On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 10:18:21 -0500, Mars at the Mu_n's Edge
wrote:
:I see. Ornish called his diet "proper therapy". Would you agree on a
:low to no sat fat regimen for those with serious, perhaps surgically
:qualified, atherosclerosis?

I think it is important to ask yourself just what you are attempting to
accomplish with any nutrition program. Is it to boost energy, or to have
ESP, or to lose weight, or to have stronger bones, or to .... you get the
point. My 10 years of private practice has been focused on 1 issue however,
and that is to reduce death and disability caused by atherosclerosis.
Pseudoscience is rampant even in established medical communities (last
century we were giving Mercury for hyptertension, a few decades ago smoking
was "healthy" in some expert circles, the recent smallpox fiasco...), and I
cannot accurately comment on no or low sat fats in general.There are simply
too many variables. Personally I believe genetic phenotyping will help
individuals understand where they came from and what foods they should
concentrate on, but it will be decades until such testing is well
validated.

An individual knocking on the door of a vascular surgeon or a
cardiothoracic surgeon with critical levels of atherosclerosis should
undergo an aggressive therapy consisting of higher dose statins, tissue
ACEI like lisinopril, 81 mg asa, clopidrogel, beta-blocker, fish oil,
fibrates, niacin, no tobacco, no trans fats and moderate servings of
naturally occuring saturated fats and protiens and complex carbohydrates
for a minimum of 6 weeks before undergoing surgery if possible. Finding the
best surgeon and technique for intervention is a completely different
topic.

~~~
Patrick Blanchard, M.D., A.B.F.P.
Board Certified in Family Practice