Drug Clears Clogged Arteries

March 13, 2006

By Rob Stein

Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, March 13, 2006

A cholesterol-lowering drug has for the first time been shown to shrink blockages that cause most heart attacks, indicating such pills may offer the first non-surgical way to start to clear clogged arteries.

An international study involving more than 500 patients found that high doses of a " statin " drug began to reverse the buildup, causing dangerous plaques lining the artery walls to recede. Statins are already widely used to prevent or slow heart disease.

" This may be the beginning of a real revolution in the treatment of heart disease, " said E. Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, who led the study released today at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology in Atlanta. " We're not merely slowing down the inexorable progression but truly reversing the disease. It's very exciting. "

While more research is needed to confirm the findings and determine whether the shrinkage will translate into fewer heart attacks and strokes, other researchers said the findings could mark an important step forward in treating heart disease. They predicted the results would accelerate the trend of doctors using cholesterol drugs much more aggressively.

" This is very exciting for those of us who take care of patients, " said S. Blumenthal of s Hopkins University School of Medicine, who wrote an editorial that will accompany the findings in the April 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. " This is the first study showing you can take a pill for two years and get some actual reversal of disease. It really supports aggressive treatment. "

Some experts, however, questioned the findings, saying they were difficult to interpret because the researchers failed to compare patients who received the intensive treatment with those who did not. Consumer advocates have also raised safety concerns about the statin used in the study, Crestor.

Heart disease, the nation's leading killer, occurs when plaques build up inside artery walls. The accumulations can burst, forming clots that block blood flow to the heart and brain, causing heart attacks and strokes. Patients take statins to slow or even stop the narrowing of arteries and can undergo surgical procedures to bypass or reopen clogged arteries. But until now there has been no way to reverse the disease.

" That's always been just a dream -- actually making the disease go away, " Nissen said. In their study, Nissen and his colleagues gave 507 patients in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia with mild to moderate heart disease the maximum dose -- 40 milligrams -- of Crestor. The drug caused low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels to drop from about an average of 130.4 to 60.8, a 53 percent reduction and the biggest drop ever shown in a study. LDL is the " bad cholesterol " that accumulates inside artery walls. At the same time, the patients' high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels rose from an average of 43.1 to 49, a jump of nearly 14.7 percent. HDL is called the " good " cholesterol because it helps remove LDL from the blood.

When the researchers compared the results of ultrasound tests of the arteries of 349 patients before and after two years of treatment they found the volume of plaque inside their arteries had diminished by between 6.9 and 9.1 percent.

" Many people thought, and I was among them, that we really weren't going to be able to reverse the disease with statin drugs. The thinking was if you got the bad cholesterol low enough you wouldn't form new plaque, but you couldn't get rid of the plaque that was already there, " Nissen said. " But we showed you could. I was very surprised. "

The only other study to reduce plaque used a substance that boosted HDL levels. But the effect was much smaller and the drug was much more difficult to administer.

The new study was funded by the drug's maker, AstraZeneca PLC, but was conducted independently, Nissen said.

Although consumer advocates have raised concerns about whether Crestor causes more liver and muscle problems than other statins, Nissen said the drug appeared as safe as other drugs in this class, which are generally considered to be well tolerated.

Other researchers said the findings were promising and add to the growing body of evidence that it is beneficial to drive cholesterol levels as low as possible.

" This is a proof of principle study, " said G. Nabel, director of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. " It adds the next chapter in the story of lowering cholesterol. "

Nabel and others cautioned, however, that it remained to be seen whether shrinking plaque will actually reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes.

" There's no data to determine whether this is associated with a reduction in clinical events like heart attacks, strokes and deaths, " Nabel said. " We just don't know yet. "

It may be the stability of the plaque, not its size, that is important, some experts said.

" The prevailing theory is that what happens is statins make unstable plaque, which tends to rupture, less likely to rupture, and that is the way the benefit is derived, " said I. Cleeman of the National Cholesterol Education Program.

In addition, some researchers criticized the study for failing to compare patients to others taking a placebo or less intensive statins.

" That kind of analysis, where you don't have any kind of control group, is full of potential problems, " said Sacks of the Harvard School of Public Health. " There is no way to know really what is going on. "

Nissen agreed that more research was needed to establish that shrinking plaque translates into saving lives. But he argued that there was good evidence to suspect it would and defended the decision to compare the patients in the study to themselves, saying it was sufficient to demonstrate an effect.

It remains unclear whether other statins would work as well, since Crestor seems particularly potent at decreasing LDL and boosting HDL. To help answer those questions, several studies are testing intensive therapy with other statins alone, in combination with other cholesterol drugs and with drugs that boost HDL levels.

March 14, 2006

Of course Pritikin was doing this - reversing heart disease - thirty

years ago.

More recently Ornish has been doing much the same.

So, I suggest, are people on CRON.

In all of these cases without having to resort to expensive drugs.

These people (the medical profession) really do just love pills,

don't they?

Rodney.

>

> By Rob Stein

> Washington Post Staff Writer

> Monday, March 13, 2006

>

> A cholesterol-lowering drug has for the first time been shown to

shrink

> blockages that cause most heart attacks, indicating such pills may

offer the

> first non-surgical way to start to clear clogged arteries.

>

> An international study involving more than 500 patients found that

high

> doses of a " statin " drug began to reverse the buildup, causing

dangerous

> plaques lining the artery walls to recede. Statins are already

widely used

> to prevent or slow heart disease.

>

> " This may be the beginning of a real revolution in the treatment of

heart

> disease, " said E. Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, who led

the study

> released today at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology in

> Atlanta. " We're not merely slowing down the inexorable progression

but truly

> reversing the disease. It's very exciting. "

>

> While more research is needed to confirm the findings and determine

whether

> the shrinkage will translate into fewer heart attacks and strokes,

other

> researchers said the findings could mark an important step forward

in

> treating heart disease. They predicted the results would accelerate

the

> trend of doctors using cholesterol drugs much more aggressively.

>

> " This is very exciting for those of us who take care of patients, "

said

> S. Blumenthal of s Hopkins University School of Medicine,

who

> wrote an editorial that will accompany the findings in the April 5

issue of

> the Journal of the American Medical Association. " This is the first

study

> showing you can take a pill for two years and get some actual

reversal of

> disease. It really supports aggressive treatment. "

>

> Some experts, however, questioned the findings, saying they were

difficult

> to interpret because the researchers failed to compare patients who

received

> the intensive treatment with those who did not. Consumer advocates

have also

> raised safety concerns about the statin used in the study, Crestor.

>

> Heart disease, the nation's leading killer, occurs when plaques

build up

> inside artery walls. The accumulations can burst, forming clots

that block

> blood flow to the heart and brain, causing heart attacks and

strokes.

> Patients take statins to slow or even stop the narrowing of

arteries and can

> undergo surgical procedures to bypass or reopen clogged arteries.

But until

> now there has been no way to reverse the disease.

>

> " That's always been just a dream -- actually making the disease go

away, "

> Nissen said. In their study, Nissen and his colleagues gave 507

patients in

> the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia with mild to

moderate heart

> disease the maximum dose -- 40 milligrams -- of Crestor. The drug

caused

> low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels to drop from about

an

> average of 130.4 to 60.8, a 53 percent reduction and the biggest

drop ever

> shown in a study. LDL is the " bad cholesterol " that accumulates

inside

> artery walls. At the same time, the patients' high-density

lipoprotein (HDL)

> levels rose from an average of 43.1 to 49, a jump of nearly 14.7

percent.

> HDL is called the " good " cholesterol because it helps remove LDL

from the

> blood.

>

> When the researchers compared the results of ultrasound tests of the

> arteries of 349 patients before and after two years of treatment

they found

> the volume of plaque inside their arteries had diminished by

between 6.9 and

> 9.1 percent.

>

> " Many people thought, and I was among them, that we really weren't

going to

> be able to reverse the disease with statin drugs. The thinking was

if you

> got the bad cholesterol low enough you wouldn't form new plaque,

but you

> couldn't get rid of the plaque that was already there, " Nissen

said. " But we

> showed you could. I was very surprised. "

>

> The only other study to reduce plaque used a substance that boosted

HDL

> levels. But the effect was much smaller and the drug was much more

difficult

> to administer.

>

> The new study was funded by the drug's maker, AstraZeneca PLC, but

was

> conducted independently, Nissen said.

>

> Although consumer advocates have raised concerns about whether

Crestor

> causes more liver and muscle problems than other statins, Nissen

said the

> drug appeared as safe as other drugs in this class, which are

generally

> considered to be well tolerated.

>

> Other researchers said the findings were promising and add to the

growing

> body of evidence that it is beneficial to drive cholesterol levels

as low as

> possible.

>

> " This is a proof of principle study, " said G. Nabel,

director of

> the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. " It adds the next

chapter in

> the story of lowering cholesterol. "

>

> Nabel and others cautioned, however, that it remained to be seen

whether

> shrinking plaque will actually reduce the number of heart attacks

and

> strokes.

>

> " There's no data to determine whether this is associated with a

reduction in

> clinical events like heart attacks, strokes and deaths, " Nabel

said. " We

> just don't know yet. "

>

> It may be the stability of the plaque, not its size, that is

important, some

> experts said.

>

> " The prevailing theory is that what happens is statins make

unstable plaque,

> which tends to rupture, less likely to rupture, and that is the way

the

> benefit is derived, " said I. Cleeman of the National

Cholesterol

> Education Program.

>

> In addition, some researchers criticized the study for failing to

compare

> patients to others taking a placebo or less intensive statins.

>

> " That kind of analysis, where you don't have any kind of control

group, is

> full of potential problems, " said Sacks of the Harvard School

of

> Public Health. " There is no way to know really what is going on. "

>

> Nissen agreed that more research was needed to establish that

shrinking

> plaque translates into saving lives. But he argued that there was

good

> evidence to suspect it would and defended the decision to compare

the

> patients in the study to themselves, saying it was sufficient to

demonstrate

> an effect.

>

> It remains unclear whether other statins would work as well, since

Crestor

> seems particularly potent at decreasing LDL and boosting HDL. To

help answer

> those questions, several studies are testing intensive therapy with

other

> statins alone, in combination with other cholesterol drugs and with

drugs

> that boost HDL levels.

>

March 14, 2006

Of course Pritikin was doing this - reversing heart disease - thirty

years ago.

More recently Ornish has been doing much the same.

So, I suggest, are people on CRON.

In all of these cases without having to resort to expensive drugs.

These people (the medical profession) really do just love pills,

don't they?

Rodney.

>

> By Rob Stein

> Washington Post Staff Writer

> Monday, March 13, 2006

>

> A cholesterol-lowering drug has for the first time been shown to

shrink

> blockages that cause most heart attacks, indicating such pills may

offer the

> first non-surgical way to start to clear clogged arteries.

>

> An international study involving more than 500 patients found that

high

> doses of a " statin " drug began to reverse the buildup, causing

dangerous

> plaques lining the artery walls to recede. Statins are already

widely used

> to prevent or slow heart disease.

>

> " This may be the beginning of a real revolution in the treatment of

heart

> disease, " said E. Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, who led

the study

> released today at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology in

> Atlanta. " We're not merely slowing down the inexorable progression

but truly

> reversing the disease. It's very exciting. "

>

> While more research is needed to confirm the findings and determine

whether

> the shrinkage will translate into fewer heart attacks and strokes,

other

> researchers said the findings could mark an important step forward

in

> treating heart disease. They predicted the results would accelerate

the

> trend of doctors using cholesterol drugs much more aggressively.

>

> " This is very exciting for those of us who take care of patients, "

said

> S. Blumenthal of s Hopkins University School of Medicine,

who

> wrote an editorial that will accompany the findings in the April 5

issue of

> the Journal of the American Medical Association. " This is the first

study

> showing you can take a pill for two years and get some actual

reversal of

> disease. It really supports aggressive treatment. "

>

> Some experts, however, questioned the findings, saying they were

difficult

> to interpret because the researchers failed to compare patients who

received

> the intensive treatment with those who did not. Consumer advocates

have also

> raised safety concerns about the statin used in the study, Crestor.

>

> Heart disease, the nation's leading killer, occurs when plaques

build up

> inside artery walls. The accumulations can burst, forming clots

that block

> blood flow to the heart and brain, causing heart attacks and

strokes.

> Patients take statins to slow or even stop the narrowing of

arteries and can

> undergo surgical procedures to bypass or reopen clogged arteries.

But until

> now there has been no way to reverse the disease.

>

> " That's always been just a dream -- actually making the disease go

away, "

> Nissen said. In their study, Nissen and his colleagues gave 507

patients in

> the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia with mild to

moderate heart

> disease the maximum dose -- 40 milligrams -- of Crestor. The drug

caused

> low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels to drop from about

an

> average of 130.4 to 60.8, a 53 percent reduction and the biggest

drop ever

> shown in a study. LDL is the " bad cholesterol " that accumulates

inside

> artery walls. At the same time, the patients' high-density

lipoprotein (HDL)

> levels rose from an average of 43.1 to 49, a jump of nearly 14.7

percent.

> HDL is called the " good " cholesterol because it helps remove LDL

from the

> blood.

>

> When the researchers compared the results of ultrasound tests of the

> arteries of 349 patients before and after two years of treatment

they found

> the volume of plaque inside their arteries had diminished by

between 6.9 and

> 9.1 percent.

>

> " Many people thought, and I was among them, that we really weren't

going to

> be able to reverse the disease with statin drugs. The thinking was

if you

> got the bad cholesterol low enough you wouldn't form new plaque,

but you

> couldn't get rid of the plaque that was already there, " Nissen

said. " But we

> showed you could. I was very surprised. "

>

> The only other study to reduce plaque used a substance that boosted

HDL

> levels. But the effect was much smaller and the drug was much more

difficult

> to administer.

>

> The new study was funded by the drug's maker, AstraZeneca PLC, but

was

> conducted independently, Nissen said.

>

> Although consumer advocates have raised concerns about whether

Crestor

> causes more liver and muscle problems than other statins, Nissen

said the

> drug appeared as safe as other drugs in this class, which are

generally

> considered to be well tolerated.

>

> Other researchers said the findings were promising and add to the

growing

> body of evidence that it is beneficial to drive cholesterol levels

as low as

> possible.

>

> " This is a proof of principle study, " said G. Nabel,

director of

> the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. " It adds the next

chapter in

> the story of lowering cholesterol. "

>

> Nabel and others cautioned, however, that it remained to be seen

whether

> shrinking plaque will actually reduce the number of heart attacks

and

> strokes.

>

> " There's no data to determine whether this is associated with a

reduction in

> clinical events like heart attacks, strokes and deaths, " Nabel

said. " We

> just don't know yet. "

>

> It may be the stability of the plaque, not its size, that is

important, some

> experts said.

>

> " The prevailing theory is that what happens is statins make

unstable plaque,

> which tends to rupture, less likely to rupture, and that is the way

the

> benefit is derived, " said I. Cleeman of the National

Cholesterol

> Education Program.

>

> In addition, some researchers criticized the study for failing to

compare

> patients to others taking a placebo or less intensive statins.

>

> " That kind of analysis, where you don't have any kind of control

group, is

> full of potential problems, " said Sacks of the Harvard School

of

> Public Health. " There is no way to know really what is going on. "

>

> Nissen agreed that more research was needed to establish that

shrinking

> plaque translates into saving lives. But he argued that there was

good

> evidence to suspect it would and defended the decision to compare

the

> patients in the study to themselves, saying it was sufficient to

demonstrate

> an effect.

>

> It remains unclear whether other statins would work as well, since

Crestor

> seems particularly potent at decreasing LDL and boosting HDL. To

help answer

> those questions, several studies are testing intensive therapy with

other

> statins alone, in combination with other cholesterol drugs and with

drugs

> that boost HDL levels.

>

March 14, 2006

Yes Rodney (LOL) they do! - and Pritikin's methods back then were not

recognized or given credibility by most. Probably called

'pseudo-science' do you think?

Then there are the side effects of Crestor - NOT good, it appears. But

that allows the option and probability of prescribing more expensive

pills (that 'these people' love) to hopefully suppress those side

effects!

Genesa

> >

> > By Rob Stein

> > Washington Post Staff Writer

> > Monday, March 13, 2006

> >

> > A cholesterol-lowering drug has for the first time been shown to

> shrink

> > blockages that cause most heart attacks, indicating such pills may

> offer the

> > first non-surgical way to start to clear clogged arteries.

> >

> > An international study involving more than 500 patients found that

> high

> > doses of a " statin " drug began to reverse the buildup, causing

> dangerous

> > plaques lining the artery walls to recede. Statins are already

> widely used

> > to prevent or slow heart disease.

> >

> > " This may be the beginning of a real revolution in the treatment of

> heart

> > disease, " said E. Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, who led

> the study

> > released today at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology in

> > Atlanta. " We're not merely slowing down the inexorable progression

> but truly

> > reversing the disease. It's very exciting. "

> >

> > While more research is needed to confirm the findings and determine

> whether

> > the shrinkage will translate into fewer heart attacks and strokes,

> other

> > researchers said the findings could mark an important step forward

> in

> > treating heart disease. They predicted the results would accelerate

> the

> > trend of doctors using cholesterol drugs much more aggressively.

> >

> > " This is very exciting for those of us who take care of patients, "

> said

> > S. Blumenthal of s Hopkins University School of Medicine,

> who

> > wrote an editorial that will accompany the findings in the April 5

> issue of

> > the Journal of the American Medical Association. " This is the first

> study

> > showing you can take a pill for two years and get some actual

> reversal of

> > disease. It really supports aggressive treatment. "

> >

> > Some experts, however, questioned the findings, saying they were

> difficult

> > to interpret because the researchers failed to compare patients who

> received

> > the intensive treatment with those who did not. Consumer advocates

> have also

> > raised safety concerns about the statin used in the study, Crestor.

> >

> > Heart disease, the nation's leading killer, occurs when plaques

> build up

> > inside artery walls. The accumulations can burst, forming clots

> that block

> > blood flow to the heart and brain, causing heart attacks and

> strokes.

> > Patients take statins to slow or even stop the narrowing of

> arteries and can

> > undergo surgical procedures to bypass or reopen clogged arteries.

> But until

> > now there has been no way to reverse the disease.

> >

> > " That's always been just a dream -- actually making the disease go

> away, "

> > Nissen said. In their study, Nissen and his colleagues gave 507

> patients in

> > the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia with mild to

> moderate heart

> > disease the maximum dose -- 40 milligrams -- of Crestor. The drug

> caused

> > low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels to drop from about

> an

> > average of 130.4 to 60.8, a 53 percent reduction and the biggest

> drop ever

> > shown in a study. LDL is the " bad cholesterol " that accumulates

> inside

> > artery walls. At the same time, the patients' high-density

> lipoprotein (HDL)

> > levels rose from an average of 43.1 to 49, a jump of nearly 14.7

> percent.

> > HDL is called the " good " cholesterol because it helps remove LDL

> from the

> > blood.

> >

> > When the researchers compared the results of ultrasound tests of the

> > arteries of 349 patients before and after two years of treatment

> they found

> > the volume of plaque inside their arteries had diminished by

> between 6.9 and

> > 9.1 percent.

> >

> > " Many people thought, and I was among them, that we really weren't

> going to

> > be able to reverse the disease with statin drugs. The thinking was

> if you

> > got the bad cholesterol low enough you wouldn't form new plaque,

> but you

> > couldn't get rid of the plaque that was already there, " Nissen

> said. " But we

> > showed you could. I was very surprised. "

> >

> > The only other study to reduce plaque used a substance that boosted

> HDL

> > levels. But the effect was much smaller and the drug was much more

> difficult

> > to administer.

> >

> > The new study was funded by the drug's maker, AstraZeneca PLC, but

> was

> > conducted independently, Nissen said.

> >

> > Although consumer advocates have raised concerns about whether

> Crestor

> > causes more liver and muscle problems than other statins, Nissen

> said the

> > drug appeared as safe as other drugs in this class, which are

> generally

> > considered to be well tolerated.

> >

> > Other researchers said the findings were promising and add to the

> growing

> > body of evidence that it is beneficial to drive cholesterol levels

> as low as

> > possible.

> >

> > " This is a proof of principle study, " said G. Nabel,

> director of

> > the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. " It adds the next

> chapter in

> > the story of lowering cholesterol. "

> >

> > Nabel and others cautioned, however, that it remained to be seen

> whether

> > shrinking plaque will actually reduce the number of heart attacks

> and

> > strokes.

> >

> > " There's no data to determine whether this is associated with a

> reduction in

> > clinical events like heart attacks, strokes and deaths, " Nabel

> said. " We

> > just don't know yet. "

> >

> > It may be the stability of the plaque, not its size, that is

> important, some

> > experts said.

> >

> > " The prevailing theory is that what happens is statins make

> unstable plaque,

> > which tends to rupture, less likely to rupture, and that is the way

> the

> > benefit is derived, " said I. Cleeman of the National

> Cholesterol

> > Education Program.

> >

> > In addition, some researchers criticized the study for failing to

> compare

> > patients to others taking a placebo or less intensive statins.

> >

> > " That kind of analysis, where you don't have any kind of control

> group, is

> > full of potential problems, " said Sacks of the Harvard School

> of

> > Public Health. " There is no way to know really what is going on. "

> >

> > Nissen agreed that more research was needed to establish that

> shrinking

> > plaque translates into saving lives. But he argued that there was

> good

> > evidence to suspect it would and defended the decision to compare

> the

> > patients in the study to themselves, saying it was sufficient to

> demonstrate

> > an effect.

> >

> > It remains unclear whether other statins would work as well, since

> Crestor

> > seems particularly potent at decreasing LDL and boosting HDL. To

> help answer

> > those questions, several studies are testing intensive therapy with

> other

> > statins alone, in combination with other cholesterol drugs and with

> drugs

> > that boost HDL levels.

> >

>

March 14, 2006

Yes Rodney (LOL) they do! - and Pritikin's methods back then were not

recognized or given credibility by most. Probably called

'pseudo-science' do you think?

Then there are the side effects of Crestor - NOT good, it appears. But

that allows the option and probability of prescribing more expensive

pills (that 'these people' love) to hopefully suppress those side

effects!

Genesa

> >

> > By Rob Stein

> > Washington Post Staff Writer

> > Monday, March 13, 2006

> >

> > A cholesterol-lowering drug has for the first time been shown to

> shrink

> > blockages that cause most heart attacks, indicating such pills may

> offer the

> > first non-surgical way to start to clear clogged arteries.

> >

> > An international study involving more than 500 patients found that

> high

> > doses of a " statin " drug began to reverse the buildup, causing

> dangerous

> > plaques lining the artery walls to recede. Statins are already

> widely used

> > to prevent or slow heart disease.

> >

> > " This may be the beginning of a real revolution in the treatment of

> heart

> > disease, " said E. Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, who led

> the study

> > released today at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology in

> > Atlanta. " We're not merely slowing down the inexorable progression

> but truly

> > reversing the disease. It's very exciting. "

> >

> > While more research is needed to confirm the findings and determine

> whether

> > the shrinkage will translate into fewer heart attacks and strokes,

> other

> > researchers said the findings could mark an important step forward

> in

> > treating heart disease. They predicted the results would accelerate

> the

> > trend of doctors using cholesterol drugs much more aggressively.

> >

> > " This is very exciting for those of us who take care of patients, "

> said

> > S. Blumenthal of s Hopkins University School of Medicine,

> who

> > wrote an editorial that will accompany the findings in the April 5

> issue of

> > the Journal of the American Medical Association. " This is the first

> study

> > showing you can take a pill for two years and get some actual

> reversal of

> > disease. It really supports aggressive treatment. "

> >

> > Some experts, however, questioned the findings, saying they were

> difficult

> > to interpret because the researchers failed to compare patients who

> received

> > the intensive treatment with those who did not. Consumer advocates

> have also

> > raised safety concerns about the statin used in the study, Crestor.

> >

> > Heart disease, the nation's leading killer, occurs when plaques

> build up

> > inside artery walls. The accumulations can burst, forming clots

> that block

> > blood flow to the heart and brain, causing heart attacks and

> strokes.

> > Patients take statins to slow or even stop the narrowing of

> arteries and can

> > undergo surgical procedures to bypass or reopen clogged arteries.

> But until

> > now there has been no way to reverse the disease.

> >

> > " That's always been just a dream -- actually making the disease go

> away, "

> > Nissen said. In their study, Nissen and his colleagues gave 507

> patients in

> > the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia with mild to

> moderate heart

> > disease the maximum dose -- 40 milligrams -- of Crestor. The drug

> caused

> > low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels to drop from about

> an

> > average of 130.4 to 60.8, a 53 percent reduction and the biggest

> drop ever

> > shown in a study. LDL is the " bad cholesterol " that accumulates

> inside

> > artery walls. At the same time, the patients' high-density

> lipoprotein (HDL)

> > levels rose from an average of 43.1 to 49, a jump of nearly 14.7

> percent.

> > HDL is called the " good " cholesterol because it helps remove LDL

> from the

> > blood.

> >

> > When the researchers compared the results of ultrasound tests of the

> > arteries of 349 patients before and after two years of treatment

> they found

> > the volume of plaque inside their arteries had diminished by

> between 6.9 and

> > 9.1 percent.

> >

> > " Many people thought, and I was among them, that we really weren't

> going to

> > be able to reverse the disease with statin drugs. The thinking was

> if you

> > got the bad cholesterol low enough you wouldn't form new plaque,

> but you

> > couldn't get rid of the plaque that was already there, " Nissen

> said. " But we

> > showed you could. I was very surprised. "

> >

> > The only other study to reduce plaque used a substance that boosted

> HDL

> > levels. But the effect was much smaller and the drug was much more

> difficult

> > to administer.

> >

> > The new study was funded by the drug's maker, AstraZeneca PLC, but

> was

> > conducted independently, Nissen said.

> >

> > Although consumer advocates have raised concerns about whether

> Crestor

> > causes more liver and muscle problems than other statins, Nissen

> said the

> > drug appeared as safe as other drugs in this class, which are

> generally

> > considered to be well tolerated.

> >

> > Other researchers said the findings were promising and add to the

> growing

> > body of evidence that it is beneficial to drive cholesterol levels

> as low as

> > possible.

> >

> > " This is a proof of principle study, " said G. Nabel,

> director of

> > the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. " It adds the next

> chapter in

> > the story of lowering cholesterol. "

> >

> > Nabel and others cautioned, however, that it remained to be seen

> whether

> > shrinking plaque will actually reduce the number of heart attacks

> and

> > strokes.

> >

> > " There's no data to determine whether this is associated with a

> reduction in

> > clinical events like heart attacks, strokes and deaths, " Nabel

> said. " We

> > just don't know yet. "

> >

> > It may be the stability of the plaque, not its size, that is

> important, some

> > experts said.

> >

> > " The prevailing theory is that what happens is statins make

> unstable plaque,

> > which tends to rupture, less likely to rupture, and that is the way

> the

> > benefit is derived, " said I. Cleeman of the National

> Cholesterol

> > Education Program.

> >

> > In addition, some researchers criticized the study for failing to

> compare

> > patients to others taking a placebo or less intensive statins.

> >

> > " That kind of analysis, where you don't have any kind of control

> group, is

> > full of potential problems, " said Sacks of the Harvard School

> of

> > Public Health. " There is no way to know really what is going on. "

> >

> > Nissen agreed that more research was needed to establish that

> shrinking

> > plaque translates into saving lives. But he argued that there was

> good

> > evidence to suspect it would and defended the decision to compare

> the

> > patients in the study to themselves, saying it was sufficient to

> demonstrate

> > an effect.

> >

> > It remains unclear whether other statins would work as well, since

> Crestor

> > seems particularly potent at decreasing LDL and boosting HDL. To

> help answer

> > those questions, several studies are testing intensive therapy with

> other

> > statins alone, in combination with other cholesterol drugs and with

> drugs

> > that boost HDL levels.

> >

>

March 14, 2006

Hi folks:

Here's a nice little recommended drug combination that, it has

finally been determined, doubles the incidence of death from heart

disease and stroke:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,187700,00.html

The above is another example of what these days is regarded

as 'conservative' medicine, along with quadruple bypass heart

surgery, while, as Ornish has more than once pointed out, advocating

a change in lifestyle is characterized by these people as 'radical'.

Nutz.

Rodney.

> >

> > By Rob Stein

> > Washington Post Staff Writer

> > Monday, March 13, 2006

> >

> > A cholesterol-lowering drug has for the first time been shown to

> shrink

> > blockages that cause most heart attacks, indicating such pills

may

> offer the

> > first non-surgical way to start to clear clogged arteries.

> >

> > An international study involving more than 500 patients found

that

> high

> > doses of a " statin " drug began to reverse the buildup, causing

> dangerous

> > plaques lining the artery walls to recede. Statins are already

> widely used

> > to prevent or slow heart disease.

> >

> > " This may be the beginning of a real revolution in the treatment

of

> heart

> > disease, " said E. Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, who led

> the study

> > released today at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology

in

> > Atlanta. " We're not merely slowing down the inexorable

progression

> but truly

> > reversing the disease. It's very exciting. "

> >

> > While more research is needed to confirm the findings and

determine

> whether

> > the shrinkage will translate into fewer heart attacks and

strokes,

> other

> > researchers said the findings could mark an important step

forward

> in

> > treating heart disease. They predicted the results would

accelerate

> the

> > trend of doctors using cholesterol drugs much more aggressively.

> >

> > " This is very exciting for those of us who take care of

patients, "

> said

> > S. Blumenthal of s Hopkins University School of

Medicine,

> who

> > wrote an editorial that will accompany the findings in the April

5

> issue of

> > the Journal of the American Medical Association. " This is the

first

> study

> > showing you can take a pill for two years and get some actual

> reversal of

> > disease. It really supports aggressive treatment. "

> >

> > Some experts, however, questioned the findings, saying they were

> difficult

> > to interpret because the researchers failed to compare patients

who

> received

> > the intensive treatment with those who did not. Consumer

advocates

> have also

> > raised safety concerns about the statin used in the study,

Crestor.

> >

> > Heart disease, the nation's leading killer, occurs when plaques

> build up

> > inside artery walls. The accumulations can burst, forming clots

> that block

> > blood flow to the heart and brain, causing heart attacks and

> strokes.

> > Patients take statins to slow or even stop the narrowing of

> arteries and can

> > undergo surgical procedures to bypass or reopen clogged arteries.

> But until

> > now there has been no way to reverse the disease.

> >

> > " That's always been just a dream -- actually making the disease

go

> away, "

> > Nissen said. In their study, Nissen and his colleagues gave 507

> patients in

> > the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia with mild to

> moderate heart

> > disease the maximum dose -- 40 milligrams -- of Crestor. The drug

> caused

> > low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels to drop from

about

> an

> > average of 130.4 to 60.8, a 53 percent reduction and the biggest

> drop ever

> > shown in a study. LDL is the " bad cholesterol " that accumulates

> inside

> > artery walls. At the same time, the patients' high-density

> lipoprotein (HDL)

> > levels rose from an average of 43.1 to 49, a jump of nearly 14.7

> percent.

> > HDL is called the " good " cholesterol because it helps remove LDL

> from the

> > blood.

> >

> > When the researchers compared the results of ultrasound tests of

the

> > arteries of 349 patients before and after two years of treatment

> they found

> > the volume of plaque inside their arteries had diminished by

> between 6.9 and

> > 9.1 percent.

> >

> > " Many people thought, and I was among them, that we really

weren't

> going to

> > be able to reverse the disease with statin drugs. The thinking

was

> if you

> > got the bad cholesterol low enough you wouldn't form new plaque,

> but you

> > couldn't get rid of the plaque that was already there, " Nissen

> said. " But we

> > showed you could. I was very surprised. "

> >

> > The only other study to reduce plaque used a substance that

boosted

> HDL

> > levels. But the effect was much smaller and the drug was much

more

> difficult

> > to administer.

> >

> > The new study was funded by the drug's maker, AstraZeneca PLC,

but

> was

> > conducted independently, Nissen said.

> >

> > Although consumer advocates have raised concerns about whether

> Crestor

> > causes more liver and muscle problems than other statins, Nissen

> said the

> > drug appeared as safe as other drugs in this class, which are

> generally

> > considered to be well tolerated.

> >

> > Other researchers said the findings were promising and add to the

> growing

> > body of evidence that it is beneficial to drive cholesterol

levels

> as low as

> > possible.

> >

> > " This is a proof of principle study, " said G. Nabel,

> director of

> > the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. " It adds the next

> chapter in

> > the story of lowering cholesterol. "

> >

> > Nabel and others cautioned, however, that it remained to be seen

> whether

> > shrinking plaque will actually reduce the number of heart attacks

> and

> > strokes.

> >

> > " There's no data to determine whether this is associated with a

> reduction in

> > clinical events like heart attacks, strokes and deaths, " Nabel

> said. " We

> > just don't know yet. "

> >

> > It may be the stability of the plaque, not its size, that is

> important, some

> > experts said.

> >

> > " The prevailing theory is that what happens is statins make

> unstable plaque,

> > which tends to rupture, less likely to rupture, and that is the

way

> the

> > benefit is derived, " said I. Cleeman of the National

> Cholesterol

> > Education Program.

> >

> > In addition, some researchers criticized the study for failing to

> compare

> > patients to others taking a placebo or less intensive statins.

> >

> > " That kind of analysis, where you don't have any kind of control

> group, is

> > full of potential problems, " said Sacks of the Harvard

School

> of

> > Public Health. " There is no way to know really what is going on. "

> >

> > Nissen agreed that more research was needed to establish that

> shrinking

> > plaque translates into saving lives. But he argued that there was

> good

> > evidence to suspect it would and defended the decision to compare

> the

> > patients in the study to themselves, saying it was sufficient to

> demonstrate

> > an effect.

> >

> > It remains unclear whether other statins would work as well,

since

> Crestor

> > seems particularly potent at decreasing LDL and boosting HDL. To

> help answer

> > those questions, several studies are testing intensive therapy

with

> other

> > statins alone, in combination with other cholesterol drugs and

with

> drugs

> > that boost HDL levels.

> >

>

March 14, 2006

Hi folks:

Here's a nice little recommended drug combination that, it has

finally been determined, doubles the incidence of death from heart

disease and stroke:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,187700,00.html

The above is another example of what these days is regarded

as 'conservative' medicine, along with quadruple bypass heart

surgery, while, as Ornish has more than once pointed out, advocating

a change in lifestyle is characterized by these people as 'radical'.

Nutz.

Rodney.

> >

> > By Rob Stein

> > Washington Post Staff Writer

> > Monday, March 13, 2006

> >

> > A cholesterol-lowering drug has for the first time been shown to

> shrink

> > blockages that cause most heart attacks, indicating such pills

may

> offer the

> > first non-surgical way to start to clear clogged arteries.

> >

> > An international study involving more than 500 patients found

that

> high

> > doses of a " statin " drug began to reverse the buildup, causing

> dangerous

> > plaques lining the artery walls to recede. Statins are already

> widely used

> > to prevent or slow heart disease.

> >

> > " This may be the beginning of a real revolution in the treatment

of

> heart

> > disease, " said E. Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, who led

> the study

> > released today at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology

in

> > Atlanta. " We're not merely slowing down the inexorable

progression

> but truly

> > reversing the disease. It's very exciting. "

> >

> > While more research is needed to confirm the findings and

determine

> whether

> > the shrinkage will translate into fewer heart attacks and

strokes,

> other

> > researchers said the findings could mark an important step

forward

> in

> > treating heart disease. They predicted the results would

accelerate

> the

> > trend of doctors using cholesterol drugs much more aggressively.

> >

> > " This is very exciting for those of us who take care of

patients, "

> said

> > S. Blumenthal of s Hopkins University School of

Medicine,

> who

> > wrote an editorial that will accompany the findings in the April

5

> issue of

> > the Journal of the American Medical Association. " This is the

first

> study

> > showing you can take a pill for two years and get some actual

> reversal of

> > disease. It really supports aggressive treatment. "

> >

> > Some experts, however, questioned the findings, saying they were

> difficult

> > to interpret because the researchers failed to compare patients

who

> received

> > the intensive treatment with those who did not. Consumer

advocates

> have also

> > raised safety concerns about the statin used in the study,

Crestor.

> >

> > Heart disease, the nation's leading killer, occurs when plaques

> build up

> > inside artery walls. The accumulations can burst, forming clots

> that block

> > blood flow to the heart and brain, causing heart attacks and

> strokes.

> > Patients take statins to slow or even stop the narrowing of

> arteries and can

> > undergo surgical procedures to bypass or reopen clogged arteries.

> But until

> > now there has been no way to reverse the disease.

> >

> > " That's always been just a dream -- actually making the disease

go

> away, "

> > Nissen said. In their study, Nissen and his colleagues gave 507

> patients in

> > the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia with mild to

> moderate heart

> > disease the maximum dose -- 40 milligrams -- of Crestor. The drug

> caused

> > low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels to drop from

about

> an

> > average of 130.4 to 60.8, a 53 percent reduction and the biggest

> drop ever

> > shown in a study. LDL is the " bad cholesterol " that accumulates

> inside

> > artery walls. At the same time, the patients' high-density

> lipoprotein (HDL)

> > levels rose from an average of 43.1 to 49, a jump of nearly 14.7

> percent.

> > HDL is called the " good " cholesterol because it helps remove LDL

> from the

> > blood.

> >

> > When the researchers compared the results of ultrasound tests of

the

> > arteries of 349 patients before and after two years of treatment

> they found

> > the volume of plaque inside their arteries had diminished by

> between 6.9 and

> > 9.1 percent.

> >

> > " Many people thought, and I was among them, that we really

weren't

> going to

> > be able to reverse the disease with statin drugs. The thinking

was

> if you

> > got the bad cholesterol low enough you wouldn't form new plaque,

> but you

> > couldn't get rid of the plaque that was already there, " Nissen

> said. " But we

> > showed you could. I was very surprised. "

> >

> > The only other study to reduce plaque used a substance that

boosted

> HDL

> > levels. But the effect was much smaller and the drug was much

more

> difficult

> > to administer.

> >

> > The new study was funded by the drug's maker, AstraZeneca PLC,

but

> was

> > conducted independently, Nissen said.

> >

> > Although consumer advocates have raised concerns about whether

> Crestor

> > causes more liver and muscle problems than other statins, Nissen

> said the

> > drug appeared as safe as other drugs in this class, which are

> generally

> > considered to be well tolerated.

> >

> > Other researchers said the findings were promising and add to the

> growing

> > body of evidence that it is beneficial to drive cholesterol

levels

> as low as

> > possible.

> >

> > " This is a proof of principle study, " said G. Nabel,

> director of

> > the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. " It adds the next

> chapter in

> > the story of lowering cholesterol. "

> >

> > Nabel and others cautioned, however, that it remained to be seen

> whether

> > shrinking plaque will actually reduce the number of heart attacks

> and

> > strokes.

> >

> > " There's no data to determine whether this is associated with a

> reduction in

> > clinical events like heart attacks, strokes and deaths, " Nabel

> said. " We

> > just don't know yet. "

> >

> > It may be the stability of the plaque, not its size, that is

> important, some

> > experts said.

> >

> > " The prevailing theory is that what happens is statins make

> unstable plaque,

> > which tends to rupture, less likely to rupture, and that is the

way

> the

> > benefit is derived, " said I. Cleeman of the National

> Cholesterol

> > Education Program.

> >

> > In addition, some researchers criticized the study for failing to

> compare

> > patients to others taking a placebo or less intensive statins.

> >

> > " That kind of analysis, where you don't have any kind of control

> group, is

> > full of potential problems, " said Sacks of the Harvard

School

> of

> > Public Health. " There is no way to know really what is going on. "

> >

> > Nissen agreed that more research was needed to establish that

> shrinking

> > plaque translates into saving lives. But he argued that there was

> good

> > evidence to suspect it would and defended the decision to compare

> the

> > patients in the study to themselves, saying it was sufficient to

> demonstrate

> > an effect.

> >

> > It remains unclear whether other statins would work as well,

since

> Crestor

> > seems particularly potent at decreasing LDL and boosting HDL. To

> help answer

> > those questions, several studies are testing intensive therapy

with

> other

> > statins alone, in combination with other cholesterol drugs and

with

> drugs

> > that boost HDL levels.

> >

>

March 14, 2006

Just to give due respect where it is due...

We developed our program after the work of a Dr Lester on, a

cardiologist in CA, who published a study in the JAMA back in the early

60s on the low fat diet and CVD. Also, the work or Walter Kempner, the

originator of the Rice Diet, also published quiet a bit in the 50s.

on LM. " Diet in coronary atherosclerosis. " JAMA 173 (1960):

884-888.

Dr on also wrote a book to inform the public directly called The

Low-Fat Way to Health and Longer Life (Prentice-Hall, 1958).

KOFFLER M. Ambulatory treatment of hypertension with the Kempner rice

diet.Harefuah. 1955 Aug 1;49(3):45-7.

NEWBORG B, KEMPNER W.

Analysis of 177 cases of hypertensive vascular disease with papilledema;

one hundred twenty-six patients treated with rice diet.

Am J Med. 1955 Jul;19(1):33-47.

KEMPNER W, PRESCHEL E, BLACKSCHAFFER B.

Effect of diet on experimental hypertension and on the development of

polyarteritis nodosa in rats.

Circ Res. 1955 Jan;3(1):73-8. .

KEMPNER W. Radical dietary treatment of hypertensive and

arteriosclerotic vascular disease, heart and kidney disease, and

vascular retinopathy.

GP. 1954 Mar;9(3):71-92.

KEMPNER W. [Effect of rice diet in experimental hypertension and in

patients with heart, kidney and vascular diseases.]

Z Klin Med. 1954;152(4):328-45. .

BLOCH J. [Rice-fruit diet in hypertension (Kempner ricediet); metabolic

and clinical aspects.] Wien Med Wochenschr. 1950 Oct

21;100(39-40):672-5.

PMID: 14788827 [PubMed - OLDMEDLINE for Pre1966]

WATKIN DM, FROEB HG, HATCH FT, GUTMAN AB.

Effects of diet in essential hypertension. II. Results with unmodified

Kempner rice diet in 50 hospitalized patients.Am J Med. 1950

Oct;9(4):441-93.

WILLIAMSON CR. Observations on the management of hypertension by the

Kempner rice diet.N Engl J Med. 1950 Aug 3;243(5):177-82.

WESTON RE, HELLMAN L, ESCHER DJ, EDELMAN IS, GROSSMAN J, LEITER L.

Studies on the influence of the low sodium cardiac diet and the Kempner

regimen on renal hemodynamics and electrolyte excretion in hypertensive

subjects.J Clin Invest. 1950 Jun;29(6):639-50.

KEMPNER W. Treatment of heart and kidney disease and of hypertensive and

arteriosclerotic vascular disease with the rice diet.Ann Intern Med.

1949 Nov;31(5):821-56, illust.

March 14, 2006

Just to give due respect where it is due...

We developed our program after the work of a Dr Lester on, a

cardiologist in CA, who published a study in the JAMA back in the early

60s on the low fat diet and CVD. Also, the work or Walter Kempner, the

originator of the Rice Diet, also published quiet a bit in the 50s.

on LM. " Diet in coronary atherosclerosis. " JAMA 173 (1960):

884-888.

Dr on also wrote a book to inform the public directly called The

Low-Fat Way to Health and Longer Life (Prentice-Hall, 1958).

KOFFLER M. Ambulatory treatment of hypertension with the Kempner rice

diet.Harefuah. 1955 Aug 1;49(3):45-7.

NEWBORG B, KEMPNER W.

Analysis of 177 cases of hypertensive vascular disease with papilledema;

one hundred twenty-six patients treated with rice diet.

Am J Med. 1955 Jul;19(1):33-47.

KEMPNER W, PRESCHEL E, BLACKSCHAFFER B.

Effect of diet on experimental hypertension and on the development of

polyarteritis nodosa in rats.

Circ Res. 1955 Jan;3(1):73-8. .

KEMPNER W. Radical dietary treatment of hypertensive and

arteriosclerotic vascular disease, heart and kidney disease, and

vascular retinopathy.

GP. 1954 Mar;9(3):71-92.

KEMPNER W. [Effect of rice diet in experimental hypertension and in

patients with heart, kidney and vascular diseases.]

Z Klin Med. 1954;152(4):328-45. .

BLOCH J. [Rice-fruit diet in hypertension (Kempner ricediet); metabolic

and clinical aspects.] Wien Med Wochenschr. 1950 Oct

21;100(39-40):672-5.

PMID: 14788827 [PubMed - OLDMEDLINE for Pre1966]

WATKIN DM, FROEB HG, HATCH FT, GUTMAN AB.

Effects of diet in essential hypertension. II. Results with unmodified

Kempner rice diet in 50 hospitalized patients.Am J Med. 1950

Oct;9(4):441-93.

WILLIAMSON CR. Observations on the management of hypertension by the

Kempner rice diet.N Engl J Med. 1950 Aug 3;243(5):177-82.

WESTON RE, HELLMAN L, ESCHER DJ, EDELMAN IS, GROSSMAN J, LEITER L.

Studies on the influence of the low sodium cardiac diet and the Kempner

regimen on renal hemodynamics and electrolyte excretion in hypertensive

subjects.J Clin Invest. 1950 Jun;29(6):639-50.

KEMPNER W. Treatment of heart and kidney disease and of hypertensive and

arteriosclerotic vascular disease with the rice diet.Ann Intern Med.

1949 Nov;31(5):821-56, illust.

March 14, 2006

Hi folks:

And just to add that Pritikin, in the books he wrote, also gave

credit to the people he had learned from. Kempner in particular I

remember he mentioned.

Rodney.

--- In , " Jeff Novick " <jnovick@...>

wrote:

>

> Just to give due respect where it is due...

>

> We developed our program after the work of a Dr Lester on, a

> cardiologist in CA, who published a study in the JAMA back in the

early

> 60s on the low fat diet and CVD. Also, the work or Walter Kempner,

the

> originator of the Rice Diet, also published quiet a bit in the 50s.

>

> on LM. " Diet in coronary atherosclerosis. " JAMA 173 (1960):

> 884-888.

>

> Dr on also wrote a book to inform the public directly called

The

> Low-Fat Way to Health and Longer Life (Prentice-Hall, 1958).

>

> KOFFLER M. Ambulatory treatment of hypertension with the Kempner

rice

> diet.Harefuah. 1955 Aug 1;49(3):45-7.

>

> NEWBORG B, KEMPNER W.

> Analysis of 177 cases of hypertensive vascular disease with

papilledema;

> one hundred twenty-six patients treated with rice diet.

> Am J Med. 1955 Jul;19(1):33-47.

>

> KEMPNER W, PRESCHEL E, BLACKSCHAFFER B.

> Effect of diet on experimental hypertension and on the development

of

> polyarteritis nodosa in rats.

> Circ Res. 1955 Jan;3(1):73-8. .

>

> KEMPNER W. Radical dietary treatment of hypertensive and

> arteriosclerotic vascular disease, heart and kidney disease, and

> vascular retinopathy.

> GP. 1954 Mar;9(3):71-92.

>

> KEMPNER W. [Effect of rice diet in experimental hypertension and in

> patients with heart, kidney and vascular diseases.]

> Z Klin Med. 1954;152(4):328-45. .

>

> BLOCH J. [Rice-fruit diet in hypertension (Kempner ricediet);

metabolic

> and clinical aspects.] Wien Med Wochenschr. 1950 Oct

> 21;100(39-40):672-5.

> PMID: 14788827 [PubMed - OLDMEDLINE for Pre1966]

>

> WATKIN DM, FROEB HG, HATCH FT, GUTMAN AB.

> Effects of diet in essential hypertension. II. Results with

unmodified

> Kempner rice diet in 50 hospitalized patients.Am J Med. 1950

> Oct;9(4):441-93.

>

> WILLIAMSON CR. Observations on the management of hypertension by the

> Kempner rice diet.N Engl J Med. 1950 Aug 3;243(5):177-82.

>

> WESTON RE, HELLMAN L, ESCHER DJ, EDELMAN IS, GROSSMAN J, LEITER L.

> Studies on the influence of the low sodium cardiac diet and the

Kempner

> regimen on renal hemodynamics and electrolyte excretion in

hypertensive

> subjects.J Clin Invest. 1950 Jun;29(6):639-50.

>

> KEMPNER W. Treatment of heart and kidney disease and of

hypertensive and

> arteriosclerotic vascular disease with the rice diet.Ann Intern Med.

> 1949 Nov;31(5):821-56, illust.

>

March 14, 2006

Hi folks:

And just to add that Pritikin, in the books he wrote, also gave

credit to the people he had learned from. Kempner in particular I

remember he mentioned.

Rodney.

--- In , " Jeff Novick " <jnovick@...>

wrote:

>

> Just to give due respect where it is due...

>

> We developed our program after the work of a Dr Lester on, a

> cardiologist in CA, who published a study in the JAMA back in the

early

> 60s on the low fat diet and CVD. Also, the work or Walter Kempner,

the

> originator of the Rice Diet, also published quiet a bit in the 50s.

>

> on LM. " Diet in coronary atherosclerosis. " JAMA 173 (1960):

> 884-888.

>

> Dr on also wrote a book to inform the public directly called

The

> Low-Fat Way to Health and Longer Life (Prentice-Hall, 1958).

>

> KOFFLER M. Ambulatory treatment of hypertension with the Kempner

rice

> diet.Harefuah. 1955 Aug 1;49(3):45-7.

>

> NEWBORG B, KEMPNER W.

> Analysis of 177 cases of hypertensive vascular disease with

papilledema;

> one hundred twenty-six patients treated with rice diet.

> Am J Med. 1955 Jul;19(1):33-47.

>

> KEMPNER W, PRESCHEL E, BLACKSCHAFFER B.

> Effect of diet on experimental hypertension and on the development

of

> polyarteritis nodosa in rats.

> Circ Res. 1955 Jan;3(1):73-8. .

>

> KEMPNER W. Radical dietary treatment of hypertensive and

> arteriosclerotic vascular disease, heart and kidney disease, and

> vascular retinopathy.

> GP. 1954 Mar;9(3):71-92.

>

> KEMPNER W. [Effect of rice diet in experimental hypertension and in

> patients with heart, kidney and vascular diseases.]

> Z Klin Med. 1954;152(4):328-45. .

>

> BLOCH J. [Rice-fruit diet in hypertension (Kempner ricediet);

metabolic

> and clinical aspects.] Wien Med Wochenschr. 1950 Oct

> 21;100(39-40):672-5.

> PMID: 14788827 [PubMed - OLDMEDLINE for Pre1966]

>

> WATKIN DM, FROEB HG, HATCH FT, GUTMAN AB.

> Effects of diet in essential hypertension. II. Results with

unmodified

> Kempner rice diet in 50 hospitalized patients.Am J Med. 1950

> Oct;9(4):441-93.

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> WILLIAMSON CR. Observations on the management of hypertension by the

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>

March 14, 2006

Well it may be great for clogged arteries, but my wife will probably stop 10mg Crestor after Thursday's blood test whether it improves lipids or not. The side effects, constipation, is intolerable. I can't even imagine a 40 mg dose.

She's trying Crestor because the process of Zocor, then Zocor + Zetia, then Vytorin failed.

Diet lowers cholesterol it but not enough, not what I'd call significant in a person with 350 TC. 20% don't get it.

Zocor brought it down to ~220 and it appears that's all her body will tolerate.

I think they need some more "science". Now I think she and the doc will settle for Zocor and 220.

Crestor may be fine for people dying of clogged arteries, but I have trouble thinking I'd wait for 2 years to find out if it's clearing coronary arteries clogged 80% (per TV report).

But picture this, you get an angiogram and it shows some problem. You're on the operating table, so they do a stent or something. They have already established your permission. That's the process.

So who are these test subjects?

Regards.

[ ] Drug Clears Clogged Arteries

By Rob SteinWashington Post Staff WriterMonday, March 13, 2006snipAlthough consumer advocates have raised concerns about whether Crestor causes more liver and muscle problems than other statins, Nissen said the drug appeared as safe as other drugs in this class, which are generally considered to be well tolerated.Other researchers said the findings were promising and add to the growing body of evidence that it is beneficial to drive cholesterol levels as low as possible."This is a proof of principle study," said G. Nabel, director of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. "It adds the next chapter in the story of lowering cholesterol."Nabel and others cautioned, however, that it remained to be seen whether shrinking plaque will actually reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes."There's no data to determine whether this is associated with a reduction in clinical events like heart attacks, strokes and deaths," Nabel said. "We just don't know yet."It may be the stability of the plaque, not its size, that is important, some experts said."The prevailing theory is that what happens is statins make unstable plaque, which tends to rupture, less likely to rupture, and that is the way the benefit is derived," said I. Cleeman of the National Cholesterol Education Program.In addition, some researchers criticized the study for failing to compare patients to others taking a placebo or less intensive statins."That kind of analysis, where you don't have any kind of control group, is full of potential problems," said Sacks of the Harvard School of Public Health. "There is no way to know really what is going on."Nissen agreed that more research was needed to establish that shrinking plaque translates into saving lives. But he argued that there was good evidence to suspect it would and defended the decision to compare the patients in the study to themselves, saying it was sufficient to demonstrate an effect.It remains unclear whether other statins would work as well, since Crestor seems particularly potent at decreasing LDL and boosting HDL. To help answer those questions, several studies are testing intensive therapy with other statins alone, in combination with other cholesterol drugs and with drugs that boost HDL levels.

March 14, 2006

Well it may be great for clogged arteries, but my wife will probably stop 10mg Crestor after Thursday's blood test whether it improves lipids or not. The side effects, constipation, is intolerable. I can't even imagine a 40 mg dose.

She's trying Crestor because the process of Zocor, then Zocor + Zetia, then Vytorin failed.

Diet lowers cholesterol it but not enough, not what I'd call significant in a person with 350 TC. 20% don't get it.

Zocor brought it down to ~220 and it appears that's all her body will tolerate.

I think they need some more "science". Now I think she and the doc will settle for Zocor and 220.

Crestor may be fine for people dying of clogged arteries, but I have trouble thinking I'd wait for 2 years to find out if it's clearing coronary arteries clogged 80% (per TV report).

But picture this, you get an angiogram and it shows some problem. You're on the operating table, so they do a stent or something. They have already established your permission. That's the process.

So who are these test subjects?

Regards.

[ ] Drug Clears Clogged Arteries

By Rob SteinWashington Post Staff WriterMonday, March 13, 2006snipAlthough consumer advocates have raised concerns about whether Crestor causes more liver and muscle problems than other statins, Nissen said the drug appeared as safe as other drugs in this class, which are generally considered to be well tolerated.Other researchers said the findings were promising and add to the growing body of evidence that it is beneficial to drive cholesterol levels as low as possible."This is a proof of principle study," said G. Nabel, director of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. "It adds the next chapter in the story of lowering cholesterol."Nabel and others cautioned, however, that it remained to be seen whether shrinking plaque will actually reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes."There's no data to determine whether this is associated with a reduction in clinical events like heart attacks, strokes and deaths," Nabel said. "We just don't know yet."It may be the stability of the plaque, not its size, that is important, some experts said."The prevailing theory is that what happens is statins make unstable plaque, which tends to rupture, less likely to rupture, and that is the way the benefit is derived," said I. Cleeman of the National Cholesterol Education Program.In addition, some researchers criticized the study for failing to compare patients to others taking a placebo or less intensive statins."That kind of analysis, where you don't have any kind of control group, is full of potential problems," said Sacks of the Harvard School of Public Health. "There is no way to know really what is going on."Nissen agreed that more research was needed to establish that shrinking plaque translates into saving lives. But he argued that there was good evidence to suspect it would and defended the decision to compare the patients in the study to themselves, saying it was sufficient to demonstrate an effect.It remains unclear whether other statins would work as well, since Crestor seems particularly potent at decreasing LDL and boosting HDL. To help answer those questions, several studies are testing intensive therapy with other statins alone, in combination with other cholesterol drugs and with drugs that boost HDL levels.

March 14, 2006

Noticing your "expensive drugs", it IS curious that the old HTN drugs, the old warfarin, the old synthroid, the old insulin, still work great. Like, why does Toprol XL cost so much more than Toprol or the generic metoprolol, when the only diff (supposedly) is a pill construction that allows once per day intake?

It is actually possible to treat a HTNer with 75$ per year (Sams club, atenolol and hydrochlorothiazide).

Possibly the cost of TV ads?

I love the ads that say: "Tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver disease".

Regards.

[ ] Re: Drug Clears Clogged Arteries

Of course Pritikin was doing this - reversing heart disease - thirty years ago. More recently Ornish has been doing much the same.So, I suggest, are people on CRON.In all of these cases without having to resort to expensive drugs.These people (the medical profession) really do just love pills, don't they?Rodney.>> > By Rob Stein> Washington Post Staff Writer> Monday, March 13, 2006> > A cholesterol-lowering drug has for the first time been shown to shrink> blockages that cause most heart attacks, indicating such pills may offer the> first non-surgical way to start to clear clogged arteries.

March 14, 2006

Noticing your "expensive drugs", it IS curious that the old HTN drugs, the old warfarin, the old synthroid, the old insulin, still work great. Like, why does Toprol XL cost so much more than Toprol or the generic metoprolol, when the only diff (supposedly) is a pill construction that allows once per day intake?

It is actually possible to treat a HTNer with 75$ per year (Sams club, atenolol and hydrochlorothiazide).

Possibly the cost of TV ads?

I love the ads that say: "Tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver disease".

Regards.

[ ] Re: Drug Clears Clogged Arteries

Of course Pritikin was doing this - reversing heart disease - thirty years ago. More recently Ornish has been doing much the same.So, I suggest, are people on CRON.In all of these cases without having to resort to expensive drugs.These people (the medical profession) really do just love pills, don't they?Rodney.>> > By Rob Stein> Washington Post Staff Writer> Monday, March 13, 2006> > A cholesterol-lowering drug has for the first time been shown to shrink> blockages that cause most heart attacks, indicating such pills may offer the> first non-surgical way to start to clear clogged arteries.

March 14, 2006

Hi JW:

Well to be fair to the drug company, it costs a fortune to find and

develop, and especially to test and then get FDA permission for, a

new drug, and even for a new version of an older drug. So a company

with a new product will try to get back the huge costs of development

and approval, as quickly as they can. (After it comes out of patent

protection there is no hope of recovering these costs, obviously).

Once they are back to having their head above water on those

development expenditures, and, just as important, other competing

drugs appear, then it makes sense to lower their prices.

But if you have too many celebrexes you can end up in financial

difficulties. So the cost of drugs that end up never getting

approval, and the potential and actual lawsuits that sometimes result

have to be factored into the cost of the product also. A product the

safety of which is long-established is a lot less likely to be hit by

thousands of multi-million dollar lawsuits.

Rodney.

> >

> > By Rob Stein

> > Washington Post Staff Writer

> > Monday, March 13, 2006

> >

> > A cholesterol-lowering drug has for the first time been shown

to

> shrink

> > blockages that cause most heart attacks, indicating such pills

may

> offer the

> > first non-surgical way to start to clear clogged arteries.

>

March 14, 2006