The Heart of the Matter: the Three Key Breakthroughs to Preventing Heart Attacks

THE HEART OF THE MATTER: The Three Key Breakthroughs to Preventing Heart Attacks BY PETER SALGO, M.D, WITH JOE LAYDEN HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS, INC. 2004, 256 PAGES, $24.95

Heart attacks are one of the top candidates for cause of death, as over 16,000,000 Americans suffer from chest pain (chronic angina), which can be anticipatory signals of heart attacks. Often, the latter are severe enough to make one feel as though an elephant is standing on one's chest. But hope not only is just around the corner, it is here today. So claims this book that deals with the cure and elimination of cardiac difficulties. The author, Peter Salgo, is a practicing internist and anesthesiologist, but he also is an associate director of the Open Heart ICU at Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. His co-author, Joe Layden, is an award-winning journalist and author of over 20 books. These two indeed make an outstanding writing team.

The Heart of the Matter begins with a premise and a promise. The premise is "that no one has ever fully understood what causes heart attacks." The promise is "Ours will be the lest generation to die of premature heart disease in this country" These are two "happy" shockers, put forth by an aggressive, futuristic, and sometimes brash Salgo. He is not beyond taking pot-shots at the medical establishment for not recognizing these earlier. Like the rest of us, the medical field sometimes takes things for granted, as when for decades most stomach ulcers never were recognized as bacteria induced. The news was a incredible breakthrough, as was the discovery of penicillin, and that flouridation could almost stop dental cavities in their tracks.

True, progress has been made in dealing with heart disease, mostly by way of using additional hi-tech procedures, such as heart/lung bypass machines, angioplasty, coronary bypass procedures, etc., but none dealt with the root problem of the disease itself. Diets and exercise, while helpful, are not the answer, either. To prevent heart disease, there are three procedures that should be followed: make use of aspirin, antibiotics, and statins (cholesterol busters).

Before the use of these, both doctors and the lay public wondered why a man like Winston Churchill could live into his 80s, despite incredible stress, the smoking of up to 20 cigars a day, and delighting in fatty, rich foods. Nor could they grasp why Jimmy Foxx, a marathon runner who was good to his body and author of a best-selling book on running, died at age 52. The reason both were incomprehensible was that most M.D.s who treated heart disease were too much into their specialties to see the forest for the trees. They never put the entire puzzle together, dealing only with their own expertise. On the other hand, Salgo makes a specific effort to look at the problem from all aspects, in this sense as a generalist, and bases his recommendations on these observations.

England recommended aspirin, a true wonder drug, as a blood thinner, a pain reducer, and inflammation fighter. Here was a clue, namely, that perhaps inflammation of the coronary arteries, caused by bacteria, was a major factor in heart disease. The culprit for such arterial conditions was chlamydia pneumoniae. Eliminate these bacteria and the condition of the heart improves. The irony of this is that it took nearly 10 years for the public to pressure doctors in this country to advocate (out loud, so to speak) and promote aspirin for heart disease. One almost had to ask the medicine man to recommend the latter. As far as the public was concerned, the taking of aspirin for heart disease was one of the best-kept secrets around. But patients were getting more medically sophisticated as they surfed the Internet for more information--and got it!

Accordingly, Salgo makes far-ranging recommendations. He suggests that the Food and Drug Administration loosen up a bit in letting new drugs on the market, despite some bad side effects. After all, most people do not experience these anyway. He also says that more prescriptive drugs should be classified as "over the counter," as the public is fairly cautious in using these. For example, Claritin, an anti-allergy drug, now is available without a prescription. He urges a public health campaign, educating the populace to think seriously about taking these three preventives (aspirin, antibiotics, and statins) as early as age 30.

One should note that the last word has yet to be uttered, and that recently, some researchers have discovered evidence that questions Salgo's contentions. The controversy only can advance the cause of finding a cure for the disease.

GERALD F. KREYCHE

American Thought Editor

COPYRIGHT 2004 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group