In this episode Dr. Ladd McNamara discusses homocysteine blood levels and it’s association with heart disease.
- Chapter 9: Homocysteine Oxidizes Both LDL Cholesterol and the Arterial Walls
- Chapter 10: Pharmaceutical Companies Conspire to Hide the Truth
- Chapter 11: The Discovery of the Association Between Homocysteine and Heart Disease
Chapter Excerpts
Inasmuch as the medical dogma was that high cholesterol caused heart disease, naturally Dr. McCully’s research and findings showing otherwise were blackballed by the pharmaceutical industry.
Homocysteine is second only to cigarette smoking in its oxidative destruction. The combination of oxidized LDL cholesterol and damaged arterial lining (the endothelium) is what causes LDL cholesterol to stick to the arteries, independent of whether the LDL cholesterol level is normal or not.
The Cholesterol Conspiracy includes ignoring one of the major causes of heart disease; thus doctors are unaware of the necessity to test for and reduce homocysteine levels …… Ladd McNamara, M.D.
"I realized immediately that this was a critical case because if this boy had arteriosclerosis, it would prove that no matter what the enzyme defect and no matter what the metabolic pattern, patients with inherited diseases causing homocystinuria also developed arteriosclerosis. Because of this I could attribute formation of the plaques to elevated homocysteine levels."
Kilmer McCully, M.D.
"They told me later they didn’t want to have Harvard or Massachusetts General Hospital associated with my theory because it appeared to contradict the conventional wisdom that cholesterol and fats were the causes of heart disease."
Kilmer McCully, M.D.
Ladd McNamara, M.D. on Dr. McCulley.
Chapter References
- 10: Haim M, et al. Serum Homocysteine and Long-Term Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Sudden Death in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease. Cardiology. 2006 Jun 6;107(1):52-56.
Ladd McNamara, M.D.
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