How this 56-year-old reversed heart disease with a plant-based diet and no statins
A CAT scan of her chest revealed moderate plaque build-up and coronary artery disease.
'My arteries were worse than 75 per cent of other women my age,' says Bernick, a former stand-up comic who lives in the US state of Texas.
A follow-up with a cardiologist confirmed she had blockages in two main arteries.
'Without changing my diet and taking a statin, I had a 20 per cent chance of having a heart attack in the next five to 10 years,' says the 56-year-old mother of three.
Bernick weighed 9kg more 10 years ago (left) than she does today. Photo: Lauren Bernick
Bernick was devastated, crying in the doctor's office next to her husband, who was also in shock.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
How mosquito-borne viruses chikungunya, dengue and Zika got their names
Chikungunya is on everybody's radar these days as cases increase significantly worldwide, including across Asia. 'That which bends up' is what the virus's name means in Kimakonde (also known as Makonde), a Bantu language of the Makonde ethnic group from southeast Tanzania and northern Mozambique, deriving from the verb kungunyala 'to assume a contorted position'. The moniker makes reference to one of the hallmark symptoms of the disease: along with abrupt onset of high fever, headache, nausea, fatigue and skin rash, there is the characteristic prolonged debilitating joint pain, lasting months or even years – which leads to infected persons' contorted posture. The name chikungunya has an origin in an African language because this mosquito-borne virus is traditionally maintained in a complex African zoonotic cycle, and was first described during a febrile illness outbreak in the province of Makonde in southern Tanzania in 1952. Workers perform anti-mosquito measures outside Sau Mau Ping Shopping Centre in Hong Kong on August 12, 2025, amid warnings of a heightened risk of possible chikungunya fever transmissions. Photo: Jonathan Wong Its existence actually dates further back. However, because symptomatically, chikungunya fever can be difficult to differentiate from dengue fever, the disease was previously considered and known as dengue, another febrile epidemic disease of the tropics.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- South China Morning Post
How to boost your immune system naturally, from exercise and diet to vaccines
Tim Friede, a US truck mechanic turned self-taught snake expert, has what has been described as 'super immunity' to snake venom: he has been bitten more than 200 times over nearly two decades by some of the world's most poisonous snakes. Advertisement Globally, snake bites kill more than 100,000 people and cause 300,000 permanent disabilities every year. Friede has teamed up with scientists to use his blood to help develop a broad antivenom that could save the lives of people living in remote rural locations around the world. How did he develop immunity to snake venom that should kill a human in minutes? Not only has he been bitten often, he has also exposed himself repeatedly to toxins, injecting himself with small amounts of diluted venom more than 700 times. Snake bites kill more than 100,000 people globally every year. Photo: Shutterstock Vaccines work on the same principle: a small amount of the offending virus or bacteria is introduced to the system – not enough to kill or make a person sick, just enough that the body recognises an enemy and begins to produce protective antibodies. Advertisement
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Thai princess hospitalised for over 2 years suffers ‘severe' blood infection
The Thai king's eldest daughter, who has been gravely ill in hospital for more than two years, has suffered a 'severe' blood infection, the palace said on Friday. Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol has been unconscious in hospital since falling ill with a heart condition in December 2022 during a military dog training session at Nakhon Ratchasima, north of the capital Bangkok. A statement from the Bureau of the Royal Household gave the first update on the princess's condition in more than two years. 'The doctors have reported that the Princess's lungs and kidneys have been functioning with support from medical devices and medication,' the statement said. 'From August 9, 2025, the medical team detected a severe infection in the bloodstream, leading them to administer antibiotics and medication to stimulate blood pressure to maintain stable levels.' Doctors will continue to monitor her condition and provide treatment, the statement said.
