Health
The Power of Individualized Medicine:
A Case Study
NATURAL Nutmeg
By Dr. Frank Aieta, ND
MAY / JUNE 2022
28
W “In research studies that track total and LDL cholesterol as well as cholesterol particle number, when these number disagree… the particle number takes precedence— which probably explains why more than half the people suffering similar cardiovascular events have normal to low total and LDL cholesterol levels.” —Dr. Frank Aieta, ND
e are led to believe by most conventional doctors that the measurement of LDL and total blood cholesterol levels are the primary predictors for cardiovascular disease. If this were true, though, why is it that more than half the cases of patients having acute cardiovascular events have normal or even low cholesterol levels? The truth is, there is much, much more to cardiovascular disease than simply elevated cholesterol levels.
The Patient
There is a case that exemplifies this concept completely: The patient is a 72-year-old man with a history of repeated heart attacks and multiple bypass surgeries and arterial stenting that began in his late 50s. He decided to come see me because he felt that his current cardiologist’s approach had not been working too well and he was afraid his next heart attack would be his last. I took a very detailed case, questioning him on his current diet, lifestyle, and current medications and supplements. At the strong urging of his cardiologist, he had become a strict vegan after his first cardiovascular event more than 10 years previous and noted that he had been a vegetarian for decades before making the switch to vegan. He was also taking a relatively heavy dosage of the statin drug Lipitor (the top dosage of 80 mg daily) along with a laundry list of every known cardiovascular supplement on the planet, including niacin, flax seed oil, pantethine, coq10, vitamin E, and so on. This patient had been determined to do everything he could to prevent future cardiovascular events, which started even before his first heart attack at the age of 57. He had been taking most of those supplements and had been on some type of statin since they came on the market over 20 years ago. He couldn’t understand why he was having all these cardiovascular issues despite being so proactive.
The Tests
I performed a complete physical on him, noting he appeared emaciated with very low muscle tone but with a sizable pot belly. He mentioned that he had been maintaining his current weight for several years but no matter how thin he got, he could never get rid of his pot belly. I decided to do a complete blood work-up on him from my perspective to uncover the root cause behind his cardiovascular issues. He came back for his follow-up visit two weeks later and we went through his results in detail. The first thing I asked him was whether any of his doctors had mentioned to him that he was prediabetic, based upon a blood test called a hemoglobin A1C, which measures average blood sugar over several months. My patient was shocked; no one had ever told him that. “How can that be? I eat so well!” I then asked him to please go over with me again exactly what he eats in the course of a day.
The Diet
My patient began listing what he consumes on a daily basis: “I eat lots and lots of fruit [which he consumed as mostly fruit juice, multiple times a day] and of course vegetables. My protein comes from soy as well as other beans and legumes and some nuts. I eat lots of healthy whole grains with each meal, like corn, whole wheat breads, pastas, cereals, and plenty of brown rice. I also love all types of potatoes. I eat virtually no fat in my diet, just what’s found in a few nuts and seeds and maybe a drizzle of olive oil here and a teaspoon of flax oil there…but that’s it! I’m very strict.” I explained to him that most of his daily calories were coming solely from carbohydrate sources (even if they were from whole food sources) and that even his protein sources were comprised mostly of carbohydrates—especially the beans and legumes.
