09/04/2025
❤ Lets talk heart health.
Right now in American, there is a gap between outdated guidelines and effective care when it comes to cardiovascular health and many patients are not getting a full picture of their actual risk of a cardiovascular event.
"But my cholesterol / LDL is good."
"But my lifeline screening said there wasn't any issues."
"But I passed my stress tests"
These can be postive indications, but they fall short of providing you with your real risk.
---- A national study found that nearly 75% of patients hospitalized for a heart attack had LDL levels within the “acceptable” range.
------About half of all heart attacks occur in people with “normal” cholesterol levels.
----- Even in people with “ideal” cholesterol numbers, 50% still had significant plaque buildup in their arteries.
---- Stress tests can find blockages- but there has to be a blockage of at least 70% but research shows that ~30–40% of culprit plaques (the ones that rupture and trigger a heart attack) were only moderately stenosed (narrowed) beforehand.
------The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against carotid artery ultrasound screening in healthy people, warning that the false-positive rate is so high it can lead to unnecessary, sometimes risky, procedures.
------Harvard Health reminds us that “screening tests are never 100% accurate… "
So where does that leave you?
With numbers that look “normal,” but risks that may be hidden and tests that give you blind peace of mind. CVD is the #1 killer of americans, it has been for over 100 years.
At our office, you have more options, based on recent science.
We run specialized advanced testing to evaulate plaque pathology biomarkers to uncover your actual risks:
---Glucose & Insulin Control – High blood sugar scratches the artery lining, creating cracks where plaque can form. These are well established drivers in a large fraction of CVD cases.
--- Small Dense LDL – The sticky, dangerous particles that wedge into those cracks. People with elevated small dense LDL face up to 300% higher risk of heart disease compared to those with larger LDL particles.
--- ApoB – The protein that shows how many artery-damaging particles are present.
---- ApoA1 – The protective protein that helps clear cholesterol from arteries.
--- Lp-PLA2 – A marker of arterial inflammation and unstable plaque (the kind most likely to rupture and cause an event).
---F2a - High levels mean your body is under oxidative stress, a damaging process that inflames and weakens blood vessels.
-OxLDL - High oxLDL = unstable plaque and higher risk of cardiovascular events. This is the end of artherosclerotic formation.
---CRP - High-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) is one of the best markers for silent inflammation linked to heart attack and stroke risk. Higher hs‑CRP is associated with up to a threefold increase in incident CVD.
--- ADMA - a naturally occurring chemical in the blood that blocks nitric oxide production.
We don’t stop at “good” or “bad” cholesterol or pass / fail tests,, the science just isn't there for us to be satisfied with that information alone. We go deeper—and get a full clinical picture- so you can finally understand where you really stand and how to protect your heart. Plus, we work with your already established physicians to help create the best plan moving forward to stay heart healthy and reduce your risks.
All testing options are recommended in a case to case basis based on your unique health history.
If you want to know your real risk, call us today to schedule an exam with our physicians. 567-940-9334.