Improving cardiovascular health requires more than simply subscribing to a healthy diet and active lifestyle, says a medical expert on the subject.
“A number of natural substances support good health of the heart and the entire cardiovascular system,” said Ken Walker, MD, who goes by the pen name Dr. W. Gifford-Jones in his book What I learned as a Medical Journalist and is speaking Oct. 7 at the Cleland Theatre at 7 p.m.
Walker was making reference to how using high doses of Vitamin C and Lysine, an amino acid, can prevent the hardening of the arteries that can lead to a heart attack.
“It really is a fundamental finding because never before – to my knowledge – has anyone shown that any medication can literally reverse hardening of the arteries,” he said.
His first exposure to the concept of ingesting large amounts of Vitamin C came when he was interviewing the late Dr. Linus Pauling, a two- time Nobel Prize winner who used up to 20,000 milligrams of Vitamin C daily.
“He told me that the reason for the epidemic of heart attacks was because people weren’t getting enough Vitamin C because humans don’t make Vitamin C and animals do,” said Walker.
He said that according to Pauling, Vitamin C is required to manufacture healthy collagen, and acts as the glue that holds coronary cells together, in the same manner that mortar is needed for bricks. In addition Lysine, which is similar to steel rods used in concrete, makes collagen stronger.
“The human body, according to Pauling, is the same.
“We’re only getting small amounts of Vitamin C and therefore, we’re developing large amounts of coronary vascular disease,” noted Walker, 89.
He added that Dr. Sydney Bush, an English researcher discovered that large amounts of Vitamin C and Lysine can reverse atherosclerosis. Bush took retinal photographs, and then started his patients on high doses of vitamin C and Lysine. One year later additional pictures showed atherosclerosis had regressed in retinal arteries.
The typical dosage required in order to experience the positive effects are 6,000 milligrams of daily Vitamin C and 5,000 milligrams of daily Lysine, said Walker.
“You just can’t get enough from food, vegetables and juices to give you that amount,” he said.
People also need to live a healthy lifestyle and not rely solely on Vitamin C and Lysine supplementation, said Walker.
“You’ve got to exercise, you’ve got to watch your weight, you’ve got to avoid smoking and not drink too much, all the good things that you’re supposed to do that goes along with it,” he said.
In addition, Walker isn’t advocating for people to stop using their present doctor-prescribed medications for keeping their cholesterol levels in check.
“All I’m going to do is give them a second opinion when I come out here to the community,” he said.
Walker is a graduate of The University of Toronto and The Harvard Medical School. He took post-graduate training in surgery at the Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, McGill University in Montreal and Harvard.
During his medical training he has been a family doctor, hotel doctor and ship’s surgeon. He is a fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons and author of seven books.
His medical column is published by 70 Canadian newspapers, several in the U.S. and the Epoch Times which has editions in a number of European countries. He was senior editor of the Canadian Doctor, a regular contributor to the magazine Fifty Plus and other publications.
His Gifford-Jones Foundation donated $500,000 to establish The Gifford-Jones Professorship in Pain Control and Palliative Care at The University of Toronto Medical School. During his career he has travelled extensively to interview a number of internationally renowned scientists and researchers.
For more information regarding the presentation, call Nature’s Fare at 250-492-7763.