Steven is a 41-year-old shift worker who presented to the office weighing in at approximately 390 pounds. He is 5’9” tall and had a blood pressure of 140/90. At the time he was medicated for elevated blood pressure as well as GERD. His weight was reported from his PCPs office as the scale in our office only weighs up to 350 pounds.
His medical history upon presentation included a recent change of blood pressure medication which were causing him to retain water for which his PCP was about to prescribe a diuretic. As far as he was aware, he was not insulin resistant or type 2 diabetic although his PCP was concerned about it.
He complained of poor sleep quality and wondered if he might have sleep apnea, although this had not been yet been diagnosed. He complained of acute, constant low back pain that had been there for as long as he could remember and was something he has been unable to resolve.
In my clinical opinion, Steven’s health was in a precarious position. His weight was dangerously high for his height and his age, and it was almost miraculous that he was not yet type 2 diabetic. His PCP was having difficulty stabilizing his blood pressure and fluid retention issues which were causing cardiac distress. He presented with a urinalysis that showed poor hydration and a pH of 6. No other positive markers presented at this time in his urine analysis.
He was placed on 12 ounces of protein and three fruits and as a precaution, I instructed him to have protein with his fruit as I was concerned about the imminence of type 2 diabetic change. He was utilizing Celtic Sea Salt and the SHAPE Drops. I did not feel the need to prescribe pH Concentrated Minerals at any point as his pH remained stable.
As time progressed, Steven’s pH remained between 6 and 7 and his specific gravity levels ran anywhere between 1.015 and 1.025. Ketones were always positive and ranged from trace to 80+. Exactly one month after his first visit I was able to weigh him at 340 pounds. This represented a total loss of 50 pounds in four weeks on the program. He was feeling fantastic, sleeping better and his low back pain started to improve for the first time in his life.
On April 27, he developed acute central and left-sided chest pain, began sweating and experienced pain radiating down his left arm. His blood pressure began to elevate and he was rushed into the emergency room with an acute MI. He flat-lined twice on the table and was shocked back to life each time. He had surgery and had three stents fitted. He was placed on three different blood pressure medications and began cardiac rehab. His weight loss slowed at this point due to multiple medications he was on. They put them on a diuretic at this stage which dropped the weight again.
He didn’t deviate from the SHAPE eating plan at all during his recovery. By June 13 the EEG was showing increased cardiac function. By August 17 his medical team terminated use of warfarin and two of the three blood pressure medications. His cardiac rehab was complete, and he was referred to home exercise program. By August 31 Steven was weighing 285.5 pounds and was down a whopping 104.5 pounds.
We have not achieved his goal weight yet, which is around 195 pounds, but he is well on his way.
The reason I chose to share this case with you is not only to celebrate the incredible efficacy of this program and to applaud the scientific knowledge and understanding that has been made available to us through a fairly simple–to–follow plan, but also to caution doctors and patients not to be fooled by a fairly young overweight patient who has almost no clinical symptoms. Stephen presented with elevated weight and blood pressure as his only symptoms, and even though we had achieved a significant weight loss by the time his MI occurred it was not enough to stop this dangerous event from occurring. I hope that we can all encourage our patients to maintain a healthy lifestyle so as to avoid potentially dangerous situations even if they feel young, fit and healthy.
Steven now gets to continue his life with his two beautiful daughters and watch them grow. The trajectory of his life has been completely changed by the SHAPE Program.
Submitted by Dr. Cheryl La Grange
Dr. Todd’s Teaching Assessment
Dr. Cheryl’s summation truly says it all. I can only comment, “The quicker, the better!” Could this MI have been avoided had he started 6 months, 3 months, or 1 month earlier? We will never know. Would he have survived if he had not lost the 50 pounds? Let’s pray he will continue his walk toward total health and see his grandchildren’s high school graduation!
