September 18, 2001
Heart DiseaseGREETINGS AND SALUTATIONS from Arnold's Way!
Driving for success. Looking backward
Is falling behind.
A narrow road where fear counts its victims
Running through the woods
Early failure. Early rewards
All eyes close. Bill left us at 47 never knowing
The years ahead and realizing the price he paid.
A high risk job with only money in the bank
So begins this week's newsletter on heart disease. It is one of those
diseases that affects almost every family in the country. Talk about
information! It's out there. There's so much, in fact, that I could
not find any information, unless you learn how to read between the lines.
In the latest Advance for Nurses publication, September 2001, we read about the
latest possibilities in heart surgery. There was a patient, 77, who was
suffering from heart disease since 1995 (like this is a bragging). The
article discusses the latest in medical advances. When describing the
woman the article commented, "She has so many medical problems that not
having to further compromise her by undergoing a cardiopulmonary bypass is of
greater benefit to her." Imagine suffering 6 years, each year getting
worse. Each year more reports, more paperwork, more medications, more
money spent. This is a story written over and over. Heart disease,
according to Alternative Medicine, affects over 60 million Americans.
According to this latest publication, your best bet is endoscopic surgery.
Excuse me while I puke. Heart disease barely existed at the beginning of this
century. Things change and things happen. Were those doctors so good back
then that all their
patients never developed heart disease? I wonder. We quickly skim
through John Robbin's Diet for a New American. Page 210 clearly states,
"A study involving 12,000 men in Finland, Greece, Italy, Japan, the
Netherlands, the US, and Yugoslavia found a correlation between the amount of
saturated fat and cholesterol in a person's diet, the levels of cholesterol in
their blood, and their death rate from heart disease." The winner (or
loser or the silence that ranks with rank) was the US and Finland who, "had
the highest consumption of animal products, highest consumption of saturated
fat, highest consumption of cholesterol, and the highest death rate from heart
disease."
So we review the scenario of this endoscopic surgery. We review the
hospital and its specialized open-heart surgical team. We review and study
the 600 heart surgeries per year, with each surgery bringing in between $50,000
to $100,000 in revenue. We review all the technical support for making
this high risk patient less prone to dying, and we think of the other 60 million
Americas who are suffering using these same advances in medical know-how so they
can be saved using these new apparatuses. All these diseases, operations,
medications, and endoscopic surgeries can be stopped in a wink and a prayer
simply by removing the cause. David Wolfe, author of Sunfood Diet, states,
"The more raw plant foods people eat, the more likely they are to
experience all sorts of health benefits." Did the woman have to
suffer from 1995 until now just so she could be scheduled for special endoscopic
surgery? Or could that 6-year ordeal have been completely
eliminated? Did all those heart attacks in the early part of the century
never occur because the diet back then was mostly plant based? I wonder.
It is 12:30 at night. It's one of those I am totally driven to write more
but sleep awaits me and tomorrow is another day, another night to write
about how all 550,000 deaths annually can be eliminated without investing a
penny in research.
Well, it's not the next night but 2 nights later. It's one of those try to
tidy everything up and get an early start to finish this week's newsletter on
heart disease by tonight, which may or may not happen. But no matter how
hard I tried, 11 o'clock is about the earliest I can start. Oh well.
So I
continue this week.
There is another side of the heart that has been totally ignored by the medical
field. As stated by the Yellow Emperor, "The heart is the root of
life." It's a simple statement, but the words echo through the halls
of the living, from the broken hearts to the mended hearts to the joyous hearts.
Does that mean that there is a connection between emotions and heart disease?
Probably, especially when the cells of the body can easily
understand the language of the bearer. What we say about ourselves, that
language, that emotion, and those feelings, determines the cell and its constant
effort to continue onward and upward with joy or feel out of control, without
care, and simply tired, unwilling to go on. Within this
framework of existence lies life.
The heart is a fist-sized double pump organ that has been marveled, pampered,
studied, and written about since biblical times. "For God sees
not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at
the heart," (Samuel 16:7).
So we turn to World Medicine and begin to gather facts about the heart.
Why do 60 million Americans suffer from this disease? "The heart
beats between 60 and 80 times per minute." If your mathematical mind
begins calculating, it adds up to 100,000 times a day. That would not seem
too improbable, but the other twist is that it has to go through 98,000 miles of
arteries before each heart beat. In today's world where the average person
will live between 65-75 years, the heart will beat 2.5 billion times during the
course of one's life. I can't believe my heart does all that amazing stuff!
In addition, our heart pumps about 1/6 of a pint of blood per beat or 12 pints
per minute which sounds beyond amazing until that same awesome figure becomes
miniscule when exercise becomes another added dimension. Then the heart
beat races to move 100 pints per minute. These statistics become more
mouth dropping and jaw opening with each added fact. Our entire blood
supply passes through the heart every 60 seconds. During the average day
each side of the heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood.
What does all this mean? It means the heart was made to last a long time
without ever breaking down, you would think. You would also think that
since the US technically is the richest, most powerful, most advanced country in
the world that there would be enough knowledge and wisdom within our prestigious
medical establishment to at least have the lowest death rate due to heart
disease among all countries of the world. You would think.
The fact of the matter is that it doesn't matter. We, meaning the people
of the US, are obsessed with the obvious. For those that know not, know
not.
In 1992, at the young age of 45, I began developing chest pains in my heart
area. I, either being too stupid or too naïve, suffered with this chest
pain for at least 2 months until I had the bright idea of going to a different
holistic expert on a weekly basis. As always, I saw no result, no
improvement, and another day of suffering. All this came to a climax when
I was driving my then 13-year-old daughter to school. As my chest pain
kept getting worse, my fingers were tingling, and my left arm was becoming numb.
Every pill that I took for my chest pain to get better did not work. I
decided, as it seemed did my body, that death my imminent. I switch lanes,
told my daughter I was having a heart attack, drove myself to the hospital, and
admitted myself. That was 9 years ago. As time changed so I changed
becoming 20 lbs lighter, losing 3 inches around my waist, and not looking a day
older as the time passed me by. At the age of 45 I didn't think I would
live to 46.
I was going to become a statistic. I was a sedentary, white male, slightly
overweight, chocoholic. I was never into booze, drugs, or
cigarettes. My main vice was sweets, which included 5-10 pieces
daily. If it came in a fancy wrapper I ate it without remorse, so that
almost heart attack, in
hindsight, became my blessing. I changed directions. I went on the
journey to figure out why I became sick. Easy explanation. Poor
diet. I began eating salads daily. That was plenty of live green
food. My next major rude awakening was 34-½ inch waist. I was not
exercising. My saving grace back then as well as today was rebounding (a
mini-trampoline). Why rebounding? Why a saving grace? Why do
I, Arnold, personally swear by this personal mini-exercise equipment?
Point blank. It not only saved my life because it can clean out the lymph
system daily just by jumping for 5 minutes on it, but the mini-trampoline did
for me what no doctor could do. It offered hope, strength, and a total
rejuvenation of my being. That means, 9 years later I ROCK with
enthusiasm, enjoying each passing minute as a reward in itself.
The medical profession then as now did not offer any possibility of healing
other than with drug therapy. According to Alternative Medicine, which is
one of those 1000 page books written not only by medical experts but by other
leading experts, as if to say that using this method is better than drugs being
that it takes a more holistic approach. However, in this author 's
opinion, it's still the same old bullcrap except they are now replacing drugs
with vitamins and herbs as the main treatment of choice. This supposedly
legitimizes the so-called new healing methods as the best alternative for one's
well being. To add more spice to the sanctifying of herbs and vitamins,
Alternative Medicine simultaneously blasts the typical standard treatment of
advance heart disease (the bypass surgery, angiograms, angioplasty) as
"unnecessary surgery and over prescribed." To add another twist
to the power play of which treatment is better, Alternative Medicine clearly
states, "Medicine is more equipped to treat heart disease only when it has
reached its most serious and life threatening stage."
At this point we reach the crux of the folly. There are groups of doctors
who supposedly take on a more liberal viewpoint by adhering to herbs and
vitamins as the magic pills. On the other hand, another group of doctors
push standard treatment. This endorsement seems to be led by those who
have the most to benefit, which is the drug companies. The Merck Manual
17th edition pushes drug therapy to the tune of devoting almost 57 different
sections on how the heart deteriorates and how it can be treated. In each
section the explanations become glorified verbosity. For example, heart
failure is defined as, "Symptomatic myocardial dysfunction resulting in a
characteristic of hemodynamic, renal, and neurohormonal responses."
This, my friends, is why heart disease is the number 1 disease in the
country. To understand that verbiage of one group versus the verbiage of
another group each saying their treatment is the best is a difficult task.
Who does one believe?
One has to be able not only to speak that language but have the appropriate
understanding of the information. Dr. Dean Ornish, "demonstrated that
heart disease can actually be reversed without medicine." This
statement was quoted almost 11 years ago. This statement has been
proven over time with almost every study shattering the myth and lies displayed
by both groups. The true information on heart disease is simply not being shared
by either group. You would think that somehow this would get a brief
mention as an option in the leading alternative magazine Nutrition Action.
I don't want to use names, but the director for cardiovascular disease
prevention of Harvard Medical School states, "High blood cholesterol,
infections, and tobacco smoke are some of the causes."
This is still evasive language meaning if the cholesterol gets lower no one
would ever have a heart unless they smoke. The language is safety netted
all over the place. If we found a study, for example, that showed not one
person who had a cholesterol level lower than 150 even though they smoked or had
infections never had a heart attack would that prove something? Anything?
Such as test is now in progress. In fact, the test has been going on for
over 40 years and not one person who has a cholesterol level below 150 ever died
from any heart disease. This can be best achieved by going on a complete vegetarian
diet. No meat. No chicken. No dairy. No eggs.
Nothing. So, the answer if you can't go completely raw at first is to go Vegetarian.
The average cholesterol level of people who eat Vegetarian is 124. There
are no pills to be taken, no doctors to see, and no hospitals to visit.
In my own testimony at the age of 45 all hope was lost. I thought for sure
I would never hit 46. My major mistake was I listened to everyone for they
knew and I knew not. That included all those holistic practitioners
prescribing those herbs. Hawthorne. Sillymarin. Those vitamins
COQ.
Calcium. I was taking from 10-15 pills a day for they knew and I knew not.
As the days passed and my energy became weaker I was still asking everyone in
the know. For what is known out there in the so-called real world is a
world of fakery and hearsay. If their hearsay cannot be backed up with
results, personal experience, plus a myriad of truth-breaking resolute, where
this is no hesitation of doubt or argument, are they in the know? A
glossary of words, meaning the body's intelligence, rises above all facts and
argument. So I began my journey from believing in others to believing in
myself. After my second trip to the emergency room within a month I chose
the freedom to decide for myself. The hospital wanted to admit me after I
was again complaining of terrible chest pain. I looked at the bed, I
looked at the medicine, I looked at the needles, the green uniform, the
sterility of care given, the blankness of hope possibility. I walked out
the door and let fate take its stance. The first step I took was to
reexamine my lifestyle, which in fact was never even mentioned as a possible
treatment. Primarily, I wasn't exercising. As truth shone brightly,
as truth is never forgotten I remembered one line from one page I read at least
10 years before in Fit for Life. Somehow, quasi blurrily, I remembered
reading a statement that said that jumping on the mini-trampoline is the best
exercise one could do. A quest for health has no boundaries, no cost
considered, no questions asked. The next week I bought a trampoline,
started to jump, and haven't stopped. To this day I still jump anywhere
from 30 minutes to 1 hour a day. It's a luxury of life, which I greatly
enjoy. My body enjoys it. My cells are in total ecstasy. As
its main feature it cleans out the lymphatic system in 5 minutes through an
intricate detoxification process, that demands excellence with each jump.
My next major realization was that in my previous lifestyle I was not eating any
greens. I was in complete ignorance of diet possibilities. In
Sunfood Diet, David Wolfe states, "Green leaves soothe the nerves and calm
the body, relieve pain, and decrease overall stress, and an abundance of green
in the diet strengthens the heart."
As rebounding continues, so does eating a green salad daily. My life, my
choice. It is not longer a question of what I want. It's my body's
intelligence and its demand for excellence. I am a mere pawn in the game
of survival. All 60 million Americans choose a lifestyle contrary to their
well being. It is a disease, which costs up to $56 billion a year in medical
costs. The average person is not willing to give up a lifestyle that
supports this disease. In truth, everything one ever believed in, ate,
touched, looked at, tasted, cherished, and enjoyed has to vanish completely
under the guise of healthy lifestyle.
This leads me to my third avenue of attack to rid myself of this deadly
disease. I educated myself. Anything that pertained to truth in
healing I
read. I graduated from reading about herbs to reading about vitamins, from
studying biology to studying Chinese medicine. Each forward step made more
sense but in the back of my mind there was a doubt. I began studying
homeopathy for one solid year to the tune of 3-6 hours daily along with the
shiatsu Chinese medicine, a wealth or dearth of information to choose from. I
hit the big OH, meaning this is it, when I began studying natural hygiene. To
this day with the many testimonials there is no doubt, no exception that with
all my years of experience dispensing this information and seeing the results of
those who choose to follow this lifestyle that the words Heart Disease could
vanish completely from the pages of the medical journals.
In ending, I quote Rose Gallo, author of Perfect Body, who says, "Educate
yourself. Believe it and then attack." As a fighter to a new
opponent life can only be enjoyed to the fullest with radiant health. As
the sun sets so shall it rise. We are the creatures of a never-ending
universal energy that seeks passion in its footsteps.
Thank you for your time.
Arnold
Next week's topic is lupus.
References:
Merck Manual 17th Edition
McIver, Candace. "Endoscopic beating heart surgery," Advance for
Nurses September 2001
Sunfood Diet Success System, David Wolfe
Diet for a New American, John Robbins
Food for Life, Neal Barnard, M.D.
Hygienic Care of Cardiovascular Disease, Dr. Herbert M. Shelton
Alternative Medicine, Burton Goldberg
Nutrition Action, Sept 2000 Edition, Paul Ridker
World Medicine, Tom Monte
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Upcoming events at Arnold's Way
Arnold's Way presents: 2nd Tuesday Raw Lecture Series -Tuesday October 9th -
6:30pm
Barbara Cap shares her story about Lyme Disease and how she became symptom-free
in 4 months after she went on an 80% raw diet.
Tuesday November 13th - 6:30pm Dan Goodman will talk about his story about MS.
Arnold gives a breakfast lecture on raw food and healing every Saturday morning
at the store from 8: 15 to 9:45. It's free and there's free
breakfast. But please pre-register.
On the last Saturday of every month, Arnold gives a free raw food preparation
course from 8:15 to 9:45 at the store. Learn how to make pizza,
chili, pies, soups, cookies and more in 7 minutes or less.
There's a raw food Pot Luck dinner on the last Wednesday of the month at the
store beginning at 6pm. Bring a raw food dish or pay $7.
No pre-registration required.
Greenwood has 2 pot luck dinners each month, on the second and fourth Saturdays,
from 2-5 p.m. Call Tom for more info at (610) 623-5656.
Loreta Vainius is sponsoring a Living Food support group. (610) 648-0241
Dr. Shirley Dressler is offering an eight-week workshop on Wigh of Wisdom
with emphasis on raw food weight-loss with a Biblical perspective.
For more info, call her at (215) 233-8969.
The Certified Classical Homeopath/Homeopathic Master Clinician will now be
giving free lectures once a month at Arnold's Way. Call Arnold's Way for
details.
B.I. is the Raw Food Chef in residence at Arnold's Way and features a variety of
take-out raw food cuisine. As an added note, B.I.'s food is
AMAZING - beyond all technical words for praise. He takes the word
"awesome" to a new level.