Sudden Death sucks.

So, here we go again.  Years ago, James Gandolfini died and everyone said - look at him, he was so heavy, he didn't take care of himself.  And there was Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile) - he wasn't in good shape, he was so big!  Except he had given up meat two years earlier.  Two guys with, one assumes, pretty good medical care, or at least access to pretty good medical care.  

And now Alan Thicke, at 69, gone.  Certainly that's not old enough.  You look at him and say - hey, he's in pretty good shape, even playing hockey with his 19 year old son.  Oh, that's what killed him - he shouldn't be playing hockey at his age!  REALLY?? At what age does one crawl up into a ball and watch the world go by?

We think that medical care in this country has us covered.  It doesn't.  The standard tests yield not much better than a coin-flip when it comes to prediction.  Did you know that a Nuclear Treadmill Stress Test, essentially what everyone banks on when it comes to knowing if you're going to have a heart attack, can only detect 14% of those going on to have one.  And after all, you wouldn't mind if your mechanic got the source of your car's problem wrong 6 out of 7 times, right?

I have available a groundbreaking technology that saves lives - I've done it multiple times.  It's not a new test, just one that flies in the face of the medical establishment in this country.  Instead of identifying 1 in 7 people, I can identify at least 19 out of 20 - and you don't get sweaty, in fact it takes 7 1/2 minutes of lying still, without getting undressed.  But insurance doesn't cover it, despite showing results comparable to the best invasive tests available.  

I have not saved enough lives, despite my best efforts.  90+% of heart attacks are preventable - the program I employ (even without the above referenced test) has demonstrated this over several thousand people and 15 years.  Even a recent article in the NY Times speaks to the opportunity people have by simply doing some of the right things. 

But I'm guessing Alan Thicke was doing lots of the right things.  And yet he's dead.  So, besides kissing your spouse and kids, and telling them that you love them, what else can you do?  

Do your research.  Find a medical program that tells you the truth - about their capabilities, about your responsibilities, and do everything you can to learn what's going on in your body.  That requires more than the usual medical approach.  The standard approach defines risk, not disease.  Know if you have the underlying conditions that lead to a heart attack and go on the offensive!  

And if not, that's ok.  Only 1 in 20 will have a heart attack this year, so the odds are in your favor.  

I really liked that show....

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