Center Information

A Happier Healthier Life Starts at The Center

Let's face it -- modern medicine can perform wonders; coronary bypasses ... angioplasty ... transplants. Lives that just 20 years ago would have been lost now are saved almost routinely.

However, modern medicine is geared towards reaction: treatment after something has already gone wrong. Today, there is a better way to not only promote longer life, but increase its quality as well: a plan of action that attacks problems before they start.

Welcome to The Heart Diabetes & Weight Loss Centers of New York, the premiere medical facility on Long Island specializing in nutrition and prevention of cardiovascular and other serious diseases through diet, exercise, nutritional supplements, and overall lifestyle changes.

Our philosophy is simple. We believe that, through early detection and prevention -- together with nutritional management and other natural therapies -- we can help you slow, eliminate, even reverse the effects and complications of heart and circulatory diseases. The same is true for a myriad of other conditions from weight loss difficulties and general fatigue to osteoporosis. Our approach works without excessive medications. And usually without surgery. In fact, our patients often find they can significantly reduce the dosage on their prescription medications, and sometimes actually stop taking them altogether. Most importantly, each patient learns that by improving the quality of their physical being, they significantly improve the quality of their entire life as well. And the best place to start this process is the heart.

At The Heart Diabetes & Weight Loss Centers of New York you receive one-on-one attention and individualized care, designed to fit your unique needs and personal lifestyle. Our extensive experience has proven that no single course of treatment is perfect for every patient, so we do comprehensive analyses on all new patients before prescribing therapy of any kind. Once we obtain all your pertinent medical information, members of our professional care team develop a specialized program -- encompassing diet, exercise, lifestyle adjustment, and medications, if necessary -- that will help you take control of your health and ultimately achieve complete cardiovascular wellness. And no matter what specific ailment or condition you're concerned about correcting, a healthy cardiovascular system is the pathway through which all good health runs.

Stacking the odds nutritionally in your favor!

The facts surrounding cardiovascular disease in America today are truly frightening:

	Nearly one in three persons has some form of heart disease
	Cardiovascular illness accounts for almost 44% of all deaths in this country.
	Heart attacks strike close to 1.5 million people annually, of which one-third are fatal.
	Five hundred thousand Americans will suffer a stroke this year.
	Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a leading cause of premature death. Yet nearly seven of ten hypertensive people are not under therapeutic care. And 22 percent of those who are receive inadequate therapy.

The health specialists at Heart, Diabetes & Weight Loss Centers of New York strongly believe that with the right attitude, plus professional medical and nutritional guidance, you can beat these odds, usually without heavy medication or invasive surgery. In the past, cardiovascular medicine, l and other disciplines, have relied too heavily on drugs and surgery as a means of combating heart disease and many other afflictions. While there are times that surgery or drug therapy is necessary -- and recommended by us -- today we believe it's smarter, and a lot healthier, to fight these conditions before they become serious.

This approach does, however, put a greater onus on you, the patient. We stress to all our patients the critical need to adopt a more aggressive involvement in personal healthcare. We believe it so strongly, we made it our motto: "Remember Your Health Is In Your Own Hands!".

Even so, there's no need for you to feel like you're battling all alone. One of our caring, supportive staff members will be there to hold the hands that are "holding your health" every step of the way.

Obtaining the complete body of physical evidence!

The clinical nutrition program devised by Wellness Center Director Dr. Frederic J. Vagnini is the primary tool used to treat all heart and circulation problems, including: angina, hypertension, diabetes, arrhythmias, cholesterol levels, stroke prevention, and aneurysm detection. We take the same nutritional approach in helping after-care patients following a heart attack, angioplasty, or bypass surgery, as well as in the treatment of what Dr. Vagnini calls "Syndrome X", a deadly combination of hypertension, atherosclerosis, glucose intolerance, high triglycerides, and central obesity. Nutrition is the major component of our programs to combat osteoporosis and general, persistent fatigue.

Your first visit to The Heart Diabetes & Weight Loss Centers of New York allows us to generate a complete diagnostic workup and evaluation of your specific needs. All cardiovascular testing done at the Center involves non-invasive techniques, which simply means no injections, no x-rays, no dyes, and, most importantly, no pain!

Your initial workup includes the following:

	A comprehensive personal and family history.
	A thorough physical examination.
	High-resolution blood vessel imaging, a non-invasive procedure utilizing ultrasound to find the degree of atherosclerosis (blockage in the arteries).
	Nutri-scan blood chemistry evaluation, a highly sophisticated nutritional assessment of your functional blood vitamin and mineral levels, including antioxidants. The importance of these nutrients in the body - in particular Vitamin C and E, and beta-carotene - has been well documented both in medical journals and the public media.
	A blood chemistry analysis, including thyroid and hormone levels, is done as part of our general health evaluation.
	Extensive lipid studies are performed, focusing on cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL.
	A functional cardiac exercise tolerance test, also known as a stress test, may be given to detect signs of premature coronary disease.
	Body composition studies allow us to determine your lean body mass and percentage of body fat.
	Sophisticated ambulatory and transtelephonic cardiac monitoring are performed when deemed necessary.

With the data gathered, our cardiac specialists can begin formulating a recommended, personalized nutritional program focusing on daily vitamin and mineral supplements, weight reduction and exercise. Depending on lifestyle and personal diet, certain patients may require more of certain supplements than others. Weight reduction is similarly an individualized program: some patients are urged to adopt a low-fat, modified carbohydrate-restricted diet - in effect an insulin-regulating diet - while to others we advocate a more intensive lipid-lowering regime as part of an atherosclerosis reversal protocol. Naturally, many factors will determine the exercise routine given to a specific patient. But make no mistake about it: increased age or complicated cardiac problems don't translate to an inability to exercise. All it calls for is a careful evaluation of the type and level of exercise prescribed. We feel exercise is vital for developing and maintaining proper health no matter how old one gets.

We can't stress enough our opinion that "drugs and surgery aren't necessarily necessary" in many cases for the prevention, treatment, and even the after-care of heart disease. We've proven quite often that proper health management can be a viable and successful alternative to angiograms, angioplasty or bypass surgery. However, in those cases where drug therapy, invasive procedures, or surgery is warranted, that is the course of action we prescribe.

In these cases, Dr.Vagnini's decision is based upon his 25 years of experience as a leading cardiovascular surgeon. His wealth of knowledge also uniquely qualifies him as an excellent source for second opinions. In addition to patients considering first time surgery, The Wellness Center also offers consultations in secondary prevention for patients who have already had a heart attack. suffer from angina, or who have gone through any form of invasive surgery, and are looking to avoid further serious health problems.

Get with the Programs!

Our extraordinary successes utilizing nutrition and natural therapies in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases led us to create several additional programs aimed at reducing dependence on drugs and surgery, and concentrating instead on patients taking a more active role in their healthcare. These new offerings include:

Weight Reduction/Control Program
The same truth that applies to treating cardiovascular disease applies to weight reduction and control: no one approach is ideal for everyone. At The Wellness Center, you are part of a custom-designed, medically-supervised weight reduction program, geared to your specific needs and particular lifestyle. No one else receives the exact same program. Your unique treatment is derived from information compiled from the following elements:

	Complete physical examination, personal/family medical history.
	Comprehensive blood chemistries.
	Functional blood vitamin and mineral assay.
	Thorough cardiovascular diagnostic testing.
	Body composition studies.
	Complete digestive analysis including parasite evaluation.
	Extensive studies for food allergies or sensitivities.
	Personalized food regimen, including an insulin-regulating diet program.
	Metabolic-enhancing nutrient program.
	Drug therapy (if necessary) for appetite suppression or behavior therapy.
	Complete glucose/insulin metabolic evaluation.
	Individualized exercise programs

It's important to remember that while weight reduction is desired, life-long weight control is the goal of our programs. Whether you suffer from severe obesity or need to lose 20 pounds, keep it off, and increase your energy levels, the weight reduction/control programs at The Heart Diabetes & Weight Loss Centers of New York can help you help yourself to achieve your ideal body, inside and out.

Osteoporosis Prevention/Treatment
Through the Center's new Osteoporosis Evaluation and Management Program, we employ state-of-the-art bone densitometry to first measure bone density, then calculate the risk or degree of osteoporosis. Nutritional and lifestyle modification therapy is then prescribed accordingly. In certain instances hormone or drug therapy is advised.

Testosterone Supplementation
We've had a great deal of success in treating male sexual dysfunction through our new testosterone replacement program. We've also found it to be effective in the management of male menopause.

"Nothing's Wrong ... But Something's Not Right"
So you've just seen your doctor, and gotten a check-up and blood tests, only to be told there's nothing wrong with you...except for the fact that you don't feel good. Well, just because your doctor didn't find anything doesn't mean there's nothing there. Very few doctors check for nutritional factors when diagnosing patients' problems. For example, maybe certain nutrient levels are off. You may have unknown food allergies. Or any one of dozens of related factors may lie undiscovered because your doctor isn't looking for it.

At The Wellness Center, we practice a program called Nutri-Pharmacology, which simply means treating vitamins and minerals as drugs that help the body maintain proper health.

Following a comprehensive blood chemistry, a nutritional program is specially designed to cleanse your system of damaging, energy-depleting toxins, and improve the vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant levels in your blood. Early indications have shown a significant increase in patients' energy and endurance levels.

Corporate Health Program
In an attempt to combat high medical insurance premiums, and because a healthy, happy employee is a productive employee, many corporate employers have embraced the concept of preventive medicine. Responding to numerous requests and queries, The Heart Diabetes & Weight Loss Centers of New York now offers specialized diagnostic programs aimed at significantly reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke in the workforce.

Our Only Goal is Your Complete Well-Being!
There really is no other place quite like The Heart Diabetes & Weight Loss Centers of New York. Everyone here - from the experienced medical professionals to our dedicated support staff - shares the common desire to help you achieve and maintain good health, and enjoy life to the fullest.

Here's to Your Good Health!
Now, more than ever before, virtually every day brings exciting new advances in medical technology, or significant changes in what medical experts only recently thought of as gospel. The more we learn, the more services we can provide. And the better we're able to provide them.

At the The Heart Diabetes & Weight Loss Centers of New York, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of the nutritional medicine revolution. We consistently strive to provide our patients, whenever possible, with the latest in non-invasive alternatives to conventional surgical and drug therapies. And we never forget that the most important person in your healthcare picture is you! That's why here is the place for your good health. We look forward to being able to be your healthcare partner. Call today and make an appointment.