We all want a good lifespan. But what's critical is a good healthspan. In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Dr. Bradley Bale, co-founder of the BaleDoneen Method, shares how dentists can make that happen by implementing their proven methods to prevent cardiovascular events. Help people enjoy life without disease! To learn more about the BaleDoneen Method to prevent and manage chronic diseases, listen to Episode 882 of The Best Practices Show!
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Main Takeaways:
Quotes:
“Do you know anybody who's had a heart attack, had a stroke, has diabetes, dementia, Alzheimer's, heart failure, kidney failure, erectile dysfunction, macular degeneration, or peripheral arterial disease? . . . Those are so many common diseases. But the great news is they're all preventable.” (2:54—3:34) -Dr. Bale
“The average lifespan for an American is about 79 years. The last 13 years of their life, they are living it with chronic disease and they're not healthy. They're not having a great life for the last 13 years. So, what are a lot of those diseases beyond heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes that rob people of their health? There's dementia, peripheral arterial disease, macular degeneration, erectile dysfunction, kidney failure, heart failure. What causes these diseases of aging? It’s caused by microvascular disease. The tiny arteries, the capillaries where the exchange of nutrients and the removal of waste occur get damaged, and that leads to all those chronic diseases of aging. Microvascular disease is becoming much more appreciated due to its prevalence and relevance to all those chronic diseases we mentioned, and it’s felt that microvascular disease is the main underlying pathology for all major medical and neurological conditions.” (6:17—7:36) -Dr. Bale
“[PLAC 2 is] an extremely important test to get control of. It's such a great test that the FDA, 10 years ago, cleared it as a screening test to predict someone's risk for a heart attack, whether you know you have arterial disease or not. That's a huge statement. I would ask each of you on this program to go look at your medical record and see what your PLAC 2 level is. Unfortunately, my suspicion is some of you don't know what it is because, despite this statement, most doctors still don't order it. It's one of the most important tests that we order. And in your area of expertise, it's important to know that periodontal disease is associated with elevated levels. When you treat periodontitis, it'll lower the level.” (36:50—37:56) -Dr. Bale
“What really drives diabetes, prediabetes, and insulin resistance is oxidative stress. So, if you're wondering, ‘Well, I've heard periodontal disease, if you have that, you're more likely to become diabetic,’ yeah, no kidding, because that causes oxidative stress. That feeds insulin resistance. ‘Oh, I've heard if you're obese, you're more likely to become diabetic.’ Yeah, because it causes oxidative stress, at least prediabetes, et cetera. You can do that with all of these. So, it takes some of the mystery out of that. It also causes hypertension. Autoimmune diseases are much worse, gut dysbiosis. And when you have increased oxidative stress, you're going to die earlier. You're more likely to get cancer and you're more likely to get dementia. So, by stopping oxidative stress, you not only shut down arterial disease, you help prevent diabetes, you lessen how severe autoimmune disease is, blood pressure comes down, you're going to live longer, and you're less likely to get cancer and dementia. So, you really need to use oxidative stress as your filter for analyzing any issue. Oxidative stress underpins all the risk factors associated with arterial disease.” (55:44—57:18) -Dr. Bale
“It should be exciting today to realize there is a cure for arterial disease. There's no mystery. You can stop it in anybody . . . You deserve a healthy lifespan. There's no reason you ever need to develop heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, or any of these chronic diseases. Your oral care is critical in achieving the cure for arterial disease, and you can spread this exhilarating message to others.” (1:02:04—1:02:38) -Dr. Bale
“Oral health is an essential piece of the puzzle for wellness. It's a vital root cause that is frequently suboptimal.” (1:02:53—1:03:00) -Dr. Bale
“This was published about three days ago. They looked at 22,000 patients in Japan. The mean age was 78, and they assessed their oral health status and wanted to associate that status with disability and mortality risk in the average follow-up of three-and-a-half years. So, in terms of oral health assessment, that included the number and condition of teeth, periodontal disease, tongue mobility, oral hygiene, dry mouth, and mastication ability. And disability was defined as struggling to lead an independent life due to physical or cognitive function. What they found was all aspects of oral health were significantly associated with increased disability and mortality. They concluded that to prevent disability and death, the study underscores the importance of routine dental care and maintaining oral health. So, your work is extremely important. Don't ever forget it, and don't let anybody shake you on that. You're not just creating pretty smiles — you're helping people avoid disability and you're helping people not die early.” (1:03:02—1:04:37) -Dr. Bale
“Let's zero in on sleep for a minute. When you don't sleep well, not only are you driving the risk for arterial disease, but you increase the risk for diabetes, psychosocial issues, gut dysbiosis, hypertension, autoimmune diseases are worse, and you're more likely to develop chronic kidney disease. You're not going to live as long, you increase the risk for cancer, and you increase the risk of dementia. So, think about that for a minute. When you diagnose one of your patients with a sleep disturbance and you can help them overcome that, you're having a huge, huge impact on their overall health. It's amazing.” (1:05:37—1:06:23) -Dr. Bale
“Endodontic disease can throw a very powerful punch to the arteries. We've known that with studies that have been published now for over ten years. This looked at 101 people having an acute heart attack. They found the obstructing clot, sucked it out, also sucked out arterial blood from another area of the body, and analyzed those samples with DNA for oral bacteria. The clot had 16 times more of that DNA in it than the arterial blood. Seventy-eight percent of the clots had strep. Thirty-five percent had the periodontal pathogens. They looked at nine of the clots under electron microscopy, and all nine of them had bits and pieces of the bacteria. Three of them had whole bacteria. They did random imaging on 30 of the 101 patients, and 50% of the images showed periapical abscesses. If the patient's clot was positive for strep, they were 13 times more likely to have a periapical abscess. So, they concluded that dental infection, oral bacteria, are associated with the development of heart attacks. A powerful punch. Dental care should be one major element in preventing heart attacks. Here is a similar study done a few years later with 75 patients having acute stroke, where they pulled out the clot and analyzed that in arterial blood. They found 79% of the clots were positive for strep. Only 9% of the arterial samples were. They concluded that strep may trigger ischemic strokes. Regular dental care should be emphasized to prevent ischemic strokes.” (1:10:14—1:12:00) -Dr. Bale
Snippets:
0:00 Dr. Bale’s background.
2:39 Why this is an important topic.
3:47 Statistics on common diseases.
6:35 Microvascular disease, explained.
10:49 Real-world evidence with the BaleDoneen Method.
14:51 How the BaleDoneen Method is different than the standard of care.
17:02 Cardiovascular “event”, explained.
19:23 What causes a clot to form?
24:56 Should I be treated?
27:38 We must look for disease.
31:56 Am I at risk?
34:17 “Cold” versus “hot” arteries.
35:29 Biomarkers for “tennis court” inflammation.
40:46 The first step in preventing atherosclerosis.
42:19 Lipoproteins, explained.
43:26 Proteoglycans, explained.
46:26 Oxidative stress, explained.
57:28 Oxidative stress summary.
1:01:55 There is a cure for arterial disease.
1:02:43 Oral health and sleep affects disease, disability, and mortality.
1:08:56 Benefits of PerioProtect trays.
1:10:14 Effects of oral pathogens and endodontic disease on stroke and heart attack risks.
1:12:15 Oral health and arterial health summary.
1:16:19 Case example: 59-year-old Caucasian male.
1:23:19 Case example: 77-year-old with type 2 diabetes, post heart attacks, with stents.
1:27:27 Useful quotes.
1:29:01 The upcoming BaleDoneen course.
1:31:11 Q&A: Comprehensively address root causes of oxidative stress.
1:34:12 Q&A: Is eating five eggs a day bad for cholesterol?
1:35:30 Why you need to learn the BaleDoneen Method.
1:36:27 Q&A: Get a PLAC 2 exam done by a BaleDoneen provider.
1:40:31 Q&A: Other recommended blood tests.
1:43:38 Final thoughts.
Dr. Bradley Bale Bio:
Dr. Bradley Bale, M.D. is a Clinical Associate Professor at WSU College of Medicine, Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry, Adjunct Professor at Texas Tech Health Science Center, and runs a private practice in Gallatin, Tennessee.
Dr. Bale is one of the nation’s leading specialists in preventing heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes. He co-founded the BaleDoneen Method with Amy Doneen in 2001. This personalized approach to CV risk assessment and management has shown with real-world evidence that arterial disease can be halted and reversed. Their research on CVD prevention has been published in respected medical journals such as Atherosclerosis, Post Graduate Medicine, Journal of the National Medical Association, Journal of Clinical Lipidology, Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, Physician’s Weekly, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Cardiology, Archives of Medical Science, and Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing and Medical Hypothesis.
Dr. Bale has also served as a reviewer for the American Journal of Cardiology and CDC’s Preventing Chronic Disease. He is co-author of two nationally best-selling books: Beat the Heart Attack Gene and Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain: The Personalized Path to Protect Your Memory, Prevent Heart Attacks and Strokes, and Avoid Chronic Illness. This recent publication won the prestigious Gold Nautilus Book Award for 2023 and the American Society for Journalists and Authors' (ASJA) 2023 June Roth Memorial Award for Outstanding Medical Book.