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Vicki has always enjoyed a full and active life, enjoying outdoor pursuits in the lake district and highlands of Scotland; she’s one remarkable lady that’s for sure.
Like many people, Vicki had suffered from various illnesses throughout her life but her health took a turn for the worse when she developed heart problems. A cardiac MRI showed that Vicki had only one coronary artery supplying her systemic ventricle (the main pumping chamber of her heart), whereas most people have two. This meant for Vicki that specialist care was required.
Through referrals to consultant cardiology, Vicki was prescribed furosemide, a powerful diuretic, to control her fluids and reduce excess strain on the heart, ACE inhibitors to control blood pressure and warfarin to prevent blood clots. These are all extremely powerful drugs, which can be accompanied with potent side effects and are usually prescribed either following a heart attack or where a heart attack is likely based upon several guidelines.
One of the side effects Vicki experienced was angioedema. Angioedema is a reaction to ACE inhibitors, and often presents as a deep swelling under the skin, as it did for Vicki, making life very uncomfortable. Vicki remained on ACE inhibitors under guidance of her cardiologist and it was suggested that should the side effects not disappear, an alternative drug would be considered.
Vicki was allowed to control her own dose of furosemide, and typically needed 80-120mg per day, a significant dose, to maintain a balance between feeling bloated and dehydrated.
Vicki says:
“On the back of a poor report from cardiology, I thought ‘what can I do for myself?’ I couldn’t do much about exercise – I didn’t feel like it. But, diet was the one thing I had control over. I couldn’t control the meds I had to take ,but diet, that made sense. I could do something for myself, so I read and researched the information from Intelligent Eating, it just made so complete sense to me, the evidence and reasoning is there. I took advice and followed it, what happened next was incredible.”
Of strong character and with her passionate Scottish personality, Vicki took the advice from Intelligent Eating onboard, implemented and adhered to the information; it simply became part of her new life.
Vicki says:
“I haven’t taken diuretics since last year, I don’t need to. I have almost no bloating, or fluid retention and I don’t get breathless like I used to. I have my life back, and something remarkable had occurred as well – the change to a different ACE inhibitor due to the side effects that were causing such discomfort were deemed no longer required by my cardiologist, after a subsequent MRI revealed that my heart function had improved. For me, this meant no ACE inhibitor and angioedema.”
Given the well-established and peer reviewed evidence from Dr. Caldwell Esselsyn, formally of the Cleveland Clinic, what had most likely occurred in Vicki’s situation is directly related to Poiseuille’s Law. This equation describes the relationship between the radius of a blood vessel and blood flow. Poiseuille’s Law shows us that blood flow is related to the forth power of the radius. For example, a 2% increase in the radius of a blood vessel results in a 2x2x2x2 = 16% increase in blood flow, and since we know that Vicki’s diet has changed to include those foods which enable vasodilation, and excludes those which prevent it, it’s virtually irrefutable that the changes she’s made have made these differences, particularly given few other factors in her life changed.
Vicki goes on to say:
“Now, I understand the mechanisms in which I was damaging my heart, I’ve healed myself, The education from Intelligent Eating has resulted in a shift of control. Of control from the prescription pad to myself and it’s incredibly empowering! Quite frankly, if everyone understood this, it would save the NHS huge sums of money. I find it so simple and easy, I am amazed how the general population don’t adopt this lifestyle, my 22 year son certainly did after seeing the change in my health! But, to be honest, when I look around at my female friends, who are mostly in their early 50’s, they’re overweight, on statins and blood pressure medications, and still have high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and so on. I made the right choice, and I’m in control now – as I said, it’s empowering to say the least. As for my heart, I’m still advised to take warfarin as a precaution but that’s it.”
Vicki is absolutely right with her words, there’s no two ways about it, shifting control of your health, particularly when it is serious, to yourself is immensely powerful – something that actually the general population aren’t aware is possible. Her point about the money that could be saved is extremely valid; huge sums of money are spent by the National Health Service in the UK, and in the western world on cardiology alone. And, the most disturbing aspect is that apart from the lifesaving interventions that may occur immediately at the point someone is having a heart attack, or for those with rare defects, almost all of the cash is spent on drugs, surgery and interventions, which are completely avoidable simply by a change in diet.
As of 2021 Vicki is doing great!