to improving heart health highlighted in his book, The 30-Day Heart Tune-Up, and an upcoming PBS special, concern lifestyle factors capable of shrinking plaque, improving circulation and strengthening the heartbeat. “Abnormal plaque growth is preventable 90 per- cent of the time,” states the president of Masley Optimal Health Center, in St. Petersburg, Florida.
RETHINKING HEART HEALTH
Pioneering Doctors and Patients Reinvent Cardio Care by Linda Sechrist
I
n 1977, Dr. Dean Ornish began to think beyond an allopathic medicine paradigm that defined the reversal of cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease (CHD) and the hypertensive diseases such as heart fail- ure and stroke, as physiologically im- plausible. Undaunted by the challenge of funding his research, he pushed for- ward. Results of his foundational 1986 to 1992 Lifestyle Heart Trial, published in the Journal of the American Medi- cal Association, proved that individuals with preexisting coronary atheroscle- rosis that make intensive, integrated lifestyle changes can begin to experi- ence improvements in their condition after as little as one year without using lipid-lowering drugs. Based on his 30-plus years of clini-
cal research, Ornish and his colleagues further showed that five years of follow- ing proper nutrition, fitness and stress
36 Collier/Lee Counties
management—which must include love and support—can reduce symptoms of CHD and other chronic conditions. He remarks in Love & Survival: 8 Pathways to Intimacy and Health that despite nu- merous studies showing a medical basis for its occurrence, the reason why CHD is reversible is still the subject of debate. Ornish’s work has paved the
way for a growing corps of pioneer- ing integrative physicians successfully collaborating with patients to reduce the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States.
Plaque the Culprit The cause of cardiovascular disease is arterial plaque, a fine layer of fatty material that forms within the arter- ies and blocks blood flow. It is largely the result of food and activity choices, plus the degree of inflammation in the arteries. Dr. Steven Masley’s three keys
swfl.NaturalAwakeningsMag.com
While conducting research on the heart health of nearly 1,000 patients over a period of 20 years, Masley sus- pected that the traditional assessment approach of measuring cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure didn’t effectively address the biochemistry within arteries. Testing intima-media thickness (IMT) using a simple 10-min- ute external ultrasound confirmed it. The test bounces high-frequency sound waves to measure the thickness of the carotid arteries’ innermost two layers on either side of the neck. “This valuable tool allows for an estimate of arterial age. A healthy, young cardiovascular system has less plaque and an unhealthy, old one has more,” advises Masley. IMT, a useful tool for preventing future heart attacks and strokes, differs from standard carotid Doppler ultrasound, which looks for artery obstructions suggest- ing surgery. A practitioner of functional medi- cine, Masley explains heart-related diagnoses differently than his allopathic counterparts. “Rather than diagnosing high blood pressure as hypertension, I categorize it as not enough exercise, not enough fruits and vegetables, high emo- tional stress and excessive body fat.” To optimize heart health, Masley
employs a broad, holistic matrix of op- tions that enhance the cardiovascular system—the interactions among diet, activity level, weight, environmental toxins, hormones, stress and bio- chemical factors such as blood sugar control and inflammation levels. He prescribes heart-healing foods that simultaneously help to manage the aging process, following a customized, heart-friendly supplement plan; engag- ing in exercise that strengthens the heart and arteries; and learning how to better manage stress.
He contends that cardiovascular
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