September 9, 1999, I quit smoking after having only begun 4 years earlier. So, at 36 years old, I spent $500 on a new test to determine how much plaque my heart was carrying. Well, the bad news was that I had 9 small bands on my heart where plaque had taken hold. I was in a group where 88% of the population in my age group had healthier readings.

Fast-forward to today and the test is now only $99. It was time to see how much worse things are. Boy, was I surprised, the plaque is gone. I am now in the 10% group where 90% of men age 40 – 45 have more plaque than I do. Although I still don’t exercise much at all, I made tremendous changes to my diet. I don’t eat fast food, I make the effort to stay clear of sugar and white flour, I use grapeseed oil to cook with and eat a lot more fresh and sometimes raw veggies. I drink a good amount of pomegranate juice, take vitamin C and E along with a calcium supplement and lecithin. Now I need to get my blood pressure a bit lower.

My heart scan was performed at the Arizona Heart Institute at 2652 N 20th St in Phoenix, Arizona – call them at 602-240-6150.