CT STUDY: MUMMIES SHOW SIGNS OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

A study in which researchers scanned mummies to look for signs of heart disease garnered a significant amount of coverage in print and online. The researchers say the findings suggest that heart disease may not simply be a result of modern living. USA 

Today (3/11, Szabo, 1.71M) reports, "Researchers have found clogged arteries, or what's left of the arteries, in mummies from nearly 4,000 years ago." These "findings - from humans who lived thousands of years before the invention of Twinkies and curly fries - are leading some doctors to reconsider their notions about the causes of heart disease." The "authors of the new paper, published Sunday in The Lancet and presented at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology in San Francisco, say they were shocked by their discovery."

The Wall Street Journal (3/11, Winslow, Subscription Publication, 2.29M) reports that for the study, investigators performed CT scans on 137 mummies.

The New York Times (3/11, Bakalar, Subscription Publication, 1.68M) reports, "The scans were read by seven imaging experts who judged atherosclerosis by the presence of calcification in the walls of clearly discernible arteries or along the expected route of an artery no longer visible." Prior "research has found evidence of atherosclerosis in Egyptian mummies, but mummification in Egypt was practiced among the elite, whose diet and lifestyle probably differed substantially from that of the rest of the population."

The Washington Post (3/11, Brown, 489K) reports, "The condition was common in four groups - ancient Egyptians, pre-Columbian people in Peru and Utah, and 19th-century Alaska natives - with different diets and ways of life." The researchers found "'probable or definite' atherosclerosis...in 34 percent of the mummies." Just "4 percent, however, had atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries, where it can cause heart attacks."

The AP (3/11) reports that the "researchers say" the finding "suggests heart disease may be more a natural part of human aging rather than being directly tied to contemporary risk factors like smoking, eating fatty foods and not exercising."

The Kansas City (MO) Star (3/10, 197K) reports on its front page, "The researchers' findings are the most thorough evidence to date using mummies that atherosclerosis was a common occurrence in antiquity."

In Forbes (3/11, 928K), Larry Husten writes, "Although the populations from which the mummies came did not smoke cigarettes, the authors point out that 'the need for fire and thus smoke inhalation could have played a part in the development of atherosclerosis.'" Additionally, "they...speculate that high levels of infections might have contributed to the development of atherosclerosis in this population."

CardioSource (3/11) reports that ACC President-Elect John Gordon Harold, MD, MACC, said, "Assumed to be a modern disease, the presence of atherosclerosis in these disparate populations suggests the possibility of a more basic predisposition to the disease and that atherosclerosis is an inherent component of human aging with other causes or risk factors that need to be further elucidated." 

Also covering the story are the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (3/11, Fauber, 221K), Bloomberg News (3/11, Lopatto), Reuters (3/11, Steenhuysen), the NBC News (3/11, Fox), the CNN (3/10) "The Chart" blog, MedPage Today (3/11, Fiore), Heartwire (3/11, O'Riordan), and HealthDay (3/11, Mundell). For a clinical perspective on this article, go to CardioSource.org.

POSTED BY: Steven Almany M.D.

2013 BEAUMONT MICHIGAN HEART GROUP HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

Beaumont Michigan Heart Group closes in observance of all the major holiday's.  The 2013 days are listed below.  We ask, in order to ensure your prescriptions are refilled in time, please call at least one week prior to the holiday.  Calls taken after 10:00 am, the day before closing, are not guaranteed to be called in.

Monday	May 27, 2013	Memorial Day
Thursday	July 4, 2013	Independence Day
Monday	September 2, 2013	Labor Day
Thursday	November 28, 2013	Thanksgiving
Friday	November 29, 2013	Day after Thanksgiving
Tuesday	December 24, 2013	Christmas Eve
Wednesday	December 25, 2013	Christmas Day
Tuesday	December 31, 2013	New Year’s Eve (1/2 day)
Wednesday	January 1, 2014	New Year’s Day

Thank you:
The Beaumont Michigan Heart Group Staff

NEW NOVI OFFICE, NOW OPEN!

We are happy to announce that our Western Wayne Heart Group office has moved to a new location at 10 Mile and Haggerty, in Novi.  We are only 5 minutes away from the old location.

39500 Ten Mile Road
Suite 103
Novi, MI 48375
Phone: (248) 267-5050
Fax: (248) 267-5051

Please see the link below for directions for our old office in Livonia to the new office in Novi.
http://goo.gl/maps/6h7hq

The move was made for several reasons.  Primarily when we enter the Physician Service Agreement (PSA) with Beaumont we needed to follow Joint Commission standards.  Several of which, unfortunately, were not able to be met within the buildings structure.  The move allowed us to meet Joint Commission standards in addition too upgrading to state of the art equipment.

We hope you are as happy with our new Novi home as we are.  Should you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to call our Physician Liaison Stacie Batur.  She can help stream line communications between referring physicians, bring cards to your office (if you're a physician), or simply answer a question.  She can be reached at the numbers below:

Office: (248) 267-5050 (x6509); Primarily Mondays and Thursdays
Mobile: (248)765-4466;  Tuesdays and Wednesdays

MICHIGAN HEART GROUP INTERGRATES WITH WILLIAM BEAUMONT HOSPITAL

On June 1, 2012 a change occurred at Michigan Heart Group we became integrated with William Beaumont Hospital in the form of a Professional Services Agreement. Our signage will soon read Beaumont Michigan Heart Group, Beaumont Michigan Heart Rhythm Group and Beaumont Western Wayne Heart Group.

This professional agreement will integrate some of the services that we provide with the hospital as well as some of our operations including our outpatient testing and billing, but will allow Michigan Heart Group to maintain operational control of the practice. Management of these operations still occurs locally within Michigan Heart Group. We have not experienced that these changes with Beaumont have disrupted any of the services that you currently receive from your physician.

We believe that with this integration model, we will be best able to provide you with the high quality of care that you have come to expect and deserve from our practice. All of our physicians will continue practicing from their current locations and your records will remain available to your physician without any further actions taken on your part. This is intended to be essentially a transparent change to you, the patient, in terms of how your care is delivered. Such a change has been made necessary after we have experienced years of progressive cuts in insurance reimbursement while our fixed costs have steadily increased. The status quo was no longer a viable option for the future.

You will notice changes specific to billing. Beaumont will bill applicable charges to your insurance. You will receive a billing statement from Beaumont rather than from Michigan Heart Group. You may still call Michigan Heart Group for billing inquiries however questions/determinations will be advised and directed by Beaumont.

We value your loyalty and trust that you have placed in our physicians and staff over the past several years and we continue to look forward to serving you in the future. As we indicated above, we believe that most of these changes will be transparent to your healthcare needs. If you have any questions, please contact our administrator, Darlene Nichols at 248-267-5050, select option 2.

Thank you for choosing Michigan Heart Group, in affiliation with William Beaumont Hospital for your healthcare services. We look forward to serving you now and in the future.

Very truly yours,

Beaumont Michigan Heart Group

ONLY MODEST BENEFITS IN CHELATION STUDY

The publication of research assessing the benefits of chelation therapy for patients with heart disease received a moderate amount of coverage, particularly online. Much of the coverage focused on the controversy surrounding chelation, noting that the new study's mixed results do little to put the controversy to rest. Additionally, many outlets focused on an editorial accompanying the study, in which one expert severely criticized the study's design.

USA Today (3/26, Szabo, 1.71M) reports, "Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health launched a study to see if patients with heart disease could be helped by chelation therapy, a controversial procedure that has been used by 110,000 Americans annually, but which many doctors regard as quackery." The study, called TACT (Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy), is now published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers found that "chelation seemed to slightly reduce the risk of heart problems, mainly in people with diabetes." However, "that small benefit was so statistically wobbly that it could have been due to chance." In a statement, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Director Gary H. Gibbons said, "This study sheds light on a scientific controversy that has previously been untested."

On its "Booster Shots" blog, the Los Angeles Times (3/26, Healy, 692K) reports that the "findings were immediately discounted by the editors of" JAMA. Additionally, "the findings were...set upon by a leading cardiologist, who charged that the study was poorly designed and executed and should not be seen as justification for a practice that diverts heart patients from therapies with clearer evidence of benefit."

Reuters (3/27, Pittman) reports that just three years ago, the FDA said companies should cease marketing of chelation products to treat autism and heart disease, among other things. Following the release of the new study, an agency spokesperson said, in an email to Reuters Health, "There are no chelation therapy products approved to treat heart disease. Additionally, all FDA-approved chelation therapy products require a prescription because they can only be used safely under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner."

In Forbes (3/26, 928K), Larry Husten writes that in an editorial, "the JAMA editors, in a highly unusual situation, discuss their detailed review of TACT and explain their decision to publish the trial. Although they acknowledge multiple limitations of the trial, they defend its value: 'reports of rigorous investigations should not be censored because of preexisting ideological positions' they write." Meanwhile, in a separate "editorial, Steve Nissen agrees with the JAMA editors decision to publish the trial but issues a fierce indictment of the trial and its conduct."

Heartwire (3/27, O'Riordan) reports that Nissen "pointed to some of the trial's flaws, noting that the sponsors of the study, including the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), were unblinded throughout the trial." Nissen wrote, "The unblinding of the study sponsor represents a serious deviation from acceptable standards of conduct for supervision of clinical trials." He also "said that the occurrence of the primary end point in just a few more patients in the placebo arm would have turned the trial into a negative study."

HealthDay (3/27, Mundell) points out that "the results of this latest study are published in the March 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Findings from the same study were also presented earlier this month at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in San Francisco, and at last fall's annual meeting of the American Heart Association." When "speaking at the ACC meeting on March 10, the study's lead researcher said that the modest benefit noted in the study had not made him any more ready to recommend chelation therapy."

MedPage Today (3/27, Kaiser) points out that the study "was supposed to put an end to the controversy that surrounds chelation, but instead it seems to have raised the level of dispute even more."

POSTED BY: Steven Almany M.D.

BEAUMONT MICHIGAN HEART GROUP'S PHYSICIAN LIAISON IS HERE TO HELP YOU

Michigan Heart Group has a Physician Liaison on staff to assist with questions, concerns or problems you, your staff or your patients may have with our office.

Stacie Batur is available Monday through Thursday at (248) 267-5050 (x6509). She is often between two buildings or visiting referring physician offices. If you get her voice mail, please leave a message and she will call you back shortly. If you need to speak to her immediately you can reach her on her cell phone at (248) 765-4466.

SOME PATIENTS CAN OVERCOME SIDE EFFECTS OF STATINS

USA Today (4/2, Lloyd, 1.71M) reports that, according to research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, some patients who stop using statins due to side effects can successfully start taking the drugs again at a reduced dose. During "a nine-year study of records of 107,835 patients at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, 11,124 had discontinued statins because of a side effect." The researchers found that, "among that group, half started again at a lower dose or used a different statin drug; 90% had stayed on the drug 12 months later."

On its "Daily Dose" blog, the Boston Globe (4/2, Kotz, 250K) reports that, according to Dr. Alexander Turchin, the senior author of the study, "What we found is that if someone has to go off of a statin due to side effects like muscle aches, it may be worth trying the drug again, especially if a person has had a previous heart attack or stroke or has established heart disease."

Reuters (4/2, Pittman) points out that approximately 25 percent of adults in the US use statins.

Heartwire (4/2, O'Riordan) reports that Dr Scott Grundy of the University of Texas Southwestern, in an editorial accompanying the study, "said that the current clinical guidelines 'virtually mandate' lifetime use of statins once they are started, although this can be a challenge for many patients. These new data do confirm that discontinuation rates are relatively high but are reassuring in that most patients can tolerate the drugs in the long term if they are rechallenged." Grundy "notes that many patients blame the medications for various side effects, a natural tendency." HealthDay (4/2, Norton) also covers the story.

POSTED BY: Steven Almany M.D.

MALE PATTERN BALDNESS MAY BE LINKED TO INCREASED RISK OF HEARD DISEASE

Research linking baldness in men to an increased risk of heart disease received moderate coverage, particularly online, as well as on one of last night's national news broadcasts. Most sources pointed out that the risk was greater among men who had lost more hair. Most articles also pointed out, however, that the researchers could not explain the mechanism behind the link. NBC Nightly News (4/3, story 8, 2:05, Williams, 7.86M) reported that "male pattern baldness" may "be linked to an increased risk of heart disease," according to research published in BMJ Open.

USA Today (4/3, Painter, 1.71M) reports that investigators analyzed data from six studies that included nearly 37,000 men altogether. "On their own, four of the six studies found some statistically significant link between baldness and indicators of heart disease, such as having a heart attack or needing bypass surgery." Still, "the link" is "far weaker than the link between heart disease and well-known risk factors such as smoking, obesity and high blood pressure."

Bloomberg News (4/4, Kitamura) reports, "Three of six studies analyzed tracked the participants' health for at least 11 years. Those studies suggested that men who had lost most of their hair were a third more likely to develop heart disease than peers who retained a full head of hair." Meanwhile, "the other three studies showed that balding men were 70 percent more likely to have heart disease, the researchers found."

The New York Daily News (4/4, Miller, 543K) reports, "The more hair men had lost, the greater their risk - but only if they thinned on the crown of their head."

The U-T San Diego (4/3, Ignelzi, 242K) reports, "Men with both frontal and crown-top baldness were 69 percent more likely to have coronary artery disease than those with a full head of hair, while those with just crown-top baldness were 52 percent more likely to do so." Men "with just frontal baldness were 22 percent more likely to do so."

NBC News (4/4, Carroll) reports on its website, "The findings suggest that men who are losing their hair should head over to the doctor's office and get a check-up, concluded the research team, led by Dr. Tomohide Yamada, a researcher in the department of diabetes and metabolic diseases in the graduate school of medicine at the University of Tokyo."

The Daily Telegraph (UK) (4/4, Collins, 871K) reports, "Although it remains unclear what causes the connection between baldness and the life-threatening condition, researchers said baldness could be a symptom of an underlying condition which causes heart disease such as insulin resistance, chronic inflammation or heightened sensitivity to testosterone."

MedPage Today (4/4, Laino) points out that this "analysis...follows by less than a week a case-control study that linked early onset baldness in African-American men to increased risk of prostate cancer." Also covering the story are BBC News (4/4, Gallagher), the Daily Mail (UK) (4/4, Hope), Heartwire (4/4, O'Riordan), and HealthDay (4/4, Mozes).

POSTED BY: Steven Almany M.D.

WELCOMING MICHELLE FORCINA, PA-C AND DAWN MITCHELL, ACNP

Beaumont Michigan Heart Group would like to welcome two new physician extenders...

Michelle Forcina, Physician Assistant
Dawn Mitchell, Nurse Practitioner 

They will be joining our mid-level team of Cheryl Vincent, A.P.R.N.; Anita Juriga, A.P.R.N; Howard Hollinger, P.A.-C.; Debra Goodall, A.P.R.N; Mariann Graham, Nurse Clinician; and Lilly Paciorkowski, Nurse Clinician.

Michelle comes to us with a background in Cardiac Electrophysiology.  She has primarily worked with Electrophysiologist and Device Clinics for the last seven years. She will be office based and seeing patients out of Beaumont's Michigan Heart Rhythm Group, working closely with our device specialist Jan Halash and Amy Douglas as well as Drs. Cragg, Williamson and Kutinsky.

Dawn has worked for William Beaumont Hospital in several different capacities over the last 30 years and we are lucky to have her as part of our team.  Her main focus for the last 20 years has been Cardiology where she has learned the many different arenas it has to offer.  Dawn will primarily be seeing patients in the hospital however will most likely also see patients in the office as space and time allow.

We are very fortunate to have found these two wonderful additions to our team.  They look forward to meeting you and we hope you look forward to meeting them.

Thank you!
The Beaumont Michigan Heart Group Physicians

2013 BEAUMONT MICHIGAN HEART GROUP HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

Beaumont Michigan Heart Group closes in observance of all the major holiday's.  The 2013 days are listed below.  We ask, in order to ensure your prescriptions are refilled in time, please call at least one week prior to the holiday.  Calls taken after 10:00 am, the day before closing, are not guaranteed to be called in.

Monday	May 27, 2013	Memorial Day
Thursday	July 4, 2013	Independence Day
Monday	September 2, 2013	Labor Day
Thursday	November 28, 2013	Thanksgiving
Friday	November 29, 2013	Day after Thanksgiving
Tuesday	December 24, 2013	Christmas Eve
Wednesday	December 25, 2013	Christmas Day
Tuesday	December 31, 2013	New Year’s Eve (1/2 day)
Wednesday	January 1, 2014	New Year’s Day

Thank you:
The Beaumont Michigan Heart Group Staff

ABOUT ONE_THIRD OF US ADULTS HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

MyHealthNewsDaily (4/4, Rowan) reports, "One-third of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, but the rate varies widely from state to state, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)." The report indicates that "the state with the highest percentage of adults who said they have high blood pressure is Mississippi, with 35.9 percent," while "Minnesota has the lowest rate, with 20.9 percent of respondents saying they had high blood pressure."

HealthDay (4/5, Reinberg) reports, "Wide variations existed by state in terms of how many people take medication to lower their blood pressure, according the report." For example, "nearly three-fourths of Tennessee respondents said they were taking blood pressure medication, compared with about half of those from California." Additionally, "hypertension was significantly higher among seniors, men, blacks and those with less than a high school education compared to younger people, women, Asians and people with higher levels of education, the researchers found."

MedPage Today (4/5, Smith) reports, "Nearly all states saw increases in self-reported hypertension from 2005 through 2009, with percentage-point increases ranging from 0.2 for Virginia to 7.0 for Kentucky." MedPage Today adds that "the exceptions, the CDC analysts found, were California, the District of Columbia, and Minnesota, where prevalence fell 0.4, 1.5, and 0.9 percentage points respectively."

Heartwire (4/5, O'Riordan) reports, "Overall, there were significant increases in the use of antihypertensives in California, Iowa, and Michigan, while use in Kentucky, a state that showed significant absolute and relative increases in the prevalence of hypertension, declined from 73.4% in 2005 to 65.7% in 2009." The findings were published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

POSTED BY:  Steven Almany M.D.

NEW NOVI OFFICE, NOW OPEN!

We are happy to announce that our Western Wayne Heart Group office has moved to a new location at 10 Mile and Haggerty, in Novi.  We are only 5 minutes away from the old location.

39500 Ten Mile Road
Suite 103
Novi, MI 48375
Phone: (248) 267-5050
Fax: (248) 267-5051

Please see the link below for directions for our old office in Livonia to the new office in Novi.
http://goo.gl/maps/6h7hq

The move was made for several reasons.  Primarily when we enter the Physician Service Agreement (PSA) with Beaumont we needed to follow Joint Commission standards.  Several of which, unfortunately, were not able to be met within the buildings structure.  The move allowed us to meet Joint Commission standards in addition too upgrading to state of the art equipment.

We hope you are as happy with our new Novi home as we are.  Should you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to call our Physician Liaison Stacie Batur.  She can help stream line communications between referring physicians, bring cards to your office (if you're a physician), or simply answer a question.  She can be reached at the numbers below:

Office: (248) 267-5050 (x6509); Primarily Mondays and Thursdays
Mobile: (248)765-4466;  Tuesdays and Wednesdays

MICHIGAN HEART GROUP INTERGRATES WITH WILLIAM BEAUMONT HOSPITAL

On June 1, 2012 a change occurred at Michigan Heart Group we became integrated with William Beaumont Hospital in the form of a Professional Services Agreement. Our signage will soon read Beaumont Michigan Heart Group, Beaumont Michigan Heart Rhythm Group and Beaumont Western Wayne Heart Group.

This professional agreement will integrate some of the services that we provide with the hospital as well as some of our operations including our outpatient testing and billing, but will allow Michigan Heart Group to maintain operational control of the practice. Management of these operations still occurs locally within Michigan Heart Group. We have not experienced that these changes with Beaumont have disrupted any of the services that you currently receive from your physician.

We believe that with this integration model, we will be best able to provide you with the high quality of care that you have come to expect and deserve from our practice. All of our physicians will continue practicing from their current locations and your records will remain available to your physician without any further actions taken on your part. This is intended to be essentially a transparent change to you, the patient, in terms of how your care is delivered. Such a change has been made necessary after we have experienced years of progressive cuts in insurance reimbursement while our fixed costs have steadily increased. The status quo was no longer a viable option for the future.

You will notice changes specific to billing. Beaumont will bill applicable charges to your insurance. You will receive a billing statement from Beaumont rather than from Michigan Heart Group. You may still call Michigan Heart Group for billing inquiries however questions/determinations will be advised and directed by Beaumont.

We value your loyalty and trust that you have placed in our physicians and staff over the past several years and we continue to look forward to serving you in the future. As we indicated above, we believe that most of these changes will be transparent to your healthcare needs. If you have any questions, please contact our administrator, Darlene Nichols at 248-267-5050, select option 2.

Thank you for choosing Michigan Heart Group, in affiliation with William Beaumont Hospital for your healthcare services. We look forward to serving you now and in the future.

Very truly yours,

Beaumont Michigan Heart Group

BEAUMONT MICHIGAN HEART GROUP'S PHYSICIAN LIAISON IS HERE TO HELP YOU

Michigan Heart Group has a Physician Liaison on staff to assist with questions, concerns or problems you, your staff or your patients may have with our office.

Stacie Batur is available Monday through Thursday at (248) 267-5050 (x6509). She is often between two buildings or visiting referring physician offices. If you get her voice mail, please leave a message and she will call you back shortly. If you need to speak to her immediately you can reach her on her cell phone at (248) 765-4466.