I Beat Cardiovascular Disease!…Pam
My father died at the young age of 32 from sudden cardiac arrest, after just completing his discharge physical from serving in the Navy during WWII. He was a very trim, athletic man and, from all reports, always appeared healthy. I was only one at the time of his death and never knew him. I heard over the years that two of his three siblings also died in their 20’s and 30’s of heart disease, with the third one suffering a massive stroke. Talk about a terrible genetic footprint!! Anyway, my first indication that I might have inherited this condition was about 25 years ago when I took a medication called Accutane, which caused my triglycerides to go up to 1800 in 30 days. Then again in 1997, I started taking Estrogen and they went up to 1500! Since the numbers would go right back down when the meds were stopped, I was not put on any statins until several years later when I began taking Glucosomine/Chondroitin supplements for arthritis and my triglycerides went up to ~1500. No one believed it was caused by the supplements until I stopped them and the numbers came back to normal within two weeks. At that point, I was started on Lipitor as a precaution.
Fast forward to 2006. Two hours after completing my yearly physical and blood work, my doctor was calling me on the phone in a complete panic. Apparently, my triglycerides were 2800 and my cholesterol was something over 800 (an accurate measurement cannot be made when your triglycerides are that high!) with a very low HDL and a very high LDL. She then tells me to stop taking all supplements and meds until we can establish the cause. She also says to NOT exercise and that if I walked, to walk slowly…YIKES!!!!!!!!!! Apparently, my blood was like fat-pudding…amazing I was still alive! She then increased my Lipitor dosage and added another strong statin to try and get the numbers down while she consulted with an Endocrinologist friend for further direction.
To say I was scared to death would be an understatement. I didn’t know what to eat and I had just read the book, “The China Study,” where they felt vegetarianism was the way to go, so I started on a no meat diet and prayed a lot. I was 50-60 lbs overweight, so I hoped losing weight would help, and I lost about 25 lbs over the next several months. The lab numbers came down to an acceptable range, but we never really knew the cause, other than the obvious genetic predisposition for hyperlipidemia.
Fast forward to March 2008 when I first met Dr. Tim for a hip problem (see previous blog posts). For 3 months, while he worked on my hip, I nagged him about losing weight and was sure my metabolism had ‘taken a powder.’ He kept saying, “Not yet,” but I continued to nag. Finally, in July 2008, when my hip was better and I could walk/exercise, he said it was OK to start his nutrition program, which I did. I also switched from a therapy mode to a therapeutic workout mode to keep my hip and arthritic body moving while improving fitness.
Fast forward to May, 2009. I went to my annual cardiology appointment (they like to follow us folks with bad genetics) and my doctor almost fell out of her chair when she saw me, 53 pounds lighter and significantly more fit. She immediately wanted to know what I was doing and I told her all about Dr. Tim’s program and I also told her that my internist was already referring patients to him because of my progress. I then told her that I was no longer taking any statins or blood pressure meds, which made her very happy as she looked at my low numbers from the last blood work (triglycerides were 56!). She then said I was due for another stress-echo test and it was scheduled. I told Dr. Tim I planned to ‘blow them out of the water’ on that test!
Two weeks later, I went for the test and what I would give to have had a tape recorder in the room that day! The doctor and technician were talking back and forth throughout the test, mostly about the fact that no matter how much she increased the treadmill speed, my heart rate and blood pressure were staying the same or going even lower!! The amazement in their voices was music to my ears! She then said she needed to really elevate more and speed it up, asking if I could run to get my heart rate up to a clinical rate needed for the test, and I said, “Sure!” The treadmill was so steep I had to hang on for dear life while running, but we finally got the numbers for which she was waiting. I blew them out of the water!!!! She then asked me again about Dr. Tim and I gave her another card while she muttered, “I really want to talk to him—I think I will call him!”
I left the Cardiologist’s office and immediately drove to Dr. Tim’s office, threw my arms around him and thanked him for saving my life! I felt like I had achieved the most important goal of my life, to beat cardiovascular disease, even with my terrible genetic footprint. I had truly been given a second chance at life and I have made lifestyle changes, under Dr. Tim’s guidance, which will be with me for the rest of my life.
So, when people ask me about Dr. Tim, I hesitate to start with, “He’s a Chiropractor” because he is so much more than that. His wellness program is unlike any other due to his uncanny intuitive skills superimposed on unique treatment styles and knowledge of nutrition. If you ask him, he will tell you he is ‘just a surfer,’ and to that I would add, a compassionate surfer with an insatiable desire to promote wellness and help people feel better. Trust me, he is so much more…