My first (and last) open heart surgery.

Gene and Bernie Millen's
Heart Health For Life
1609 Duke Drive.
Livingston, CA 95334
Ph 209-631-6670

My First Open Heart Surgery.

(And Last)

Open heart surgery was the furthest thing from my mind. It was a pleasant fall morning as my wife Bernie and I casually drove to Valley Heart Associates for a “routine” thallium treadmill test.

There was no angina pain...just a little tingling in my chest. Upon arrival at the cardiologist’s office the proficient nurses wired me up to the cardiac monitors and I was looking forward to “showing them my stuff”.

After about 3 minutes of huffing and puffing on the treadmill the technician stopped the instrument of torture, unhooked me and guided me to a chair for a very welcome rest.

A few minutes later a nurse said, “The doctor would like to see you now.” and ushered me into the cardiologist’s office. As I sat down he was staring at my chart with a deep frown on his face.

“I don’t like what I see here”, he said, “You are a walking time bomb. You need to go to the hospital immediately.”

The possibility of open heart surgery was looming its ugly head. My wife and I were in a state of shock as we drove to the hospital and went through the check-in process.

An angiogram revealed blockages of 80% to 90% in several arteries. Two days later Dr. Hugh Tobin, a highly skilled heart surgeon, sawed open my heart and stitched in bypasses to six of my favorite arteries.

Open heart surgery to by pass six clogged arteries isn’t a record but it’s not bad for a 59 year old with normal cholesterol and blood pressure and no weight problem.

The unanticipated "brush with death" and my wife’s interest in keeping me alive, jump-started me to change my priorities.

I suddenly “found” the time to exercise and became highly motivated to learn about healthy foods and nutritional supplements that would improve my cholesterol and keep a heart attack at bay.

Within a few weeks after my open heart bypass surgery remarkable things began to happen. My heart health improved dramatically, energy, strength and endurance steadily increased and there was a drop in my blood pressure and heart rate.

I lost 10 pounds, converted some unneeded fat to muscle, became better able to handle stress and my mental capacity even seemed sharper. I became "hooked" on exercise and good nutrition...and like many new converts, couldn't wait to share my new found knowledge with anyone who would listen.

I have always been an avid reader and began a quest to learn how and why this remarkable transformation was taking place in my body and what I could do to enhance it. That was nearly 16 years ago and I am still learning.

To guarantee that my open heart surgery would not be repeated I devoured dozens of books authored by leading medical researchers on heart disease, cholesterol, weight management, exercise and nutrition.

Hundreds of articles and research reports were reviewed and I subscribed to all of the major "medical" newsletters including Mayo Clinic Letter, Harvard Heart Letter, Tufts University Nutrition Letter and the Berkeley Wellness Letter.

I soon discovered that the most helpful, common sense information to avoid a heart attack or open heart surgery is being provided by integrative medicine specialists who have become disenchanted with the conventional approach to medicine. Usually prescription drugs only treat the symptoms and do nothing to cure the real problem.

I became certified as a Physical Fitness Specialist by the renowned Cooper Institute/ Research Center in Dallas, Texas, the leading Preventive Medicine Clinic in America.

I've also have been awarded certifications as a Medical Exercise Specialist and Post Rehab Conditioning Specialist, completed studies in Clinical Nutrition and have contributed more than 150 articles on health and wellness topics to Merced area newspapers.

In 1992 I retired from my day job as president of a locally owned bank and my wife Bernie and I opened the Vital Life Center, a health and wellness club dedicated to finding solutions that can empower people to enjoy heart health for life!

During the past 12 years we've worked with hundreds of people, many who have had open heart surgery, and have seen dramatic improvements in their cholesterol, heart health, energy and vitality by implementing some simple, but vital changes in their life.

Our program for people over 50 was judged Number One in California for four consecutive years. In 1998 the Vital Life Center was judged 2nd in the United States in competition with more than 2,500 Health and Sports Clubs.

In November 2004 we retired from Vital Life and are now focused on helping people all over the world to live an energetic, healthy and vital life.

I'm not on any prescription drugs, blood pressure is good, cholesterol ratios are excellent, I have lots of energy, sleep great and feel like I could live a vital active life for another 25 years. This has been accomplished by following the recommendations you will find on this website.

My goal is to help you learn from my mistakes. Believe me open heart surgery isn't as much fun as you might think.

Two years ago I left retirement to accept the position of Fitness Director for a residential retirement community in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley of California.

My new passion is keeping my memory sharp and Alzheimer's disease at bay!

The last thing you and I need in the prime of our lives is to have our memory go south on us...and the good news is that new brain studies conclusively show that we can restore and enhance our memory as long as we live.

I invite you to take a look at our new website BrainBeQuick™ that will give you the tools you need to rejuvenate your memory and lower the risks of Alzheimer's disease.

Gene