The Clinic » Programs of Care » Cardiac Program of Care
For those who have suffered a heart attack or stroke or are at increased risk - because of high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol or other risk factors. It begins with important specialized testing that gives a more complete picture of your heart health. This is the basis of a comprehensive treatment program that includes supplements, diet and lifestyle changes, EDTA chelation and other therapies.
Specialized Blood Tests
The guidelines that doctors follow when deciding what blood tests to order are based on many factors. The test needs to be reliable. Abnormal results need to be common enough to be worth looking for, and an effective treatment should be available to fix the problem. It should also be cost-effective enough to justify offering it to the entire population.
Current testing is not perfect. Emergency departments commonly treat people who suffer heart attacks a few days after being given a clean bill of health by their doctor. Our assessment includes test for additional risk factors such as:
Heart Rate Variability
The changes in your heart rate from beat to beat are controlled by your nervous system. This is called heart rate variability (HRV), and many large studies have found that measures of HRV predict risk of heart attack and death. A single measurement is not reliable, but when combined with other tests, your HRV adds to the overall picture of your heart health.
You can control your heart and your mind - with your breath. Special biofeedback devices that measure your HRV and use it to guide your breathing are proving to be powerful tools for reducing stress and improving heart wellness.
If you have high blood pressure, it is important to have accurate information. Some people have white-coat hypertension that only affects them at the doctor's office. Other people have an abnormal day-night variation in their blood pressure that can be treated with melatonin. Still others have blood pressure that is highly salt-sensitive.
A small device that measures your blood pressure regularly over a 24-hour period can provide very revealing information about your blood pressure that can affect your treatment.
While medication can be a powerful way to reduce your cardiac risk, in most cases they can be improved upon with natural therapies that often have fewer side effects. Whether the problem is high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity or stress, there are effective natural therapies supported by clinical trials that can improve your situation.
Your supplement program will be personalized based on your unique situation and needs.
This is a program of intravenous infusions of EDTA that has been used for decades to 'open up' blocked arteries in the heart, brain and throughout the body. We are involved in an international clinical trial of EDTA chelation therapy funded by the US National Institutes of Health. Although it is still considered an alternative therapy, we recommend chelation therapy for everyone with heart disease.
One of the reasons that heart disease is on the rise is the poor diet that most people consume. The good news is that food can also be medicine for the heart. There are foods that every person should eat more of, but some of them offer special benefits to people with particular risk factors. We can help you find your way through the maze of fad diets and popular myths and recommend foods from nature's pharmacy that are backed by the best science.
Exercise does not come naturally, but it feels good. We can't do it for you but we will help you get there. Using a technique called motivational interviewing, we can often discover what is really preventing you from living a more active life. Once you are there, we can help you get the most out of your workouts. Whether you need a little encouragement or full-time personal training, once you start you will wonder what took you so long.
Other aspects of lifestyle that often need addressing include things like:
Most people who have suffered a heart attack or a stroke are taking appropriate cardiac medications. In some cases, however, other medications can interact with them or they can create side-effects that have gone unnoticed. After reviewing your medication, we can recommend changes for you and your physician to discuss together. If you wish, we can make them ourselves.
The Program of Care is designed to based on a series of consultations with a physician. At each visit, a different aspect of your heart health is addressed in detail. This is integrated with the overall picture to keep you on track.
This combination of testing, medication, supplements, lifestyle advice and other therapies is a unique approach to Cardiac Wellness.