any dangerous blockages causing the symptoms. If none are found then the only thing doctors can do is treat the symptoms and watch for progression.
Unlike television, medicine does not cure all ills, and it is not infallable. There are many mixed messages given by the body and many MANY variables that can affect how symptoms present themselves and how best to treat them. Doctors do what they can and patients need to listen to their doctors and decide what treatment sounds most amenable to THEM.
Dixter's message is all 100% true. It doesn't matter how well we take care of ourselves, or how many drugs we take. We can be absolutely healthy one minute and dead the next. Unfortunately, that's the gamble of life. No one gets off this Earth alive. We can, however, take steps to improve our quality of life and hopefully the length of it. This is witnessed by the increase in average lifespan from (1900) 45 years to (2008) 74 years.
All of your other messages are true as well. There are medications, treatments, reasons, thoughts, and questions that make one take pause and question which is the right course of action. It is an individual decision made by each of us based on whatever knowledge we can gain from the experience of others.
Let's not be argumentative, but productive by "hearing" each others experiences and opinions and using them to help each of us make the best choice for us (with the advice of a trusted doctor).
Take care everyone. Be well.
A few other mentions, the research that I found stated that when aspirin was researched for blood thinning they used buffered aspirin! Buffered aspirin contains Magnesium
and as you know Magnesium thins the blood. I will check the Homeopathic board. The only problem with supplements Insurance wont pay.
You know that most drugs are derived from plants. the test I have is platelet aggregation to see if the supplements are doing their job.
and as you know Magnesium thins the blood. I will check the Homeopathic board. The only problem with supplements Insurance wont pay.
You know that most drugs are derived from plants. the test I have is platelet aggregation to see if the supplements are doing their job.
Hello Mom,
A little over a year ago I had a Brain tumor removed( benign) it was large and calcified. The DR. was surprised that I never had seizures
I was on Dilantin and steroids. when I came home from the hospital I had pain on the left side of my chest and could not touch it.
I went to my family Dr. and he thought it was a muscle so I went home the following day i called the Neurosurgeon he told my wife to take
me to the hospital. I had 3 blood clots in my left lung and 1 in my right! The hospital called my Neurosurgeon he told them to start me on
Heparin. The Neurosurgeon at this hospital agreed but the other Dr. said no that it was to soon after the surgery and i could have a brain bleed.
They said they would put a filter in and start me on Lovenox. After the filter was installed I through another clot. tests was performed and I
have to factors for having clots. Prothrombin and Lupus anticoagulant the DR. said it could be hereditary my father died at age 89 and my mother
died at age 32 so i'm guessing it was my mother. I told the DR. that I had surgery before and never had a problem he said it just didn't show then.
So they want me on daily aspirin. long term aspirin use can cause Pancreatic cancer instead I take 2 1/2 tablespoons per day of fish oil
and other supplements to help prevent clots. As for the Dr. that said it was a muscle I don't see him!!
Enjoy your walk!
A little over a year ago I had a Brain tumor removed( benign) it was large and calcified. The DR. was surprised that I never had seizures
I was on Dilantin and steroids. when I came home from the hospital I had pain on the left side of my chest and could not touch it.
I went to my family Dr. and he thought it was a muscle so I went home the following day i called the Neurosurgeon he told my wife to take
me to the hospital. I had 3 blood clots in my left lung and 1 in my right! The hospital called my Neurosurgeon he told them to start me on
Heparin. The Neurosurgeon at this hospital agreed but the other Dr. said no that it was to soon after the surgery and i could have a brain bleed.
They said they would put a filter in and start me on Lovenox. After the filter was installed I through another clot. tests was performed and I
have to factors for having clots. Prothrombin and Lupus anticoagulant the DR. said it could be hereditary my father died at age 89 and my mother
died at age 32 so i'm guessing it was my mother. I told the DR. that I had surgery before and never had a problem he said it just didn't show then.
So they want me on daily aspirin. long term aspirin use can cause Pancreatic cancer instead I take 2 1/2 tablespoons per day of fish oil
and other supplements to help prevent clots. As for the Dr. that said it was a muscle I don't see him!!
Enjoy your walk!
Dixter, Just to clarify, do you have heart disease? I don't take coumadin or cholesterol medications, but I'm taking an aspirin (clot prevention) and a very small dose of lisinopril for optimal BP.
Jim62, Your situation is an important one for all of us to take not of. It just goes to show that some diseases/conditions just occur, and regardless of what we do, or don't do, we do our best to LIVE with them. Especially in those cases, I am grateful to modern medicine.
I have also known people who could eat whatever they wanted, didn't exercise, never had a cholesterol test and lived to be in their 90's! Others succumbed to heart disease or cancer, never had a cigarette,led healthy lifestyles, etc. I think the best thing for us to do is follow the preventive suggestions, but to be ready for whatever life throws our way. I do believe in many, many cases heart disease can be avoided, or stalled, by following a relatively healthy style. It certainly can't hurt.
FWIW, I enjoyed deciphering your cryptic message : ) I would also like to know who the mystery doctor is....I don't understand why he/she wouldn't want to take credit for their research. A sound reference would give us the opportunity to conduct our own research and develop our own opinions based on studies in their entirety, as opposed to paraphrases. Dixter, have you given thought to creating a "Health Page"?
Going for a walk : )
Jim62, Your situation is an important one for all of us to take not of. It just goes to show that some diseases/conditions just occur, and regardless of what we do, or don't do, we do our best to LIVE with them. Especially in those cases, I am grateful to modern medicine.
I have also known people who could eat whatever they wanted, didn't exercise, never had a cholesterol test and lived to be in their 90's! Others succumbed to heart disease or cancer, never had a cigarette,led healthy lifestyles, etc. I think the best thing for us to do is follow the preventive suggestions, but to be ready for whatever life throws our way. I do believe in many, many cases heart disease can be avoided, or stalled, by following a relatively healthy style. It certainly can't hurt.
FWIW, I enjoyed deciphering your cryptic message : ) I would also like to know who the mystery doctor is....I don't understand why he/she wouldn't want to take credit for their research. A sound reference would give us the opportunity to conduct our own research and develop our own opinions based on studies in their entirety, as opposed to paraphrases. Dixter, have you given thought to creating a "Health Page"?
Going for a walk : )
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