What tests are done at the CureCenter to measure arterial disease and its root causes?

The true inflammation nature of arterial disease (which causes heart attack, stroke and dementia) is not the basis of mainstream medical care. New testing methods and technology enable the CureCenter to offer more individualized and effective treatments. 

Tests we perform and recommend not generally available from standard care include (but are not limited to):

• Carotid Intima Media Thickness (CIMT) Testing: CIMT measures arterial wall thickness and documents atherosclerotic plaque stage and thickness. A thicker artery wall is an inflamed, older and sicker artery wall. This indicator of arterial inflammation predicts formation of atherosclerotic plaque and related events such as heart attack and stroke.

  Arterial wall thickness (inflammation) is more relevant than luminal flow “blockage” in predicting new and unstable plaque formation. Unstable plaque rupture is the event we experience as a heart attack or stroke. This is more likely with new homogeneous unstable plaque. It becomes less likely as plaque becomes more homogeneous/healing and is minimal when plaque is calcified/healed/stable. Proactive optimal care can heal arterial disease and make your arteries healthier and younger with less risk of disability, death or need for rescue procedures.

• Screening carotid ultrasound (CureScreen): This limited lower cost carotid ultrasound using point of care Butterfly iQ probe and system) is like a screening pap smear, mammogram or PSA to detect early cancer. If we find no disease, peace of mind is the benefit. If, however, even a little bit of arterial disease is found (like a little bit of cancer) the images can be sent for a CIMT report (see above) and then followed to make sure you are safer by following your CurePlan.

• LpPLA2 (PLAC) Test: This enzyme rises when plaque and artery walls are inflamed or “hot.” You want your arteries to be “cool.” LpPLA2 drops with a less inflammatory diet, exercise, reduced insulin resistance, supplements (niacin, and bergamot and statins. It is a fire alarm or “meat thermometer.”

• Myeloperoxidase (MPO): A rise in MPO should trigger a search for neutrophil involved inflammation, especially from the mouth. MPO indicates inflammation and erosion of the inner lining of the artery known as endothelium. A sudden rise should trigger a search for the inflammation that can cause arterial inflammation, leading to heart attack or stroke. Think of a caustic chemical spill inside your arteries. Like a skin abrasion, blood clots form and can occlude flow.

• Microalbumin/Creatinine Ratio (MACR): MACR rises most commonly when blood pressure and blood glucose are poorly controlled.  This causes dysfunction of the arterial wall endothelium, allowing albumin to leak into the urine in greater amounts. A leaky endothelium fails to protect the intima from processes that lead to inflammation. Think of it as another fire alarm.

For more information about these and other tests, go to

https://www.knowyourrisk.com/

and other information from Cleveland Heart Lab, a major source of our testing

• Haptoglobin Genotype: Your Haptoglobin genotype determines if Vitamin E offers protection or increases risk of arterial disease. In addition, individuals with the Hp 2-2 genome are more sensitive to gluten, forming an inflammatory mediator called zonulin that makes your gut “leaky” and raises the risk of autoimmune disease. 

• Insulin Resistance Testing: Optimally measured through an oral glucose tolerance test, insulin resistance (prediabetes) testing is important in identifying individuals who could be developing vascular complications before a Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis. The glucose tolerance test can identify insulin resistance long before the glucose starts to rise.

  • However, if there is other evidence of insulin resistance that does not require a visit to the lab, we can skip this step. Clues are seen in levels of nonoptimal HbA1c, glucose, triglycerides above 100, low HDL, and presence of small dense LDL (Pattern B).

    The earliest detection for insulin resistance can be measured through body composition testing. At the CureCenter, we use the InBody 570, a device that can monitor insulin resistance response to changes in diet. Reducing insulin resistance is generally healthy for everyone, regardless of risk.

• Homocysteine: Elevation increases risk of:

• Osteoporosis - bone thinning

• Atherosclerosis 

• Thrombosis (blood clotting)

• Heart Attack

• Stroke

• Dementia

• Kidney failure

• Neuropathy

Treatment is supplementation with methylated folic acid. Dietary sources of folic acid are leafy greens like spinach and kale.

This paper from the American Heart Association offers a good summary of Homocysteine.

• Coronary Artery Calcium Score (CACS): This CT scan detects mature calcified plaque in the coronary arteries. However, it can miss new noncalcified plaque. This test is not useful in monitoring therapy progress/benefit. We recommend CACS when CIMT does not reveal disease but there is still suspicion of coronary artery disease. If this test detects disease that would have otherwise been undetected, a more proactive approach to address root causes will be encouraged. Beware of the slippery slope to a stress test, stents or surgery. Coronary Calcium Score is a “loss leader”for interventional cardiology programs. Call us first before scheduling further tests.

• Home Sleep Testing and Auto Titrated CPAP: These tests have made diagnosis and management of sleep apnea more affordable and effective. Sleep apnea is a root cause of heart attack, stroke, atrial fibrillation, hypertension and heart failure. Treating it can lower your risk of these events, lower your blood pressure, and reduce arterial inflammation.

• Oral Microbiome Testing: Oral microbiome testing involves taking a sample of saliva, and analyzing it in a laboratory to identify the types of bacteria present. If high risk bacteria species are found, they can contribute to arterial inflammation. In some cases, this can affect management of periodontal disease, which contributes to heart attack and stroke risk. 

  Knowing the nature of your oral “neighborhood” can prompt a more proactive approach to your oral hygiene. If there are dangerous criminals in your neighborhood, you will be more careful to “lock your doors” and augment your security for protection. The chronic diseases affected by your oral microbiome include periodontal disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 Diabetes and prediabetes, and even some cancers and dementia.

What is Body Composition Analysis?

Scales measure weight, which includes lean body mass, water, and fat. We urge you to go beyond the scale and receive a body composition analysis, which measures your percent body fat and visceral fat.

We use the InBody 570. This machine reports visceral fat, which is the cause and effect of insulin resistance. Reduce visceral fat to reduce your insulin resistance, the most common root cause of arterial disease, diabetes, and prediabetes.

With the InBody 570, you can know exactly what you’re made of: lean muscle mass, body fat mass, percentage of body fat, water, and visceral fat estimation, among other measurements. This will enable you to understand more completely the effects of the changes you make in your nutrition and exercise.

When you get a body composition analysis at the CureCenter, you will receive your results on CureCoach.App. Results over time are reported and pushed to your phone to monitor your progress. Our goal is to monitor visceral fat and percent body fat with the same interest as we monitor blood pressure and cholesterol. With our InBody technology, we can do this easily and frequently. 

If you can’t come to our Springfield or Morton IL locations, you can find an InBody owner at this link: inbodyusa.com/support/nearest-testing-location/

Measure, Mentor, Monitor, and Maintain Momentum. This is the key to your improvement.

Our body composition analysis is affordable and easy to access. Insurers will not pay for this test. We don’t want this to be a barrier.

Your initial InBody analysis is free of charge. Subsequent measurements are covered by our Proactive Medicine Membership.

Interested in scheduling a body composition analysis? Request a complementary Discovery Zoom Call with Dr. Backs to get started or find your nearest InBody testing location.

What will my other providers say about my CurePlan?

Ideally, you should be able to trust your providers, from nurse practitioners to specialists, with your overall health and wellbeing. We all want to think of our doctor as “the best” and trust their advice.

Sadly, most “providers” are now employees of organizations that determine what they can and cannot offfer. It is reasonable to ask, “Can I trust those who control my providers’ paychecks?”

Here are some helpful questions to ask yourself when determining if your provider is right for you:

• What did my provider do to identify my chronic disease?

• What are they offering to CURE (not just manage) it?

• Do they wait and watch while it advances toward a more serious event such as heart attack or stroke?

• Do they offer you what they do for themselves?

When asked to detect “presymptomatic” arterial disease, most providers will schedule you for a stress test. The benefits of stress tests are only in the assessment of symptoms. They miss all but the most advanced state of coronary artery disease. False positives or equivocal tests lead to coronary angiograms and often unnecessary life altering stents.

Stop! Ask yourself, “How does this help me when I have no symptoms?” before agreeing to this approach. The only stent my patients have needed in the past 10 years was to fix the failure of a stent placed for a blockage in the absence of any symptoms. The other stent placed was done so in spite of measurement of no reduction in flow before stent placement. Unbelievable but true.

For more information, we recommend reading the book Prevention Myths by Drs. Ford Brewer and Todd Eldredge. 

Many modern providers are constrained by convention, guidelines, groupthink, complacency, and financial incentives to monitor and manage arterial and other chronic disease. They profit more from invasive, lucrative procedures and rehabilitation than they ever would from prevention. This is the business model that serves “health care” more than people. Surgery, stents and rehab are more profitable than healthy patients. You are not the customer in this model. Your chronic disease is the product.

This is not an attack on individual providers who work within the health care system, including your PCP and specialists. It is a sad observation of its brokenness and the corrupting nature of third party payment, employment of providers, and consolidation of healthcare into fewer and larger institutions. These institutions are dominated by those who have never uttered the Hippocratic Oath or watched a patient suffer in person.

You can do better.

At the CureCenter, we practice Proactive Medicine: Most of us are past the point of prevention. We tend to talk about prevention but act to fix a problem.

Our program reveals “presymptomatic” disease and “prevent” complications from progressive arterial disease. We expect to reverse your chronic disease and prevent untimely death or disability due to stroke, heart attack, or other major health events.

Side effects include feeling and looking better, more mental clarity and energy, and other positive effects. The goal is to live long, healthy, and happy.

Request a Discovery Zoom Call and start down the road to health today.