How You Can Beat Heart Disease – Without Drugs, Surgeries, Or Doctors
I admit, I was terrified.
It was in June, 2005, that I received some bad news from my doctor. I was, officially, at a very high risk for a stroke.
Specifically, my triglycerides were in the red zone – the exact count was 508. That’s actually not the red zone – that’s a completely separate zip code. Triglycerides above 150 are cause for concern – anything above 500, and you might as well have an ambulance sitting outside your house.
Along with that, my LDL (bad) cholesterol level was high, and my HDL (good) cholesterol level was low; my ratios were the stuff of scary movies.
For years, I’ve looked forward to the day when my children would bring me my first grandkid… and now my doctor was telling me that, unless I underwent radical changes, I wasn’t ever going to see my grandchildren.
What sorts of changes did my doctor recommend? Mostly pharmaceuticals – and I wasn’t going near that stuff. When you read about all the dangerous and nasty side effects of statin drugs, you’ll understand why. I hadn’t even taken an antibiotic in the past 30 years – I wasn’t about to expose myself to these hardcore drugs that, as I later learned, only serve to mask and compound the problem anyway.
But I was determined to make some changes. That triglyceride number – 508 – became my motivation, my magic number. In life, sometimes there are little triggers, little keys that help you unlock big doors. 508 became my key, and it spurred me to action.
I began addressing 15 years of neglect. This led me to the secret of Omega-3s – a secret that may very well have saved my life, which we’ll discuss later – but I didn’t get there immediately.
At the time, I was about 15 lbs overweight. I had a spare tire growing around my mid-section. My liver was not in good shape from a bout of hepatitis I contracted while working as a missionary in India way back in 1976. When I checked it out, an ultrasound revealed I had a fatty liver! Enough was enough.
Wake-up Call and Commitment
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I wasn’t sure what I was going to do yet, but I knew I was going to do something. Turns out, my first decision was to stop eating beef.
This happened after I met Joe Theisman, the NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback. He was the keynote speaker at a tradeshow I was attending. He had stopped eating beef 20 years ago.
“Not only have we got hormone problems with the beef, but did you know it takes 3 days to digest or longer? I haven’t got time to digest for 3 days, I am a busy man!” Joe said.
Today, I enjoy the occasional steak – but only when I know I’ll offset it through exercise and I make sure it grass-fed, organically raised.
That, of course, was another huge change for me. I joined a gym and found out they offered free classes included in the price of membership, and I became a class hound.
Think about this: A personal trainer can run you $50 – $75 an hour. If you join a Gym, and take advantage of the free classes such as Yoga, Body Flow, Body Pump, RPM (cycling), etc., then you can get nearly personal instruction included in the price of the membership.
Most of the classes I take have 3 to 8 people in attendance. Not only do I get personal instruction, I have the added benefit of the support and chemistry involved in a group activity.
Today, I take on average 3-4 free classes a week (there are literally 40 hours of group classes scheduled!) and my membership costs $40 a month. That works out to about $2.87 per class hour. This of course doesn’t take into account the round the clock hours that the gym is open to me with over one million dollars in various workout equipment if I choose to use it. If I do a measly two hours a week in the gym using all this great equipment then my fee per hour drops below $1.80.
That’s about the cheapest dollar commitment I can think of to your health – with the greatest possible returns. Of course, the great stumbling block that most people have is getting out there – and that’s where I had the toughest time too.
Conquering Self!
I had to decide I was willing to do what’s hard. I decided to act in spite of my fears. I committed that I was bigger than any obstacle and that I would never give up. These were powerful commitments.
Of course there were times I wavered… but the philosophy of the Enlightened Warrior became my creed. A warrior by definition is one who goes about to conquer. An Enlightened Warrior is one who seeks to conquer oneself.
How tough is that? Here’s a challenge: Try Yoga! You will learn a lot about conquering yourself! Of all exercise routines, Yoga is my favorite. I have a great teacher and I come away from a one-hour yoga class, exercised to be sure, but feeling refreshed and centered. It’s no longer just a ladies sport. There are many men taking yoga today, including top athletes.
Two books that I recommend: Real Men Do Yoga: 21 Star Athletes Reveal Their Secrets for Strength, Flexibility and Peak Performance (Paperback) and Yoga for Regular Guys: The Best Damn Workout on the Planet! (Paperback)
I enjoyed Yoga – and my other classes and exercises – so much, that I decided to make it a bigger part of my life. Today, I’m a certified fitness instructor, and I’m in the best shape of my life.
However, even with my changes in diet – and extreme changes in exercise – I knew that triglyceride-508 was a bomb with only a couple ticks left on the clock. I needed to do something to fix my cholesterol, and fast. That’s when I hit the books.
The Truth About Heart Disease The Docs Don’t Tell You
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Everyone knows that cholesterol is an evil, silent killer, right?
Wrong. At least, wrong at the fundamental core.
It’s true, when you suffer a heart attack or stroke – a thrombosis, in medical parlance – it’s a big gob of cholesterol that’s clogging an artery, or blocking blood flow to your brain.
But do you know why the cholesterol is there in the first place? It’s not due to eating foods high in cholesterol – not directly, anyway.
It’s due to a problem with your body’s arteries and veins – a problem that your body uses cholesterol to fix.
You see, over time, our arteries get harder and less flexible. Then, thanks to stresses or diet, we cause our arteries to get inflamed, to expand and shrink. When that happens with a hard artery, it’s like water freezing inside a road – cracks start to appear.
Cholesterol is actually a wonderful material – one that our body uses to treat these cracks. It’s sticky and smooth and acts rather like spackle. When a crack appears in your arteries and your body can’t heal it, the liver releases some cholesterol to slap onto the arterial wall, and presto! – good as new.
The problem is, when the cracks get too large and widespread, the liver is forced to spit out cholesterol at an ever-increasing pace – and, eventually, the whole process goes haywire. That’s when the trouble occurs – when the cholesterol gets too great, it combines with blood’s natural coagulants, creates clots, and eventually leads to heart attacks or strokes.
A common approach to solving this problem, medically, is to prescribe statin drugs that reduce your cholesterol. Not all doctors believe in this approach, though – for obvious reasons.
Simply stopping the production of cholesterol doesn’t solve your arterial problems. It’s like taking a numbing cough syrup for strep throat, and saying you’re cured! Sooner or later, the real problem will resurface, worse than before.
So, in my search for a solution to my triglyceride levels, I knew I had to keep looking.
In the end, I found an answer at the North Pole.
The Ancient Inuit Secret To Heart Health: Omega-3
In the late 1970s, the medical establishment was amazed to find that modern hunter-gatherers, like the Inuit, live relatively free of many western-industrial diseases, like heart disease, diabetes and obesity. But this only remained true if they maintained a traditional diet and exercise regimen and avoided the foods and lifestyles of the West.
This Inuit diet consists mainly of wild, fatty fish, whale blubber and seal.
Researchers eventually deduced that the long-chain fatty acids known as Omega-3s were primarily responsible for the lack of modern diseases among the Inuit.
“Since these surprising findings were documented, researchers have reported a healing role for omega-3 fatty acids across a broad spectrum of disorders and disease.
They have been shown to reduce the risk of coronary artery disease and cardiac sudden death; mitigate the pain and disability of Crohn’s disease; lower blood pressure; diminish the pain and stiffness in rheumatoid arthritis; reduce triglycerides; counteract or prevent symptoms of asthma; improve the health of insulin-dependent diabetes; and possibly perform many other clinical actions. In fact, the omega-3s may prevent or delay the onset of these modern diseases.” (The Omega-3 Connection, Andrew L. Stolle, MD 2002.)
In short, this one compound – the Omega-3 – was found to be an essential nutrient for human health. And it’s not just limited to heart health.
The List Of Omega-3 Benefits Are Astounding
What are Omega-3s? Omega-3s refer to a certain type of long chain fatty acids. The scientific names of the ones we are most interested in because of their benefits are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). It’s just much easier to refer to these two molecules as EPA and DHA. In easy terms, EPA helps the arteries and joints and DHA helps the brain and eyes.
These molecular components of Omega-3s are now recognized by doctors, scientists, the American Heart Association and even the US Government as having numerous benefits:
1. Superior cardiovascular health: Fish oil’s DHA and EPA has been proven to work wonders for your heart and the very large network of arteries and veins that make up our cardiovascular system. They help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure, while at the same time increasing “good” HDL cholesterol. This can add years to your life expectancy.
- How do we know this? All these conclusions were found by the researchers exploring the heart health of traditional Inuits. For further study, I highly recommend you read Dr. Andrew Stolle’s 2002 release, The Omega-3 Connection.
2. Protection from heart attack and stroke: When cholesterol plaque builds up on arterial walls and then breaks loose, it causes what’s known as a thrombosis, which is just a fancy word for “clot.” If a clot gets stuck in the brain, it causes a stroke and when it plugs an artery, it causes a heart attack. Research shows fish oil fatty acids break up clots before they can cause any damage.
- How do we know this? The underlying cause of this plaque buildup is atherosclerosis. For decades, the medical establishment has named “cholesterol” as the problem.
- Cholesterol in itself isn’t actually damaging to artery walls. In fact, as we’ve discussed, cholesterol is actually used by your body to repair damaged artery walls. If, due to atherosclerosis, the liver begins releasing too much cholesterol, instead of simply plugging up small holes in arteries, this excess cholesterol begins forming plaques over damaged artery walls. Frequently these plaques also get bound up with blood platelets (the proteins in blood that make blood clot), making them larger and more unstable. When these plaques get too large, they can break off, leading to heart attacks, strokes, embolism in the lungs, and other very serious health complications.
- The real problem in this scenario isn’t actually cholesterol – it’s the damage to artery walls that is causing excess cholesterol to be released into your blood. Reversing this damage and preventing further damage is the only real way to improve your cardiovascular risk profile. The cause of this damage is inflammation. Healing this damage and preventing future damage requires taming down the inflammation in your blood vessels and, indeed, in your entire body. This is where Omega 3 fats come in.
- Omega-3 fats are inherently anti-inflammatory. In essence, they prevent the creation of chemicals that drive inflammation in blood vessels. Your body makes a variety of chemicals called “eicosanoids” that create inflammation. The major source of these pro-inflammatory eicosanoids are Omega-6 fats. Omega-6 fats are very common in vegetable oils and make up a large part of the American diet. Omega-6 fats act opposite to Omega-3 fats in your body. Consuming Omega-6 fats creates more inflammation, while consuming Omega-3 fats creates less inflammation. In fact, the underlying problem that we call cholesterol is now known to be inflammation caused by Omega-6 fatty acids. In a healthy diet, the intake of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fats is balanced. For instance, The Inuit have a 1:1 correlation in their Omega 6 : Omega 3 intake. In the United States its 20:1 on average and ever increasing with use of the wrong kind of cooking oils and eating “junk food.”
- The inflammation in the arteries caused by too many Omega-6s requires cholesterol to be summoned by the body’s immune response. The sandpapering of the arteries can’t be tolerated and the cholesterol (fat) is called to soothe the arteries and try to repair the thin walls of the arteries. Reduce the Omega-6s and increase the Omega-3s and you won’t need an over-abundance of cholesterol. Your body will figure that out in a reasonable amount of time.
- Omega-6s vie for the same enzymes as Omega-3s. Under our western lifestyle and eating habits, we have so many omega-6s in the diet, they win the enzyme contest. Omega-6s promote inflammation, causing a narrowing of the arterial walls and robbing the heart of oxygen. Omega-3s on the other hand, relax the arteries, reduce inflammation, help break up clots and allow for a free flow of oxygen to the heart. Both Omegas are needed but in a rational proportion.
- For more proof, cardiologist Alexander Leaf of Harvard Medical School performed laboratory experiments on animals. Labs rats were induced to cardiac arrest. These heart attacks were stopped and reversed by intravenous injection of omega-3s. Animals pre-treated with Omega-3s had far fewer cardiac arrests. One can’t really say enough good things about the ability of the heart to prosper and life to be extended through the proper ingestion of Omega-3s.
3. Relieve pain in joints and mitigate inflammation: Omega 3 fish oil fatty acids, particularly EPA, have a very positive effect on your inflammatory response. Through several mechanisms, they regulate your body’s inflammation cycle, which prevents and relieves painful conditions like arthritis, prostatitis, cystitis and even Crohn’s disease!
- How do we know this? More than a dozen studies on the effects of omega-3s with rheumatoid arthritis sufferers showed significant reduction in swelling and associated pain to the point that many patients were able to discontinue their anti-inflammatory medications. Similar studies were done with Crohn’s sufferers, and ulcerative colitis with similar results, reduction in symptoms and the reduction of toxic drugs with major side effects. It’s similar to point 2 above. Omega-6s and Omega-3s need to be in balance. Ideal would be a 1:1 correlation. If you got your correlation down from 20:1 to 4:1 there would be significant improvement on a whole host of health issues.
4. Better brain function for us and higher intelligence for our kids and grandkids: Pregnant and nursing mothers can have a great impact on the intelligence and happiness of their babies by supplementing with omega 3 fish oil. The DHA component is the material that our brain cells are made out of. For grown adults, fish oil improves memory, recall, reasoning and focus. You’ll swear you’re getting younger and smarter.
- How do we know this? Dr. Andrew Stolle states that the nutritional needs for fetal development in the womb come from the mother. If the mother is deficient in folic acid, the baby will develop spina bifida. Likewise, “Both new and old research indicates that a lack of Omega-3s during gestation may impair development of the visual system and compromise future intelligence.” DHA is needed to grow billions of brain cells. (The Omega-3 Connection, page 90, Andrew Stolle, 2002)
5. Elevated Mood: Making you smarter is not all that fish oil does for your brain. Psychiatry department researchers at the University of Sheffield UK, along with many other research studies, found that fish oil supplements alleviated the symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder and psychosis.
- How do we know this? [Journal of Affective Disorder Vol. 48(2-3);149-55] Dr Andrew Stolle presented findings in 1997 to the American College of Neuropsycholopharmacology. His finding were dramatic and startling, demonstrating that Omega-3s help alleviate symptoms in the most difficult of bipolar cases. This was met with a mixture of skepticism, excitement, encouragement and jokes. However, the Archives of General Psychiatry, a leading journal, published his paper. Now fish oil and highly concentrated Omega-3s are routinely used in hard to treat mood disorders.
6. Lower incidence of childhood disorders: The benefits of fish oil fatty acids include studies that show children (and adults) with ADD and ADHD experience a greatly improved quality of life. And those with dyslexia, dyspraxia and compulsive disorders have gotten a new lease on life thanks to fish oil supplements.
- How do we know this? The leading researcher linking low levels of DHA to various disorders including ADD and ADHD is John R. Burgess and his team at Purdue University. While indications are that low levels of DHA are noted in children with characteristics akin to ADHD – whether children were diagnosed or not – reflects strongly that future treatments will address nutrition along with other treatments. Even schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are being treated with omega-3s.
7. Reduction of breast, colon and prostate cancer incidence: Finally, fish oil has been shown to help prevent three of the most common forms of cancer – breast, colon and prostate. Science tells us that it accomplishes this in three ways – by stopping the alteration from a normal healthy cell to a cancerous mass, by inhibiting unwanted cellular growth and by killing off cancer cells.
- How do we know this? It may be the overzealous growth of cell in cancers is aided and abetted by the overabundance of Omega-6s, which facilitate cell growth. Omega-3s have the opposite effect. In nature’s way of synchronization, the body does so much better when the Omega-3s are in balance with Omega-6s. Omega-6s are needed for certain biochemical functions but they must be kept in balance with Omega-3s for optimal health.
Let’s summarize:
- Health benefits for everyone!
The American Heart Association reports, “Omega-3 fatty acids benefit the heart of healthy people and those at high risk of or who have cardiovascular disease.” See American Heart Association Statement - Labeled “essential” by the US Government.
In May 2003, OMB and the White House said Americans would be healthier if they consumed more Omega-3s. See White House / OMB Statement - Lowers triglycerides
- Decreases the growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque, hardening of the arteries.
- Helps kids develop with higher intelligence
- May help prevent some cancers
- Improves blood circulation
- Natural anti-inflammatory can help relieve joint pain
- Improved mental health
Issues With Omega-3 Fish Oils
One reason you may not want to take an Omega-3 fish oil despite all the benefits listed above:
- Repeating: Low grade fish oils cause a “fishy burp” – if you think you should save some money and try a really cheap, inexpensive fish oil from a big box store, chances are you will take the fish oil once or twice and then it will sit on your kitchen shelf untouched. It’s just too uncomfortable for most people to have fishy breath.
- Solution: The solution to this is very simple. Buy a high grade Omega-3 fish oil, meaning an Omega-3 oil that is highly concentrated with 60 -70% of the capsule contents being pure EPA/DHA.
Where Can I Get It?
Fish oil has been so widely accepted, and its benefits are so obvious, that you’d have trouble finding a grocery or drugstore that didn’t have a ready supply of fish oil products.
However, not all fish oil products are alike. Some have higher or lower concentrations of Omega-3s. Some are likely to cause the fish burps. And some have questionable additives.
If you’re concerned about your health, I can’t recommend fish oil enough. But make sure you do your homework. Get a good product – or you may not be doing your body as much good as you think!
Personally, I’ve found one fish oil that I trust: Res-Q® 1250.
I first heard about Res-Q® 1250 on the radio and, after doing my homework, I found that it was one of the best fish oil supplements out there. I called in and ordered a 3 month supply of the full line of products.
And the proof is in the pudding. After 3 months of taking the product, I retested my cholesterol. My triglycerides were down to 200! That was a drop of 308 points – and got me back into the reasonable zone. I lost 15 lbs. and 3 inches off my waist (I credit the exercise for that).
At that point, I became a believer. Will these supplements do it all? Actually I think they would, but I am honestly telling you my story and what I did to change my habits – which included not being a slouch, getting my body moving, and eating sensibly.
I recently read a Harvard Medical Journal on the centurion studies going on around the world. The common key ingredient for those who are living to 100 and beyond is that they move their bodies, and keep their minds active and eat the “hunter-gatherer diet.” So think about it.
Do Something Good For Yourself!
I can tell you from firsthand experience that Omega-3s contained in Res-Q 1250 do a lot more than help keep your heart health in check. Dr Ray Crayhon says, “Omega-3s are not in your brain, they are your brain!” It’s not yet conclusive but he and many, many other researchers now believe that sufficient dosing of Omega-3s daily may prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. It is your brain! Dosing with RES-Q 1250 helps me to think better, and feel better. No matter if you eat fish or not, this is a sure way of getting a quality source of Omega-3s daily. No worries about toxicity associated with statin drugs OR worrying about the mercury content of the fish you may purchase from the market.
And now I want you to do something good for yourself. In solidarity with my fellow cholesterol-sufferers, I’ve arranged for a discount on Res-Q® 1250 products bought through my Health Site. Because there are so many of us, we’re getting a bulk discount. You’ll have trouble finding such a high-quality fish oil product at the same price.
Or, if you have a different brand you prefer, please, pick that up today! I know that Res-Q 1250 works, but others work as well. If you want to experiment, go ahead.
All I ask is, don’t take your health for granted. The first signs of heart disease are often heart attacks. Watch your diet, exercise, and make Omega-3s a part of your daily diet.
With a little dedication and some simple supplements, we may not only live to see our grandchildren, but our great-grandchildren as well.
In Health,
Garey Simmons
Optimizing Health One Step at a Time.
- P.S. Now at age 56, I am now a fully committed heart healthy person! Will you make the same commitment? Remember, happiness is a mode of travel, not the destination! Being joyful, healthful and inspired is your Ultimate Calling!
Some further information about Res-Q® 1250:
You can buy pure Omega-3s in Res-Q 1250 at a discount on our website: http://OptimalHealthRSQ.com
Res-Q 1250 Supplement Facts
Regular Fish Oil Supplement Facts – 300mgs / 1000mg
In a regular 1000 mg soft gel of fish oil, you will see the following:
That’s a 30% concentration of the most important active molecules, compared with 70% in Res-Q 1250. Regardless of which product you go with, avoid no-name brands at the 30% level of concentration and choose a brand of significance that has at least a 70% concentration of EPA /DHA.
Although premium brands have a higher initial price tag, thanks to greater concentrations of EPA/DHA, you’re actually paying less for the 4.5 grams you need daily. Since I’ve secured bulk discounts for my readers, we enjoy the cheapest access to quality EPA/DHA products around.
Compare Carlson, Icelandic Health, Nordic Naturals, all leading brands, to Res-Q 1250
“All the Omega-3 products listed here are “good” products, some better than others. None are better than Res-Q 1250 and none are close to the price per gram from my buying co-op. We beat the major competition and other sellers on all leading indices. More product quantity, more quality, better purity and lesser cost to you. Health should be affordable and it is when you think prevention!” – Garey Simmons
Save $69 on a three pack purchase
(600 capsules) $0.23 per mg of EPA/DHA
Save $150 on six pack purchase
(600 capsules) $0.23 per mg of EPA/DHA
