CONTACTS
SUBJECTS
China Presentation Exercise Health Hiking Raise HDL EPCs Regress Ath
0503 -
0503 - ..
0504 - Summary/Objective
0505 -
050501 - Follow up ref SDS 26 0000. ref SDS 25 0000.
050502 -
050503 -
050504 -
050505 -
050507 - ..
0506 -
0507 -
0508 - Progress
0509 -
050901 - Rob called this afternoon and requested the study showing HDL rises
050902 - with increased hiking, for consideration in his presentation on the
050903 - China trip, he mentioned a few days ago on 170408 1704. ref SDS 26
050904 - B44O
050906 - ..
050907 - After the call, sent letter to Rob saying...
050908 -
050909 - 1. Subject: Hiking Raised HDL 30 to 73
050910 - Date: 2017-04-10 19:20
050922 - ..
050923 - 2. In connection with your presentation in China, as you requested
050924 - today, ref SDS 0 0O5I, attached is Excel study correlating
050925 - hiking the past 5 years with elevating HDL 30 at the time of
050926 - CABG x4 (heart) surgery in October 2009, to HDL 73 in Feb 2016,
050927 - and again HDL 72 in Feb this year.
050928 -
050929 - F:\05\00003\SM\CC\BNKG\120216cc\130101cc\hiking_miles_3.xlsx
050931 - ..
050932 - 3. Related are findings in a coronary CT angiography CCTA) test
050933 - the VA performed on 2015 Oct 19, showing 6 years after heart
050934 - bypass surgery, there is no evidence of atherosclerosis.
050935 - ref SDS 9 SU62
050937 - ..
050938 - 4. This link to an SDS record has comments. Doctor Simpson in
050939 - Cardiology at the VA/UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, has
050940 - been a continuing source of support and wisdom in my care. Our
050941 - meeting on Wednesday, we will review these issues.
050943 - ..
050944 - 5. Last year on June 18th, I had an MRI on the brain in connection
050945 - with stroke symptoms. ref SDS 10 J738 A month later on Jul 15,
050946 - Doctor Yoo wrote in Neurology Progress Notes: "The etiology of
050947 - the patient's stroke remains unclear, but given the absence of
050948 - vertebrobasilar disease, is likely cardioembolic." ref SDS 11
050949 - TV4F
050951 - ..
050952 - 6. A month later on Aug 2nd, Stanford Neuroscience issued 2nd
050953 - opinion that no stroke occurred. [...shown in letter received
050954 - in the record on 160820 0940. ref SDS 12 OE7M...]. However,
050955 - everyone concurred MRI found no plaque blockages in the brain.
050956 - There were 2 more MRI's done in August. They further confirmed
050957 - "absence of vertebrobasilar disease," i.e., lack of plaques in
050958 - the circulatory system of the brain, and thus align with
050959 - findings in the CCTA the year before. Accordingly, I am drawn
050960 - to the notion that elevated HDL regresses existing plaque, and
050961 - prevents deadly buildup of atherosclerosis.
050963 - ..
050964 - 7. This record then might offer anecdotal support for your
050965 - presentation in China on the potential for endurance exercise
050966 - to regress atherosclerosis by elevating HDL > 60. My sense is
050967 - that hiking works better than running because it reduces the
050968 - risk of injury, so that exercise is maintained. The few
050969 - injuries I've had, including now, occurred from running and
050970 - sprinting during hikes. Biking and swimming may work just as
050971 - well, but I am not aware of studies showing this outcome.
050973 - ..
050974 - 8. As we discussed, I mentioned to Marsha over dinner with Kathy
050975 - last week after visiting mom at the hospital in Medford, this
050976 - possible chance to extend quality of life [...reported on
050977 - 170402 1705, ref SDS 23 HN4L...]. I started doing 3 miles a
050978 - day for 50 minutes 3 - 5 times a week, to help Millie because
050979 - Doctor Johnson said it would raise her WBC, so she would not
050980 - miss chemotherapy treatments at Kaiser in Walnut Creek. [...
050981 - reported on 030606 1630. ref SDS 1 JP7G...]. In the
050982 - beginning, I couldn't keep up with her. It was a "labor of
050983 - love" staggering around Lafayette Reservoir. Gradually, we
050984 - both got stronger, eventually hiking up to 8 miles per day 4 -
050985 - 6 times per week. This simple regimen enabled Mil to get her
050986 - treatments and survive stage IV cancer for nearly 10 years.
050987 - However, I wound up getting heart surgery, because HDL 30
050988 - cannot protect against atherosclerosis. This indicated that
050989 - for my genetics 3 miles a day 3 - 5 times a week did not raise
050990 - HDL. It was not enough for me.
050992 - ..
050993 - 9. At that time in October 2009, I was unaware that HDL was even
050994 - important. I gathered from meetings with the medical team that
050995 - lowering LDL would prevent atherosclerosis from getting worse.
050996 - There was never discussion of HDL nor triglycerides. Four
050997 - years later during a meeting at the VA in San Francisco, Doctor
050998 - Diana Alba commented on HDL [...reported on 131121 0930.
050999 - ref SDS 8 F16F After the meeting, research seemed to indicate
051000 - that hiking can raise both EPC blood elements in the bone
051001 - marrow, and raise HDL produced in the liver. More
051002 - interestingly, raising HDL > 60 rapidly regresses
051003 - atherosclerosis, and elevated EPCs repair the lining of blood
051004 - vessels where plaque is removed by HDL. The question was how
051005 - to do that?
051007 - ..
051008 - 10. So, I began experimenting to see what it would take to raise
051009 - HDL, and just assumed that EPCs would rise as well, since both
051010 - are driven by hiking. After a few years, found myself doing 11
051011 - - 15 miles a day, 7 days a week and getting stronger. Didn't
051012 - plan it, but suddenly that's what the numbers showed, and HDL
051013 - increased right along with the mileage, as shown in the
051014 - attached study. Next step was tackling Half Dome to see how
051015 - all this translates to overall performance. Seemed like a
051016 - miracle.
051018 - ..
051019 - 11. Merely, because I need 3 - 4 hours a day, doesn't mean the next
051020 - person does. Genetic variability can yield meaningful results
051021 - for many with less effort, even much less effort. For everyone
051022 - it is an experiment to discover and balance investment in
051023 - health along with the bounty of life's vast ocean of
051024 - opportunities.
051026 - ..
051027 - 12. Good luck in China, and congratulations on being invited to
051028 - speak with other prestigious notables in the field of exercise
051029 - and health.
051031 - ..
051032 - 13. Best,
051034 - ..
051035 - 14. Rod
051037 - ..
051038 - 15. PS. Including some correspondence with the medical team for
051039 - context on these issues.
051040 -
051041 - 1. Letter to Doctor Simpson order labs on 170409 2317. ref SDS 27 X45G
051042 - 2. Letter to Doctor Simpson order labs on 170228 0153. ref SDS 14 I35I
051043 -
051044 -
051045 -
051046 -
051047 -
051048 -
051049 -
051050 -
051051 -
051052 -
051053 -
0511 -