Ian Welch's Blog

It has been almost six years since my quadruple bypass surgery.  However, not a day goes by I am not reminded of it.  Physically, I feel great but always aware of day to day aches and pains.  Sometimes my chest hurts, sometimes my left arm hurts, sometimes I have flutters and I wonder if its related to my disease or just normal occurrences that happen to everyone.

I learned a lot about myself in the year directly following my surgery.  I formulated a plan, a course of action to reverse the disease.  I wrote a book, outlining the plan, and blogged religiously for several years.  However, the effort seemed to gather no momentum.  Wholefed.org had an enthusiastic following but the platform was limited.

Recently I came across MightyBell.  A platform dedicated to building communities.  Empowering “Identity Networks” with tools generally reserved for big budget, computer savvy individuals.  Gina Bianchini, founder of MB, is on a mission to change that!  My friend, Sara Lucas, is hosting BeyondType1 on MightyBell and her growth is staggering.  More importantly, her members are interacting in a way not possible before. The mobile app is robust and is validating the this medium as the future.

I want us to build the first fully interactive community for those of us who have had or will have Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.  The procedure is tough and the recovery is tougher. 600,000 Americans will have the surgery this year and as of yet, we are not socially connected.  Like it or not, we will always have an association with the surgery.

Please visit ZipperClub and share.  I invite you to be a founding member!

Your friend,

Ian

 

 

Embed from Getty Images

Since my heart disease diagnosis in 2011 and subsequent quadruple bypass surgery at the age of 40, I have learned a few things.I had no plan and it ended in a hospital. I do not want to go back.

“The imaging tests left little room for doubt. They showed thickened heart muscles and increased muscle mass in the left ventricle — both signs of heart disease. But the troubling scans didn’t belong to ailing adults. They belonged to obese children, some as young as 8. This was surprising and alarming to us, said Linyuan Jing, the lead author behind new findings being presented this week at an American Heart Association gathering in Florida. At such a young age, [children have] already developed clear evidence of heart disease.”

In autopsy studies of our GI’s who died in the Vietnam and Korean wars almost 80% at an average age of 20 years, had disease that could be seen without a microscope. Forty years later in 1999, a study of young persons between the ages of 16-34 years who have died of accidents, homicides and suicides, finds the disease is now ubiquitous. (Source: Esselstyn)

Prevention is no longer a realistic approach in the battle against heart disease. We must consider a different angle of attack.

We all have heart disease.

The number one reason we are not winning the battle against heart disease?  We are focused on prevention.  We need to reverse it, not prevent it.

By simply focusing on reversing heart disease versus preventing it a plethora of great things happen.

We can diagnose everyone.  No longer will the first symptoms – heart attack, angina, high blood pressure, high cholesterol – be the first time a sufferer learns of their disease.
Reversing heart disease versus preventing it, moves the plan from defense to attack.  No one ever moves forward on defense.  Offense is the place to be when it comes to heart disease.

Here’s my plan.

Reverse My Heart Disease (RMHD), is a three step action plan designed to reverse the progression of heart disease at any age.

Step 1. Diagnosis

Heart disease is diagnosed via; EKG, Echocardiogram, Stress Test, Carotid & Intimal Thickness Test, CT Scan, Angiogram & Cardiac Catheterization.

Typical non-dimensional image

The data generated from these tests is presented numerically, using graphs or x-ray like images.  RMHD moves beyond, numerical data / graphs and presents heart disease in a completely novel way.  It will use the latest advancements in data visualization tools to create 3D graphic rich animations of the disease (eg. Computed Tomography Angiogram).

We can’t fix it, if we can’t see it.

By presenting the disease visually, we make it real.  By aggregating the data over the course of a lifetime we will be able to visually milestone the disease from onset to reversal.

Step 2. Treatment

The RMHD plan will specifically outline treatment for the reversal of heart disease.  It will incorporate an aggressive assault on the obvious causative factors – lifestyle and genetics – using medicine therapy in conjunction with nutrition and lifestyle changes. There is a growing base of studies validating the reversal of heart disease.  Plant-based nutrition offers the most exciting results as the damage to the endothelium is reversed.  Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Colin Campbell & Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn all doing exceptional work here and the RMHD plan looks to engage those doctors and build on their progress.

Step 3.  Recovery

Imagine being able to see more – knowing what your body looks like inside – then watching in real time the progress you make as you reverse the disease.

The RMHD plan will visually show the reversal of the disease.  We will use the same data visualization tools in the diagnosis phase to provide measurable achievements in the recovery phase.  Compliance rates will drastically improve with the addition of an incentive based plan.  The plan will also use an array of test to show improvement.  We will regularly test inflammation, cholesterol and carotid arteries.  All of these tests will aggregate to the central visualization model.

Why is this approach different?

The assumption is heart disease is preventable.  However, as I pointed out earlier, the data suggests otherwise.  By the time we are adolescents, we have heart disease.  The limiting factor to the progression of the disease is treatment.  We all have heart disease.  By including everyone, we move to an offensive position.

525,000 Americans a year have their first heart attack.  Over 1/3 have normal cholesterol numbers.  The standard approach today misses 33% of heart attack sufferers!  50% of these people will die.  

Too many people are waiting far too long to address the disease and the medical industry has no opportunity to reverse the disease prior to the episode (heart attack, angina, high BP, high cholesterol, etc.).  The RMHD plan will provide the health care practitioner a template to discuss and diagnosis heart disease early in its progression.  It will also outline a comprehensive plan versus relying solely on statin of blood pressure therapy to mask underlying causative factors.

More than one million Americans will be diagnosed with heart disease this year (heart attack, stent intervention or bypass surgery) and generally enter this phase with no plan other than medicine.  The RMHD will provide this group a structured approach to reverse the disease; moving away from the standard practice of providing minimal data to sufferers.  Other than checkups, this group of post-diagnosis patients has no formal plan of action offering an improvement in their condition.  Without any formal goals, and no way to visually engage these patients, compliance to recommended treatments is low.

Summary

It is frustrating to see how many people are affected by heart disease.  In most cases, heart disease is reversible.  We have made enormous strides in the early diagnosis of cancer, diabetes and other diseases but heart disease seems to languish.  Presumably because it is lifestyle related… I contend there is no comprehensive plan of action being presented.

I recently submitted this plan to an open application at One Brave Idea.  I was inspired to think about my “brave idea” to end heart disease.  The project is funded, $75M, and invited anyone to participate.  Dr. Andy Conrad  at Verily (Google), the American Heart Association and Astra Zeneca spearheaded the idea and funding.  I hope whoever is awarded the team leader position, they will incorporate a macro approach – including the “best of the best” into an action plan.

About Me

On March 23, 2011, I had quadruple bypass surgery at the age of 40.  It was singularly the most influential event in my life and in hindsight I would not change a thing.  I am glad it happened.  It took a life threatening situation to become the person I am today.  My passion is helping people understand the situation they are in, and offer a plan of attack to reverse the course.  I write a blog, visited by over 100,000 people at WholeFed.org.  I also wrote a book; Instead of Flowers.

My encounter with a killer.  Sorry for image, but let’s put a face on this disease.

 

 

Ian Welch

A few weeks ago  I was researching a project and I needed an image of a stick man walking to the left.  As I searched Google images – “stick man walking” – 85 of 100 images portrayed Stickman walking to the right.  (Interesting, “stick woman walking” only produced one image of an actual “stick woman” so I will stick with stick man for this observation).

Google Images – “stick man walking” 85% moving left to right

Why to the right?  Are we in some way pre-wired to draw Stickman walking right?  I asked a couple groups of people to draw Stickman walking.  With a few exceptions Stickman was moving from left to right across the page.

Making a leap to a bigger question, one with more meat on the bones; I then asked some friends to draw Stickman walking towards the future.  With a few exceptions, and a few “who gives a shit” (you know who you are) – again a vast majority of responses had Stickman heading right.

Interesting.  Do we think of the future as the right hand side of a piece of paper. Ella, my ever pragmatic niece, pointed out that timelines move left to right and naturally we mentally follow that template when thinking about time.  So on paper it seems, history is always to the left and the future is to the right.

Granted my research was done in U.S., I decided to focus on the exceptions.  An Israeli friend commented he would have Stickman moving left towards future.  Hebrew writing moves right to left.  Maybe it was simply the writing direction our language uses?  A Lebanese friend, (also right to left in arabic), responded without hesitation to my question – Stickman would be walking east, because that is where the sun rises and that is the future.  East or aus-to means the dawn or towards the sunrise.

Now things were starting to get interesting.  A compass has East on the right side.

East on the right

East on the right, towards the rising sun bringing us the new day, the future.

Great that solves it.  Stickman walks East because the sun rises in the East and in most religions the rising sunrise represents the future.  Guess it has nothing to do with which way you choose to write words on a piece of paper.

But… I think of the future to the west.  Go west young man.  As my day passes I sense time moving towards sunset.  So I asked myself a fundamental question, which way was the Earth rotating as I sit right now?  Do you know which direction you are rotating through space at 1,000 mph?  Did you think that you were moving at all?   I actually felt a little dizzy pondering this.  I live in California and I “felt” I was moving towards the sunset every day.  It is unsettling to think I was moving in another direction.

Well, it is not uncommon to have the sensation the sun moves through the sky as we stand still.  Although we have understood the earth is not the center of the universe for quite some time, I don’t think a lot of us think about it much.  For a long time some people felt perfectly comfortable thinking about the world as flat.

Fantasy map of a flat earth — Image by © Antar Dayal/Illustration Works/Corbis

So what’s the takeaway, is there a reason to contemplate this at all?  I think so.

Stickman is actually very close minded in his – only one direction to the future mentality.

We live in a global theatre now.  We are connected as a species and interact outside of our locales with people from all corners of the world.  It is important to understand cultural assumptions.  But it is equally important to think about these assumptions and pull them apart.  At some point in history, the first timeline could have moved right to left.  And maybe somewhere in our distant past, as mankind began to understand the heavens decided the night represented the future and sunset was the beginning of a new day.

For now, I will think  about my left to right bias, and observe the potential effects it has on my ability to interpret the world with an open attitude.

This might look very odd to some people.

IRW

 

Throughout history, we can identify moments that occur that can only be attributed to a paradigm shift in public opinion. They generally precede government policy. These moments are generally brief but are the harbinger of huge changes in culture and eventually policy.

We are in the midst of a monumental shift in the perception of nutrition and the global benefits that can come from this change. At the core of the change is people want to live well; but they also want to leave something behind for subsequent generations.

The current state of affairs for Americans is abysmal. We are sick. We are the fattest society on Earth.  Eighty percent of our chronic diseases – heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer – can be directly attributed to obesity. More than 35 percent of the adult population and nearly 17 percent of children qualify as obese (Federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, and the Journal of the American Medical Association; January 17, 2012).

We have spent billions of dollars on drugs, surgery and health care. Current estimates put U.S. healthcare spending at approximately 16 percent of Gross Domestic Production. That’s $2.4 trillion. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expects that the health share of GDP will continue its historical upward trend, reaching 19.5 percent of GDP by 2017.

We have created trillion-dollar industries supported solely by our sickness … and to what avail? What have we accomplished? We are getting nowhere closer to healing anything. In fact, the sicker we get, the bigger the institutions that thrive on our sickness become. It’s a classic Catch-22 situation.

The Standard American Pill Plan

I recently did a study of the Standard & Poor’s 500. The S&P 500 is comprised of the 500 largest American companies and represents 75 percent of the U.S. equity market.

I identified the largest companies in the U.S. that have a majority of their revenue reliant on: Food/Beverages, Drugs, Health Care, Consumer and Insurance.

The problem for this market is that it is unsustainable. The obesity market is literally “eating” the hand that feeds it. You cannot profit indefinitely by killing off your customers. Meanwhile, we continue to assault our environment in a fashion that is accelerating beyond a point of no return.

I made an interesting observation while reading an essay written by Brian Treanor, from Loyola Marymount University. “Blame it on capitalism, the single pursuit of maximizing profit and unrestrained growth as first principles, pursues technology and development with short-term gains in mind and with little if any substantive concern for the long-term impact on the environment and human well-being.”

The nutrition movement and the green movement are on similar paths and both share similar characteristics.

We cannot escape by forging on, resolutely and regardless, driven by the unmitigated inertia of our outworn habits, until we have forced ourselves over the brink in the ‘giant step for mankind’ nobody needs. When you have reached the edge of an abyss, the only progressive move you can make is to step backward … – Rees

The solution for a lot of the world’s problems may be to turn around and take a forward step.” — Yvon Chouinard (Patagonia Founder)

There exists an inflection point where the chart turns. It is the point, as a nation, when we face the abyss and turn away … and take a step forward; a step toward our personal well-being and the health of the earth. “This is not a return to the past, but a step toward a different future.”  (Brower, Sierra Club)

Mark Bittman recently commented in the New York Times: “Five years ago, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization published a report called, ‘Livestock’s Long Shadow,’ which maintained that 18 percent of greenhouse gases were attributable to the raising of animals for food. The number was startling. A couple of years later, however, it was suggested that the number was too small. Two environmental specialists for the World Bank, Robert Goodland (the bank’s former lead environmental adviser) and Jeff Anhang, claimed, in an article in ‘World Watch,’ that the number was more like 51 percent. It’s been suggested that the number is extreme, but the men stand by it, as Mr. Goodland wrote to me this week: ‘All that greenhouse gas isn’t emitted directly by animals.’ But according to the most widely used rules of counting greenhouse gases, indirect emissions should be counted when they are large and when something can be done to mitigate or reduce them.”

Good for you, good for the planet

 

The solution is to promote a society that is not dependent on animal protein. This is the moment where two parallel causes can unite. By moving to a plant-based diet, we can step away from the abyss. By eliminating our need for animal protein, we are drastically reducing our carbon footprint. It takes a considerable amount of energy to raise animals for nutrition. The turn and step forward is our new approach toward your own well-being, a life that is well lived and nutritionally sound.

In one simple act, we can embrace two life-changing causes – one cause for you, one cause for everyone.

A few years ago, I was surrounded by my wife’s family. She had lost 30 pounds in less than six months of starting a plant-based lifestyle. My brother-in-law and mother-in-law lost 50 pounds between them. I had lost 35 pounds in the same period. I observed that we were missing an entire person worth of fat at the table. We were not feeding 115 pounds of excess weight. That’s 730,000 calories a year of unused energy. Apply that 20 percent weight loss across 300 million people. … Imagine the reductions in energy needs. Forget about electric cars and solar panels, about “drill, drill, drill;” forget about it all.

I want to share a little secret. It is very simple and the skeptics among us will doubt its effectiveness based on its simplicity. Eat plants and step away from the abyss.

Click pic for article

Let us start quickly by catching up.  I decided a month ago to move to Palo Alto, California.  Good bye  Florida.  As the clock ticks on my timeline, the West kept calling.  Every cause, idea, and essentially anything exciting in my life seems to occur in the epicenter of the world; the Bay Area.

My first week here did not disappoint.  Day one, I attended a lecture with the CEO of LinkedIN; Jeff Weiner.  The topic: compassion.  In a few words; we can advance mankind with a few minor adjustments in the way we interact with others.  In fact, the science is supporting the health benefits of living in a compassionate way.  In California, the golden rule is in effect from the top down, as a younger generation of leaders shapes the landscape.

Yesterday, Elizabeth Holmes, CEO Theranos made my day, speaking at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  

I have been preaching for the better part of 4 years about prevention.  After my bypass surgery at the age of 40, so many questions needed answering.  The rush to surgery after lab results confirmed my near death situation begged the question; how did I not know my arteries were 90% blocked?

Health care as we know it today is doomed.  Until we add one iota of prevention into the model, we will continue to react versus command.  Imagine a sport where the only plays you run are defensive and there is no chance to score.

Theranos is a privately held company founded by Ms. Holmes 11 years ago.  At the age of 19 she had a singular focus; providing data to the health care model.  The average person exists in complete blindness from the millimeter below the skin.  We have zero access to technology that was developed to help mankind thrive.  Our current system has done a remarkable job insulating even the most basic information from our fingertips.  Ms. Holmes is knocking down the walls. 

A simple finger prick

Her technology replaces the incumbents age-old means with a far simpler, cheaper way of blood testing.  With a finger prick, she can perform 30 blood tests, replacing the “torture” of drawing multiple vials of blood.  Alone, this improvement would be extraordinary.  However, she moves the bar higher, allowing us to stroll into a neighborhood Walgreens to perform the deed.

The magnitude of her contribution to health care will not be realized immediately.  At the present time, we still have to fork over money to our MD to write the script.  And in most States, if you don’t want to break the law, shell out some more dough to have the results read to you.   I do imagine, Ms. Holmes has a plan to change this structure as well.  Why stop at one disruption?  Ideally; let me walk into a Theranos location, take a drop of blood, send me the results on my phone.  Then provide me with a subscription membership to graph and record all my tests.

After my bypass surgery, I went completely vegan.  A low oil diet, filled with high quality, organic, nutrients.  I dropped the cholesterol medicine recommended and choose to take an active part in my health.  I assumed complete accountability and resigned myself to be my own doctor.  (Stanford Medicine article I wrote: A Moose no Longer)  I have yet to find a doctor comfortable with this approach.  I can read a blood test, and have become quite adept at lowering markers such as C Reactive Protein through diet.  My dream is the ability to test my numbers often and to have the ability to test outcomes.

I see my dream becoming reality; thank you Ms. Holmes.

TEDMED: http://www.tedmed.com/speakers/show?id=308981

FORBES:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2014/07/02/bloody-amazing/

In 2011, I had quadruple bypass surgery at the age of 40.  My wife and I decided to change our ways.  Six days after having my chest sawed open, we were Plant-Based.

A no-brainer decision in our eyes.  Continue eating the American buffet presented to us in the form of fat, white flour, and corn syrups or move to a diet filled with nutrients.

Initially we looked for products in our local grocery; being in South Florida we have Publix.  Our new ingredient list was confined to about 500 sq/feet of a 50,000 sq/foot store.  We outgrew Publix very quickly.  It’s absolutely a fact.  If you eliminate sugar, flour and corn; there isn’t much left to a major grocery store.

My wife became certified in Plant-Based nutrition through Cornell University and we were ready. She began offering informal walk-through to friends, touring the products WholeFoods offers.  We were particularly interested in using Organic & Non-GMO whenever possible.  (By 2018 all products sold in WholeFoods will be Non-GMO certified.)  

So our major shopping moved to Whole Foods.  We used Amazon for the non-essentials; cleaning products and toiletries.  Costco has added quite an extensive list of organic plant-based products in recent years and we use them for: frozen berries, rice milk, flax-seed, coconut oil, quinoa and veggie broth.

Now, almost 4 years later, we use Whole Foods for 90% of our food bill.  We eat a simple, yet highly diverse diet of nuts, plants, and grains.  We start the day with homemade muffins or pancakes.  Using sprouted flours when possible, flax & hemp seeds.  We use fresh coconut milk, I crack them open myself.  We eat beans, oats and quinoa daily.  Fresh breads from the freezer with whole grains and pita.  We make daily juices; I focus on ginger, turmeric & beets for my inflammation.

My Fridge on a Whole Foods diet

My wife and son love their green juices; kale, parsley, apple, celery.   We eat every vegetable imaginable from eggplants to grape tomatoes.  We make potato pancakes and homemade veggie burgers with cashews as the fat.  Pizza night is still the best with an array of toppings on a freshly made dough.  We eat pasta and “balls” on Sundays.  I forgot fruit, we eat across the spectrum there as well.  Wine anyone?

What does all that cost?  For 2 adults and a small child… $21 a day / $7,699 for the year.

I am in no position to argue the affordability of that number with anyone else; it works for us.  However, I am pretty sure eating for three at McDonald’s will cost $20.  How much is a pound of factory raised, antibiotic laden steak?  Cutting out meat is also a no-brainer, it is a poor form of nutrition and very expensive.  Six Reasons to Adopt a Plant-Based Diet.

Yes, arguably Whole Foods is expensive in comparison to mega-stores but you have to consider the product.  The irony is you pay for less ingredients.  The goal of eating healthier is knowing how to pronounce the ingredients in your food.  Then it’s having a good idea where that food came from and how it was cared for from seed to harvest.

Whole Foods takes it on the chin from the media and the public but the fact remains they have created a semi-monopolistic empire with a big head start on their competition. Peter Thiel, founder of PayPal & Palantir, wrote in Zero to One; in order to be highly successful offer a product that is a 10X improvement to the consumer. Then find a small group of fanatics to embrace it.

What is the alternative?  We know that 80% of all chronic disease is a result of poor nutritional choices.  For $21 /day I can move the statistics drastically in my favor.

Mark Bittman wrote a piece in New York Times yesterday entitled: (Only) Two Rules for a Good Diet.  He writes “I’m especially impressed with the way Whole Foods is innovating in the arena of labeling, gradually extending its own internal labeling system from fish to meats and now to fruits and vegetables. Marketing is of course part of it, but shoppers who want to talk back to the supply chain by knowing where their food comes from don’t otherwise have a way to do that. If Whole Foods gives them what they want, then despite the “Whole Paycheck” nickname (and there’s some evidence that Whole Foods is starting to compete on price as well), those who can get there and afford it will favor it. This is progress, doing well by doing at least some good, and that can’t be said about most corporations involved in food.”

“Whole PayChecks” is a choice.  Until you determine the cost of a major disease it might be the only choice. 

According to a large-scale study of elderly Italians in Chianti, red wine shows no benefit to health. Oh, chocolate does zero as well.  Not to mention the benefits of olive oil, nada benefito… Wait, hold on, red wine is good for you.  Sorry, I just saw a study done on hobo’s riding rail trains in the midwest, confirming a large majority of wine-o’s rarely see doctors.

In the last three years of blogging and reading health headlines, I have become relatively immune to the constant tug of war of studies yanking readers one way or the next. I am convinced 99% of all food and drug studies are initiated to manipulate; run by marketing departments looking for third-party stories to prop up their product. Ok. We get it. Don’t believe the hype.

What about Aspirin? The single most effective drug ever invented. “Take two and call me in the morning“. It seems everyone in the world takes a baby aspirin before bed. I do.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) refused a labeling request by Bayer AG, the original German aspirin manufacturer. The FDA restricted Bayer AG from labeling their product’s value of preventing heart attacks and strokes in people who have not had cardiovascular disease.  I was quite surprised when I read the FDA’s new stance against aspirin.  Especially, since it has been the most recommended drug in history.  Aspirin is well-known for its blood thinning effectiveness. In the 1980′s the FDA acknowledged aspirin use as a preventative drug for heart attacks.

Bayer is making a big move towards becoming a the major player in the consumer OTC market. May 6th, Bayer agreed to buy Merck’s consumer-health unit for $14.2 Billion! At the same time, they sold a medical device division to Boston Scientific; a device that removes blood clots from veins & arteries. This puts Bayer second to Johnson & Johnson in the global consumer market. With Aspirin as the foundation for their consumer market sales, it is no wonder that they asked the FDA to approve labeling it as a prevention drug for heart disease.  Bayer also has a stake in 2011 FDA approved blood thinner, Xarelto; on track to be a multi-billion dollar blockbuster.

Compared to the blockbuster drugs, Aspirin is cheap.  It is available OTC and it is estimated 40 million Americans self diagnose with a daily dose of Aspirin.  Are we being guided away from Aspirin towards the $$$$?  Just sayin…

“Those risks are what the FDA considered when Bayer, maker of low dose aspirin, asked the agency to consider re-labeling its product to include a recommendation for preventing heart attacks and strokes. But while aspirin is relatively safe, it does come with a cost – an increased risk of bleeding, both in the stomach and intestines, as well as in the brain. The FDA found that the evidence showing that otherwise healthy people who take aspirin could prevent a first heart attack is not as strong as that for avoiding recurrent heart problems, so when compared to the bleeding risk, FDA officials felt recommending the drug for healthy people wasn’t justified.” Who Should and Who Shouldn’t Take Daily Aspirin.

According to the FDA; If you have not had a heart attack, you don’t need to take it. Why would the FDA take such an aggressive stand against the world’s greatest drug?  In fact, all the blood thinners prescribed to patients have equal risk for bleeding.  In fact, Pradaxa, FDA approved in 2010 had so many reports of gastrointestinal and brain bleeds, the FDA had to re-evaluate it, which it did in 2012. (They stood by their initial approval)  The dangers of thinners are well-known as generations of people have died as a consequence of thin blood, not blood clot prevention.

I am confused.  I had quadruple bypass surgery, but no heart attack?

It is no secret, I dropped all my drugs last summer; no more statins or blood pressure medication.  I had to make a choice and I choose a lifestyle plan versus a prescription plan.  But I continued to take my daily baby aspirin.  I did not particularly feel it was a drug, more of a simple, effective, all-encompassing solution.  I honestly, felt all the research had been done on Aspirin, it has been around for 100 years!?

Aspirin as we know it has had quite a history. Before Bayer started selling it in 1899, people were using medicines derived from willow trees back as far as 2000 BC. saliciylate-rich plants were used prior to chemists creating modern-day, salicylic acid.

Click image for Wikipedia definition of SA

When in doubt, I like to fall back on my foundation.  I am Plant-Based, so why not run a little background on Salicylic acid (SA).  Salicylic acid is a phenolic phytohormone and is found in plants.  In fact it is a vital to a plants vitality.  SA is produced in plants when they are threatened by infection or other danger.  It acts as a signal molecule that kicks off a series of reactions that help defend the plant against external threats.

Hey, that is exactly what I am looking for, a of warning signal to fire up the body’s defensive system.

Foods that are high in Salicylic acid include many spices such as curry, cayenne pepper, ginger, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, licorice, and peppermint. Fruits high in salicylates include raisins, prunes, cherries, cranberries, blueberries, and strawberries. 

I have been very happy juicing my Inflammation Buster; seems to me the ginger & turmeric have been supplying me with a good source of “natural aspirin”.

-My inflammation buster concoction

For now, I am going to drop the daily baby aspirin and rely on my intake of salycic acid from natural resources.  Why be duplicative?

 

I am curious when Bayer will make a comment regarding this recent denial by the FDA.   

 

Ian

 

Disclaimer:  My approach is exactly that, my approach.  I make broad decisions based on limited facts and gut instinct.  I choose to address my particular health problems with a nutrition based course of action.  To date, I have not found a general practitioner that is entirely supportive of this decision.  Please weigh your personal circumstances carefully before applying my blog advice as medical expertise.  For a very thorough discussion on the benefits versus the risks associated with taking aspirin, please visit: Aspirin Risks and Benefits: Science Based Medicine

 

 

 

Something is going on with WordPress. They are publishing old posts.

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Best Regards, Ian

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My son and I looking at Positive Ions

Eleven months ago my son was born.

I have not told this story outside of my circle of friends & family but this seems to be an appropriate time.

To recap, my quadruple bypass surgery took place in March 2011. At the time I had 90%+ blockages in 4 arteries. I was 40. My wife, Alicia and I met in 2000. We led an active social lifestyle and at the height of the fun we moved to Maui. We were not thinking about having children. The thought and desire to change our lives and add an element of surprise was not present. When we moved back from Hawaii, there were job changes and financial concerns distracting us from the conversation about little ones. We figured there would be time. I don’t remember exactly when my wife stopped taking birth control pills but for a number of years,even without protection, no babies.

We then assumed we could not have children. We discussed the likelihood that we would be the “cool” couple with no kids. I know deep down we were both sad but we kept it way in the back, away from our emotions.

Then in 2011, the shit hit the fan and my health jumped up to the forefront of our concerns.

We made enormous changes post-operation. We changed all the input which created my problem. We removed the gasoline from the fire and educated ourselves on the best course of action to reverse and heal my body.

In May of 2012, a Bikram Yoga studio opened a short walk from our home. My wife was regularly going to classes and invited/dared me to try it. The first class was not easy and I was coaxed into a 30 day challenge. Practicing what I preach, I accepted the challenge and eventually went everyday for almost 60 days. I felt amazing. The yoga, along with the Esselstyn program (plant-based, 10% or less oil), had me feeling the best I felt in years. My wife also did 30 days which coincided with August 1st, our summer vacation.

I will get to the point.

On our drive up to New York from Florida, Alicia and I talked about children. We did not want to go through the process of determining who was unable to produce. I was positive it was me, that my heart disease had complicated my ability to reproduce. I specifically remember us shaking hands and accepting that we would be ok with not having children.

One week later, Alicia became pregnant.

Today, we have a beautiful little boy almost one year old.

I equate it all to positivity.  It was amazing to experience the changes.

Minute course corrections seemed to provide exponential returns. Large corrections changed our lives.

A positive charge attracts and vice versa; a negative charge repels.  I was not leading a well-balanced healthy life.  And the lifestyle attracted a whole host of issues.  Was it a coincidence that our financial stress occurred at the climax of my health issues?  Was it a coincidence that my decision to leave a high paying job was not in some way influenced by the need for more, never being satisfied?  Disease occurs in acidic and inflammed environments.  It does not occur in an alkaline or balanced system.   I could not have children because I was not in a position to create positivity.

Do not underestimate the power of making positive changes in your own life.  All our systems operate in unison.  Health, relationships, money do not function independently.  And contrarian to many ways of thinking, we are not destined by a power that dictates every outcome.  We have all the means necessary to manipulate the outcomes of any situation.  (If you want to use it, for many the pre-destined route is acceptable).

For me, changing the way I managed my physical health was step one.  By focusing more on my body than my mind, I allowed my myself to physical create a positive charge.  That charge in turn, changed my mental state of mind.  By feeling better physically, I felt better mentally and this opened the door to share that positivity with the world; the birth of my son.

My father in law has a theory about positivity.  He is convinced the reason we feel relaxed at the beach is a result of the interaction between the ions in the air flowing across the surface of the water.  The end result is the breeze blows nothing but positive ions across us on the sand.  I like the theory and find the application works in any situation.  As life blows by, breathe the positive ions in and let them take you with them. 

I dismiss the pre-destined life.  I am now increasingly aware of the effect of my attitude to create outcomes.  This is powerful stuff, tap into it, you will be amazed by the results.

 

IRW