Plaque is the stuff of coronary heart disease. It is CONTROLLABLE, it is STOPPABLE, it is REVERSIBLE.
But you must be equipped with the right information on diet, nutritional supplements, and hopefully the avoidance of medication.
This is the blog that accompanies the 
Heart Scan Blog reader, Eric, related his blood pressure success story to me:
I’m 34 and have been battling chronic hypertension (systolic 150-200, depending on my anxiety levels) even with multiple prescriptions for over a decade now. I’ve seen four different cardiologists, all stumped as to what is causing my hypertension. First, they suspected coarctation of my aorta [a constriction in the aorta], but an angiogram determined blood pressure readings were the same on both sides of the narrowing.
The second angiogram performed last year to determine if my coarct had worsened determined that it had not, but that my aorta had calcium build up. The cardiologist was stumped because he told me he hasn’t seen calcium in a patient so young. Needless to say, this scared me to death, with my wife being pregnant with our first child. I asked if it could be reversed and he didn’t know so he sent me to get a Berkeley lab.
The Berkeley came back with LDL 91, HDL 41, Triglycerides 73, CRP 4.1, vit D 26. The doctors weren’t very knowledgeable about explaining to me what these meant and how I could correct the low vit D and high CRP. They told me to follow the low-fat diet recommended by Berkeley. Well I’ve already tried the DASH diet and didn’t like how I felt or my energy levels, so I didn’t transition.
I was at a loss until I encountered your blog and it was truly a gift. It was a refreshing feeling to meet a knowledgeable Dr. who knew what I was going through and seems to truly care about reversing calcium in the heart (something I never got from my any of my cardiologists). With your blog I have an appointment to get a heart scan here in CO and take that number along with my Berkeley results and join Track Your Plaque.
For the past 2 weeks I’ve been following your advice by taking a D3+K2 supplement with Omega3 Fish oil and avoiding all grain, wheat, sugar and I’m already down 4lbs to 223.5lbs at 6’5″ tall and my blood pressure readings have been 128/54 and 129/60 the past 2 days! With your help I may not have the dark future my father had: dead at 48 with a massive heart attack.
Stay on the look out because I look forward to telling you how I’m one of your top calcium losers!
Eric, Colorado
Conventional medical care fails at so many levels for so many people. While Eric’s doctors were busy contemplating the next angiogram, they were neglecting several crucial aspects of his health.
It’s really not that tough. But it can mean doing the opposite of what conventional “wisdom” tell us.
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@ Might-o'chondri-AL :
Does that mean japanese people could do bad on a high fat- low carb diet?
Hi Tami,
Blog being Doc Davis' I won't presume to give dietary advice.
If you lay out your reasoning maybe readers will try to work out a good theory with you.
Hi Anne,
My favorite cousin's total cholesterol ran over 300 for years; she's 76 – with medical "help". I think, in the post before this one's comments thread, Doc Davis gives his office phone for arranging paid consultations (a man asked for it). Free internet advice has it's limitations.
Hi Might-o'chondri-AL,
Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately !) I live in the United Kingdom so a telephone consult to the US is out, especially as we can't get the same kinds of tests done in the UK that people in the US can get done – believe me I've tried asking for particle size tests and Lp(a) and asked privately, rather than NHS, and still not been able to get them. Ideally I should be able to ask these questions on a UK forum or blog devoted to heart health, but such a forum doesn't exist so I have to rely on the good will of people like you or Dr Davis. If I can get sufficient information to present to my cardiologist then he will do the necessary, I'm absolutely sure of that, I just need a little bit more info !
@ Anne:
I'd suggest looking for a private lab that tests for as many of the tests as Dr Davis recommends. If Claymon Biominis has branches in the UK, they can do most tests, excluding the advanced lipoprotein testing.
In the meantime, join the Track Your Plaque site, it costs very little and has wonderful resources, an almost overwhelming array, in fact!
When you've got your basic tests done, book a cheap flight to the USA and schedule advanced lipoprotein testing, an appt and a heart scan with Dr Davis. That's my plan.
Good luck!
Hi Anonymous,
Private labs in the United Kingdom won't do any of the tests unless a doctor does a bona fide request form. I have private medical care as well as NHS and I cannot get those tests because even though they would be done privately the doc is not prepared to ask for those tests considering them unnecessary.
Medicine is very different in the UK. Patients are unable to self refer to doctors or to private labs for tests. However, once I have just a little more info – I'm not asking for medical advice at all but just info on how Hyperalphalipoproteinemia is diagnosed – to present to my doctor he will be more likely to look into this.
Doing phone consults to the US or even flying out there and seeing a US doc would not go down at all well with a doc here in the UK – they are unlikely to take any consultation or tests I have in the US seriously. I know that's a pain, but medicine is more tightly regulated here.
The internet is great but it has its limitations
Sorry for wasting peeps time.
O.K. Anne,
I don't want to detail how my cousin's life has gone; there is no way to guess it relates to you. If you are young,around 30, you should consider seeking out a medical opinion now; I hear in U.K. you'll get on a waiting list.
You asked for a symptom for a doctor to look into – your HDL reading is it. IF you already had one who said "never mind & go away" try to see a different doctor for your peace of mind. You can not conclude that you have hyperalphalipoproteinemia just because it might explain your data.
High HDL in Japanesse was originally seen as a sign of longevity. So researchers figured more of a good thing should mean it's even better. Then the genetics of hyperalphalipoproteinemia was found – in some, not all.
Yes..I guess I should just go back and ask the doctor to explain the high HDL then and see what he comes up with then…before I start a stain that is !
very helpful: http://itunes.apple.com/pl/app/bloodnote-blood-pressure-control/id493849490?mt=8