11/21/2025
âď¸A 350 Arterial Calcium Score, Zero Blockages: Why the CIMT Ultrasound Test Saved a Marathoner from Unnecessary Statins: A case study from my practice.
Hey everyone, Dr. Frank Aieta here. As a naturopathic physician with almost 25 years in clinical practice here in Connecticut, Iâve helped thousands of patients avoid heart attacks and strokes the natural way. We focus on real food, lifestyle, targeted non-toxic supplements, and the right lab testingâinstead of jumping straight to drugs.
Jack walked into my office ten years ago. Heâs 57 now, a lifelong marathoner and former Ironman who still runs sub-4-hour marathons without breaking a sweat. The only âred flagâ on his labs is the sky-high LDL he inheritedânorth of 200â220 pretty much forever. His primary care doctor had been pushing statins hard for a decade. Jack tried one years ago and his legs felt like they were filled with sand; he quit and never looked back.
When he became my patient we did things differently. We put him on a lower-carb, moderate-protein, higher-fat dietâsteak, eggs, wild salmon, olive oil, avocados, nuts, tons of greens and berries. Within months he told me his endurance went through the roof. He stopped hitting the wall because his body switched from burning sugar (which runs out) to burning fat (which never does on a trained marathoner). Recovery got easier, race times got faster, no more mid-run bonks.
I also started him on the core supplements heâs taken faithfully for the entire ten years:
⢠High-dose fish oil
⢠Magnesium
⢠CoQ10
⢠Vitamin D3 with K2 (the K2 is the keyâit directs calcium into bones instead of arteries)
⢠Nattokinase, Pycnogenol and Centella asiatica for smooth, healthy circulation
Twice a year we run the labs that actually predict plaque buildup: HbA1c, ultra-sensitive CRP, Lp-PLA2, homocysteine, fibrinogen, myeloperoxidase, oxidized LDLâeverything except his genetic LDL has been textbook perfect, year after year. So every time his P*P pushed statins Iâd hand Jack the results and say, âYour arteries are happier than most 30-year-olds. Weâre not putting you on a drug that makes you miserable when thereâs zero evidence you need it.â
Then last year the P*P ordered a coronary calcium scan. Score: 350. The doctor called Jack in a panic: âYouâve got major plaque! Youâre heading for a heart attack! Your naturopath has been neglecting you for ten years!â
Jack brought me the report. I wasnât shocked. Lifelong endurance athletes like Jack frequently have higher calcium scores because their arteries lay down hard, stable calcium instead of soft, rupture-prone plaque. Itâs like the artery turns the junk into stone so it canât break off and cause trouble.
But I donât rely on theoriesâI ordered the test I trust most: the Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT) ultrasound with Doppler.
Hereâs why the CIMT is, in my opinion, the single best window into real cardiovascular health (far better than just an LDL number or even a CAC score alone):
⢠Itâs a live ultrasoundâno radiation, 15â20 minutes.
⢠It measures how thick the artery wall actually is (thick = early disease; thin = young, healthy vessel).
⢠It shows the type of plaque: soft and dangerous, mixed, or hard and calcified (stable).
⢠The Doppler measures real-time blood flowâif the river is wide and fast, the pipe isnât clogged, no matter how much limestone is on the walls.
⢠It catches soft plaque the calcium scan completely misses and reassures us when the calcium is just harmless armor.
Jackâs CIMT came back stunning:
⢠Mean intima-media thickness: 0.58 mmâthe same as a fit 25-year-old.
⢠Several bright, hard, calcified plaques (exactly what the 350 CAC score predicted).
⢠Zero soft or mixed plaques.
⢠Blood flow wide open, no narrowing anywhere.
In plain English: yes, he has calcium in his arteries, but those arteries are thin-walled, wide open, and lined with stable stoneânot soft gunk waiting to rupture.
Jack looked at the pictures on the report, laughed, and said, âSo my coronaries probably look just like my neck arteriesâstonewashed, not clogged.â
I told him, âExactly. You built armor, not ticking time bombs.â
He left smiling, kept eating ribeyes, kept taking his K2 and fish oil etc., kept saying no to statins, and six months later ran Boston againâno issues.
Thatâs the whole reason Iâm sharing Jackâs story. A high LDL or a calcium score of 350 terrifies most doctors and patients. The CIMT told us the truth: at 57, after decades of marathons, Jack has some of the healthiest, most resilient arteries Iâve ever seen.
Look at the whole pictureâespecially with a CIMTâand you keep healthy people healthy instead of scaring them onto drugs they donât need.
Jack is living proof. And heâs still out there every morning, running just like he did when he was younger.
For more info on the CIMT test checkout: https://cardiacriskspecialists.com
