The medical establishment likes to toot its own horn when it says cardiac events are becoming less common. But it’s not true.
While it is true that fewer Americans — as a percentage — get heart attacks, the total numbers are still going up…way up.
Heart disease remains the number-one killer in the country. And the world…
No matter what Big Pharma says, there’s no reason to accept this as normal — because until
very recently, it wasn’t.
Of course, this isn’t to say they didn’t happen — of course they did. But it wasn’t until the USDA, the U.S. Congress, and the American Heart Association started rewriting the national diet guidelines that heart disease grew into the monster it is today.
The truth is poor heart health is a modern — manmade — trend. The natural wonders that kept our ancestors strong and vital disappear from our diets and our environment, making our hearts more vulnerable daily.
As I wrote in my book, The Doctor’s Heart Cure, there was a time when you could give your heart everything it needed without much effort.
But powerful interest groups like Big Pharma and Big Agra have taken this away from us.
A study published in the American Journal of Medicine referred to heart disease as “the epidemic of the 20th century” — and for a good reason. Up until that point, it had been considered a rare cause of death.1
Researchers blame diet, stress, drug and alcohol abuse, and lack of exercise… the usual suspects. But getting to the root cause requires us to go back further… much further.
You see, modern humans are not so different from the Primal hunter-gatherers of our past. In fact, our genes are 99.99% identical…
The big change started about 12,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. Before agriculture, the bulk of our diet consisted of protein and fat — with carbs making up just 31%.3 Today, this has been turned completely upside down.
Almost half the American diet consists of carbs, with protein inching at just 16%.
But it didn’t take 10,000 years for the reality to catch up with us… Even in Ancient Egypt, grain-heavy diets were already taking their toll.4
Scientists were shocked when they found the classic signs of heart disease in mummies. The cholesterol buildup in the arteries made it clear that poor heart health was leaving its mark on the ancient world.2
And during those times, Egypt was famous for its grain obsession.
Of course, poor heart health wasn’t nearly as widespread then as it is today. But it’s fascinating to see where the problem really started.
However, what’s really important is that we know how to fix it.
At my practice, we help patients restore an ageless heart naturally. If you’re a long-term reader, you know I always start with “prescribing” CoQ10.
Decades of research show up to 75% of patients with heart disease have low CoQ10.3
But supplementing with CoQ10 can bring immediate, life-saving benefits. Studies show that 100 to 120 mg daily reduces arrhythmias, increases left ventricular function (a critical part of your heart’s pumping ability) and reduces the death rate from repeat heart attacks.4
I recommend at least 50 mg of ubiquinol CoQ10 every day. This form is eight times more absorbable than conventional CoQ10.
Since statins lower CoQ10 by up to 54%, boost your intake to 200 mg.5 For congestive heart failure, start at around 200 mg to 450 mg.
Along with CoQ10, I recommend you boost heart health with 500 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine and 6,000 mg of L- arginine. I call these three your heart health trifecta.
Restore your ageless heart
These supplements are by no means the only supplements I advise my patients to take. Here are two more:
Take garlic to cut your risk of heart attack and stroke by 50%. Garlic reduces a multitude of risk factors that may lead to heart attack or stroke. Studies show garlic:6,7
• Reduces risk of heart attack and stroke by more than 50%
• Inhibits the formation of arteriosclerotic plaque
• Slows down calcification of the heart
• Lowers blood pressure
• Lowers the risk of blood clots
I recommend eating one or two cloves of garlic every day. You can also take garlic supplements. Look for aged garlic extract. Take from 200 to 400 mg three times a day.
Use hawthorn to strengthen your heart muscle. Herbalists have used this herb for thousands of years. Hawthorn berry leaves and flowers have been shown to:8
• Lower blood pressure in just ten weeks
• Improve circulation in the blood vessels that supply the heart
• Prevent cholesterol from forming on artery walls
• Strengthen the heart muscle
• Lower the risk of angina and irregular heartbeat
• Ease symptoms of congestive heart failure
I recommend starting with 250 to 500 mg twice a day with food.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
References:
1. Dalen J, et al. “The epidemic of the 20(th) century: coronary heart disease.” Am J Med. 2014;127(9):807-812
2. Madjid M, et al. “High prevalence of cholesterol-rich atherosclerotic lesions in ancient mummies: a near-infrared spectroscopy study.” Am Heart J. 2019;216:113-116
3. Go A, et al. “Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2013 Update: A Report from the American Heart Association.”
4. “Randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial of coenzyme Q10 in patients with acute myocardial infarction.” Cardio Drugs Ther. 1998;12(4):347-53.
5. Qu H, et al. “Effects of Coenzyme Q10 on statin-induced myopathy: an updated metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials.” J Am Heart Assoc. 2018 Oct 2;7(19):e009835.
6. Siegel G., et al. [Pleiotropic effects of garlic]. Wien Med Wochenschr. 1999;149(8- 10):217-24.
7. Ashraf R, et al. “Effects of Allium sativum (Garlic) on systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension.” Pak J Pharm Sci. 2013;26(5):859-63.
8. Walker AF., et al., “Promising hypotensive effect of hawthorn extract: a randomized double-blind pilot study of mild, essential hypertension.” Phytother Res 2002; 16(1): 48-54.