> PHOTOS Show George W. Bush Seriously Ill Physically
27 January 2005, 14:37
From: Phillip Shaffer MD (I am a radiologist. I devote most of my time to cardiac diseases and nuclear medicine (including treatment of thyroid diseases)
Where do I start?
This is full of so many inaccuracies, that it is clear whoever wrote it is not a practicing physician. There is confusion (purposeful?) about the difference between atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, the phrasing is close to what a physician would use, but off. Some of the medical claims are just plain wrong. There are glaring omissions in his story, such as why his physicians would not use the commonly used (and effective) treatments for Graves and for Ventricular Tachycardia?
"George W. Bush apparently is wearing a medical device for "persons at risk of cardiac arrest." It is a LifeVest wearable defibrillator. He started using it sometime after his January 2002 fainting spell, which was attributed to choking. Based on photos showing him wearing the device, one can conclude the fainting was due to atrial fibrillation (AF), which his father also had. "
AF does not cause cardiac arrest. Ventricular tachycardia/Fibrillation is what people usually regard as cardiac arrest. The two are not linked. Is it possible that AF caused a fainting episode? Yes, but there are other causes, including vaso-vagal episodes (which, counter to the claim in the article, is indeed the most common cause of fainting), TIA, PAT (another atrial arrhythmia that can lead to rapid heart rates. The LifeVest is a TEMPORARY preventative, prior to people receiving a permanent implantable defibrillator, which is a very common treatment for recurrent VF. Incidentally, the implantable defibrillator is not visible at all, so why wouldn’t they use the effective treatment which is perfectly concealable, rather than one that is temporary and obvious?
"It’s interesting that his doctors advised him to take aspirin and statin. Aspirin is used to prevent clotting, which is a problem with AF (the condition he apparently wears the LifeVest for). Statins are the most potent cholesterol-lowering agents, lowering LDL (so-called "bad cholesterol) by 30-50 percent. They are less effective than fibrates in lowering triglycerides and raising HDL ("good cholesterol"). But Bush’s doctors said he had a "low" to "very low" risk of heart disease, and his total cholesterol level was listed as 170 mg/dL, which is considered within the normal range.
There is ongoing research into other areas where statins appear to have an effect, including dementia. Science Daily recently reported (11/17/04): "The cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin slowed down mental decline and improved depressive symptoms in people with Alzheimer’s disease" "
No one uses statins for dementia. That was a single report, so far unsubstantiated. Did anyone notice that this report came well after he was supposedly treated with statins? In fact some have recommended that virtually everyone over fifty be on 81 mg doses of aspirin. Some also recommend keeping the cholesterol as low as is reasonably possible. It seems that levels below what is considered the lower acceptable level may confer some protection.
He claims that Bush has Graves and that the likelihood of inheritance from a parent is 50%. This is ridiculous. There is a slight genetic predisposition, but nothing like he claims. This point alone indicates that this writer is fine with making up data sounding like it comes from an authoritative source to make his point. Everything else on the page is therefore not believable. (The only opportunity to cast aspersions on the President that this writer has missed is the "obvious" conclusion that, since by his accounting, Graves disease is inheritable, and the Pres’s Mother and Father had it, they must have been brother and sister and their marriage was incestuous. How did he miss this obvious conclusion?)
Further, Graves is easily treatable with medicines or radioacitive iodine. Usually AFib induced by graves will revert to a normal rhythm after treatment for the Graves. Bush senior had the treatment and apparently no one thought much of it, it was reported in the media. Since it is no big deal, why would Bush Jr hide it?
Regarding Wernicke- Korsakoff syndrome. This is NOT caused by drinking. It is caused by vitamin B6 deficiency over a very long period of time. Some alcoholics have this if their entire nutritional intake is alcohol over a protracted period (years). Bringing this up only proves the writers intent to slander the President using whatever he can come up with in his medical dictionary.
The rest is similarly ridiculous, and doesn’t merit any further time.
From: Phillip Shaffer MD (I am a radiologist. I devote most of my time to cardiac diseases and nuclear medicine (including treatment of thyroid diseases)
Where do I start?
This is full of so many inaccuracies, that it is clear whoever wrote it is not a practicing physician. There is confusion (purposeful?) about the difference between atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, the phrasing is close to what a physician would use, but off. Some of the medical claims are just plain wrong. There are glaring omissions in his story, such as why his physicians would not use the commonly used (and effective) treatments for Graves and for Ventricular Tachycardia?
"George W. Bush apparently is wearing a medical device for "persons at risk of cardiac arrest." It is a LifeVest wearable defibrillator. He started using it sometime after his January 2002 fainting spell, which was attributed to choking. Based on photos showing him wearing the device, one can conclude the fainting was due to atrial fibrillation (AF), which his father also had. "
AF does not cause cardiac arrest. Ventricular tachycardia/Fibrillation is what people usually regard as cardiac arrest. The two are not linked. Is it possible that AF caused a fainting episode? Yes, but there are other causes, including vaso-vagal episodes (which, counter to the claim in the article, is indeed the most common cause of fainting), TIA, PAT (another atrial arrhythmia that can lead to rapid heart rates. The LifeVest is a TEMPORARY preventative, prior to people receiving a permanent implantable defibrillator, which is a very common treatment for recurrent VF. Incidentally, the implantable defibrillator is not visible at all, so why wouldn’t they use the effective treatment which is perfectly concealable, rather than one that is temporary and obvious?
"It’s interesting that his doctors advised him to take aspirin and statin. Aspirin is used to prevent clotting, which is a problem with AF (the condition he apparently wears the LifeVest for). Statins are the most potent cholesterol-lowering agents, lowering LDL (so-called "bad cholesterol) by 30-50 percent. They are less effective than fibrates in lowering triglycerides and raising HDL ("good cholesterol"). But Bush’s doctors said he had a "low" to "very low" risk of heart disease, and his total cholesterol level was listed as 170 mg/dL, which is considered within the normal range.
There is ongoing research into other areas where statins appear to have an effect, including dementia. Science Daily recently reported (11/17/04): "The cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin slowed down mental decline and improved depressive symptoms in people with Alzheimer’s disease" "
No one uses statins for dementia. That was a single report, so far unsubstantiated. Did anyone notice that this report came well after he was supposedly treated with statins? In fact some have recommended that virtually everyone over fifty be on 81 mg doses of aspirin. Some also recommend keeping the cholesterol as low as is reasonably possible. It seems that levels below what is considered the lower acceptable level may confer some protection.
He claims that Bush has Graves and that the likelihood of inheritance from a parent is 50%. This is ridiculous. There is a slight genetic predisposition, but nothing like he claims. This point alone indicates that this writer is fine with making up data sounding like it comes from an authoritative source to make his point. Everything else on the page is therefore not believable. (The only opportunity to cast aspersions on the President that this writer has missed is the "obvious" conclusion that, since by his accounting, Graves disease is inheritable, and the Pres’s Mother and Father had it, they must have been brother and sister and their marriage was incestuous. How did he miss this obvious conclusion?)
Further, Graves is easily treatable with medicines or radioacitive iodine. Usually AFib induced by graves will revert to a normal rhythm after treatment for the Graves. Bush senior had the treatment and apparently no one thought much of it, it was reported in the media. Since it is no big deal, why would Bush Jr hide it?
Regarding Wernicke- Korsakoff syndrome. This is NOT caused by drinking. It is caused by vitamin B6 deficiency over a very long period of time. Some alcoholics have this if their entire nutritional intake is alcohol over a protracted period (years). Bringing this up only proves the writers intent to slander the President using whatever he can come up with in his medical dictionary.
The rest is similarly ridiculous, and doesn’t merit any further time.