Robert Cross Formerly Dying from Heart
Disease
When my chest pains began I was in fairly typical health for a
man of 61 years of age who eats the Standard American Diet. My
body had gradually deteriorated over the years and I had become
a frequent customer of doctors and pharmacists. Several times a
day I swallowed pills for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol,
and recurrent kidney stones. Worst of all, it seemed that every
few months I needed higher doses of these medicines, and none of
the lifestyle suggestions made by my doctors or the dieticians
seemed to be doing me any good. I was resigned to watching my
health deteriorate, while hoping that I would avoid the serious
consequences that loomed on the horizon. My 250-pound body
weight was another forecaster of the future soon to come.
Everything changed in January of 2008. I saw my doctor, an
internist, for what I thought to be a flare up of my frequent
indigestion, which I noticed particularly while kayaking. With
the intensity of the pain and a history of a cholesterol level
of 294 mg/dL (my LDL cholesterol was 210 mg/dL), my doctor
insisted that I undergo an exercise nuclear heart scan—an
indirect test of the blood flow to my heart and an indication of
the presence of serious blockages in my heart arteries. I
reluctantly agreed.
I knew that I was in trouble during the test because my
"indigestion" got worse and the pain became more focused in my
chest the faster I moved on the treadmill. I could not get my
heart rate to the predicted maximum for my age because of the
pain. I could only exercise for six minutes, and had to be
injected with some medication in order to increase my heart rate
to maximum. My pain went away very shortly after I got off the
treadmill. I was not surprised, only depressed, when the results
came back positive for coronary artery disease.
My internist referred me to a cardiologist, and explained that I
would certainly be undergoing some type of surgical
procedure—probably an angioplasty with a stent. Here are some
quotes from that first report:
"Review of stress and rest myocardial perfusion images
demonstrates a large region of mild-to-moderate perfusion
deficit extending along the inferior and lateral walls at
stress, not apparent at rest. There appears to be wall
motion abnormality in the lateral wall at stress which
appears less prominently during rest. . . . ABNORMAL
MYOCARDIAL PERFUSION STUDY HIGHLY SUGGESTIVE OF REVERSIBLE
ISCHEMIA IN THE LEFT CIRCUMFLEX TERRITORY."
I was frightened and concerned for my wife and teenage son, who
depended upon my love as well as my income. My fears were
intensified because my dad had died of complications from bypass
surgery. My cardiology appointment was still several weeks away,
and in that time I researched everything that I could on the
internet.
I learned of Dr. Esselstyn, who claimed that heart disease could
be reversed. I was skeptical because I have a medical background
myself and had never heard of such a claim. My wife bought a
copy of his book,
Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, which contained very
powerful evidence that heart disease could be reversed. I
started the program that very day.
My blood was drawn on the day of my cardiology appointment, and
the cardiologist recommended an angiogram (pictures of the
arteries), which would probably be followed by an angioplasty
and stent placement. He asked me to take Plavix and aspirin,
which I would be on for life. He dismissed my questions about
lifestyle and reversal.
Further research led me to Dr. McDougall, and registered
dietitian Jeff Novick. All these people gave hope for arresting,
and perhaps reversing, my condition through diet and lifestyle
modifications. In contrast, neither my internist, nor my
cardiologist, was aware of these doctors or their programs or
any significant benefit to lifestyle modification. They
discouraged me from delaying the surgery, but accepted my
decision to at least give diet and "medical management" a try.
My early results were promising. My first blood test on the diet
showed my cholesterol was now down to 120 mg/dL and my LDL was
60 mg/dL. My internist was astounded. Medication had only
lowered my numbers slightly. I was on Dr. Esselstyn's exact
program, which is virtually identical to that of Dr. McDougall,
and I hired the McDougall Program dietitian,
Jeff
Novick, RD, as my coach. I found that everything I needed
was available immediately and for free through Dr. McDougall's
website. I learned that my results would directly reflect my
compliance with the program. I resolved that I would do this
program 100 percent. If I could not be 100 percent on my own or
failed to get my doctors' support, then I was going to go to the
McDougall Live-in Program without delay. (I still plan on
going.) I owed that to myself and my family.
Almost immediately, my chest pain went away. My internist asked
how I had accomplished this and my dramatic cholesterol drop,
and then became quite interested in my program. I needed his
help because of the side effects of the medications that
occurred once I changed my diet. I had to quickly get off my
blood pressure medications because my readings were extremely
low and I was feeling light headed. My blood sugars came way
down and I had to terminate my diabetes medication. I eventually
stopped all of my Lipitor, yet my total cholesterol stayed at
160 mg/dL (my LDL cholesterol remained at 60 mg/dL). I have lost
over 60 pounds since beginning my new diet and exercise program
in January of 2008, and I continue to lose as my energy
increases. I have had no more kidney stones.
After following my progress for almost a year and a half, the
cardiologist wanted to repeat the nuclear heart scan. My
internist agreed. He was also sure that I was wrong when I had
told him that many clinical trials have shown no important
benefits other than pain relief for the surgery they had
proposed for me more than a year and a half ago. Despite my many
obvious improvements, the cardiologist still believed that
coronary artery disease is always progressive, and told me not
to get my hopes up about the new test. I repeated the exercise
nuclear heart scan on May 5, 2009.
This time, I felt great running on the treadmill. I took my
heart rate beyond the maximum expected for my age, and had no
pain. The monitors I was connected to indicated no problems.
Immediately after the test, I spoke with my cardiologist, who
seemed somewhat perplexed. He chose his words very carefully. He
wanted to know if I had felt chest pain on the first exam in
2008. I think he did not believe the previous test results,
because this time my heart showed only a single mild
abnormality. Most noticeable was that the large area of
obstruction found on my first test was not seen at all.
He seemed to not want to confront the possibility that the both
tests were accurate—that I had actually reversed my serious
condition with a simple change in diet and a little exercise.
How could he question the obvious: my weight loss, the
reductions in medications, and the changes in my blood pressure,
blood sugar, and cholesterol levels? Right before his eyes I
went from sick and symptomatic to feeling and looking great. His
skepticism continued as he explained to me that despite the fact
that the occlusion could no longer be seen, it did not mean that
I was totally cured. But at least he now accepted my decision to
avoid surgery as responsible.
Here are some excerpts from the cardiologist's report of my
second test: "He comes in today and underwent exercise
myocardial perfusion imaging. He was able to exercise almost 10
minutes on the standard Bruce protocol. There were no reported
symptoms consistent with angina pectoris. He denied chest pain
or chest discomfort. (He denies any symptoms of congestive heart
failure—shortness of breath and extreme fatigue)."
The myocardial perfusion images showed there was still a subtle
inferior wall perfusion defect…[that is it]. My cardiologist's
recommendations: low dose aspirin and a nine-month follow up
visit.
I look back on this lifestyle change as one of the most
significant things I have ever done. The improvements have gone
far beyond the reversal of the disease in my heart's arteries.
So many everyday problems have vanished – high blood pressure,
diabetes, high lipids, indigestion, obesity, kidney stones, etc.
More important, this is a treatment that I can feel and see.
Before, those pills and my old diet made me look and feel awful.
I now have a new lease on life.
 I
am proud to be a Star McDougaller because I can share and help
others. I would like everyone to have the same chance for health
and happiness I have. But, there is really nothing "star-like"
about me. I just follow Esselstyn's, McDougall's, and Novick's
recommendations. That is all it takes—it is so simple. Although
it was not easy at first, I cannot imagine anyone who tried this
program for 30 days, who would not decide that it is a far
better way to eat and live than what is commonly called the
Standard American Diet.
As a footnote, my internist recently referred a colleague of
his, a surgeon, to me. The surgeon had similar problems to my
own, and I invited him and his pathologist wife to dinner and a
movie consisting of Dr. McDougall's DVD's. I recently received
an email that he has dropped over 100 points off his cholesterol
and LDL, and over 120 points off his fasting blood sugar, and is
feeling great.
Robert Cross
Dr. McDougall's Comments
Solid scientific support for the correct decision Robert
Cross made in January of 2008, to refuse heart surgery, is in
this week's New England Journal of Medicine
report on the BARI 2D Study Group. The intention of this
research was to show that the early treatment of people with
diabetes with heart surgery (angioplasty with stents or bypass)
would result in a better chance of survival than from no
surgery. The results were no benefit from surgery. Add this
study to the long and consistent list of trials that show no
survival benefits and tremendous harms to patients from
aggressive medical interventions for coronary heart disease, and
you must wonder why this approach continues essentially
unchallenged.
Many of you ask why I (Dr. John McDougall) aggressively
confront doctors who continue to practice "traditional
medicine." The reason is that almost all pharmaceutical and
surgical treatments for chronic disease fail—and everybody in
the "business" knows this but no one seems willing to do a thing
to change the practice—and that is because there is too much
money at stake.
The facts are not debatable—they are simply hidden from
public awareness. Much of the dishonest reporting is done by
spin-doctors. Spin-doctors are real MDs who have lost their
moral compass, who work for vested interests—the pharmaceutical
companies and themselves (heart surgeons and cardiologists).
Realize, I have so far mentioned nothing about diet or
exercise. I am writing to you about prescriptions from your
trusted doctors that do harm to people, and no one seems to be
willing to right this wrong. These treatments are maiming and
killing people who eat the standard American diet far more often
than affecting you and me, who have taken corrective measures to
stay well.
Now add this injury to the fact that almost no patient
receives honest effective dietary advice from any doctor or
dietitian, or any health organization. Some of you may think
this is a conspiracy—but there is no conscious collective effort
behind this injustice. This is just business as usual. Expect no
change to take place until conservative care becomes more
profitable than doing wrong. Or legislation, such as
AB 1478, proposed in the state of California becomes law.
This
Assembly Bill will force physicians to tell their patients
about the undisputable failures and harms from heart surgery and
diabetes treatments. Plus, if I have my way, doctors will have
to tell their patients about the miraculous benefits of a
delicious starch-based diet. In the meantime you will have to
protect yourself and your family by becoming educated like
Robert did.
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