#64: Heart & Cholesterol Confusion, Dr. Stephen Hussey Demystifies Heart Attacks & High Cholesterol

Short Summary & Bio:
Today we’re here to get clear on what is causing heart attacks and heart disease, and what do we need to know about cholesterol in our bodies and cholesterol levels on our blood tests.

Our guest, Dr Stephen Hussey is a repeat expert we love to have on, find his other interviews on episodes #40 and #61.

Dr Hussey is a Functional Medicine practitioner and Chiropractor. He attained both his Doctorate of Chiropractic and Masters in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine from the University of Western States in Portland, OR. He is a health coach, speaker, and the author of two books on health; The Health Evolution: Why Understanding Evolution is the Key to Our Health; The Heart: Our Most Medically Misunderstood Organ (ebook)

>> Looking for Toxin-Free Low-Sugar Natural Wine?? Grab your penny bottle of Dry Farm Wines with our affiliate link here: www.dryfarmwines.com/fowpodcast

For professional Inquiries contact - Marisa Moon, Certified Primal Health Coach: marisa@marisamoon.com;

Disclaimer: Consult with your doctor or functional medicine practitioner before trying any of the remedies or dietary interventions mentioned in this episode. This information and recording is for informational and educational purposes only.

Points of Discussion:
- How conventional medicine is missing major understandings about heart health and heart disease
- Dr. Hussey’s ebook
- Blood clots, heart attacks, confusion
- Georgio Baraldi Researcher vs Ancel Keys’ Diet-Heart Hypothesis
- Baraldi found people died of heart attacks with no blood clot
- less than 50% of people with heart attacks had a clot
- in the 50% of people with clots, the clot did not induce the heart attack
- plastic cast study: found that when narrowing of arteries 70%+, the body built a collateral system of arteries to bypass it.
- Biraldi’s work is not studied in cardiology or medical school
- Bypass surgery doesn’t seem to prolong life or prevent future heart attacks
- Dr. Hussey’s take on Cholesterol and Plaque in Arteries
- cholesterol is a miracle molecule with lots of benefits in the body
- Leiden 85-Plus Study and Lothian Birth-Cohort Study show people with higher cholesterol have less disease and longer life
- Cholesterol is distributed evenly in the body, even in veins, but we only find build-up in certain areas/arteries
- The artery gets damaged from free-radicals, toxins, high carb diet, and other poor lifestyle choices
- The body uses cholesterol to “patch” up the damage so cholesterol shouldn’t be reduced
- Having a discussion with your doctor
- “There’s no evidence that dietary saturated fat or cholesterol results in increased blood levels of cholesterol”
- Look at triglycerides, HDL, and LDL.
- High LDL is okay provided HDL is also high (> 50) and Triglycerides are low (< 100)
- Look at markers of inflammation because it causes damage of arteries and deposits of cholesterol and calcium
- High sensitivity C-Reactive protein
- Homocysteine levels
- Lipoprotein (a), pronounced “L.P. Little A” (a protein that gets attached to cholesterol molecule when it’s damaged)
- NMR lipid profile may be helpful
- Insulin-Resistance Score
- Instead of trying to lower cholesterol, try lowering inflammation instead
- Prevent heart attacks and plaque in arteries by lowering intake of processed seed oils like canola, corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower oils with damaged fats. Lower sugar, refined carbohydrates, flour-based foods, and lower lifestyle-related stress.
- Back to heart attacks and why many heart attack victims don’t have a blood clot
- What causes heart attacks with no clots present?
- Not being fat-adapted whereas your body cannot use fat for energy
- Increased oxidative stress
- Imbalance in autonomic nervous system
- Why is heart disease so common today?
- Most-people are using mostly carbs for fuel, but the heart prefers fatty acids for fuel
- Burning carbohydrates for fuel is pro-inflammatory and makes more free radical waste products; this increases oxidative stress
- Signs of oxidative stress
- general fatigue or lack of energy because mitochondria are damaged
- chronic disease, especially fibromyalgia
- heavy metal toxicity
- eating lots of fried foods or charred meats
- Oxidative stress depletes nitric oxide which is responsible for dilating blood vessels and plays key role in communicating our stress response to cells
- Autonomic nervous system controls breathing, heart rates, dilation of arteries, stress response, etc…
- requires balance to go from stress/threatening state to a relaxed state
- If it’s imbalanced, it can contribute to heart disease/heart attack
- anxiety is a direct symptom of autonomic nervous system imbalance
- heart-rate variability is a great way to track imbalances in your stress response
- imbalance leads to other issues like insomnia, IBS or IBD, and more.
- Dr. Hussey walks us through the cascade of events leading up to a hypothetical heart attack
- What about people who run marathons or love endurance training?
- Origin of the word Marathon
- Book “Born to Run” about primitive runners in mexico
- Be sure you’re fat-adapted and only use glucose when you need to supplement during a race
- Exercise is most beneficial when it’s short term
- Read “Primal Endurance” book to become fat-adapted
- Why does LDL shoot up if you eat a paleo/primal/keto diet?
- When you start to become fat-adapted, you make ketones and make more cholesterol
- When your liver makes more cholesterol, it leaves more cholesterol in the blood
- When you’re fasting, it can increase cholesterol by 69% because we’re making ketones and cholesterol
- If you’re a “lean mass hyper responder”, you will see even more cholesterol increase
- All of the above is not something to worry about, but it is wise to look at the rest of your bloodwork like inflammation and oxidative stress, triglycerides under 100 and HDL above 50

Resources:
- Book an Appointment or Find Dr. Hussey at https://www.resourceyourhealth.com
- Dry Farm Wines (Low Sugar Natural Wines) Penny Bottle: www.dryfarmwines.com/fowpodcast
- The Health Evolution, Book by Dr. Stephen Hussey: https://amzn.to/2o0zGfh (amazon affiliate link)
- The Heart, Ebook, by Dr. Stephen Hussey: https://amzn.to/2ppwnys (amazon affiliate link)
- Primal Endurance book: https://amzn.to/2pidY7j
- Born to Run book: https://amzn.to/36fQDU9

Get in touch with Dr. Stephen Hussey:
Resourceyourhealth.com
Instagram @drstephenhussey: https://www.instagram.com/drstephenhussey/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrStephenHussey/
Youtube “Resource Your Health”: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEHJGZ17zRDZ9rn7yYrC-bQ?view_as=subscriber

Marisa's site: https://www.marisamoon.com
Learn about *Intermittent Fasting Freedom* at marisamoon.com/iffreedom
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Intro/Exit Music  - "Ukulele Whistle" by Scott Holmes