Lipid Consultation
How Does a Heart Surgeon Prevent a Heart Attack?
We all know keeping your "bad" cholesterol (LDL-C) low is important. While measuring is helpful, knowing these numbers isn't enough for all patients. No matter how much cholesterol is being carried by these lipoprotein particles, studies show time and again, it is the number of various lipoprotein particles present that contribute to heart disease.
Advanced lipoprotein testing measures the number of various lipoprotein particles present, information that is more predictive of heart disease than traditional cholesterol testing.
NMR-based lipoprotein testing is especially important for people with certain risk factors, even if they have normal cholesterol numbers (LDL cholesterol <130 mg/dL).
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It is the only test that provides both traditional lipids and the number of atherogenic particles (artery clogging plaques) to better identify and manage patients at risk for coronary heart disease. Thanks to new research, we understand that heart disease, or blocking of arteries, is caused by lipoprotein particles and not by cholesterol. Cholesterol and triglycerides cannot move through the artery wall unless they are carried inside a lipoprotein particle. Lipoprotein particles serve as the vehicles that transport cholesterol in the blood™. These are the particles that can build up in a person's arteries and cause a heart attack.
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Heart Disease: #1 Killer in the U.S.
Every 34 seconds one American has a heart attack. Every minute one will die from one. Heart disease kills more men and women each year than the next seven causes of death combined.
Mummies & Clogged Arteries
Cadavers tell no lies. Over a third of mummies had signs of CVD; they certainly didn't get it from eating a diet of fast foods. We need to re-examine our assumptions.
LDL - C Is the Focus of Attention
"...all abnormalities in plasma lipid concentrations, or dyslipidemia, can be translated into dyslipoproteinemia. The shift of emphasis to lipoproteins offers distinct advantages in the recognition and management of such disorders."
Fredrickson et al. NEJM 1967
Wake - Up Call
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is NOT a disease of modern civilization. Mummies reveal that clogged arteries plagued the ancient world.
Measuring Cholesterol Does Not Tell Us Enough
80% of people who have an MI have similar cholesterol levels as those who did not have an MI. 50% of people who suffered a heart attack had normal cholesterol levels.
Traditional LDL - C May Miss 50% of People At Risk
Advanced lipoprotein testing identifies everybody at risk by using NMR technology to measure the number of lipoproteins in the blood.
"It is the number of cars that cause a traffic jam on a highway, NOT the number of people in the cars."
Florrie J. Healey
Atlanta, GA
Dr. Richman is an upfront, no-holds-barred professional who cares about his patients. As my husband is a physician, I understand the need to be clear and precise with your patients. Dr. Richman has great skills and understanding of the reality of lipid levels and disease. The issue of women and heart disease has long been ignored. He treats males and females with the techniques designed for each of them. I would send my family and my friends to him for evaluation if that were needed, regardless of the long distance.