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Before I talk about this podcast I want to mention that I was at the Healthy Expo in Los Angeles yesterday and heard Jeffrey M. Smith speak about “Genetic Roulette”. From his lecture I got an even stronger understanding of the role that GMO’s could be playing in all of our health. I see GMO’s as just yet one more environmental toxin.
Click here to read my entire post on this subject.
Here is the GMO website I talk about
You can click here to watch the Movie for free this week on Genetic Roulette
In this podcast I conclude with part three of my interview with Dr. Ron Karlsberg, Professor of Medicine at UCLA School of medicine.
We finish up discussing this very valuable test called the Coronary CT Angiogram.
We start off this interview with the cost of this test which at some centers in Southern California is $1500 and others only $800. Dr. Karlsberg describes how you will see your own heart in three dimensions. You are able to slide through the arteries of your heart. Some of Dr. Karlsberg’s patients have been movie producers who want to use this technology in their next movie!
We talk about the preparation for the procedure including how they will most likely give you an intravenous medicine to slow your heart rate and possibly a nitroglycerin spray under your tongue to let your arteries be more clearly visible. I also recommend that you take a nutraceutical called NAC 500 mg twice a day for three days before the test and two days after the test. This minimizes the impact of the iodine dye that will be injected on the kidneys.
Dr. Karlsberg then discusses some of the other preparation for the test.
I then asked Dr. Karlsberg if a patient gets this test, do they need any other test. His reply is as long as any blockage found is less than 55% no further tests are needed.
We also discussed whether carotid artery ultrasound scanning would be additionally helpful.
If the arteries are calcified and sometimes the soft plaque is not as visible and we discussed this.
Dr. Karlsberg points out that in patients who have mild symptoms or symptoms that were not clearly cardiac that this test could replace a real angiogram to get clarification about the cardiac status.
I then asked Dr. Karlsberg about when a follow-up test would be done. In a word his answer is in 3 to 5 years.
We then briefly talk about the indications for bypass surgery for the heart.
I then asked Dr. Karlsberg what LDL level he likes patients even without disease to have. and his answer is that the he would like to see the LDL between 100 and 130.
He reminds us of the recent TV show on CNN called the Last Heart Attack. I encourage you to watch this if you’ve not seen it already.
Dr. Karlsberg closes by reminding us that this test is a CT scan not an MRI, so you are not enclosed in a narrow tube whatsoever. Whether you are in a big donut that is several feet above your face.
For more information about Dr. Karlsberg and this test you can go to Cardiovascular Medical Group or their research foundation at CVRF.net.
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For the TRANSCRIPT of this Interview click PAGE 2 just below
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