Healing the Heart

The events of life usually proceed with a certain regularity to their rate and rhythm. Two weeks ago, this regularity became severely disrupted when our thirty-year-old son, Scott, experienced a heart attack.

Scott regularly travels around the US to conduct energy healing sessions, classes and workshops. He was driving back to Houston from Santa Fe, NM when his symptoms became acute and intense. There was no good place to stop. He drove and prayed and made it to Amarillo, TX, where he was able to receive excellent medical care.

Our family will be forever grateful to the doctors, nurses, techs, chaplain and volunteers who both saved his life and made us comfortable while we visited him at the BSA Health System facility in Amarillo. The Baptist Saint Anthony home page is http://www.bsahs.org/. They took him in and cared for him with a level of compassion I have rarely seen in a hospital setting, and deserve a bigger thank you than I can possibly express.

We are also grateful to numerous people from the Anusara Yoga community who have visited, emailed, called, prayed, chanted and donated food, equipment and money to Scott's cause. Because of Scott's special relationship with Anusara Yoga, they have set up a special account to receive donations on Scott's behalf during his recovery, and a webpage to facilitate donations. Please note that the news of Scott's ordeal appears at the top of that page. He posted a message of thanks at the bottom of that page, now that he has recovered sufficiently to do so. The link for that page is http://www.anusara.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=234&Itemid=112.

I'd also like to thank many of the patients I've told about Scott's situation for including him and our family on their prayer lists.

The Medical and Surgical Part of the Equation

When Scott started having symptoms before the drive home, nobody's minds went to the unlikely scenario of heart attack. Altitude sickness, gall bladder trouble, stress or some combination of those factors could easily explain away these symptoms in a young man who was working very hard in a setting much higher than the sea level city he normally lives in.

Dr. Rajesh Nambiar had to open a clogged artery and insert two stents. Once normal blood flow was restored, Scott felt tremendously better--but only for a short time.

Because congenital factors combined with going untreated for too long a time, Scott developed a dangerous ventricular tachycardia--an extremely rapid and irregular heart rate. I had just returned from Amarillo to Houston after visiting Scott and spending time with him and one of his friends and students who had flown in to be with him. I had flown in, myself, to visit and to drive Scott's car back to Houston.

Convinced that he was on the road to recovery and that he had someone bright and caring to look after him for a few days, I planned to return mid-week to fly back with him and bring him home where his mother and I could take care of him after his discharge from the hospital.

We received a phone call saying that Scott had gone into this crazy cardiac rhythm, and that he might not make it. Gathering a few clothes and little else, my wife, Gitesha, and I piled into the car at 1 AM with our older son, Shannon, our granddaughter, Jazmin and our 14-year-old pug to drive through the night back to Amarillo. That time of day, there was no way to get there faster or to make other arrangements.

Dr. Coty Jewell, a cardiologist specializing in electrophysiology, did electrical mapping of the heart and ablated (burned) the area responsible for the rogue rhythm. After eight hours of work, Scott's rhythm was both normal and stable. On Sunday, I was able to fly back to Houston to go back to my own practice. I returned Wednesday to pick Scott up (he was not in shape for the 10 1/2 hour drive!), and the rest of the family drove home.

Both Dr. Nambiar's and Dr. Jewell's work were done through catheters inserted in the groin. No open heart surgery was necessary.

The Holistic End of Things

Scott will be joining the rest of the family today to go to his niece, Jazmin's, dance recital this evening. She is very excited about performing, and about turning five next month.

A healthy emotional life and a sense of connectedness to family, friends and community is important for good health. Scott already has a strong sense of connection to his Creator. Still, he has gone through a lot, including having to be shocked back to life numerous times when he "coded". His friend recommended some homeopathic supplements to help keep emotions in check.

Structural work is also important. Having worked with the spine and cranium for longer than Scott has been around, I'll handle that part. Cardiac rehab/exercise? A must.

The nutritional area is a controversial one. When a heart patient leaves the hospital, they are told to go on a low fat, low salt diet. Medicines are supposed to keep blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood viscosity (thickness) where the cardiologists like to see them. I believe that we can improve on this approach in a number of ways through the right dietary choices and some intelligent supplementation.

Is all fat the same? Is all salt the same? What about blood sugar stabilization? Do we have the right understanding about cholesterol and its significance. Can we encourage cardiovascular health by understanding nutritional pathways, and lower the need for medications that frequently lead to liver issues? I believe we can.

Another Seminar This Weekend

I'm off to another nutrition seminar this weekend in San Antonio.

Topics include:

Because of this, I'll be seeing patients all day Tuesday and Thursday, and on Wednesday and Friday mornings. Please call the office between 8:30 and 5:00 Monday through Friday if you'd like to make an appointment. The number is 713-831-6875.

Public Talk

I'll be speaking to the Lone Star Dowsers on Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at the HEB Central Market. The presentation will begin at 7:15 PM. Title: New Tricks to Stabilize Spinal Alignment and Reduce Pain: Cranial Laser Reflex Therapy and Nutritional Kinesiology. You are welcome to attend or invite others even if you are not a member of this group, AND it would be helpful for us to know how many people to expect. Please email me at http://www.drstuart.net/feedback.php if you plan to come.

Congratulations to the Class of 2010

If you are graduating from high school, college or another academic program, congratulations, and keep up the good work: Never stop learning!

Yours in and for Good Health,

Stuart C. Marmorstein, D.C., D.B.C.S.