Drugs, Nutrition and the Lord

My first choice is always prayer and nutrition. I believe that if you give your body the right tools to work with, it has been designed by God to heal itself. The right tools include great nutrition. I also believe that, in a crisis situation, pharmaceuticals can be a good stopgap measure.

Throughout my cardiac event, I was overwhelmed by the love, care and skill of everyone I met. It began with the paramedics who took me to the hospital, then the emergency room personnel, the surgeon and his staff, and finally the nurses who cared for me. Their greeting of “Hello, Friend” brought tears to my eyes. I believe this is the first time I have ever encountered such a greeting.

They sent me home from my five-bypass surgery with seven medications. Patti and I agreed that I should take take them for at least the next couple of months and then see where we go from there. The seven medications did list 97 harmful side effects and I was consciously aware of experiencing eight of them.

I tested each medication on our Qest4 unit which reads the electromagnetic signature of whatever is put on the test plate and then compares it to the simultaneous electromagnetic signature of your body. If your body wants it, you get a green light, and if damaging to your body, you get a yellow light. Each of the seven medications registered green, so it was clearly telling me I need these!

We asked our chiropractor if he could recommend an MD who leaned toward natural remedies. He recommended Dr. Jose Fernandez whom I am just beginning to meet with. So I will come back to this blog at the end of each month for three months and add updates as to where things are at with the medication/nutritional connection (Located at end of this blog).

The information below contains specific recommendations from The Great Cholesterol Myth.

Tests you should ask your doctor for to determine risk of a heart attack

1. Heart calcium CT scan, also known as a coronary artery calcium score. Generally costs $49 to $99. Some locations you need a prescription from your doctor, some places you don't. It's just like a once a decade test and radiation exposure is low.
2. Particle Size Test - Pattern B profile to discover if most of your LDL cholesterol is composed of the small, dense, particles that cause inflammation and ultimately plaque.
3. NMR LipoProfile - Measures size of LDL particles by measuring their magnetic properties.
4. C - Reactive Protein - high sensitivity CRP test is a marker for inflammation that is directly associated with overall heart and cardiovascular health. 
5. Fibrinogen - Normal levels are between 200 and 400 mg/dL.

Nutrition which can strengthen the heart

1. If you are on a statin drug, you must supplement with CoQ10. At least 100 mg twice a day is recommended. Statins deplete CoQ10. CoQ10 is a powerful antioxidant, inhibiting oxidative damage to LDL. It is a kind of “energy fuel” for the heart.
2. Supplements such as nattokinase can work well to “thin” the blood and prevent unwanted clotting. Adding omega-3 fatty acids to your diet may also help.
3. Serum Ferritin - Iron levels in the body are cumulative (stored in the muscles and other tissues), and unless iron is lost through menstruation or by donating blood, over the years, toxic levels can build up in the system. People who donate blood have a much lower risk of heart disease. Levels less than 80 mg/L for women and less than 90 mg/L for men are healthy.
4. Homocysteine - Give the body the three main nutrients it needs to metabolize homocysteine back into harmless compounds. The three nutrients are folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6. All it takes is about 400 to 800 mcg of folic acid, 400 to 1,000 mcg of B12, and 5 to 20 mg of B6. Optimal homocysteine level is between 7 and 9 μmol/L.
5. Interleukin–6 – maintain between 0.0 to 12.0 pg/mL.

Eliminate these foods: Sugar, soda, processed carbs, trans fats, processed meats, cereals, pasta, bread, minute rice. Avoid trans fats - if the list of ingredients contains partially hydrogenated oil or hydrogenated oil, the product has trans fats.

Eat more of these foods: Wild salmon, berries and cherries, grass-fed meat, fruits, vegetables, beans, dark chocolate, garlic and turmeric, pomegranate juice, green tea, red wine, extra-virgin olive oil, legumes and nuts, which all have a low glycemic index. The entire vegetable kingdom is loaded with natural anti-inflammatories, antioxidants, and flavonoids that are good for your heart.

Make these lifestyle changes to reduce stress: Exercise at least thirty minutes a day. Meditate or practice deep breathing, express your emotions, commune with God, play, cultivate intimacy and pleasure, and most of all … enjoy your life!

Journaling

Mark, the stressors of anger, fear, anxiety and bitterness have been largely weakened over your lifetime. Now is the time to put these totally behind you and replace them with love, care, joy, peace and forgiveness. Now is the time to finish the job.

Do not trust in exercise, nutrition or doctors, but trust in My power to work through each of these. All trust is to be placed in Me.

In reviewing your life: For 25 years you searched for My voice. For the next 42, you shared My voice. In your golden 25 years, you are to focus on celebrating that I have already won the victory.  

Healing Prayers: Take God's Healing Medicine Three Times a Day and Healing Scriptures for Confession

Update 1 - My first meeting with Dr. Jose Fernandez