One of the major stars (or distractions, not sure which) to emerge out of the raucous run-up to the 2008 elections was Joe the Plumber. In keeping with the Joe theme, I'd like to share my own Joe story with you. Call it Joe the Survivor.
Joe was about sixty when I first saw him in 1977. He was in bad shape for his age, with arteries so clogged that he lived on nitroglycerine to keep his angina at bay. His angiography results were disappointing to say the least-coronary arteries like rosary beads, which ruled out bypass surgery as a solution. Joe was a treatment nightmare, and his odds of living a long or comfortable life were slim.
The traditional treatment three decades ago was to limit Joe's symptoms by slashing the oxygen demand on his heart with medications such as beta blockers to hold down his heart rate and blood pressure. A pacemaker guaranteed we didn't drop his heart rate too low on drugs.
By 1980, Joe wanted to try intravenous chelation. When surgery isn't an option, some people do get symptom relief from this technique, so I agreed it was worth a try. Sixty treatments later, Joe's symptoms were much less.
As I became interested in nutritional medicine, I started Joe on a multi vitamin/ mineral and antioxidant formula, then CoQ10, an extraordinary antioxidant and vitamin-like substance, central to cellular energy production. The body produces CoQ10 but production declines with age.
In 1987 Joe had another angiogram. Amazingly, it showed that one of his arteries was no worse than it was ten years before, another artery was only slightly worse, and a third had actually improved. Moreover, all our efforts had helped him stabilize his symptoms, a pretty big accomplishment for a progressive disease like his. These results enabled me to feel secure about bumping up his supplements instead of falling back on the drugs when he became a little short of breath. We tried the amino acid L-carnitine to further boost his ATP production, then added fish oil to prevent clots.
ATP is short for adenosine triphosphate-the basic fuel of cells. Organs and tissues operate more optimally when the ATP tank is full. In the heart cells, L-carnitine and CoQ10 are biochemical agents that help keep the ATP level high and thus enhance pumping action. A stronger pump can make a difference for even the healthiest of us. We feel more energetic. But for anybody with angina, heart failure, hypertension, hypertrophy (an enlarged heart), arrhythmia, or any cardiac related concerns, a stronger pump means a much better quality of life as well
Joe is now in his nineties, and now taking D-ribose (another ATP contributor) and nattokinase, a natural clot busting enzyme derived from the fermented Japanese soy food called natto. He is also taking other supplements I have recommended. Despite his advancing age and cardiac condition, Joe's quality of life has actually gotten better with age.
Joe's progress is miraculous. Not only has he made it into his tenth decade against all odds, but he's in much better shape than most of his counterparts. But lest it sound like I'm taking credit for Joe's success, let me tell you the other ingredients for graceful aging for which Joe deserves total credit.
Joe's an exceptional patient with a positive attitude who walks two miles a day, follows a healthy diet, and has a strong spiritual life. To boot, he has a loving and supportive wife and strong friendships.
To me, Joe's story represents two important lessons. First, the power of integrative medicine-using the best conventional and alternative medicine can offer. Secondly, the power of personal responsibility. Joe wasn't healthy when he started with me, but he resisted the passive patient role, made a sustained effort, never gave up, and became healthier as he aged. He added years to his life and quality to those years, something we can all do. That's what healthy aging is all about.
