Heart disease claims one American life every 37 seconds, over twice the rate of all cancers combined. Still, it remains a highly preventable disease. We have recently developed a test called the CIPA-SCAN™ that can detect early signs of atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of heart attack and stroke, before any symptoms appear.

In this age of health awareness and medical testing it seems unfathomable that heart disease can afflict so many and strike with such stealth. Yet two-thirds of women and half of all men who die from heart attack show no prior symptoms. This may be because tests like Angiograms and EKGs detect a problem only after significant arterial blockage has occurred. The new revolutionary CIPA-SCAN™ can detect a problem before any signs or symptoms appear.

This recently developed test combines three image screenings used to detect atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of heart attack, stroke and peripheral arterial disease (P.A.D.) before signs or symptoms appear. The 20 minute CIPA-SCAN™ uses FDA approved software and holds an advantage over more expensive and intrusive procedures because it can assess heart risk before plaque accumulates in the arteries, and does not require undressing, exercising or drawing blood.

The first phase of the CIPA-SCAN™, the Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT) test, measures the first two layers of the carotid artery. The thicker the arterial wall, the greater the risk for heart attack or stroke.

While the CIMT itself has been used in clinical studies for over 16 years, the CIPA-SCAN™ can now calculate a “vascular age” in comparison to one’s chronological age based on the thickness of the carotid artery. By this measure a 46 year old with a vascular age twenty years above her chronological age shares the same risk for heart attack or stroke as a 66 year old.

The CIMT scan has been published in JAMA, NEJM, Lancet, Circulation and Stroke, with articles citing results from large clinical trials where thousands of people were tested. The American Heart Association recommends CIMT as a safe, inexpensive and accurate predictor of future cardiovascular events.

The 2nd phase of the CIPA-SCAN™, Plaque Detection, scans the carotid artery for any current plaque build-up and incorporates the findings into the final result.

Finally, an Ankle-Brachial-Index (A.B.I.), looks for peripheral arterial disease (P.A.D.), plaque accumulation in the legs which limits blood flow to the lower extremities and more than doubles the risk for heart attack and stroke.

The combination of these 3 imaging tests is unique in the medical community but when performed together they offer tremendous insight into a person’s risk for heart attack, stroke, and P.A.D. prior to any symptoms.

Frisco, Texas based Vascular One Diagnostics performs the 20 minute CIPA-SCAN™ in an office environment and analyzes the findings to create a user-friendly risk report so patients can understand the results along with their doctors. Steps can then be taken to halt or even reverse the damage.

When I had my CIPA™ scan done, I couldn’t believe it. I am a fairly young and active physician with no significant medical issues, but my vascular age showed I was older than I thought.  That was a wakeup call.  Lifestyle changes are the #1 most difficult thing to do that can make the most impact on my patients’ health. Several of my patients quit smoking on the spot after we reviewed their CIPA-SCAN™ results. This test has been a remarkable motivator.

However, many potential CIPA-SCAN™ candidates – people age 40 and above without any symptoms – fail to receive the message before it’s too late. Preventative tests like the CIPA-SCAN™ are doubly important for individuals with traditional red flags such as family history of heart disease, weight problems, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, and diabetes.

The CIPA-SCAN™ is less time consuming than giving blood and feels the same as having a sonogram. “I lost my brother to heart disease,” says Paul G., 51, himself a CIPA-SCAN™ patient. “He was only 42. So for me, taking 20 minutes on a lunch break to potentially add 20 years or more to my life seems like time well spent.”

Please give my clinic a call if you would like more information about the CIPA-SCAN™ at (972) 378-5347.

Here’s to your vascular health!

Dr. Mary Newport has discovered some very interesting evidence supporting the relationship between MCT(medium chain triglycerides) fats and reversal of neural dysfunction.  In her article discussing the use of coconut oil to treat Alzheimer’s symptoms, she details the trials and tribulations she and her husband Steve have gone through in his struggle from progressive dementia to severe Alzheimer’s disease… and back.

Dr. Newport writes, “If you are using any type of hydrogenated vegetable oil or any oil with transfat, do not use any more and get rid of it!  Extra virgin olive oil, butter and other natural, non-hydrogenated oils are okay to use along with the coconut oil.  It is possible to use coconut oil in place of all other oils, however, since it contains no omega-3 fatty acids, it is very important to eat salmon twice a week or get enough omega-3 fatty acid from other rich sources such as fish oil capsules, flax meal, flax oil (not for cooking) or walnuts…

… Cardiovascular disease was rare at the beginning of the 20th century, and has skyrocketed, along with other devastating diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes type II, obesity, since mass produced hydrogenated vegetable oils containing trans fats were introduced into our diets and replaced these other natural fats. Sadly, the incidences of cardiovascular and other serious diseases are becoming more and more common among people in other areas of the world who have changed over from their indigenous foods to the ‘western’ diet.”

The day she discovered information that MCTs could be beneficial to her husband’s condition, a physician evaluating him for a drug trial told her his diagnosis for Alzheimer’s Disease was “more towards severe than moderate”.  She began using coconut oil that day and says he has made a marked improvement from the progressive degeneration he was experiencing.

While not yet generally accepted by the scientific and medical communities, I would guess that ‘MCT’ will be as familiar a term as ‘transfat’ in the coming years.

It’s a fascinating article.  Take a look, get educated and pass it on.  Perhaps there is truth to this and we can curb the projections that 15,000,000 people in the United States alone will have Alzheimer’s Disease by the year 2050.

Learn more from Dr. Mary Newport at:

Coconut Oil and Ketones

Coconut Oil Dietary Guidelines

or even try googling “coconut oil”…

I’m finishing up a busy week here at my clinic and trying to get out to Margaritaville, but wanted to pass on the results of a comprehensive review of over 600 original medical journal articles published from 1950 to 2007 on the causal link between ‘mediterranean diets’ and coronary heart disease.

Frankly, the study is a bit thick, but they conclude that, healthwise,  the ‘mediterranean diet’ creams our accepted food culture here in the states.  The mediterranean diet is characterized by a higher intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, whole grains, cheese or yogurt, fish, and monounsaturated relative to saturated fatty acids, compared to a western diet which includes more processed meat, red meat, butter, high-fat dairy products, eggs, saturated fats, and refined grains.

The American Heart Association is a national voluntary health agency to help reduce disability and death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke.  Their website has a great primer on Diet and Nutrition primer including great FAQ-style writeups on topics from ‘Know your Fats’ to ‘Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations‘.  Eating well isn’t hard to do, it just takes some education and planning. 

Dietary Guidelines for Americans is published jointly every 5 years by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Guidelines provide authoritative advice for people two years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases.

Hey, I like a good steak like any of the rest of you, but paying attention to these things can literally add years to your life.

See you in Margaritaville!

Obese kids found to have arteries of 45-year-olds.

This is an article from November 2008, but I had it bookmarked for this blog, once we got it running.  “This is a wake-up call.”  We need to be aware that the saturated and trans fats our children are eating will absolutely correlate to their likelihood to experience a cardiovascular event(CVE) and will decrease their longevity.

Obesity is just one indicator that the diet may be unhealthy.

Another indicator of vascular health is a combination of doppler ultrasound scans called CIPA(pronounced “sippa”).  The CIPA-Scan uses existing ultrasound technology, but by combining several tests together, we have developed a new indicator of vascular health.

I will talk more about the exciting CIPA-Scan in one of the upcoming posts.

The American Medical Association’s Healthier Life Steps™ program is a patient-physician partnership for a longer, healthier life.

Four key health behaviors – poor diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and excessive or risky use of alcohol – are significantly related to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other conditions.

This program provides a tool-kit to help you partner with your physician to improve these key health behaviors.  The tool-kit includes a self-assessment questionnaire, action plans, and progress tracking calendars, as well as links to other resources.

Hello and welcome to docmcquaid.com, a medblog focused on improving your vascular health, state-of-the-art treatments for venous disorders and diseases, and the medical and insurance industries in general.

My name is Mark McQuaid and I am a general and vascular surgeon.   I have been practicing General and Vascular Surgery in the Plano and Frisco area for 15 years and our state-of-the-art in-patient office is located in Frisco, TX at State Highway 121 and Legacy Drive.  I am board-certified by the American College of Surgeons and am currently completing my testing to become board certified by the American College of Phlebology.