Seeing is not believing

I met a friend in college named Rick (well, of course, not real name but close enough). He was the son of a wealthy soda-pop executive and looked like a blond god-like Richard Gere.

Since childhood, Rick had an optic nerve disorder that left his vision narrowed to a field within only 2-4 inches of his eyes. His sense of humor and empathy were intense. And he could tell what mood we were in by just a few cues like a voice inflection or how we stood. Rick wasn't born with amazing senses of smell, taste, touch and hearing. These were honed skills. With a change in sight, his other routes for perception became super-trained to function at highly optimized abilities. Way above and beyond normal.

When someone engages in a TYP-styled lifestyle and adjunctive therapy, plaque-damage is overridden through optimization of multiple routes for plaque-regression and eradication. We all have the ability to be whole and complete. Our bodies do have the resources and capacity to heal. Don't believe? Read about the TYP successes. Many people share achievements on the forum with (mild) pride--it's not necessarily an easy task. Wonderful outcomes happen all the time.

Although small dense atherogenic LDL numbers are reduced in nearly all cases, the most reliable index for plaque eradication is demonstrated on heart scans. Seeing how healthy the manner one lives and seeing wonderful lab measurements are not necessarily adequate. Seeing is not believing. Just like lumps and bumps (polyps), plaque is hidden and undetectable by the naked eye. Scanning ... truly is believing. Scans are not done frequently (in similar fashion to cancer preventive screening tools, i.e., mammograms or sigmoids). Yet they are the only tool and metric that conveniently and easily assesses the presence of plaque (and inexpensively as well).

Europeans are perhaps more advanced than the U. S. for using heart scan screenings to reduce unnecessary death, disability and damage from heart disease.

Non-invasive screening for coronary artery disease: calcium scoring http://heart.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/93/12/1620

Cardiac computed tomography: indications, applications, limitations, and training requirements http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/ehm544v1

Hailing from the UK: http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/abstract/50/23/2218
Determinants of Progression of Coronary Artery Calcification in Type 2 Diabetes: Role of Glycemic Control and Inflammatory/Vascular Calcification Markers

Ok... let's give the U.S. some credit now!! In addition to Dr. Davis, here is another luminary endorsement of scans for screening:

http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/abstract/49/19/1918 Noninvasive Screening for Coronary Atherosclerosis and Silent Ischemia in Asymptomatic Type 2 Diabetic Patients: Is it Appropriate and Cost-Effective? George A. Beller, MD, MACC, Cardiovascular Division,Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia.

And another physician (in primary care, no less--say YAHHH for the primary care in the deep trenches) who experienced virtually no cardiovascular events in his primary care practice in Colorado (no CAD surgeries, no cabgs (bypass operations), no stents, no PTCAs, no MIs, no deaths):

Dr. William Blanchet, MD http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/531622

Homage to the American Heart Association

This is homage to the AHA . . .

Today but not tomorrow . . .

February, the American Heart Health Month has nearly passed us . . . is there hope offered beyond low fat
insulinogenic diabetes-generating diets, statins, interventionalist surgeries and stents?

What is still the #1 killer of men and increasingly women? Here are the answers:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3052670

Yes. The hope for the future is that plaque eradication is already here. One thing that the AHA
did get correctly is their Advocacy for Cure campaign: 'You are the CURE'.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2945


T H A T is so correct!!!!

Work collaboratively with your physician/cardiologist and get empowered with the T-Y-P program.


Thank you Avril... couldn't have said it any better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4dmeRE3Ge8


TOMORROW By Avril Lavigne

And I wanna believe you,
When you tell me that it'll be ok,
Ya... I try to believe you,
BUT I DON'T...

When you say that it's gonna be,
It always turns out to be a different way,
I try to believe you,
NOT TODAY, today, today, today, today...

[Chorus:]
I don't know how I feel,
tomorrow, tomorrow,
I don't know what to say,
tomorrow, tomorrow
Is a different day

It's always been up to you,
It's turning around,
IT'S UP TO M-E,
I'm gonna do what I have to do,
just don't
Give me a little time,
Leave me alone a little while,
Maybe it's not too late,
not today, today, today, today, today...

[Chorus:]
I don't know how I feel,
tomorrow, tomorrow,
I don't know what to say,
tomorrow, tomorrow
Is a different day

Hey yeah yeah
Hey yeah yeah
And I know I'm not ready,
Hey yeah yeah
Hey yeah yeah
Maybe tomorrow

Hey yeah yeah
Hey yeah yeah yeah yeah
I'm not ready,
Hey yeah yeah
Hey yeah yeah
Maybe tomorrow

And I wanna believe you,
When you tell me that it'll be ok,
Ya I try to believe you,
Not today, today, today, today, today...

Tomorrow it may change [4x]

Eden and Almonds

What if Eve had chosen the other nut-fruit, Almonds, instead of the Apple in the Garden of Eden?


(isn't Sarah beautiful/ethereal/timeless?)

Why do we love Almonds in the TYP regimen of plaque solutions? See links below.
Certain diet components affect our receptors in thesame way that drugs do, to regress and eradicate plaque. For approx 17-25% of the world population, Lp(a) affects plaque in malevolent, vicious way. It's not entirely understood why but this appears to be the case. Is Lp(a) somewhat protective for those who over express this lipoprotein (conversely as high quantities of FLUFFY low-density-lipoprotein and HIGH levels of LARGE high-density-lipoprotein are cardio-protective)?

Lp(a) is an equal opportunity plaque-builder: it affects both elite athletes as well as non-elite- and non-exercisers.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8187216?ordinalpos=19&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum Cardoso GC, et al. Long distance runners andbody-builders exhibit elevated plasma levels of lipoprotein(a). Chem Phys Lipids. 1994Jan;67-68:207-21. PMID: 8187216

Yet ... there is a hypothesis that Lp(a) may in fact be PROTECTIVE. Hyper-protective, like a 'friendly' appearing pitbull. Against infections (people with Lp(a) have reported anecodotally that they 'never get sick'). Against cancers. Frequently individuals who carry high Lp(a) are survivors of cancer -- it's been observed any cancer Thymus, Breast, etc. Someone recognized it as a form of 'hyperimmunity' on the TYP forum (I *heart* that phrase -- Rich, you ROCK, man)...

Le Brazidec H. Lipoproteins and protection of the arterial wall against infection: the "response to the threat of infection" hypothesis. Atherosclerosis. 2007Nov;195(1):e21-31. Epub 2007 Feb 27. PMID: 17331516 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17331516?ordinalpos=6&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
Almonds are GREAT plaque-busters! They've have been shown to lower glycemic index, insulin, small dense LDL as well as Lp(a). Help yourself to a HEAPING handful of raw almonds... or 2 or even 3! What arethe side effects almonds? The side effects are a feeling of satiety, fullness, happier-hearts, lowerblood glucoses, lower Lp(a), reduction of other plaque-building risk factors.
And maybe it can help you reach... Eden...

Nus M, Ruperto M, Sánchez-Muniz FJ.[Nuts, cardio and cerebrovascular risks. A Spanish perspective] Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2004 Jun;54(2):137-48. Review. Spanish.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15586681?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
Jenkins DJ et al. Dose response of almonds on coronary heart disease risk factors: blood lipids, oxidized low-density lipoproteins, lipoprotein(a), homocysteine, and pulmonary nitric oxide: arandomized, controlled, crossover trial.Circulation.2002 Sep 10;106(11):1327-32. http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/106/11/1327

Josse AR, Kendall CW, Augustin LS, Ellis PR, Jenkins DJ. Almonds and postprandial glycemia--a dose-responsestudy.Metabolism. 2007 Mar;56(3):400-4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17292730?ordinalpos=12&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Josse AR, Salvatore S, Brighenti F, Augustin LS, Ellis PR, Vidgen E, RaoAV.Almonds decrease postprandial glycemia ,insulinemia, and oxidative damage in healthy individuals.J Nutr. 2006 Dec;136(12):2987-92. http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/136/12/2987?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&author1=jenkins%2C+D&fulltext=almonds&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT