Reverse Heart Disease Aggressively

By Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Most people are not aware that the development of heart disease is very likely a death sentence—especially for women. Not only does heart disease kill more women than men,women die more quickly from it.Thirty-nine percent of women who have heart attacks die within a year, compared with 31 percent of men. During the first four years after a heart attack, the rate for a second heart attack is 20 percent for women, 15 percent for men. Clearly, physicians are not
doing enough to intervene in this disease process and are not giving heart patients the information they need to protect themselves.

Once significant heart disease develops, we know that the likelihood of this patient having future
cardiac problems is great. Twentyfive percent of patients who undergo coronary bypass surgery die within ten years. One study compared a group of patients who had a heart attack and then underwent bypass surgery with a comparable group of heart attack patients who did not
undergo bypass. Both groups had comparable coronary artery disease. Seventy percent of the patients who underwent bypass surgery had heart attacks or other cardiac problems
necessitating hospital admission within five years, compared with 49 percent for the control group.

These statistics are disappointing and avoidable, since aggressive medical management that successfully achieves optimal levels of cholesterol and blood pressure can prevent about half of all cardiac events. Unfortunately, most patients do not achieve optimal levels of cholesterol
and blood pressure even with aggressive medical management.Aggressive drug therapy is certainly better for many patients than little or no therapy, but it is still not ideal.

A safe, effective approach

When you normalize your blood pressure and LDL cholesterol with nutritional intervention rather than drugs, you accomplish even greater risk reduction. As your weight drops, your blood sugar, triglycerides,blood pressure, and cholesterol also drop dramatically. Your body is flooded
with nutrients that protect your blood vessels from disease and rupture. This approach provides maximal protection and offers benefits beyond merely lowering cholesterol.

The dietary program I recommend for heart-disease reversal utilizes natural cholesterol-lowering
therapies instead of drugs, which eliminates the risks of drug side effects.And because my dietary program is richer in fiber and nutrients than the typical vegetarian diet, my patients achieve spectacular reductions in cholesterol, body weight, and blood pressure. Fortunately, this
approach also can help those who already have heart disease.They can avoid future heart attacks and reverse and remove atherosclerosis. It is never too late to make the delicious
and lifesaving change to the Eat To Live diet.