Did you know that according to the American Heart Association heart disease is the largest killer of men and women in the United States? Someone dies every minute from a coronary event. Researchers continue to search for the best means to predict, prevent, and treat this killer. Emphasis is often placed on the common risk factors most people are familiar with such as cigarette smoking, high blood cholesterol, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. However, you can’t always rely on these factors as sole predictors. For instance, high cholesterol is a risk factor in heart disease, but not all heart attack patients have high cholesterol levels.

Some physicians have started to recognize that valuable diagnostic information may be gleaned from measuring levels of homocysteine and C-reactive protein in the blood. Elevated levels of these two markers indicate inflammation in the cardiovascular system. Inflammation is believed to cause significant damage and plaque formation in the arteries.

Homocysteine is an amino acid found naturally in the body. High levels of homocysteine damage the arterial walls and cause inflammation. Levels of homocysteine will rise when there are nutritional deficiencies of vitamins B12, B6 and folic acid. Supplementation with these vitamins is known to lower homocysteine levels.

The other marker, C-reactive protein, indicates the presence of excessive inflammation in the circulatory system. Various research studies have noted a correlation between high levels of C-reactive protein and an increased risk of stroke and heart attack. Inflammation can be reduced by eating a heart-healthy diet consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, walnuts, flaxseeds and fish, while avoiding hydrogenated oils (margarine, shortening) as well as saturated fats from meat and dairy products. This diet is the same one recommended for patients struggling with insulin resistance and diabetes.

Maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system and managing heart disease has multiple components. Dr. Varsha Rathod at Preventive Medicine uses tools provided by conventional and alternative medicine to treat her patients. Our patients feel empowered to embark on lifestyle changes by undergoing nutritional counseling and identifying stress reduction approaches that work for them. Many patients also come to Preventive Medicine for IV chelation treatments. Chelation is FDA approved for the treatment of heavy metal toxicity and is currently being studied as a means to prevent the progression of heart disease. It is believed that Chelation Therapy stabilizes multiple enzymes involved in the formation of plaque.