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A Personal Plan to Prevent Heart Attacks!

______by Ivan Berkowitz, International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences HEART HEALTH SCHOLAR, Winnipeg, Canada from CV Network Vol 9 No 2

Don’t worry, my vision of prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) will not use 5-syllable words and explore such topics as the potential of genomics or choice of medical devices. I believe that my personal experience has been successful enough to be worth sharing.

Without having had my DNA analyzed, I know that my genes forecast substantial risk of CVD. My mother was only 56 and my father was 62 when they succumbed to sudden cardiac arrest. Even before her death I realized that my mother had done an awesome job of bringing great joy to our lives, especially with the extraordinary food she loaded us with. Surprise … when I was 17, I realized, on my own, that I needed to lose weight and stopped some things like sugar, cream and then even milk in coffee; butter and, without even starting, smoking. However, the importance of food taught by my mother has never left my being. Unless I had significant control, I have tended to eat too much and weight loss was followed, gradually, by gaining most of it back.

1978 was an important benchmark. My older daughter was planning for her Bat Mitzvah so we agreed to lose weight. More significant was an invitation to a talk by Dr. Kenneth Cooper who ‘invented’ the system of counting aerobic points at his Cooper Clinic in Dallas. His talk was the highlight of the opening of the Reh-Fit Centre in Winnipeg. Also, plans were underway for the first Marathon in Manitoba. All these influences attracted me to join the Reh-Fit, seriously pursue their running program, follow an extreme diet and even try the Manitoba Marathon. At that point, I was only able to walk and run 6 miles but I was smitten. The next year, I had a great base and was able to finish my first of 22 full (26.2 miles) marathons. The training affected my taste for heavy foods and I have not eaten red meat since. The serious lifestyle change really got me into the best shape of my life over the next 20 years; even started training others so over 100 students finished their first of many marathons; and, most importantly, brought into my life the love of my life. The bottom line is that I feel I have enjoyed incredible health, vitality and ever- expanding interest in new ventures including my artistic spirit to create pottery.

Indeed I have followed a direction I read recently for Dr. Andrew Weil who gave 4 disciplines if living a long life is important: “You may want to adopt some of the habits that supercentenarians have in common. Supercentenarians - people who live to be 110 or older - share four lifestyle characteristics that may help explain their longevity. Throughout their lives, they have remained:

1. Physically active. Even as you get older, daily physical activity should be a priority. Modify your routine to incorporate small steps, such as daily walks, using the stairs instead of the elevator, or taking up hobbies that involve exercise, such as gardening, playing tennis or hiking.
2. Positive. Maintaining an optimistic outlook is important to managing stress and preventing related health issues such as heart disease. You can easily train yourself to start looking at the glass as half full. Begin with some simple self-reflection and meditation, and use humor for coping with negative thoughts.
3. Social. A network of family and close friends is vital to optimum health. You can enjoy the benefits of a well developed social life by spending time with people who make you happy, joining community groups or clubs, volunteering, and participating in support groups.
4. Spiritual. Regardless of your religious affiliation (if any), feeling a connection with nature, a higher being or purpose cultivates spirituality, and is an important part of graceful aging.”

Two reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association provide an update to obesity prevalence in the United States. Based on data from 2007-2008, researchers report that 68 percent of U.S. adults and 32 percent of school-aged U.S. children and adolescents are overweight or obese. On a Blog posted on April 13, 2010, Dr. Regina Benjamin, U.S. Surgeon General reported: “Last week, I participated in a meeting on childhood obesity at the White House to discuss ways to combat the growing health epidemic. I joined the First Lady, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes, Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan and experts and practitioners from around the country to discuss the challenges. I have been traveling around the nation, taking the message around the country and talking to people about the challenges they’re facing. I’ve traveled to Florida, where 43 percent of poor children and 45 percent of black children are either overweight or obese. I’ve met with Native American Tribal Councils, who are concerned about populations that have diabetes rates that are twice the national average. I’ve been to Durham, North Carolina, where the entire community is engaging in an effort to target obesity and other childhood health problems with unprecedented collaboration between public and private agencies. The problems are real, and so is the determination to solve them. I want to change the national conversation from a negative one that focuses on disease to a positive conversation about being healthy and being fit. But for people to act on these conversations, Americans need to live and work in environments that support their efforts. We need everyone’s help to support common sense, innovative tools and solutions. The meeting at the White House was an important step in that direction.” First Lady Michelle Obama has led the development of “Let’s Move!” which has an ambitious but important goal: to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation. Let’s Move will give parents the support they need, provide healthier food in schools, help our kids to be more physically active, and make healthy, affordable food available in every part of the United States.

To be specific, I have not written a book like the “South Beach Diet” or the “Pritikin Program”. But I am delighted to share a simple one-page which I call the “Trout Lake Diet”, named after possibly the most important influence on my continuing good CVD prevention – since my father’s investigation located Trout Lake, Ontario in 1944, I found the greatest environment including water we can drink right from the lake, physical activity and the extraordinary peace found without electricity, indoor plumbing and such toys as cell phones! On CBC Radio, I recently heard Diana Beresford-Kroeger, author of “The Global Forest”. She is a gardener who likes to combine her medical training with her love of botany. Having studied classical botany, medical biochemistry, organic and radio nuclear chemistry, and experimental surgery, Diana believes that the cures for cancer and other ailments can be found in her garden located in Merrickville, Ontario. She referred to research proving that pine forests (like the woods around Trout Lake): “Trees are a living miracle,” Ms. Beresford-Kroeger said. “Leaves can take in carbon dioxide and create oxygen. And all creatures must have oxygen Trees not only breathe and communicate; they also reproduce, provide shelter, medicine, and food, and connect disparate elements of the natural world.” She also talked about the Hawthorn trees whose berries are widely regarded in Europe to use to promote the health of the circulatory system and have been found useful in treating angina, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia.

At Trout Lake, we have hosted friends from all over the world – will you join us and hear my favourite sound – the call of our loons?

Ivan’s “TROUT LAKE” Diet*

One page is all you get = my simple approach for people on the go.

My friend/doctor Jack Rusen has introduced me to:

2 glasses of ice water before every meal.

Forbidden products: (direct or as ingredients): salt, sugar, desserts, butter, white flour, red meat, cream, white potatoes, white flour pasta, skin, deep-fried food, white rice, soft / high fat cheese, liquor (except the odd glass of red wine), soft drinks other than diet, juice, desserts with sugar

and / or milk products and / or white flour

Encouraged products: fruits, salads, vegetables (especially dark coloured ones), pulse vegetables (garbanzo, chickpeas, lentils), oatmeal, soy products, tofu, fish, white meat of chicken / turkey, salmon, prunes, bran products, vinegars, canola oil, flax oil or crushed, brown/wild rice, buckwheat, walnuts, almonds, skim milk, pepper, herbs, garlic, mushrooms, whole wheat flour products, green tea, chamomile tea (instead of coffee especially for an upset tummy).

Approaches to meals:
Breakfast – soy/skim milk, oatmeal, shredded wheat/bran, egg beaters, fruit
Lunch – salad, fruit
Dinner – veggies / salad, meat or fish (not huge portions), fruit

Exercise is strongly recommended. At least, walk 30 minutes every day. Weight workouts are good. Not necessary to train for and complete 22 full (26.2 miles) Marathons as I have done, but it helps!

and, NEVER, NEVER eat even a mouthful after 8:00 PM

*Based on personal experience over 50 years, losing probably a TON of weight (and recently another 20 pounds in 2 months concentrating on this approach!) but still fighting to lose the fat that creeps back, probably due to metabolism that attracts fat … and an innate LOVE of food!

Talks from 3rd Symposium on The FUTURE of HEART HEALTH

Sam Cohen Auditorium,
St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre
351 Tache Ave.
Saturday, September 25, 2010

Moderator: Richard Cloutier, News Director
CJOB 68, Manitoba's Information Superstation

CLICK ON TITLES TO CONNECT TO TALKS ONLINE:

8:45 am
Introduction
Dr. Michel Tetreault – President & CEO, St. Boniface Hospital
Dr. Alan Menkis – Medical Director, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority Cardiac Sciences Program and Section Head of Cardiac Surgery, University of Manitoba

Session 1
What We Can Learn From The U.S. Health Care System, What They Can Learn From Us
9:00 am
The Honorable Senator Sharon Carstairs – Member of Canada’s Senate
Dr. Jeffrey Rich – Adult Cardiac Surgery, General Thoracic Surgery, Norfolk, Virginia
Discussion Panel: Dr. Hilary Grocott, Dr. Michael Mack

Session 2
Integrated Delivery Of Cardiac Care (Convergence)
10:00 am
Dr. Michael Mack – Chairman of the Board, Cardiopulmonary Research Science and Technology Institute; Medical Director Cardiovascular Services and Director of Transplantation, Medical City Dallas Hospital, Dallas, Texas
Dr. Arvind Koshal – Director of Development and External Affairs, Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute
Discussion Panel: Mr. Francis LaBossiere, Dr. Alan Menkis, Dr. David Taggart, Ms Sheila Bowles

Session 3
Hospitals, Are You Promoting Healthy Living in The Workplace ?
11:00 am
Dr. Sharon Macdonald - Department Head, Associate Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba
Discussion Panel: Dr. Arvind Koshal, Mr. Francis LaBossiere, Ms. Lorraine Avery

Session 4
Your Genes Can Tell Dosages You Need !
12:50 pm
Dr. Jennifer Hall – Associate Professor of Medicine; Director, Program in Translational Cardiovascular Genomics, Lillehei Heart Institute Developmental Biology Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Discussion Panel: Ms. Susan Mertin, Dr. Pawan Singal, Dr. Ryan Zarychanski, Dr. Rob Ariano

Session 5
Making Your Heart Stand Still: Advances In MR Technology For Cardiac Diagnoses
1:30pm
Dr. Ian Smith – General Director, National Research Council Institute for Biodiagnostics, Winnipeg
Dr. John Saunders – Chief Scientific Officer, Founder of IMRIS, Winnipeg
Discussion Panel: Dr. Michael Mack, Dr. Davinder Jassal

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
The Debate:
Angioplasty and Stents are Better Revascularization Than Cardiac Surgery
Pro: Dr. John Ducas - Section of Cardiology, St. Boniface General Hospital
Con: Dr. David Taggart – Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Oxford, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
Rebutal
Open Discussion

For or more information
please contact:

IVAN BERKOWITZ
1-204-228 3193
E-mail: ivan@mts.net

We need to worry about children!

We faced a shock 3 years ago when our new grandson was found to have a hole in his heart. I was able to confirm with some of the leading specialists in the wold (my friends) that he would need surgery. And one of best pediatric cardiac surgeons FIXED Christopher last year (this is one heart problem which can be fixed once and for all!). I visited him recently and watch his pony-riding class which he loves!

But now I have heard a much sadder story about the Gable family - be sure to look at the video = what can we do about H C M ?

An article for the FREE PRESS

Networking, knowledge sharing aim of heart conference

By Peter Carlyle-Gordge

For the Free Press

Winnipeg is often described as the heart of the continent.

The city is also becoming well known as a centre for excellence in the field of heart health, and that fact will again be illustrated Sept. 25 when the third Symposium on the Future of Heart Health will be held in the Sam Cohen Auditorium of the St. Boniface Research Centre.

The biennial gathering will attract some leading heart specialists, including Dr. David Taggart, Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery at Oxford University as well as Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at the world famous John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, England.

Also slated to speak are: Dr. Ian Smith, General Director of the National Research Council Institute for Biodiagnostics; Dr. Jennifer Hall, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Program in Translational Cardiovascular Genomics at Lillehei Heart Institute Developmental Biology Centre at the University of Minnesota; Dr. Arvind Koshal, Director of Development and External Affairs at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute; and Dr. Michael Mack, board chair of the Cardiopulmonary Research Science and Technology Institute, Medical Director of Cardiovascular Services and Director of Transplantation, at the Medical City Dallas Hospital.

Many other experts, including local ones, will be taking part in the Symposium which is organized by the University of Manitoba’s Cardiac Sciences program and by the International Academy of Cardiac Sciences.

Ivan Berkowitz, a conference coordinator who also has the title Heart Health Scholar, has long been dedicated to shining a bright light on the field of cardiovascular health and in getting heart specialists and researchers to network, compare notes, share knowledge and generally get more attention and funding for the discipline. “This Symposium isn’t overly technical so the layman can learn something from it, but it isn’t A-B-C stuff either,” Berkowitz says. “Our aim is to bring together a variety of experts who can share information and ideas.”

Berkowitz lost both parents to heart disease at relatively young ages, so he has a very personal interest in trying to advance the sharing of knowledge and improving both prevention and treatment programs.

“One problem is that hospitals and doctors are just so busy trying to treat people suffering with the disease that they have little time to focus on education and prevention,” he says. “New technologies and treatments are very important, but early detection and education programs to prevent the onset of the disease are also vital.”

He says heart health education presents a huge opportunity for a healthier society.“We know that 80 per cent of cardiovascular disease could be prevented but you have to start with young people,” he says. “About one in three deaths is cardiovascular related. It’s very important to see how other specialists are approaching treatment and prevention and that’s one reason the International Academy of Cardiac Sciences was established here. We want to get experts from all over the world talking to each other and sharing knowledge.”

The International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences (IACS) was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Winnipeg. Established by renowned cardiovascular scientists, surgeons and cardiologists, the academy provides the organizational structure for the worldwide sharing of research and education information in the field of heart health.

Although great strides have been made in improving the death rate from heart disease, heart attacks and related problems are still the No. 1 killer. The academy believes that research has found answers but the facts are too slow in moving beyond the laboratories to the bedside. The Academy, through world-wide representation, builds connectivity and encourages networking through traditional means of journals, texts and symposia, a quarterly official bulletin CV Network, as well as through an interactive website: www.heartacademy.org It aims to organize cardiovascular teach-ins all over the world for the continued education of practicing physicians, surgeons and experimental cardiologists. Another goal is to establish
cardiovascular forums in all major cities of the world for organizing and increasing the interaction of clinical cardiologists and surgeons with basic scientists.

The Academy is registered to give tax-deductible receipts in Canada (International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences Inc.) as well as in the United States (Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences Foundation USA Inc.). The Academy has been strongly supported locally by the Myles Robinson Memorial Heart Trust.

Berkowitz says we seem to be facing a global pandemic of cardiovascular disease “which shows all the signs of getting worse”. He says some experts claim this is due to the urbanization of many populations, a move that often goes along with a change for the worse in diet and less emphasis on physical exercise. He says fighting the disease depends on earlier detection, education and a cooperative, interactive approach to sharing knowledge and medical skills. “People do need to take better care of themselves and we all have room for improvement,” he adds. “I’m very proud that Winnipeg is able to attract so many distinguished heart specialists to discuss these challenges.”

Berkowitz has his own formula for staying well. His family has summered at a cottage on Trout Lake near Kenora since the 1940s and he’s developed his own program of diet and exercise. “I call it the Trout Lake Diet rather than the South Beach Diet,” he laughs.

The symposium will be moderated by CJOB radio’s Richard Cloutier and will begin with remarks by Dr. Michel Tetreault, president & CEO of St. Boniface Hospital. Also speaking will be Dr. Alan Menkis, the Medical Director of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority Cardiac Sciences Program. He is also Section Head of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Manitoba and was recently elected as a Fellow of the IACS.

Dr. Menkis, says gatherings like this one are vitally important in sharing knowledge and seeing the big picture in cardiac health care. “We cover the whole spectrum of heart health from politics to public police, clinical innovation and basic research,” he says. “Usually we gather some world-renowned leaders in the field so we learn from them and also raise public consciousness about this important field. The goal is to improve health knowledge and look at best practices as well as getting a message to the public.”

He says Winnipeg is also home to many talented heart specialists so the flow of knowledge and networking is two-way. “Outsiders can also learn from how we have totally reorganized the delivery of heart care in the hospitals in this province,” he says. “We can all learn a lot from each other so this kind of sharing and cooperation helps everyone.” Dr. Menkis says Winnipeg is already a highly respected hearth health centre and has attracted some very talented doctors and researchers from overseas. He says the work of the National Research Council and companies such as Winnipeg-based IMRIS, which manufactures a wide range of imaging equipment — including magnetic resonance imaging and x-ray angiography for structural heart disease and electrophysiology — is renowned around the world.

He added that some of the symposium sessions will be perfectly intelligible to the general public and he expects attendance to be anywhere from 100 to 200.

For more information: Contact Ivan Berkowitz at (204) 228 3193

E-mail: ivan@mts.net