I have a very strong family history of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.  I’m also under considerable stress and work very hard... 

While individual recommendations need to be made by your personal physician, many of my patients want to know what I’m doing, and this is what I’m doing for my health...

1) Low fat, high fiber diet (taking Rexall-Sundown’s BiosLife II Natural fiber three times daily).  I also follow the "High Performance Diet."

2) 81mg enteric coated aspirin daily

3) B12 1000ug daily

4) Folate 800ug daily (a.k.a.  folic acid)

5) Multiple vitamin daily (I use Amway’s double X)

6) D-glucarate (combined with Saw Palmetto in Rexall’s "Men’s Formula Plus" - note: Saw Palmetto is for men only to reduce the risk of prostate enlargement)

7) 30 minute walk leisurely walk daily

8) Rexall-Sundown’s "Cellular Essentials" - which contains vitamins C, E, and other supplements for heart disease (such as Co Q10, L-carnitine, and L-arginine)

9) Calcium 1200mg daily with 400iu’s of vitamin D (women should be on 1500mg daily)

10) Ginkgo 100-120mg daily

11) Drinking lots of fluids, keeping caffeine to less than two drinks daily

12) While alcohol has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks and possibly strokes, I probably average one glass of wine per week or two. 

13) I also listen to educational or motivational tapes every day in my car, and try to read a minimum 5 minutes daily of a motivational or spiritual book. 

14) Regular check ups: I check my labs minimally twice annually, and have had a stress test at age 35, 40, and 45.  My first colonoscopy will be at age 50.

15) DHEA - I’ve checked my blood levels, and make sure they are in the upper half of normal.  I don’t recommend DHEA unless this is the case, particularly for women. 

New information becomes available regularly, so I update my regimen as the literature warrants.  The book "Spontaneous Healing" by Dr. Andrew Weil is invaluable, although Dr. Weil has recently reduced his vitamin C recommendation down to just 500mg daily. 

My cholesterol and triglycerides are well below 200, and my LDL (bad cholesterol) is below 100.  If they were not, I’d be taking a medication like Lipitor. 

Note: by taking the Rexall Sundown BiosLife II Natural fiber three times daily, along with the High Performance Diet, I’ve seen my weight go down a total of 50 pounds with a dramatic increase in energy.  I’ve held this weight loss for an extended period of time.  I’m now down to 153 pounds.

(Note: there are numerous Amway distributors to contact.  There are also numerous Rexall distributors.  My medical assistant, Jennifer Thompson, is a Rexall distributor.  I generally refer my patients to her to order BiosLife II Natural and Cellular Essentials.  She can be reached at hosanna@ictransnet.com.)

For more information about a healthy heart and eating, contact the American Heart Association at http://www.americanheart.org/