Reversing Heart Disease & Stroke in Singapore
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) – heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of death globally and in Singapore, where it is responsible for 8059 fatalities in 2024 – about 30.5% of all deaths, 22-23 daily mortalities.
CVD cases are increasing in Singapore, with the numbers expected to grow significantly in the coming decades. It is projected to rise by 3 times by 2050.
It is very concerning that CVD caused by atherosclerosis (building up of atherosclerotic plaque and its rupturing) in the heart or neck arteries is increasingly affecting younger individuals, with 64% of patients in Southeast Asia under the age of 65.
Many Singaporeans have one or more key risk factors for CVD and these are often lifestyle-related such as,
- Poor diet (processed foods, refined sugars, oil, salt, saturated fats, meat heavy)
- Metabolic syndrome (high cholesterol, triglycerides, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity)
- Poor gut health
- Physical inactivity
- Chronic stress
- Smoking / vaping
- Alcohol consumption
Rather than relying solely on drugs to delay heart attacks or strokes, the foundational way to prevent, manage and reverse CVD progression is to get rid of the modifiable risk factors altogether, and replace them with healthful lifestyle habits and patterns.
The Lifestyle Heart Health Program equips you to do just that in 12 coaching sessions. Learn more about the specific types of CVD:
The most common and deadliest form of CVD and heart disease, coronary artery disease (CAD) accounts for 5,184 fatalities in Singapore – about 19.6% of all deaths in 2024. Although current medical and surgical treatments manage CAD, they do little to prevent or stop disease progression.
Yet, the fact that no one seems to talk about is that CAD can be reversed with intensive lifestyle changes – without risky surgery or medication.
Reversal does not mean your arteries will look like they did when you were 20. It means shrinking the fatty deposits in the walls of arteries (atherosclerotic plaque blockages) enough to restore healthy blood flow to the heart, eliminating symptoms like angina / chest pain and preventing further cardiac events. This also means improvements in lifespan and your quality of life.
CAD begins with progressive endothelial injury, inflammatory oxidative stress, hampered nitric oxide production, foam cell formation and development of arterial plaques that may rupture to cause a myocardial infarction / heart attack or stroke.
Stage 0: Healthy Coronary Artery – The artery's walls are smooth and clear, allowing for an unimpeded and steady flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle.
Stage 1: Early Atherosclerosis – A small fatty deposit, called plaque, has started to build up on the inner wall of the artery. This early buildup slightly narrows the artery but doesn't yet significantly block blood flow.
Stage 2: Advanced Atherosclerosis – The plaque buildup is now severe. The artery is significantly narrowed, restricting the amount of blood that can flow to the heart. This can lead to symptoms like chest pain (angina) during physical activity.
Stage 3: Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction) – The plaque has ruptured, causing a blood clot to form and completely block the artery. This cuts off the blood supply to a part of the heart muscle, leading to tissue damage (shown as the dark area) and a heart attack.
The plaque are classified into two types:
- Hard plaque (calcified) – Like a "scar" on the artery wall, it is typically stable, non-dangerous and does not go away.
- Soft plaque (lipid-rich) – A volatile mixture of cholesterol, fat, and inflammation, it can rupture and cause heart attacks.
The good news is that soft plaque can be reversed with the Lifestyle Heart Health Program (LHHP).
The Reversal Mechanism
CAD is set in motion and exacerbated by the modern diet of added oils, dairy, meat, poultry, fish, sugary foods (sucrose, fructose, and drinks containing those, refined carbohydrates, fruit juices, syrups and molasses) that injures / impairs endothelial function after each meal. Unhealthy dietary pattern is the major cause of CAD.
You'll be coached on nutrition and other lifestyle interventions to radically lower VLDL, sdLDL, LDL, ApoB, triglycerides, inflammation and endothelial damage so that soft plaque stops forming while the plaque caps thickens and stabilises the existing plaques.
Cholesterol is drawn out of the artery wall to be removed by the liver (reverse cholesterol transport). Foam cells and macrophages deplete, with macrophages migrating out of the plaque and replaced by anti-inflammatory cells that clear necrotic material and aid in tissue repair.
Gradually, the existing soft plaque begins to shrink and regress. Healthy nutrition and lifestyle also helps restores nitric oxide production and heals your artery wall lining – improving endothelial function, arterial flexibility / vasodilation, blood circulation and cardiovascular health.
Lifestyle Heart Health Program (LHHP)
The LHHP is a cardiac coaching program modelled after two well-established and well-published lifestyle medicine approaches that are highly effective in reversing CAD.
- In the Ornish Program conducted by Dr Dean Ornish, 82% of participants experienced coronary plaque regression after 1 year, and continued after five years. Participants also reported a 90% reduction in angina in nine weeks.
- In the Esselstyn Heart Disease Program conducted by Dr Caldwell Esselstyn, patients with severe CAD saw a halt in disease progression, restoration of blood flow through the heart muscle (myocardial perfusion) and significant angiographic reversal of atherosclerosis. Symptoms diminished and often disappeared within 12 weeks. Cardiac events ceased in 97.8% of patients.
Above: PET scan shows normal blood flow restored to heart muscle after 3 weeks of lifestyle intervention.
Credit: Dr Caldwell B. Esselstyn
Above: Coronary angiography revealed a diseased distal left anterior descending artery (A). Following 32 months of lifestyle intervention without cholesterol-lowering medication, the artery regained its normal configuration (B).
Credit: Dr Caldwell B. Esselstyn
The mantra of "everything in moderation" does not work, it has instead contributed to the growing chronic disease burden in Singapore. Reversing heart disease involves drastic and specific lifestyle changes in eating pattern, physical activity, sleep, stress management, avoidance of toxic substances, etc.
The LHHP utilises 1-to-1 coaching with intensive lifestyle interventions to facilitate the reversal of CAD and prevention of further cardiac events in our clients, empowering them to live longer, more fulfilled lives.
The LHHP can save your life, or the life of your loved ones. If you are serious about reversing or preventing CAD, contact us today.
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) happens when fatty deposits or plaques accumulate and clog the blood vessels located in the periphery of the body (limbs). That is often accompanied by pain while moving, as the muscles are suffocating from a lack of oxygen and blood flow. This is stage 2 of the disease.
If left untreated, it can lead to critical limb ischemia (CLI), stage 3 of the disease where severe pain is experienced at the affected limbs even without movement. Wounds stop healing and tissues are so starved of oxygen and blood flow that they start to turn black and die off (gangrene) – a medical emergency.
As plaque formation is systemic, this would indicate that coronary artery disease (see tab above) is present as well. Therefore the reversal protocols includes those listed above in the CAD tab. The patient is also at risk of heart attack and stroke.
In addition, patients with PAD may be instructed by their doctor to quit smoking and start supervised exercise therapy to induce the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) to naturally bypass the clogged vessels. Both of these can be challenging to patients as it requires them to battle through pain for a period of time before they start to feel better.
Lifestyle Heart Health Program (LHHP)
The LHHP educates, equips and empowers clients to undertake optimal lifestyle behaviour changes in their daily lives. We utilise the 7 Pillars of Lifestyle Health – optimal nutrition, physical activity, avoidance of risky substances, restorative sleep, emotional wellness, connectedness and self-identity to minimise risk factors associated with PAD and bring about healing in the body before CLI occurs.
The areas of healing and risk elimination include:
- Regressing fatty deposits or atherosclerotic soft plaques in blood vessels to reduce risk of further clogging, claudication and heart attack (refer to the section above on coronary artery disease) by lowering VLDL, sdLDL, LDL, ApoB and triglyceride levels in the blood.
- Lowering blood sugar levels and glycemic control to prevent further damage to endothelial lining of blood vessels and nerves in the feet.
- Resolving chronic inflammation to avoid soft plaque growth.
- Lowering blood pressure levels to improve blood vessel integrity and cardiovascular health.
- Restoring blood vessel integrity, strength and flexibility – improves endothelial function, arterial flexibility, vasodilation, blood circulation and increases blood oxygen to the muscles. This helps to reduce the pain and prevent CLI.
- Lowering stress and increasing motivation to quit smoking, which improves angiogenesis and blood circulation to the limbs.
- Improving adherence to prescribed exercises that promotes angiogenesis to improve blood circulation to the limbs.
Drastic changes in lifestyle choices and new habits are crucial for the regression of PAD symptoms and other cardiovascular risks but they can be difficult to inculcate on your own.
You can harness the knowledge, skill and support of a lifestyle medicine health coach to make lasting change more attainable in a significantly shorter period of time.
The LHHP can save your life, or the life of your loved ones. Contact us today to get started / find out more.
As the name suggests, hypertensive heart disease (HHD) is caused by high blood pressure (above 120/80 mm Hg). When your heart pumps against high pressure for years, its muscles thickens (left ventricular hypertrophy) and stiffens (diastolic dysfunction). It gradually looses efficiency for pumping blood to the rest of your body and this is a form of heart failure.
Sustained high blood pressure also causes artery walls to wear and tear much faster, allowing lipid particles containing LDL cholesterol and triglycerides to lodge and accumulate as fatty deposits / plaques. This leads to the narrowing of arteries and even higher blood pressure. It also increases the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), peripheral artery disease (PAD), heart attack and stroke.
The good news is that HHD can be regressed if interventions are made early enough:
- Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) – Thickening of the left ventricle is highly reversible by aggressive blood pressure control. Heart mass can sometimes be normalised within 6 to 12 months.
- Diastolic dysfunction – The stiffness of the ventricles is reversible where fibrosis (scarring of the muscle tissue) has not occurred. As the ventricular muscles thins out, it becomes flexible again to allow the heart to be filled properly.
- Atrial enlargement – If the upper chambers (atria) have stretched significantly due to high blood pressure, they often remain enlarged and irreversible. This causes a sustained risk for atrial fibrillation (Afib) / abnormal heart rhythm even after blood pressure is fixed.
Lifestyle Heart Health Program (LHHP)
The LHHP educates, equips and empowers clients to undertake optimal lifestyle behaviour changes in their daily lives.
We utilise the 7 Pillars of Lifestyle Health – optimal nutrition, physical activity, avoidance of toxic substances, restorative sleep, emotional wellness, connectedness and self-identity to eliminate the risk factors associated with HHD, CAD, PAD, heart attack and stroke and bring about healing in the heart and arteries.
The areas of healing and risk elimination include:
- Lowering blood pressure levels by relaxing and dilating the blood vessels to depressurise and return the heart muscles to normal as soon as possible. This helps to reverse LVH, diastolic dysfunction and possibly avoid atrial fibrillation.
- Restoring blood vessel integrity, strength and flexibility – improves endothelial function, arterial flexibility, vasodilation and blood circulation.
- Lowering stress and increasing motivation to quit smoking and alcohol consumption, which helps to relax the arteries.
- Resolving chronic inflammation to reduce the constriction of arteries as well as avoid soft plaque growth.
- Regressing fatty deposits or atherosclerotic soft plaques in blood vessels to reduce risk of CAD, PAD, heart attack and stroke (refer to the section above on coronary artery disease) by lowering VLDL, sdLDL, LDL, ApoB and triglyceride levels in the blood.
- Lowering blood sugar levels and glycemic control to prevent further damage to endothelial lining of blood vessels.
- Improving adherence to lifestyle goals that helps lower blood pressure systematically and provide other physiological benefits.
Drastic changes in lifestyle choices and new habits are crucial for the regression of HHD symptoms and other cardiovascular risks but they can be difficult to inculcate on your own.
You can harness the knowledge, skill and support of a lifestyle medicine health coach to make lasting change more attainable in a significantly shorter period of time.
The LHHP save lives. Contact us today to get started / find out more.
Heart failure is a serious long-term chronic condition where your heart isn’t pumping enough blood. The weakened heart is less able to pump the blood and oxygen that your body needs and there is a shortfall.
It usually results in an enlarged
heart (left ventricle) and symptoms may include:
- Shortness of breath, especially when lying down
- Tired, rundown feeling (fatigue)
- Persistent coughing or wheezing, especially when you exercise or lie down
- Build up of fluid (edema) in feet, ankles, legs, fingers, stomach or lungs
- Weight gain from fluid buildup
- Lack of appetite, nausea
- Confusion or can’t think clearly
- Increased heart rate
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
The two most common forms of heart failure
are high blood pressure / hypertensive heart disease (HHD) and coronary artery disease (CAD). Both can be present at the same time. CAD occurs when arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle become narrowed by buildups of fatty deposits
called plaque.
If the heart is "stunned" by high blood pressure or alcohol, making those lifestyle changes can often allow the heart muscle to recover and "remodel" back to a healthier shape – refer to HHD tab above.
If the failure is caused by blocked arteries / ischaemic cardiomyopathy, clearing those arteries through optimal lifestyle interventions can improve heart function – refer to CAD tab above.
Heart failure will get worse if left untreated. In addition to seeing your doctor, engaging a professional lifestyle medicine health coach will equip and empower you with the knowledge, skills and support to make the needful changes in eating pattern, physical
activity, lifestyle etc.
This can help you to manage and even reverse disease progression to restore your health as much as possible so that you can have the best possible quality of life.
The Lifestyle Health Heart Program is designed to help you with that. Contact us today to get started / find out more.
When it comes to stroke, lifestyle medicine based health coaching can help clients to vastly improve their cardiovascular health by making optimal lifestyle behaviour changes. This is key to prevent the occurrence or reoccurrence of strokes.
There are two main types of stroke,
- Ischaemic stroke (clot in brain) – Occurs when a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain is obstructed. It accounts for 87% of all strokes. Embolism, or the blockage of blood vessels in the brain can be caused by a blood clot travelling up from the rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque down in the carotid artery. This causes blood and oxygen supply to be cut off in the affected area of the brain.
- Hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in brain) – Occurs when a weakened blood vessel ruptures. The bleeding can happen within the brain matter or between the brain and the skull. The most common cause of this is uncontrolled high blood pressure.
The Lifestyle Heart Health Program (LHHP) works to eliminating the root causes of both types of stroke to help clients prevent the first or subsequent strokes and build better cardiovascular health.
Lifestyle Heart Health Program (LHHP)
The LHHP educates, equips and empowers clients to undertake optimal lifestyle behaviour changes in their daily lives.
We utilise the 7 Pillars of Lifestyle Health – optimal nutrition, physical activity, avoidance of risky substances, restorative sleep, emotional wellness, connectedness and self-identity to minimise risk factors associated with stroke and bring about healing in the body.
The areas of healing and risk elimination include:
- Regressing fatty deposits or atherosclerotic soft plaques in blood vessels to reduce risk of further clots and strokes (refer to the section above on coronary artery disease) by lowering VLDL, sdLDL, LDL, ApoB and triglyceride levels in the blood.
- Lowering blood sugar levels and glycemic control to reduce clotting and damage to endothelial lining of blood vessels.
- Resolving chronic inflammation to avoid soft plaque growth, clots and strokes.
- Lowering blood pressure levels to improve blood vessel integrity and cardiovascular health, to reduce stroke risk.
- Restoring blood vessel integrity, strength and flexibility – improves endothelial function, arterial flexibility, vasodilation, blood circulation and lowers blood pressure to prevent bleeding in brain.
- Lowering stress and increasing wellbeing to lower chronic inflammation and blood pressure levels to reduce stroke risk.
- Reducing excess fat mass sustainably to improve respiratory airflow for clients with sleep apnea, to reduce stroke risk.
- Eliminating alcohol intake to avoid triggering more inflammation and prevent atrial fibrillation (Afib) or irregular heartbeat, to reduce stroke risk.
Drastic changes in lifestyle behaviour and new habits are crucial for the prevention of stroke or recurring strokes but they can be difficult to inculcate on your own.
You can harness the knowledge, skill and support of a lifestyle medicine health coach to make lasting change more attainable in a significantly shorter period of time.
The LHHP saves lives. Contact us today to get started / find out more.
Watch over your heart with all diligence, from it flows the springs of life.
Lifestyle Heart Health
Program (LHHP)
LHHP is the first heart health coaching program in Singapore. It is designed to restore health to your heart by coaching you to incorporate proven lifestyle medicine protocols into your life.
Over the course of 12 sessions (3 to 5 months) will experience true health restoration and transformation – not just symptom management.
You will be equipped and empowered to make optimal lifestyle choices to halt and reverse the progression of heart disease or stroke, so that you can live a more fulfilled life.
LHHP synergises coaching psychology with well-established lifestyle medicine protocols that have helped thousands of patients reverse the progression of cardiovascular disease, to significantly improve the lifestyle and health outcomes of our clients.
Your body is well-designed to heal itself when you present it with the right conditions, such as the 7 Pillars of Lifestyle Health.
7 Pillars of Lifestyle Health:
Optimal Nutrition
Avoid Toxic Substances
Connectedness
Emotional Wellness
Self-Identity
Restorative Sleep
Physical Activity
What You Will Gain
By enrolling in the Lifestyle Heart Health Program (LHHP) you will:
- Learn to see yourself in a brand new way
- Learn how each of the 7 lifestyle pillars lead to your health and longevity
- Learn whether your current lifestyle habits lead to heart disease progression
- Learn and use optimal lifestyle approaches for heart disease reversal
- Learn and use various numbers to track heart disease reversal
- Learn and harness your inner motivations, strengths and resources
- Chart a path towards achieving your health aspirations
- Take steps towards lasting health restoration and transformation
- Be supported to overcome obstacles when they arise
- Gain confidence in your ability to manage your health
- Gradually improve your cardiovascular health naturally
- Gain years to your life and life to your years
Come on a life-changing journey where you learn to understand, engage in and manage your own health – to put health back into your hands.
You will be coached and supported along the way.
Slots are limited so if you would like my help to reverse / prevent heart diseases or stroke and improve your cardiovascular health, click on the button below to get started today!
Jake Oh
Professionally Certified & Accredited Health Coach (NUS, WCA, HCANZA)
FAQs
Here are some commonly asked questions about the Lifestyle Heart Health Program (LHHP).
1) Click on the button to contact me via WhatsApp GET STARTED TODAY
2) When you are brought to WhatsApp, send me a message. You'll be sent a link to fill up a health questionnaire.
3) Complete the health questionnaire and scheduled for a pre-coaching session with me where you can clarify any questions you have. You will be accessed on your suitability for health coaching.
You will be coached one to one over 12 weekly or fortnightly sessions (typically). These sessions are conducted online and lasts around 1 hour each.
You should start to see signs of progress within the first 8 sessions. You would start to feel a sense of achievement in your journey thus far and confidence in your journey to come.
Come the 12th session, you would have established new healthful lifestyle habits and be well on your way towards lasting change.
The LHHP is open to anyone who wants to improve their cardiovascular health while cardiac rehab is usually only available to hospital patients who have suffered a heart event and undergone heart surgery.
In cardiac rehab, you are prescribed and taught what to do (disease management). In LHHP, you will be empowered to make optimal lifestyle changes permanent as you take them on as your new habits (health transformation).
In LHHP, you will learn to apply transformational lifestyle medicine protocols into your daily life. These are not taught in cardiac rehab.
LHHP facilitates transformation through:
- Creating personal agency: Shifting the dynamic from "doctor fixes patient" to "patient takes charge of their health."
- Breaking your barriers: Coach helps navigate real-life obstacles (e.g., "I know I should cook, but I'm too tired after work").
- Accountability: Having a regular check-in encourages adherence to activities you might otherwise skip.
LHHP is specifically designed to serve clients with heart health needs while general health coaching helps with general health and wellness.
LHHP facilitates high-intensity optimal lifestyle changes that are biologically required to reverse coronary artery disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc. It incorporates mindset renewal which is key to your health restoration and transformation.
You will be equipped with evidence-based lifestyle medicine knowledge, skill and confidence to better own your health. This is the "secret sauce" that leads to long-term health.
The LHHP does not involve any procedure, pill, supplement, fad dieting, cleansing or mad workouts to work.
No, the LHHP on its own does not require any procedure, pill, supplement, fad dieting, cleansing or mad workouts to work.
If you are on medication for chronic disease or metabolic conditions, you may check with your doctor to gradually wean them off / adjust dosage as your health improves during and after our coaching program.
Having said that, there may be items you can get to facilitate your health restoration. One such example would be a body composition monitor.
There is very strong clinical evidence and medical literature backing the efficacy of lifestyle medicine based heart health protocols and coaching for the prevention and reversal of heart disease. It will work.
In the impossible event where you don't see any improvement in your health metrics by the end of the program even though you have fully incorporated optimal lifestyle changes into your daily life, you will get a 50% refund of the fee paid.