I wanted to ask him about language department. Think the following dr. On your program can answer it. What is host what is your concern about it . Why does it interest you . Caller you can hear i have an accent. I was 27 when i came here from the soviet union. I got accepted to ucla and i was having a terrible time with the language. Ive been here many years now, but i wanted to ask him what the brain does or does not do to acquire the language faster. That was my question. I was kind of looking forward to getting his answer. Host hunh. And the fact that you were in ucla a year after leaving the soviet union, do you think it helped . Caller i remember nightmares. Like, 72 hours a day. It was a very difficult time. No social life, no nothing. It was extremely hard. That is maria in l. A. And this is jerry in cottontail, alabama. Good morning, jerry. Caller good morning. I was wanting to talk to dr. Guttmacher, too. Host he is gone, but what was your question going to be . Caller i was going to ask about an experiment at a local university. I have a friend who went through the program. ,he went through 2. 5 years ago a program in emory. She was fixing to go to hospice. She had given up. He had stage four cancer i think it was seven cancers through her body. She went through this program at emory and they implanted some type of device in her back. I dont know and what this device days, a cut off the blood supply to those cancers. And today, she is 2. 5 years out of that program cancer free. I wanted to know if that treatment system was ever going. O be made available how much longer he would be an Experimental Program and when it would become available. I try to keep up with most cancers. My wife died of cancer twoandahalf years ago. We have cancer in my family. And this treatment was so successful and so good, i was just wondering how much longer it would be before it he came available to the general public. Host think you, sir. We will try to work a question in as we go this morning. And now has to go to the National Institute of health, dr. Gary gibbons, who is the director of the heart, lung, and Blood Institute. What is the connection between the heart, lungs, and blood . Guest the thing that connects them all is the blood vessels. In our portfolio, the number one cause of death in america for both men and women is hard to see. Our portfolio also includes toding chronic diseases determine the leading causes of death in this nation. It is an important part of our portfolio and has an impact on the health of all americans. And that is why, indeed it is important to continue to invest in Biomedical Research so that then we can reduce the morbidity of these chronic diseases. Host what are chronic diseases . Guest diseases like Heart Disease that promote ongoing disability. For example, Heart Failure makes it difficult to walk from exercise, creates chronic shortness of breath and has a negative impact on their quality of life. Part of what we are trying to do is to develop preventive strategies that can keep the heart healthy so that it does not fail to act as it should as a pump and to keep people healthier, so they live longer and more productive lives. Causes, andre the how many causes are there of Heart Disease . Guest the major problem with Heart Disease is the clogging of the blood vessels that feed the heart. As you are probably aware, the Research Done with the heart study that we funded identified oneweek all risk factors for the development of those clogged arteries. It relates to things like high blood cholesterol, high Blood Pressure, cigarette smoking. And these risk factors injure the blood vessels that feed the heart, clogging the arteries come and up writing the heart of od flow and oxygen clogging the arteries, depriving the heart of blood flow and oxygen. When this happens, we call that a heart attack. They can cause death immediately, or can injure the heart in a way that predisposes the feeling of the heart failing of the heart. Host is that recoverable . Guest that is part of the good news. Due to the research that the nih has funded, we have learned so much more about what causes the clogging of the arteries and that has lead to interventions that can actually prevent and even reverse the clotting process. Some of the drugs that maybe some of your audience is aware of, the staten drugs, they actually lower the bad cholesterol, the ldl cholesterol. In studies done by the nih and others they have been shown to prevent heart attacks and in that way, it is reducing the burden of this disease. Host dr. Gary gibbons is our guest, the director of the heart, lung, and Blood Institute, one of the larger institute at nih. Annual budget of about 3 billion, about 917 federal employees. How long have you been with nih, dr. Gibbons . Guest im still a relative newbie. Ive been here about 18 months. It has been a privilege. Host prior to that, what are you doing . Guest i was a professor at a Research Institute in georgia. And a graduate of harvard ino at brigham hospital baltimore. We hear eat fish for your heart from exercise for your heart. What is common sense advice . Those are good pieces of common sense advice. All three work. Our nih research forms the basis of all of those recommendations. For example, we funded a study that developed the dash dietary plan. It is rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, poultry, and that diet has been shown to lower Blood Pressure. Indeed, it lowers Blood Pressure almost as well as the pills you can take. We recognize that eating healthy reduces those risk factors i talked about before that drive the development of the clogging of the arteries that leads to. Eart attacks a healthy diet is critical. We also know that smoking stopping smoking is critical to prevent heart attack. Clearly, moving more, eating healthier, all good things for your heart. Host can we still enjoy a good steak . Guest as your grandmother probably told you, all things in moderation. It is important to recognize that having a diet in which proteins are really low in fat is a critical aspect of the healthy lifestyle. Is also, what were learning what is the connection between diet and Heart Disease . Intriguing Research Suggests that fruits and vegetables are also changing our whole bodies metabolism. Your bodys metabolism is influenced by bacteria and microbes that live with in your gut and when you eat certain dietary foods, youre actually feeding the bacteria in your gut that are helping to digest the food. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in red meat actually preis predisposes you to the kinds of microbes that are beneficial in helping us digest food in ways beneficial to unclogging the arteries. That is the linkage between those healthy dietary habits and the pathways and processes that protect your heart. Host dr. Gibbons, do you eat red meat at all anymore . Guest i must admit, on occasion. I do try to practice what i preach, however, so it is just on occasion. Part, my diet is fruits and vegetables, wholegrain, lean fish, and poultry. Host another heart cure that we have had heard about over the years is red wine. Guest i dont know if i would call it a cure, but we have learned that there are chemicals in both fruits and vegetables come as you know in chemicals in both fruits and vegetables. As you know, one is made from fruit. These chemicals are called phytochemicals. And they are broken down by the bacteria that cohabitate with us and coexist with us in our gut. Gives wineerial that its color is broken down to a chemical that actually changes how our bodys immune system works and affects our metabolism that probably does contribute to the beneficial effects. But i should caution, all things in moderation. Host cardiovascular disease by the numbers in 2010, 700 88,000 deaths. 788,000 it is the leading cause of death in the state. The death rate increased, cardiovascular death, from 1920 until it peaked in 1968. And in 2010, the rate was below the alltime low in 1900. How did we peaked and then go down from 1968 . Really a great testimony for the importance of investing in Biomedical Research. I think it is one of the great obiries in which the nh 1949 to study in determine what the determinants of Heart Disease and heart attacks were. That was a death sentence in that timeframe. It unlocked and really discovered these risk factors that i talked about. And that you mentioned. Cigarette smoking, high Blood Pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes as determinants of the statistics that you talked about. Similarly, researchers began to identify the pathways that created things like high cholesterol and high Blood Pressure. Moreover, as part of a partnership between the ,overnment and private sector and identification of the pathways, the drug targets that could change cholesterol and let pressure, Blood Pressure, this development of lowerceuticals that could Blood Pressure. The nih funded Clinical Trials to show that if you lower Blood Pressure and ldl cholesterol, you can save lives. It took a lot to bend those curves and change the statistics that you described. It is a testimony to how important it is to continually invest in Biomedical Research in ways that turn science into enhancements that are helpful to the nation. Host boring file clerk tweet into you, doctor, our youth experiencing more Heart Disease than in the past . What is the cause of this question mark is a diet, stress, or both . Guest we are concerned about the youth in america. Heart disease is something that is thought of as something that happens only to the elderly, and certainly it is quite prevalent. But one of the concerns we have is with the growing obesity epidemic. And the fact that our children are increasingly overweight and obese. We now recognize related to cardiovascular disease starts very early. And indeed, the earliest signs of a begin in childhood. Being overweight and obese as a child puts that individual on a trajectory so that by the time they reach middle age, they are at an increased risk for developing Heart Disease. One of the possibilities is that despite those trends and advances that you described earlier, you we could have a that actually may have Heart Disease at an earlier age than the current term duration. That would be the current generation. That would be sad. The key thing is that this is preventable. The important thing is that we as families get together and make sure that our children are more physically active and that they maintain a normal body weight. Host richard from franklin texas, you are on with dr. Gary gibbons, director of the heart, lung, and Blood Institute. Caller all right. Ive been waiting a little bit. I had two questions. One for the previous guest, and he is gone, but i will make it comment and a question to the current guest. From the statement made by the previous dr. What was his name . Guttmacher, yeah. He made all the statements about the great things that the nih is doing. I would like to make this comment. If you get on any website, you can see that we rate number 27 around the world in longevity. If we have such a Great Program here at 31 billion a year, what are these other countries spending and why are they living longer . Host thank you. Lets get an answer from dr. Gibbons. Guest the caller raises a good question. Its important to recognize that america still remains the preeminent leader in Biomedical Research. And the Research Results that we describe actually do go around the world. This is new knowledge that is put into action by citizens throughout the world in advancing science and advancing medicine. What the caller also points out is that it is important to translate discovery science, the new knowledge we generate into. Hanges in health indeed, some of that relates to the Health Behaviors and we must adopt, as weve been describing. Much of it is at the level of the individual. We talk about stopping smoking and exercising more, and eating a heart healthy diet. I might point out that many of the dietary elements i mentioned, the dash diet, high in fruits and vegetables, lean , is probablyish different from the typical american diet. And we know that americans to the glee eat higher fat food, typically eat higher fat food, calorie dense food. And some of those statistics relate to the fact that we, as americans, are still not adhering to the most heart healthy diet as the leading cause of death and disability. Host from smith, arkansas. Caller good morning. 2008 andeart attack in they did a thing called eeoc. Are you familiar with it . Guest i have some familiarity with it. Host what is that . Caller it is a procedure where they put the balloons on your leg and on your body, and you are tied up to the computer. Goes up to ais a maximum of 200 pounds of pressure and it pushes the blood on the heartbeat. In the middle of the heartbeat when it momentarily stops, it balloons up. It puts pressure. I had the bottom of my heart, due to diabetes, the little vessels were stopped up. Anyway, its been 5. 5 years. Testcently ran a stress and there was virtually no change in the stress test that i had at the end of that 35 day program and my current status. I was rather impressed with it. Host thank you. A response for the caller . Guest i think it is always important to consult your care provider in these cases. There are many things we dont know about the colors disease. Is when you have a heart attack, there are several critical things that are important, that we note works through critical trial data. That is, if you had a heart attack and your smoking, stop smoking and you reduce the likelihood of having a repeat heart attack. We know that it is critical that you be on a medicine, a class of them, thatcall lowers the allele cholesterol. That is critically important. And depending on how much damage is done, other therapies are important to institute after a heart attack, particularly if there is damage to the heart to pump blood. There are clear guidelines that have been developed that are based on evidence and Clinical Trial work that shows what really benefits patients after a heart attack. We encourage them we encourage patients to follow those legal guidelines. Host do you recommend to your patience and aspirin a day question mark guest and aspirin a day . Guest yes, that is one of those things that been shown that has been shown to be beneficial. As one of the medications that a person after heart attack should be on. Host the last 20 to 30 years when it comes to heart and lung diseases, cardiovascular diseases, how has our world changed . Guest i have enough gray hairs to recognize that when i was in training how we treated patients coming in for a heart attack is dramatically different than the way it is today. There have been a number of advances in our ability to diagnose disease, prevent disease, intervene in the , andxt of a heart attack literally open up an artery that is clogged in the midst of a heart attack. That has been shown to be beneficial. The advent of the things you and wiresing balloons to keep a blood vessel open. These are incredible advances in the last couple of decades. And more important, we are excited about the opportunities in the future, the advances in our knowledge that have led to their. , new drugs two therapeutics new drugs that are helping us fight disease. And Biomedical Research is advancing our knowledge even further. We are now recognizing that there may be other molecules and other cholesterols and fats in the blood that could be problematic. Weve learned about new pathways. Sk9 and itled pc advances our understanding of the genetic basis of disease and that is leading to new development of therapeutic targets that are being tested. We still have some Unfinished Business in further reducing Heart Disease. I think research will lead to results. There is a promising future. History of your long working with hearts and heart medication, has the socalled zipper club been reduced dramatically, the openheart surgery folks . Guest well, certainly, there are probably fewer members of that club every year. That relates to a number of changes. Is, how cardiothoracic surgeons approach Heart Disease is changing. There are advances and robotices that use tools that are less interested in terms of the effect on the chest wall. Some of these that i have we are getting nonsurgical approaches to open longertermies with effectiveness, using stints and other strategies. Those advances are influencing our ability to what we call e the heart. T on with dr. You are given. Dr. Gibbons. Caller thank you. I have been ignorant of the nih. I have had a person not, door frequently. I disregarded the person and now i change my mind. Im going to contact them. Host why is nih knocking on your door . Caller they evidently want to do research. After listening to your program, im so impressed. How did i get put into their database . Host can you give us at least a generic explanation of your situation, why they would contact you . Caller i dont know if it is my records from my Doctors Office sent to a database. I dont know. Host host dr. Gibbons, any response for her without knowing her situation . Its a little difficult to comment without knowing the details, but i suspect its highly unlikely that the National Institutes of health solicited a person mo didnt voluntarily come to seek engagement in a Clinical Research study. Tiply Funds Research ins to do they solicited ind