Tag Archives: heart attack

Jim Beckman History

26 Monday Mar 2012

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Name:   Jim Beckman

Age:     75

Cholesterol History:        five years on Vegetarian (incl. fish) and 20 mg statins: range 152 to 195 mg/dl

                                    One month on Vegetarian (incl fish) no pills:                         200

                                    One year on Vegetarian (incl fish) 20 mg statins                   151

                                    Six months on Vegetarian (incl fish) 20 mg statins                141

                                    Six months on Esselstyn (only plant food, no oil) no pills        151

                                    Next test in six mo. On above diet, with 5 mg statins:            ???

 

Weight one year ago:     150

After Esselstyn (only plant food, no oils, lots of whole wheat)         143 (lost 7 lbs)

            (I eat everytime I am hungry, as if I were trying to gain weight. I didn’t intend to lose weight.)

Health Problems:           none, except all my male relatives died of heart attacks.

                                    I am very fit. I ride a bicycle (trying to keep up with Marlene) about 100 miles a week.

Motivation:

A TV show about Esselstyn prompted my to buy his book (Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease) and to buy his son’s (Rip) book Engine 5 Diet and then to buy the GOLD STANDARD FOR HEALTH DIET (my opinion) The China Study.

 

Diabetes–Ltr. to Star Telegram

28 Tuesday Feb 2012

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The article on your food series in today’s paper [February 27] about plant-based diets was a fitting reminder of food possibilities. For someone interested in health benefits, a comprehensive summary of scientific studies related to vegan diets is The China Study, by Drs. Campbell.

 

            One of the many studies listed in this book was done by Dr. James Anderson. He had twenty five patients with Type 2 diabetes on his plant food based diet. All but one were able to discontinue their insulin medication within a matter of weeks. Just with a change in diet. No other medication. Other studies done on diabetic patients are listed with similar results.

            The China Study outlines many other scientific studies on health, not theories, but facts proven by tests. A thinking person interested in health must read this book. Anyone involved in health and diet must read this book. My interest came from a family history of heart attacks. Other studies showed that a change to a plant food based diet can prevent and even reverse heart disease.

 

 

A Cancer Cure?

17 Friday Feb 2012

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Would a change in diet cure advanced cancer? My friend Fred thinks so. He was diagnosed with colon cancer which had advanced to stage four. And then he had a heart attack.

He found a doctor who put him on a Plant Food Diet (actually modified to include fish). Two years later with massive amounts of pills, he is now in total remission. And looks and acts very healthy.

We will later post a complete bio on Fred, and will continue to follow his “cure.”

Warrior #1

15 Wednesday Feb 2012

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WARRIOR #1:  the first, the number one, Diet Warrior.

Johnny Hughes had severe chest pains while chasing his group of racers up Ranch View. He also had begun having chest pains at night while sleeping. When he related this to his Doctor-Son-In-Law, Dr. SIL said, “Go to the hospital, stat.”

They slapped him on a table with bright lights above and cut him open. A triple by-pass. Yes, the myth that fitness will protect you from heart disease and heart attacks was again busted.

Johnny Hughes is, six months later, in tip top shape. Well, he is at least alive. I related how my brother Bill had the same operation, but died ten years later, as predicted by his doctors. Congestive heart failure. He didn’t change anything about the way he lived. No, I forgot, he did stop smoking. Well, not pot. After all he did live inCalifornia. And he continued with the same “Healthy” American Diet as before.

I got Johnny a copy of Dr. Esselstyn’s book Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease. He and Vickie, his wife are faithful diet warriors now. I am not surprised. Johnny and Vickie are both intelligent, careful, and meticulous in all that they do. He says he has lost weight on the diet. It was not planned or intended. About fifteen pounds. He looks good.

 Johnny saw a new doctor who endorsed his diet. His cholesterol history is:

            Before surgery              189

            After surgery                155  (before going on the Pl. Food Diet)  on 40 mg statin

            Six months later            124  (after going on the Pl. Food Diet)  on 20 mg statin

He now takes a statin:              20 mg

 His goal:         Get off statins and maintain  135 cholesterol

                        Live to 110 years

                        Ride a bicycle for 20 more years +

Diet Warriors

01 Wednesday Feb 2012

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How did this idea get started? I am not even sure what form this info site will take.

I saw a TV show six months ago about a medical study that proved a “cure” for heart disease. It covered the medical study started in 1985 by Dr. Esselstyn and his book Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease.

I remembered that a classmate of mine, Rusty Wailes died of a heart attack while rowing with a four man crew on Lake Washington in Seattle. Wailes was on the Yale 1956 gold medal winning eight-man rowing team. And Jim Fixx died of a heart attack running a marathon. Then my friend Johnny Hughes (a very fit bicycle rider) had to have a bypass operation. His arteries were blocked and he was near death—at least according to the doctors. This all proved that being fit doesn’t prevent heart disease.

All the male members of my family have died of heart disease. My younger brother had a quadruple bypass at age 50. Then died ten years later (as warned by his doctors) of heart failure.

So, even though I think I’m very fit, I wanted to have the tests run, including what I call the “gold standard,” an angiogram. This test showed partial blockage of my arteries. But I wasn’t in such bad shape yet for heart surgery. My heart surgeon (salivating with the thought) said he would be ready when the blockage got worse.

Dr. Esselstyn’s book gave the answer. His diet of Plant Food saved 18 dead end patients from dying and reversed some of the blockage in arteries. (Note: I found out later that Dr. Esselstyn was also on the gold medal rowing team from Yale.) So I started on this diet six months ago. It hasn’t been easy, but tomorrow (February 1) I will get the results of a blood test.

I told Dr. Kelly that he probably doesn’t get my complaint often: (Just so you know, I am 75 years old). Since I’ve been taking Pravastatin (a drug to lower my cholesterol), my strong-leg muscle starts to give out after riding 40 miles. So, hoping that this new diet alone would lower my cholesterol, I quit taking all drugs on January 1.

My goal is to get my total cholesterol down below 150. The blood test I just had done shows cholesterol at 151. I’m almost there. I will probably go back to Pravastatin (10 mg).

There are many people who wanted to know more about this diet—and to share their experiences. Our Diet Warriors site will do this. I will include anyone who asks.

I plan to present three blogs each week. One of these may be a really good recipe.

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