Participants: Ron Giannoni (Host), Paul Curtis
Series Code: NSN
Program Code: NSN000043
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00:23 Hi friends, and welcome to another edition of NEWSTART Now.
00:27 I'm your host, Ron Giannoni. 00:30 In our studio today we have an unusual story 00:33 of a gentleman who 00:35 came to us after having a heart attack 00:38 just about a month ago. 00:40 So before I get into this story, 00:43 let's watch a segment of when he first arrived, 00:46 and let Paul tell you about it. 00:49 I woke up in early December 00:52 with pains in both my arms 00:54 which progressed into my chest. 00:57 I suspected heart attack, 00:59 and was taken to the hospital emergency. 01:02 They took a couple EKGs, 01:04 confirmed I was having an attack at the time, 01:06 put in one stent, 01:07 later wanted to put in a second one, 01:09 and I didn't want that done. 01:11 I didn't want to be on medication. 01:12 So that's why I'm here 01:14 with this process to reverse that condition. 01:17 I'm currently taking four medications for my heart 01:20 that were given to me at the time of attack. 01:22 I want to get off of those, 01:25 and I want to get into this process 01:28 so that I can reverse all this heart problem. 01:32 Welcome back, friends. 01:34 In our studio we have Paul Curtis. 01:37 Paul, how are you? Good. 01:39 Good to see you. 01:41 So, you came here after having a heart attack. 01:44 What's interesting to me is I had one also, 01:48 but unlike you I didn't go to the doctor. 01:51 I just thought it was gas or something. 01:53 But tell us about that event 01:56 when you went to the cardiologist. 01:59 What did he tell you to do, etc? 02:03 You mean after he put in the stent or before? 02:06 Yes, afterwards. 02:08 He said there wasn't a whole lot he could tell me, 02:10 because I'm not the usual type of patient. 02:13 I wasn't overweight. 02:14 My total cholesterol was pretty normal for them. 02:18 They thought anything under 200 is okay. 02:20 Mine was 163. 02:23 And so he said, "I don't know really what to tell you. 02:25 Your blood pressure's not that high. 02:28 It's elevated, but it's not that bad." 02:30 So he gave me these medications, 02:33 these four medications to take, 02:35 He wanted to see me back. 02:36 He wanted to do another stent in two days, 02:38 and I told him no. 02:39 Good for you. 02:41 And then he wanted to do a stent maybe in a month. 02:44 And I said, "Well, maybe. We'll see about that." 02:47 I wanted to look up some other possibilities first 02:49 that I wanted to try out that were normal corrections, 02:52 which is why I came to this place. 02:55 Now, do you think that it was an advantage for you, 02:59 being a doctor, 03:01 the way you handled the situation 03:04 when you rushed to the emergency hospital? 03:08 Oh yeah. I don't think there's any question about that, 03:11 because I recognized what was going on. 03:14 The biggest problem was I'd had a few symptoms 03:16 just a few days before. 03:18 They were not typical, 03:20 and so I didn't recognize those. 03:22 But the morning that I had the attack 03:24 there was no question about it. 03:26 I went into shock, 03:28 and I immediately checked my blood pressure, 03:29 which was down on the floor. 03:31 So I knew I was in trouble. 03:34 I got the nausea, the shock reaction. 03:37 So I immediately knew what it was. 03:39 And that's why I could take advantage 03:41 of getting to the hospital in time. 03:43 I really didn't have the worst part of the attack 03:45 till I was sitting on their table. 03:47 Ah, okay. 03:48 So I was right there, ready to go to work. 03:50 So fortunately, they were there watching 03:52 and they gave you the necessary medications 03:56 to help open up the arteries and such. 03:59 Okay, so now you come to 04:01 the NEWSTART program at Weimar here, 04:04 which is about a month later, 04:06 a month and a half later, 04:08 in hopes to change 04:10 whatever condition is going on. 04:14 I guess after talking to Doctor Ing, 04:18 your situation is an unusual one. 04:22 You look healthy, 04:23 you're not overweight, 04:25 you eat properly, 04:26 and you had this experience. 04:28 Now they've got you on these medications which 04:32 I've stopped using all of them myself, 04:35 and I know that in time you will as well. 04:39 Tell us about, 04:40 out of the four medications, 04:42 are you on still all four medications today? 04:46 One of them I've discontinued 04:49 just on my own, 04:51 because I think it's somewhat worthless. 04:53 I don't know whether we need to name it. 04:55 But I'm on three of them still. 04:58 One of them is just an aspirin, 04:59 so it's no big deal. 05:01 And the other two I plan to get off of relatively soon. 05:05 I'm gonna stay on it a little while. 05:07 I have a thallium treadmill 05:09 ordered by the cardiologist 05:11 for June the 30th. 05:13 And I may stay on them that long, I'm not sure, 05:16 until I do that. 05:18 But I've already improved my stats, 05:21 so I plan on improving them to where 05:23 it kind of blows the cardiologist 05:25 away when he sees them. 05:26 He's not going to be real happy with you 05:28 when you tell him you stopped. 05:30 "No, he's not going to get that other surgery, I hope." 05:33 Now, talking about the treadmill test, 05:38 you've had two since you've been here, right? 05:40 Correct. 05:42 How did you fare on the second treadmill test, 05:45 which was yesterday? 05:47 Actually, I passed both of them. 05:50 Really? 05:51 Yeah, that's what's strange about this whole thing. 05:54 I haven't had any pain since I had the stent put in, 05:58 treadmill or otherwise. 06:00 I've been walking pretty much 06:02 four miles a day since I got here. 06:04 So it's... 06:07 Everybody kind of just shakes their head. 06:09 They don't know what to say about it. 06:11 So Doctor Ing tells us 06:13 that prior to you coming, 06:15 you called him and spoke with him on the phone. 06:18 You weren't sure about the program here 06:21 and whether it would help your situation or not. 06:24 By the way, I called Doctor Ing too before I came. 06:28 But tell us, if you would, 06:32 is it meeting your expectations? 06:35 Yes, I think it's met everything that I wanted to do. 06:39 Doctors have a tendency to be a little hesitant on some things 06:43 because it puts them in a bad light with the cardiologist 06:46 you're under at home. 06:48 So you have to be a little guarded on that. 06:50 I understand that as a doctor. You can't be 06:52 going out of bounds and creating problems. 06:56 That's fine. I understand, no problem. 06:59 One thing I would like to say, 07:02 that I was raised a total vegetarian. 07:05 That was another thing that was strange about all of this. 07:07 Now, vegetarian... Explain to us what you mean. 07:11 Well, vegetarian meaning no animals 07:12 as such, but it doesn't exclude 07:15 animal products--milk, ice cream, cheese, etc. 07:19 And basically those elements can be as bad for you 07:22 as meat itself. 07:24 So that's where I messed up, 07:25 and that's where this all comes from, I believe. 07:29 So now you have opted to not only be vegetarian, 07:33 but vegan, right? Absolutely. 07:35 A plant based diet, whole plants eaten whole. 07:38 Correct. 07:39 Well, have you lost any weight since you've been here? 07:44 A pound, pound and a half or whatever. 07:47 But I didn't need to lose weight, so... 07:49 I just wondered how you would... 07:51 I almost always, my whole life, 07:53 I've always been in a perfect band where I should be. 07:56 I usually stay between 160 and 170. 07:59 And if I get over 170 it's because 08:01 I've been eating a lot of junk 08:02 and I'll just back off for a couple of days, 08:04 and I'm back in the bracket again. 08:06 So I've never had a problem with weight. 08:08 So your BMI is in line? 08:10 Yeah, everything's fine. Okay, good. 08:12 What about the food? 08:14 The adjustment from going to 08:17 vegan rather than vegetarian. 08:20 Any problem with that? 08:21 Probably easier for me because 08:23 of the vegetarian start. 08:25 I don't have to stop the meats and all that stuff. 08:27 It is difficult otherwise 08:29 because I loved ice cream, 08:31 and I love pizza, 08:32 and I love a bunch of stuff you're not supposed to be doing. 08:35 And you've either got to decide to do it or don't do it. 08:38 You can't do halfway and expect success, 08:42 so I'm going to do it all the way. 08:43 And I've already seen some results. 08:46 Now I know we've had pizza here since you've been here. 08:49 Did you share in that? 08:51 Yeah, but there's no cheese on it. 08:53 Well, of course. çlaughterÑ 08:55 What did you think of it without the cheese? 08:57 Edible. çlaughterÑ 08:59 Now I was raised Italian 09:01 in an Italian neighborhood, 09:03 and pizza was like our... 09:05 I had it every day. 09:07 My wife is Italian. 09:09 So yeah, so you know the drill. 09:11 I found it very difficult to give up my cheese, 09:15 but now that I'm off of it for a few years, 09:19 I have no problem with it. 09:20 No big deal. 09:22 But every once in a while I'll smell that cheese, 09:25 cooking in a restaurant or whatever. 09:29 Anyway, you're doing good. 09:30 Are there any particular other ailments 09:34 that you had that you'd like to share? 09:36 No, but throughout my life I hardly every get sick. 09:40 I think there was like 35 years 09:42 I never saw a doctor for anything. 09:45 And then I went down and got a baseline 09:47 just to see if I'm still alive, 09:49 and that's when I discovered 09:51 my cholesterol was higher than I wanted it. 09:53 It's within normal range for a lot of doctors. 09:55 They say 200 is okay, 09:57 total cholesterol, and mine was 211. 10:00 But I was able to reduce that to 158 10:04 just by knocking out animal products, 10:07 such as cheese and milk. 10:09 Good, good. 10:11 We're running out of time and I have to bid you good day. 10:13 Thank you for joining us. 10:15 You're welcome. Glad we could help. 10:16 And friends, thank you for joining us. 10:18 Don't go away! Doctor Ing's going to be with us in a moment. 10:23 Well, you've done very well. 10:31 Do you have diabetes, 10:32 heart disease, high blood pressure, 10:35 or do you weigh too much? 10:37 Hi, my name is Dr. Ing, and I'd like to tell you 10:40 about our 18-day NEWSTART lifestyle program. 10:43 It includes a comprehensive medical evaluation 10:46 with laboratory studies 10:48 and an exercise stress test, 10:50 physician consultations, 10:52 culinary school, 10:54 and an opportunity to walk on beautiful trails 10:57 in the foothills of the Sierras. 11:01 Your health is one of the most 11:02 important things that you have. Don't wait. 11:05 Give us a call at: 11:10 Or visit our website: 11:29 Welcome back, friends, 11:30 and in our studio we have Dr. Clarence Ing. 11:33 Doctor Ing is our director here of 11:37 the medical facilities. 11:38 Is that what go by? 11:40 Correct me if I'm wrong. 11:41 Well, medical director for the NEWSTART program. 11:44 Good to have you here, as usual. 11:47 I want to talk about Paul. 11:50 Now, when I interviewed Paul 11:53 when he first got here, 11:54 he was explaining this 11:56 episode that he had-- 11:58 I'm going to call it an 12:00 episode-- early December. 12:02 And he was wise enough to get himself to the hospital. 12:06 Otherwise he might have had a serious problem. 12:09 But tell us a little bit more about those events. 12:13 Well, heart attacks occur 12:16 in many, many Americans, unfortunately. 12:20 And oftentimes, the first symptom that a male has 12:25 is the heart attack. 12:28 And unfortunately, maybe 25 to 30 percent of them 12:31 never survive more than 24 hours of their first heart attack, 12:34 so it's really too late. 12:35 So 25 to 30 percent, 12:37 the first one, BANG-- that's it. 12:38 Yeah, they die. 12:40 And within 24 hours. 12:41 So it's not good. 12:43 You really need to be aware of this 12:44 and be aware of some of the risk factors for heart disease. 12:48 Now, excuse me for, I keep interrupting, 12:51 but how many risk factors did he have? 12:54 He seemed to be fairly lean, fairly active. 12:58 Tell us about that, as well. 13:00 Well one risk factor, he was male. 13:02 Ahhh. 13:04 And even though he was on a vegetarian diet, 13:08 he was on what we call a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. 13:12 And a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet includes 13:15 things like eggs, 13:17 which have yolks which are high in cholesterol, 13:19 and it also includes dairy products and milk. 13:23 Of course, whole milk has fat and cholesterol. 13:28 Even non-fat milk has a very small amount of cholesterol. 13:33 And you know, they say low-fat is 2 percent, 1 percent. 13:37 Well whole milk is only about 3 percent. 13:40 So when they go to 2 percent milk and 1 percent, 13:43 that's really not the way you want to go. 13:45 And the other thing is, a lot of people 13:47 say they eat cheese. 13:50 There's cheese... 13:51 And he had all this. 13:52 He was eating cheese and milk and eggs and... 13:55 Yeah. Probably more cheese. 13:57 He said he ate eggs occasionally, 13:59 but probably more cheese. 14:01 As I recall, cheese was several times a week. 14:05 Was he exercising like he does now? 14:09 Yes, he was exercising. 14:10 But the thing about cheese is, 14:12 cheese is deadlier or worse for you than meat, 14:15 so-called red meat, 14:17 because ounce for ounce, or gram for gram, 14:22 cheese had more saturated fat and more cholesterol 14:25 than the same amount of red meat. 14:29 So that's something that people don't realize. 14:32 Of course, usually they eat smaller amounts of cheese 14:35 than they do the red meat, 14:37 but cheese you've really got to be careful with. 14:41 Many lacto-ovo vegetarians 14:44 tend to use cheese too freely, especially with 14:47 the ethnic foods, like Mexican foods. 14:50 Lots of them contain cheese. 14:52 And you know, cheese tastes good for the people who like it. 14:56 They do have soy cheeses, 15:00 but even some of the soy cheeses have casein in them, 15:02 which is milk protein. 15:04 And the milk protein actually, 15:06 when compared with soy protein, raises cholesterol 15:09 when compared with soy protein. 15:12 So soy protein is preferable to regular milk. 15:16 So how is Paul doing on the program? 15:18 Let's talk about some of the benefits that... 15:20 He's still taking all of the medications that 15:23 he was when he first arrived? 15:24 His medications really haven't been changed. 15:27 He's been walking. 15:29 He now realizes the importance of 15:32 a totally plant-based diet, 15:34 whole plant foods approach. 15:38 So he's happy to say goodbye to 15:42 cheese and dairy products and eggs and things like that. 15:46 So he's a believer. 15:47 Oh yes, absolutely. 15:49 He's a pretty bright guy. 15:50 He is a doctor too, a podiatrist, I understand. 15:53 But he's had some medical training 15:57 so he probably took to this real well, 16:00 wouldn't you say? - Oh yes. 16:01 Once he realized that it was important-- 16:04 because actually, before he ever came, 16:06 I got a call from our guest services 16:09 that there was a gentleman who 16:13 wanted to get some information, 16:15 wanted to know if a lifestyle program 16:17 could reverse heart disease. 16:19 So I had an opportunity to talk with Paul before 16:24 and tell him about some of the studies that have been done. 16:27 Probably one of the more important studies 16:29 was one done by Dr. Dean Ornish, 16:31 which was reported in Lancet medical journal 16:33 in the early '90s, 16:35 showing that with lifestyle changes 16:37 very similar to what we do here at Weimar... 16:39 With angiograms of coronary arteries before 16:43 and several years after 16:45 with the people following this type of program, 16:48 they're able to get those arteries... 16:50 get some of that plaque reabsorbed 16:52 and their arteries open up. 16:53 So it's been worthwhile. 16:55 So he's reducing his medications? 16:59 In time he probably will reduce those, 17:04 but that's going to be something he's going to 17:05 talk over with his cardiologist. 17:07 But he's beginning to get an idea 17:08 what he needs to be on and why he needs to be on it 17:11 and what value it is. 17:12 The other thing was, 17:14 after his heart attack and they put a stent in, 17:18 as he would relate to you, 17:20 they wanted to put another stent in 17:22 several days later, and he said, 17:25 "Thank you, but no." He says, 17:27 "I want to do it another way." 17:29 I want to talk about this stent for a minute 17:31 because I've read, and maybe 17:34 I read it in Doctor Calwell's book, 17:36 about how the stent, when they put it in, 17:39 if people do not change their lifestyle, 17:42 they're just going to clog up again. 17:44 Is this your understanding? 17:46 Well, yeah, this is true. 17:47 Even when they first started transplanting hearts 17:51 many, many years ago, Dr. Christiaan Barnard 17:53 in South Africa, when they started to do this, 17:56 they didn't have people change their diets. 17:58 And if they don't change their diets, 17:59 Whatever caused coronary arteriosclerosis 18:03 is just going to repeat. 18:04 And if you get an angioplasty or a stent now, 18:07 if you don't change your diet 18:10 they're just going to plug up again. 18:12 Sometimes in some cases, 18:16 maybe 30 percent of them will get 18:18 renarrowed or restenosed 18:20 within 6 to 10 weeks after the initial procedure. 18:23 So this has been a real challenge. 18:25 So whether patients have had stents or not, 18:28 they've got to make changes in their lifestyle. 18:30 And we've had patients come here 18:32 two days after they've had a stent put in. 18:35 So we're happy to work with them 18:37 and we know that we can help them, 18:39 providing when they go home 18:42 they continue to practice and to follow 18:43 the same principles that they've learned here. 18:46 Now we've talked about exercise and food intake. 18:51 Let's talk about NEWSTART and the acronym. 18:54 The N is for nutrition, - Correct. 18:57 E for exercise, - Right. 18:59 W for water, 19:00 S for sunshine, 19:02 T for temperance, 19:04 Temperance means using nothing which is harmful or bad, 19:07 Yes. You know, like, 19:08 tobacco and alcohol, 19:10 also caffeinated beverages, 19:12 and using in moderation the good things. 19:15 So you get balance. 19:16 Avoid the things that are bad. - And you have air. 19:18 Yeah, air. 19:19 And rest. - Rest. 19:21 And then trust in divine power. - Right. 19:28 Would you suggest that all of these are important, 19:31 or is there just one you could pick out? 19:34 What would you say to our folks that are watching the program 19:38 that they can start right now? 19:40 Well, they're all important because 19:42 the motto of my medical school, Loma Linda University, 19:45 is "To make man whole." 19:46 That's physically, mentally, and spiritually. 19:48 Whole person care. 19:50 And if I just deal with an individual's 19:53 physical problems and aches and pains 19:55 and never find out what his emotional mental problems are, 20:00 and don't tell them about the help 20:04 that God is willing to offer to people 20:06 who need to make some lifestyle changes, 20:09 I'm doing them a disservice. 20:11 Because it's really hard for most people 20:13 to not overeat, because food tastes good. 20:17 Many people are addicted to food, 20:19 and they need some extra help. 20:20 And that's where God can come in if they will 20:23 talk to Him and ask Him for that. 20:25 So you're saying that when people... 20:28 if they're watching this at home, 20:30 they should initiate all these principles 20:33 and stick to every one of them. 20:34 Right. Whole plant foods, regular exercise. 20:37 If you want to lose weight, 20:39 stop your evening meal. 20:40 That's an important aspect of it. 20:41 It makes it a lot easier to control weight 20:43 and to lose your weight if you don't eat after 20:46 2 o'clock in the afternoon. 20:48 Much easier. 20:50 So has Paul had any other conditions 20:52 that he's dealing with while he's been here? 20:54 No, the primary one is his concern about his heart. 20:58 Otherwise, he's been doing pretty well. 21:00 Good. 21:02 Doctor Ing, as usual, 21:04 I want to thank you for being here. 21:06 It's such a pleasure to see you. 21:09 I know I see you on campus, 21:11 but there's something different about being on the set 21:14 and chatting with you like this. 21:15 Thank you very much. 21:17 It's great to be here. 21:18 And folks, I want to thank you for joining us. 21:21 We have an important message for you 21:23 in just a few minutes. 21:25 So don't go away. We'll be right back. 21:41 Welcome to NEWSTART Now. My name is Cathy, 21:43 and today we have with us Dr. Eddie Ramirez. 21:46 Doctor, thank you for joining us. 21:47 Hi. Thank you for inviting me. 21:49 Well, I'm glad that you're here. 21:50 Today we're going to discuss intimacy. 21:52 Share a little bit about what you want to share. 21:53 Yeah, you know, when certain cultures come here 21:58 to the United States of America, 22:00 they like the work, 22:01 they like the freedoms 22:05 that are here in this country. 22:06 But something they don't like is the fact that 22:10 many times intimacy lacks. 22:13 What do I mean by that? 22:14 Many of these cultures 22:17 are used to a more close society 22:21 in which there's more dependence 22:25 upon one and another. 22:27 Here in America, you know very well that 22:30 you start growing up, 22:32 and after passing your teen years 22:35 your parents start telling you-- 22:37 in many homes, not in all of them-- 22:39 "Hey, it's time to move on." 22:42 Well, you go to other countries in the world 22:45 and you will see that there's an extended family 22:48 living in the same household. 22:52 So this spirit of independence, 22:55 yes, it's healthy, it's good. 22:57 But when we take it to the extreme, 23:01 that is not good for our health. 23:04 We, in our heart, desire intimacy. 23:09 And when we don't even know the names of our neighbors, 23:15 and we just go to work and 23:19 have very shallow relationships... 23:23 Different structures that used to be 23:27 very present in our societies 23:29 are starting to disappear, 23:31 such as churches. Churches... 23:35 Studies show that people that attend the church regularly 23:39 have a better health. 23:41 And that is related to that intimacy. 23:43 When you go to church, 23:44 and you talk to the other members 23:47 and you start sharing your heart, 23:49 It's very good for the soul, that. 23:53 When they have done studies about this, 23:57 It's fascinating the results that they have found. 24:00 University of Pittsburgh did a very interesting study. 24:03 in which they put the virus of the cold 24:08 straight on the noses of the participants or the volunteers. 24:14 And what they found is that 24:17 the people that made five or more phone calls to friends 24:23 in a period of aweek-- imagine this-- 24:26 in a period of a week, 24:28 those people didn't develop the cold. 24:31 Oh wow. 24:32 Their immune system became strong enough 24:36 to battle that virus of a cold. 24:39 Five people! - Wow, yeah. 24:40 And that's not a huge number. 24:43 Same thing, certain studies have shown that 24:48 people that are going to go through 24:49 certain medical heart procedures, 24:52 if they have somebody to which they can open their heart, 24:59 the outcome of that particular surgery 25:03 is much better, independently of secondary factors 25:08 such as smoking and exercise, which is great. 25:13 But you can be doing all these right things 25:17 and if you don't have intimacy, 25:19 you are in big trouble. 25:22 Wow. - So then, 25:23 what are we going to do to increase our intimacy? 25:27 One of the things that we suggest 25:30 is that you develop a prayer life. 25:32 When you are praying 25:35 and you become vulnerable to God, 25:39 just open yourself. 25:41 Don't try to trick God. 25:43 "Oh, He doesn't know these things." 25:44 He knows it! 25:46 Why not just spit it out? 25:48 So when you have that kind of relationship with God, 25:53 it's very good for the soul. 25:54 That's why studies show that prayer is so good. 25:58 Also, develop friendships. 26:01 Participate in community activities such as, 26:05 attend a regular church service. 26:08 That is so good for your soul, 26:10 to be able to fellowship 26:12 and talk to other people, 26:14 and try to find out how you can increase 26:18 that intimacy with those around you. 26:21 That is so wonderful. God is good. 26:23 For those of you who would like 26:24 more information about this topic, 26:26 you can visit our website at: 26:29 And you can also remember, 26:30 maybe we should each take time to call five friends, 26:32 and have prayer. 26:34 Have a nice big prayer chain. 26:35 Good exercise. 26:37 Thank you for joining us. 26:45 Modern views of evolution stem all the way back 26:47 to theories developed in the mid-1800s. 26:50 Out of the same time period came ideas that shape 26:54 our educational system today. 26:57 The Common School Movement, for example, 26:59 saw schools more like a factory, 27:01 with students blindly memorizing instruction 27:04 rather than thinking for themselves. 27:06 Their curriculum was rigid and theoretical. 27:09 Instead of being flexible and practical, 27:12 it was designed to conform the individual 27:14 into a specific ideological mold 27:17 that fit the needs of an old industrial era 27:20 long since passed. 27:22 Just like our view of creation in six literal days, 27:26 we believe the Bible contains an educational blueprint 27:30 radically different from the one we see now. 27:46 Well friends, that's it for today. 27:48 If you have a friend like Paul 27:50 who has suffered from a heart attack, 27:52 maybe you can refer them 27:53 to the NEWSTART program here at Weimar. 27:56 Have them pick up their phone and give us a call at: 28:03 God bless you, 28:04 and have a great day. |
Revised 2013-06-17