Monthly Archives: September 2008

Are humans meant to be omnivores?

Posted on September 28, 2008 by Dr. Davis

Are humans meant to be omnivores? Does the ideal human diet include animal products like meat, fish, cheese, eggs, and dairy products? Or should the ideal diet be devoid of all animal products?a vegetarian diet? Though the argument is distorted … Continue reading →

Posted in Nutrition | 24 Comments

Are you wheat-free?

Posted on September 24, 2008 by Dr. Davis

According to the recent Heart Scan Blog poll, Are you wheat-free?, the 173 respondents said: Yes, I am free of wheat products. 87 (50%) No, I include wheat products in my diet. 73 (42%) I’m not sure. 1 (0%) I … Continue reading →

Posted in Wheat | 25 Comments

No more canned foods

Posted on September 21, 2008 by Dr. Davis

If you haven’t already caught the news, it’s time to eliminate canned foods and exposure to plastics that contain the chemical, bisphenol A (BPA). A worrisome and unexpected association with heart disease and diabetes has been found. This issue has … Continue reading →

Posted in Bisphenol A | 12 Comments

Add Boston Globe to the list of heart scan blunders

Posted on September 17, 2008 by Dr. Davis

Yet another piece of mass media misinformation hit the airwaves today. This time it’s not from the New York Times or the LA Times, both of which have previously mangled the issues surrounding heart scans. This time it’s from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Heart scans | 15 Comments

What’s worse than sugar?

Posted on September 16, 2008 by Dr. Davis

There are a number of ways to view the blood sugar-raising or insulin-provoking effect of foods. One way is glycemic index (GI), simply a measure of how high blood sugar is raised by a standard quantity of a food compared … Continue reading →

Posted in Wheat | 11 Comments

Are sterols the new trans fat?

Posted on September 13, 2008 by Dr. Davis

By now, I’m sure you’re well-acquainted with the hydrogenated, trans fat issue. Hydrogenation of polyunsaturated oils was a popular practice (and still is) since the 1960s, as food manufacturers sought a substitute for saturated fat. Bubbling high-pressure hydrogen through oils … Continue reading →

Posted in Sterols | 16 Comments

The Diabetes Gold Rush

Posted on September 11, 2008 by Dr. Davis

Lou came into the office. Clearly, his program had gone sour. Lou had initially obtained wonderful control over his heart scan score of 1114, having reversed modestly in his first three years of effort through correction of his multiple causes … Continue reading →

Posted in Diabetes | 9 Comments

What else is there?

Posted on September 7, 2008 by Dr. Davis

This question comes up frequently: Aren’t there any alternatives to heart scans performed on a CT or EBT device? Yes, there are. First of all, heart scans are performed best on an electron-beam CT device (EBT) or a 64-slice multi-detector … Continue reading →

Posted in Heart scans | 11 Comments

Let’s gamble with your health

Posted on September 5, 2008 by Dr. Davis

Let’s play a game. I’m going to list some lipid patterns and you tell me whether or not the person with these values has heart disease. Patient 1 Total cholesterol 150 mg/dlLDL cholesterol 75 mg/dlHDL 50 mg/dlTriglycerides 125 mg/dl Patient … Continue reading →

Posted in Heart scans | 4 Comments

Who knows what

Posted on September 4, 2008 by Dr. Davis

You know that cynical old saying: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. In other words, knowing the right person provides you strategic advantage in business, social advancement, etc. In health, it was often true. Knowing who the … Continue reading →

Posted in Self-directed health | 4 Comments