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Heart Disease Success Stories

 

 

 

There Is No Other Place Like This, Anywhere!

“I had been hospitalized twice for congestive heart failure. At 44, I couldn’t walk across the room without stopping to rest and the doctors said I wasn’t a candidate for any kind of surgery. At that point, my mom said, “Well, let’s see if Whitaker can help you.”

“After my first week of EECP treatments, I couldn’t believe how much energy I had! I came to the clinic with wheelchair assistance and was on 15 different prescriptions, but by the end of my three week stay, I went home walking on my own two feet and was able to get off of most of my medications.

“I would not be here if I had not come to the Whitaker Clinic and get the help that I did. I had to change my diet and lifestyle and started using different supplements to help keep me healthy and keep me off of my prescription drugs which were making me sick. I now feel like a completely new woman and I’m so grateful.  There is no other place like this, anywhere.”

— Ann Marie M., MI*

Thank You for Not Giving Up on Me

“I was a patient at the Whitaker Wellness Institute earlier this year. It was an experience I will never forget. When I arrived, I was in a wheelchair and my heart was operating at only 15%. I had congestive heart failure. I went to one of our local hospitals last year because I had pneumonia. My heart was racing and of course I was given drugs, both orally and intravenously. Upon returning home I became weaker with each passing day until I wasn’t able to even eat a small amount of food without feeling like I had just run a marathon. My heart was struggling to pump, and walking was becoming next to impossible. I got so bad I was unable to get up out of the chair without assistance. This was rough for a person who enjoys hiking, artwork, and tennis.

“I had been receiving your newsletter, and a friend who owns a health food store in our area told me about your clinic. After spending money and time in hospitals and getting worse with each visit, my wish was to be a patient at your facility. At the beginning of the year, my dear sister and brother-in-law surprised me with the news that I would be going to your wonderful facility.

“Since 2008 my life has been a downward spiral of drugs, hospital stays, and threats of impending doom if I didn’t agree to the scary and invasive procedures that doctors told me I needed.  I was also told that there was no help for congestive heart failure or atrial fib. I do a lot of reading, and I know that there is help for both of these problems. My beliefs were confirmed when I spoke with the wonderful professionals at the Whitaker Wellness Institute.

“I must admit that I was a bit difficult when I first came into the facility, but thank you for not giving up on me. Getting all of these wonderful professionals working in one facility says a lot about you and the caring you have for mankind. Keep your fingers crossed and whisper a little prayer for me, I’d like to come back for a tune-up.”

— Another Grateful Patient, Catherine (Cathey) Smith*

Symptom Free and Drug Free Without Bypass Surgery

Today, Leonard is a happy, healthy man. However, just three months ago he was decidedly unhappy and very ill. He had diabetes, high blood pressure, gout, and was taking six prescription medications. After a single episode of mild chest pain, he underwent an angiogram and was strongly recommended to have bypass surgery. He was told that without it he would surely die.

This was the last straw. Leonard came to the Whitaker Wellness Institute for a second opinion—preferably one that didn’t require cutting open his chest. That’s exactly what he got, and guess what? It worked just fine.

Using improved nutrition, exercise, targeted nutritional supplements, and noninvasive therapies such as EECP and chelation therapy, Leonard now has normal blood pressure and blood sugar levels, his chest pain is gone, he is exercising almost daily on a treadmill, and he is off every one of his drugs. He is so thrilled with his progress that he tells his story to complete strangers in the checkout line of the grocery store.

Leonard’s results are not a fluke. We see similar outcomes all the time. This is because we provide our patients with a health-promoting program that addresses the underlying causes of their problems, rather than just masking symptoms. Therefore, they get better and better as time goes on. Lock yourself into the conventional approach and you can expect to gradually get worse. Leonard would surely have had bypass surgery had he not broken free. Today, without the “urgent” treatment his doctors recommended, Leonard is symptom free and drug free.

 from Health & Healing by Julian Whitaker, MD*

My Doctor Said I Would Be Dead Within a Year

“I was only 24 when I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. I was so tired I could barely walk, my pulse was very rapid and erratic, and my ejection fraction, the amount of blood the heart pumps out on every contraction, was 20 percent. The normal range is about 50-70 percent.

“I began taking the drugs the doctors ordered, and I had a procedure to get my heart beating in rhythm, but my ejection fraction remained low and I still had little energy.

“My parents found out about the Whitaker Wellness Institute and took me there. I was put on a strict diet and a regimen of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), daily supplements, and magnesium, among other things. After three or four months my ejection fraction started to go up, eventually returning to normal.

“I slowly stopped taking my prescriptions. I was no longer fatigued and could exercise strenuously, so I thought that I was over my problem. I quit my diet and stopped taking the CoQ10. But then I relapsed. I started taking drugs again, but my condition continued to deteriorate so much that I checked myself into the hospital. My ejection fraction was 12. The doctor told my parents that I would be dead within a year, or two years at the most.

“Well, we contacted you and you put me back on CoQ10. After four months, I had the strength to fly out to see you again. I got back on a regimen of diet, vitamins and supplements, and increased in my CoQ10 intake.

“In the late spring of 2000, I had the opportunity to go to Europe on a family vacation. I almost didn’t go, for fear of being unable to keep up and ruining the vacation for everyone. But I went, and was able to do just about everything I wanted, including climbing the steps of an eight-story castle tower. It was a wonderful trip.

“Today I continue to take CoQ10 and the other supplements as well as prescriptions. I still am in advertising and play golf couple of times a week. I am also engaged and plan to get married April of next year. I hope you can attend, Dr. Whitaker. I would not have proposed if I did not think I had a long and happy life ahead of me, thanks to you.”

 Bill B., Georgia*

Blood Pressure Lower Than When Taking Drugs

Ned, an electrical engineer and computer consultant from Oregon, has always been health conscious. He takes vitamins, exercises, eats a low-fat diet, and is a long-time subscriber of my newsletter, Health & Healing. Yet one problem plagued him for almost 30 years. When he was 40 years old, Ned was diagnosed with hypertension and started on a blood-pressure lowering drug. This was to be the first of a long, long string of prescriptions that not only failed to bring his blood pressure down, but also had many adverse effects. When the side effects of one drug became intolerable, Ned’s doctor switched him to another. He figures he’s tried just about every antihypertensive drug on the market.

Frustrated and fed up with feeling lousy because of his drugs, yet scared to just stop them, Ned came to see us. The first thing he learned at the Whitaker Wellness Institute was that he had insulin resistance. He also learned that when insulin resistance is an underlying factor in hypertension, it often responds very well to nutritional therapies and exercise. So Ned started on a comprehensive program of diet, exercise, and nutritional supplements as his physician slowly weaned him off his drugs. Much to Ned’s delight, his blood pressure was even lower than it had been while he was taking drugs!

I ran into Ned a few months ago at a conference in Las Vegas. He was looking fit and healthy, and he told me hadn’t felt this well in years. During the year after his visit to the clinic, as the diet and exercise program become a part of his daily life, the extra 30 pounds that had sneaked up on him over the years slowly but surely disappeared. He still takes his blood pressure two or three times a week, and for the past two and a half years, it has averaged 125/75—without medications.

 from Health & Healing by Julian Whitaker, MD*

A Real Transformation—Without Surgery

“I had triple bypass surgery in February of 1985, and over the years, each of these grafts closed up. Finally, in August of 1997 the largest graft closed and I suffered a heart attack. After recovery I returned to work, but by March 1998, I was placed on disability from work. I was no longer able to do much—no flying, skiing, running or strenuous anything and was told to stay below 2,000 feet in altitude. As the months passed my angina increased to the point I was having pain going up and down my stairs at home. On January 4, 2000 an angiogram was performed and it was determined that I should undergo a quadruple heart bypass. Surgery was scheduled for March 8, 2000.

“Thanks to a suggestion from a neighbor, I visited the Whitaker Wellness Institute and had a conference with a doctor there. Although dubious, I began the treatments he suggested.

“What a difference a year makes! In the last 12 months I have undergone a real transformation—without surgery. My doctor at the Whitaker Wellness Institute changed my diet and exercise, added supplements, adjusted my prescription drugs, and most important restored my health. The EECP, chelation, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and acupuncture have now allowed me to return to the life I had before.

“What is particularly interesting is that my cardiologist thinks I am wasting my time and money at the Whitaker Wellness Institute.”

 T.S., Long Beach, California*

Big Improvements in My Health

“When I came to the Whitaker Wellness Institute I had angina, high blood pressure, and severe swelling around my ankles. I was taking several medications every day for these problems. Since my treatments at the clinic, I have seen a big improvement in my health. My blood pressure is reduced with each treatment, I have a lot more energy, and my ankles are back to normal. I have lost seven pounds, and my nitroglycerin pill use has been severely limited.”

 Patricia Martin, Canyon Lake, California*

Second Opinion for Angioplasty/Stent

Jane, a slender, attractive woman from Torrance, CA, came to the clinic in 2002 for a second opinion after being told she needed an immediate angioplasty and stent placement. She was treated instead with chelation, nutritional supplements, and lifestyle changes, which resulted in a 40-pound weight loss, a significant drop in cholesterol, and control of borderline diabetes.

In October 2009, at the Whitaker Wellness 30th Anniversary party, Jane particularly enjoyed catching up with her old “chelation buddies”—the people she met sitting in our IV room day after day—and showing her new husband what Whitaker Wellness is all about. “At first he was skeptical, and he assumed that Whitaker Wellness was a spa. And when he saw how many supplements I consumed, he thought I was nuts. But this celebration opened up his mind, especially when he ran into some old, respectable friends whom he knew weren’t crazy!”

from Health & Healing by Julian Whitaker, MD*

If It Weren’t for Dr. Whitaker I Wouldn’t Be Here Today

“Back in 1989, I went to Scripps Hospital in San Diego, had a treadmill stress test and an angiogram, and was told they would need to do a bypass operation in the morning. I was feeling pretty good so I declined the surgery, got out of that place, and never went back. I started looking into my options and who did I find but Dr. Julian Whitaker.

“After a hands-on examination, he said he thought he could fix me up. He gave me a list of supplements to take, told me to exercise 30 minutes every day, and prescribed chelation therapy. I’ve had a relationship with Dr. Whitaker now for 20 years. I still take the supplements he suggests and exercise regularly. And to think, those folks down at Scripps gave me 30 days to live without the bypass operation!

“I’ve been working steadily in the title business without missing hardly a day of work for 55 years—and I plan to keep on working for another 20 years. I can honestly say that if it weren’t for Dr. Whitaker I wouldn’t be here today.”

— Bob Duff, Longtime Whitaker Wellness Patient*

Best Decision in a Long Time

Roger is a fit 78-year-old from Hawaii who has been an athlete and avid exerciser all his life. He went to the ER after developing shortness of breath and chest pain and was recommended to have an angiogram, a diagnostic procedure that is often a prelude to angioplasty or bypass. Roger looked the doctor in the eye, said, “Absolutely not,” left the hospital, and made an appointment to see me.

When he arrived at the clinic, we started him on a therapeutic low-fat diet, a prudent exercise program, and a robust supplement regimen that included antioxidants, coenzyme Q10, ribose, carnitine, fish oil, and extra magnesium. Roger was also treated with two of our most powerful therapies for coronary artery disease: enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). He responded predictably well and states that his visit to Whitaker Wellness is the best decision he’s made in a long time.

 from Health & Healing by Julian Whitaker, MD*

Thankful I Didn’t Allow Myself to Be Forced Into a Procedure

Donald was in Las Vegas at a conference when he began experiencing a rapid heartbeat. He went to the emergency room where he was given medication to regulate his heartbeat and admitted to the hospital for further evaluation. Although he had no chest pain and, prior to this isolated incident, good exercise tolerance and no history of blocked arteries or heart failure, he was told he may have had a mild heart attack and needed an immediate heart catheterization—almost surely to be followed by angioplasty and stent placement.

Thanks to his involvement with the Whitaker Wellness Institute, Donald knew these procedures were at best inappropriate and at worst dangerous. He was tired and not up to arguing, so he tried to get some sleep. He was awakened during the night to sign a consent form the procedure, and again, he refused. The next morning, he called me, and based on the fact that his only problem was a rapid heartbeat, I recommended that he leave the hospital ASAP.

He again informed the hospital staff that he had decided against the procedure, and that he wanted to leave right away. Several teams of doctors and nurses tried to dissuade him, but he held firm. He left the hospital, flew home, and came to Whitaker Wellness. His doctor here found that his heartbeat was steady and his blood pressure was normal. An echocardiogram revealed that his heart function was excellent and his ejection fraction (a measure of the heart’s pumping ability) was a healthy 55 percent.

We further stabilized Donald’s heart rhythm with intravenous magnesium, and he’s receiving magnesium injections to ward off future arrhythmias. He’s also undergoing enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) treatments to promote the growth of new blood vessels around his heart. And he’s been treated with hyperbaric oxygen a few times for good measure.

Donald says, “I was really scared. I felt like I was being ganged up on and threatened. But I knew what Dr. Whitaker would recommend so I came home—against doctor’s orders—to be treated at the clinic. I’m so thankful that I didn’t allow myself to be forced into an unwanted and unnecessary procedure.”

— from Health & Healing by Julian Whitaker, MD*

Not Scared Into Surgery

When Dorothy, a vibrant woman in her early 70s, developed severe chest pain and shortness of breath, she was taken to a prominent hospital in Los Angeles where she was diagnosed with a mild heart attack, stabilized with drugs, and admitted to the ICU. Shortly thereafter, a group of physicians came into Dorothy’s room and told her that she must undergo angioplasty immediately. She agreed to continue on the drugs but politely declined the procedure. So another doctor came in and told Dorothy that if she didn’t have the angioplasty, she would go into full cardiac arrest.

That’s when Dorothy’s son stepped in. “My mother had just had a heart attack and was in tremendous pain, and now she was being accosted by this doctor who was trying his best to scare the hell out of us. She calmly asked him to leave. Not only did he refuse, but he escalated his assault in an even more disrespectful manner. At her request, I finally told him that if he didn’t get out, I would throw him out.”

“But the nightmare continued. Next, three psychiatrists came in and started in on her—as if she were crazy because she would not go along with whatever they said. They continued to badger her and left only when I threatened to physically throw them out. A few more bombardments followed before they finally sent in a decent doctor who, although he disagreed with us, followed my mother’s wishes.”

A few days later, Dorothy left the hospital and came to Whitaker Wellness, where we evaluated her, found that her heart was functioning normally, and treated her. Within two weeks, she was symptom-free—no chest pain, shortness of breath, or difficulty exercising—and as she completed her treatment course, she was able to taper off most of the medications they’d put her on in the hospital. I recently called Dorothy to check up on her, and she was feeling great.

 from Health & Healing by Julian Whitaker, MD*

*Individual results may vary.

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