 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline .(March 2019) |
| BaleDoneen Method | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | cardiology |
The BaleDoneen Method is a risk assessment and treatment protocol aimed at preventing heart attack and stroke. The method also seeks to prevent or reduce the effects of type 2 diabetes. The method was developed by Bradley Field Bale and Amy Doneen.
Similar to other protocols, the method tests for cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and diabetes mellitus, as well as factors not included in other current protocols, including systemic inflammation, vitamin D deficiency, insulin resistance, elevated levels of lipoprotein(a), and genetic risks, to identify potential root causes of arterial plaque. [1] [2]
Testing for plaque includes a carotid intima-media thickness test, (CIMT), which measures blood flow through the arteries and the thickness of the arteries. [2] [3] Physician Dr. Jeff Emery wrote that the test "allows us to identify if you are at future risk for a heart attack or stroke." [4] The American Heart Association has recommended CIMT as "a safe, non-invasive and relatively inexpensive means of assessing subclinical atherosclerosis. The technique is valid and reliable." [5] The method also uses the coronary artery calcium score (CAC), [5] a measurement of the amount of calcium in the walls of the arteries that supply the heart muscle, using a coronary CT calcium scan of the heart. [6] [7] CAC has been shown to be an independent marker of risk for cardiac events, cardiac mortality, and all-cause mortality. [8]
The method uses urine and blood tests to check inflammatory markers, such as a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein test (CRP) measuring CRP, a protein in found in blood that indicates inflammation throughout the body. [9] In 2017, results of the CANTOS trial demonstrated that anti-inflammatory therapies reduce risk for heart attack, stroke, other cardiovascular events [10] and cancer by up to 50%.
The method ties results of this testing to considerations of lifestyle, diet, sleep disorders, stress levels, genetic factors, and dental care, and personalized treatment targets are set to reduce patients' cardiovascular risk. [9] [11] In some cases, these goals exceed those set by standard care. A common protocol for blood pressure indicates that an adult male with a reading of 130/85 is not at risk for a heart attack if the patient is being treated for high blood pressure. However the American Heart Association [12] and the BaleDoneen Method define safe levels as being below 120/80.
| This section needs more reliable medical references for verification or relies too heavily on primary sources .(January 2019) |  |
In a retrospective study that analyzed data from patients who had received cardiovascular risk reduction treatments that included lipid-lowering medications, lifestyle modification, and additional therapies for those with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and other cardiovascular risks. [13] The following outcomes were reported during the first year of treatment with the BaleDoneen Method, compared to baseline: 50% decrease in the size of carotid artery plaque deposits, 30% drop in triglycerides, 25% drop in LDL cholesterol, and 6% rise in HDL cholesterol.
A retrospective study of patients treated with the BaleDoneen Method, [14] reported statistically significant reductions in CIMT measurements, plaque burden, fasting blood sugar, LDL cholesterol and inflammation over an eight-year period. Limitations of the study include lack of diversity in the study subjects, nearly all of whom were Caucasian, and lack of a comparison group. Randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to compare the effect of the method with standard treatment protocols.
For the treatment of arterial disease, the method uses pharmaceuticals such as statins, baby aspirin (low dose aspirin), renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system inhibitors (RAAS inhibitors), and other drugs that are common tools for most physicians, as well as vitamins, [15] supplements, lifestyle modification, and a diet based on the patient's DNA. [7] The method also recommends significant attention to dental care [16] to improve heart and circulatory system health, including brushing and flossing teeth twice a day. [7]
Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial ischemia, or simply heart disease, involves the reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle due to build-up of atherosclerotic plaque in the arteries of the heart. It is the most common of the cardiovascular diseases. Types include stable angina, unstable angina, and myocardial infarction. A common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may travel into the shoulder, arm, back, neck, or jaw. Occasionally it may feel like heartburn. Usually symptoms occur with exercise or emotional stress, last less than a few minutes, and improve with rest. Shortness of breath may also occur and sometimes no symptoms are present. In many cases, the first sign is a heart attack. Other complications include heart failure or an abnormal heartbeat.
A transient ischemic attack (TIA), commonly known as a mini-stroke, is a minor stroke whose noticeable symptoms usually end in less than an hour. TIA causes the same symptoms associated with strokes, such as weakness or numbness on one side of the body, sudden dimming or loss of vision, difficulty speaking or understanding language, slurred speech, or confusion.
Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease.
Atherosclerosis is a pattern of the disease arteriosclerosis, characterized by development of abnormalities called lesions in walls of arteries. These lesions may lead to narrowing of the arteries' walls due to buildup of atheromatous plaques. At onset there are usually no symptoms, but if they develop, symptoms generally begin around middle age. In severe cases, it can result in coronary artery disease, stroke, peripheral artery disease, or kidney disorders, depending on which body parts(s) the affected arteries are located in the body.
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is an abnormal narrowing of arteries other than those that supply the heart or brain. PAD can happen in any blood vessel, but it is more common in the legs than the arms.
Dyslipidemia is a metabolic disorder characterized by abnormally high or low amounts of any or all lipids or lipoproteins in the blood. Dyslipidemia is a risk factor for the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD), which include coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral artery disease. Although dyslipidemia is a risk factor for ASCVD, abnormal levels don't mean that lipid lowering agents need to be started. Other factors, such as comorbid conditions and lifestyle in addition to dyslipidemia, is considered in a cardiovascular risk assessment. In developed countries, most dyslipidemias are hyperlipidemias; that is, an elevation of lipids in the blood. This is often due to diet and lifestyle. Prolonged elevation of insulin resistance can also lead to dyslipidemia. Likewise, increased levels of O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) may cause dyslipidemia.
An atheroma, or atheromatous plaque, is an abnormal accumulation of material in the inner layer of an arterial wall.
A vulnerable plaque is a kind of atheromatous plaque – a collection of white blood cells and lipids in the wall of an artery – that is particularly unstable and prone to produce sudden major problems such as a heart attack or stroke.
Carotid endarterectomy is a surgical procedure used to reduce the risk of stroke from carotid artery stenosis. In endarterectomy, the surgeon opens the artery and removes the plaque. The plaque forms and thickens the inner layer of the artery, or intima, hence the name of the procedure which simply means removal of part of the internal layers of the artery.
Carotid artery stenosis is a narrowing or constriction of any part of the carotid arteries, usually caused by atherosclerosis.
A Hollenhorst plaque is a cholesterol embolus that is seen in a blood vessel of the retina. It is usually found when a physician performs ophthalmoscopy, during which a plaque will appear as a small, bright crystal that is refractile and yellow. This is a medical exam finding, and is not a medical condition, though it may be related to cardiovascular conditions such as atherosclerosis of the internal carotid artery. It was first described by American ophthalmologist Robert Hollenhorst in 1961.
Computed tomography angiography is a computed tomography technique used for angiography—the visualization of arteries and veins—throughout the human body. Using contrast injected into the blood vessels, images are created to look for blockages, aneurysms, dissections, and stenosis. CTA can be used to visualize the vessels of the heart, the aorta and other large blood vessels, the lungs, the kidneys, the head and neck, and the arms and legs. CTA can also be used to localise arterial or venous bleed of the gastrointestinal system.
Intima–media thickness (IMT), also called intimal medial thickness, is a measurement of the thickness of tunica intima and tunica media, the innermost two layers of the wall of an artery. The measurement is usually made by external ultrasound and occasionally by internal, invasive ultrasound catheters. Measurements of the total wall thickness of blood vessels can also be done using other imaging modalities.
A coronary CT calcium scan is a computed tomography (CT) scan of the heart for the assessment of severity of coronary artery disease. Specifically, it looks for calcium deposits in atherosclerotic plaques in the coronary arteries that can narrow arteries and increase the risk of heart attack. These plaques are the cause of most heart attacks, and become calcified as they develop.
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may travel into the shoulder, arm, back, neck or jaw. Often it occurs in the center or left side of the chest and lasts for more than a few minutes. The discomfort may occasionally feel like heartburn. Other symptoms may include shortness of breath, nausea, feeling faint, a cold sweat, feeling tired, and decreased level of consciousness. About 30% of people have atypical symptoms. Women more often present without chest pain and instead have neck pain, arm pain or feel tired. Among those over 75 years old, about 5% have had an MI with little or no history of symptoms. An MI may cause heart failure, an irregular heartbeat, cardiogenic shock or cardiac arrest.
Carotid ultrasonography is an ultrasound-based diagnostic imaging technique to evaluate structural details of the carotid arteries. Carotid ultrasound is used to diagnose carotid artery stenosis (CAS) and can assess atherosclerotic plaque morphology and characteristics. Carotid duplex and contrast-enhanced ultrasound are two of the most common imaging techniques used to evaluate carotid artery disease.
The Framingham Risk Score is a sex-specific algorithm used to estimate the 10-year cardiovascular risk of an individual. The Framingham Risk Score was first developed based on data obtained from the Framingham Heart Study, to estimate the 10-year risk of developing coronary heart disease. In order to assess the 10-year cardiovascular disease risk, cerebrovascular events, peripheral artery disease and heart failure were subsequently added as disease outcomes for the 2008 Framingham Risk Score, on top of coronary heart disease.
John David Spence is a Canadian medical doctor, medical researcher and Professor Emeritus at the University of Western Ontario. He is affiliated with the University of Western Ontario and the Robarts Research Institute, one of Canada's leading medical research organizations. Before his retirement from clinical practice in July 2022, he was also affiliated with the London Health Sciences Centre's University Hospital. He is a recognized expert in stroke prevention and stroke prevention research, with more than 600 peer-reviewed publications since 1970. He delivered more than 600 lectures on stroke prevention in 42 countries. In 2015, he received the Research Excellence Award from the Canadian Society for Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. In 2019, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada, and in 2020 he received the William Feinberg Award from the American Heart Association for excellence in clinical stroke research.
Amy Lynn Doneen is an American doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and co-founder of the BaleDoneen Method for the prevention and treatment of heart attack, stroke and type 2 diabetes, and for treatment after one of these medical events.
Arterial occlusion is a condition involving partial or complete blockage of blood flow through an artery. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood to body tissues. An occlusion of arteries disrupts oxygen and blood supply to tissues, leading to ischemia. Depending on the extent of ischemia, symptoms of arterial occlusion range from simple soreness and pain that can be relieved with rest, to a lack of sensation or paralysis that could require amputation.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)