Here is the link:



http://www.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/diet...diet/index.html

I see they call it "high protein, low fat" atkins diet in the right up Why do the media find this WOL so hard to understand???

Akiwican

Hi Jerzee,
Thanks for the link
I had no idea that Dr Atkins is 71 yrs old.......

Bebe

Thanks for the link, Jerzee! This explains why the radio personality I listen to during my morning drive to work said what he said...

...he and his crew were talking about Dr. Atkins and then they all started saying things about how the Atkins diet makes people have heart attacks. Then he flat out said that the Atkins diet leaves people craving bread and pasta in the worst ways and that it's so bad. Then he also mentioned that several people at the radio station had been on Atkins, lost, and regained their weight when they started eating bread and pasta again.

At first I was peeved, then I realized how stupid people sound when they talk about things that they know nothing about.

Regardless what the Atkins press release says about this not being related to the Atkins plan, it will be a PR challenge for Atkins. Of course, it would be even if he was 100 years old. The uninformed media would still say it was related to the diet...

Donald

Statement on the Status of Dr. Robert C. Atkins’ Health from Dr. Atkins and from the Chief Executive Officer/President of The Atkins Companies

April 25, 2002

On Thursday April 18, Dr. Robert C. Atkins, the well-known nutrition expert and best selling author, did, in fact, experience cardiac arrest during breakfast. He was quickly revived by an associate and taken to the hospital. As this was not a heart attack (or myocardial infarction), but a cardiac arrest related to an infection of the heart he has been suffering from for a few years, Dr. Atkins experienced a speedy recovery and was released from the hospital on Wednesday, April 24. In fact, Dr. Atkins hopes to return to his responsibilities, including local speaking engagements and as chairman of the Dr. Robert C. Atkins Foundation, within the next week or so. His doctors have advised him to curtail his travel plans for the next 30 days as a precautionary measure.

The cause of this event was cardiomyopathy, not blocked arteries. Over the last couple of years, Dr. Atkins has had an infection of the heart muscle (called the myocardium) contracted during an overseas trip. Coupled with the extreme heat conditions of mid-April here in New York, the 71-year old Dr. Atkins suffered this event.

“We have been treating this condition, cardiomyopathy, for almost two years,” explains Patrick Fratellone MD, Dr. Atkins’ personal physician and cardiologist, “and during the course of diagnosis, we discovered that Dr. Atkins’ coronary arteries were normal as diagnosed by an angiogram performed at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital on the upper west side of New York City in April of 2001. Clearly, his own nutritional protocols have left him, at the age of 71, with an extraordinarily healthy cardiovascular system. Unfortunately, the infection-related cardiomyopathy is totally another matter.”

“I have had cardiomyopathy, which is a non-coronary condition and is in no way related to diet,”says Dr. Atkins.

Cardiac arrest is an event in which the heart abruptly stops. It is not the same thing as heart attack in which the heart is severely deprived of oxygen but still beating. Certainly a heart attack (or myocardial infarction) is one of the known causes of cardiac arrest, but there are several others that have nothing to do with blocked arteries and other problems typically associated with a heart attack.

Cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the heart’s ability to pump blood is weakened because of enlargement, thickening or stiffening of the heart muscle. In Dr. Atkins’ case, this cardiomyopathy was caused by an infection that spread to his heart muscle.

“Up until today, this has been a personal and private family matter for Dr. Atkins. It is unfortunate for the family that it has not remained so, said Paul Wolff, Chief Executive Officer/President of The Atkins Companies. “ The Atkins Nutritional Approach™ is based on controlled carbohydrate nutritional science and has helped millions of people achieve their goals of weight loss, weight maintenance, good health and increased energy for the past 30 years.”

Thankyou for posting that report Donald. Finally an accurate report from people who know what they are talking about and not just people making assumptions on what THEY believe to be the cause of Dr Atkins problem.

Akiwican

It seems no matter what the press release says, people will believe what they want to believe. As for the person who said that low carb causes you to crave bread and pasta...of course it does (it's called carbohydrate addiction)! Quitting addictive drugs causes you to crave them too...does that mean people shouldn't try to overcome their addictions? How silly! I do hope the media will allow the dear man to recover in peace.

We need to file this info away in our brains for ready recall when we are accousted by those low fat friends who want to tell us how bad it is. I'm sure that most of us will hear a somewhat twisted version of this story, but now we will have the answers for them.

Many thanks for your post, Donald, on the true status of Dr.Atkin's cardiac event!

I almost cried when I saw the post with Dr.Atkin's name & the words 'heart attack' in the same sentence. First I felt afraid that this WOL that has been so beneficial for me was going to be contradicted by the doctor himself having heart problems from this WOE! Then I couldn't help but think of the people who would use this news as a way to put down the way I eat now, sigh.

How wonderful that the tests showed his coronary arteries clean & healthy! :-) I hope that my blood vessels are as healthy as his when I reach his age (which may be possible now that I've found a healthy way to eat and live)!

Phyllis (aka Cat Lady)

Unfortunately no matter what his company releases or what the press publish, most Atkins critics will only repeat "he had a heart attack" in their arguments against the diet.

And for the radio show hosts who said those silly statements about carbohydrate cravings on the Atkins diet? I heard people trying to quit smoking crave nicotine like crazy. Hmmmm, maybe people shouldn't try to quit smoking?

Hey, Admin!

Would it be possible for us to do a virtual get well card for Dr. Atkins? Just a thought....

May I also add my thanks Donald for posting the Atkins reply.

Don't you just want to mail these guy "a stupid sign"? Anything that falls out of their preconceived ideas of normalacy must be harmful.

I too would like to sign a V Card...

Dee

OOOOOH! UGH! Yesterday, I received a phone call from a "friend" saying that Dr. Atkins had a heart attack. She was gloating because she has tried to get me off of this diet. She is always trying to tell me that it is so unhealthy. Yet, she has struggled with all the other diets (including the cabbage soup diet) and has not has as much success. Anyway, I was deppressed when she called me. I tried to explain to her that what I was doing was better than eating too many sweets and carbs (and carrying around too much extra wieght). She just hassles me.

Well, thank you Donald. I am treating her to lunch today and I will be able to explain to her the real cause of Dr. Atkins heart attack. Will they ever understand us?

Glad to have you guys.

Hi all!

It is so true that you can't believe everything you hear on the media. That is one of the most valuable things that I gained from my university education. You have to be a filter, not only a sponge when it comes to information. After all, the media needs ratings to stay alive, right? I remember (as well as everyone here) how chaotic the media was surrounding the events of Sept.11. There were reports of up to 7 planes crashing that I heard of. Sorry to bring up such a bad memory, but it was a good example of how the media grabs any information, no matter how unreliable the source, just to be the first to air it. In fact there was a murder not far from where I live and a car went off the road, the driver shot, and the media actually interviewed a random person driving by to get their opinion of what happened??? Talk about starting a rumor mill!! In defense of the media, people do have a right to know what is going on, but it is definitely a good lesson to be a critical listener and a critical reader.

As far as the diet goes, it is sad that people have been so brainwashed by the food industry. If you think rationally about it, why have people been getting bigger and bigger? Because of the push on high carb foods. Food is so instant now, that there can be virtually no preparation time. We have all been eating out of boxes and bags loaded with salt, sugar, flour, and chemicals. Modern conveniences sell in our busy lives, anything to make life easier, right? We here are fortunate that we have taken the time to educate ourselves. Let's face it, if this "diet" was making us all feel really bad, would there really be this many of us here having such great results, health and weight-wise?

Sorry for my ramblings, but I just wanted to let everyone see that you've all been a filter for information about this WOL, and it is a good example of how you should treat all information in your lives. You can't believe everything you read, right??

Great job everyone!! And all my best wishes go out to the good doctor who has made such a positive impact on my life.

Cheers,
KC

Hi

Dr. Atkins never said that if you follow his eating plan, you will never get a heart attack. The Atkins way of eating isn't a guarantee against any disease. But his critics will most certainly make people think that.

Smoking is said to be one of the main causes of lung cancer. My dad's brother died of lung cancer ... and he never smoked a sigarette in his life. He was very fit, ate very healthy and lived in a relatively polution-free area most of his life.

The bottom line ... there are no guarantees in life.

Dr. Atkins is my hero !!

Rey