The Heart Scam That Could Cost Your Life

By Dr. Mercola

More than half a million Americans received an angioplasty in 2007 (the most recent year for which data is available).ⁱ

This invasive procedure involves inflating a thin balloon in a narrowed artery to crush deposits; a stent (a wire mesh tube) is often then left behind to keep the vessel open.

When used during a heart attack, an angioplasty can quickly open a blocked artery to lessen the damage to your heart, and when used in this way can be lifesaving.

However, oftentimes heart disease patients receive angioplasties even though they have not had a heart attack — a decision that goes against the latest medical guidelines and the suggestion of a new study, which found people

HDL percentage is a very potent heart disease risk factor. Just divide your HDL level by your cholesterol. That percentage should ideally be above 24 percent. Below 10 percent, it’s a significant indicator of risk for heart disease. You can also do the same thing with your triglycerides and HDL ratio. That ratio should be below 2.

If you have type 2 diabetes, you’re automatically at an increased risk so you can move ahead to my recommendations above. In fact, anyone can use the above recommendations because their only “side effects” are improved health! That’s the beauty of it. Together, these steps can drastically lower your heart disease risk and improve heart health — sometimes quite rapidly. If you’re otherwise healthy and your heart disease is stable, only after exhausting these strategies should more invasive options, like drugs and angioplasty, be considered.

Sources and References

• Consumer Reports February 27, 2012
• Archives of Internal Medicine February 27, 2012; 172(4): 312-319
• ⁱ Circulation 2011, 123:e18-e209
• ⁱⁱ MayoClinic.com
• ⁱⁱⁱ Clin Cardiol. 2009 Dec;32(12):684-9

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