Ford Ballantyne

Dr. Ballantyne is ok ... he does this tough love thing but doesn't have answers. And if you find answers as a patient the tough love thing only goes in one direction. Hypothyroidism is an ignored cause of cardiovascular disease. This used to be common knowledge, for example hypothyroidism is known to be associated with heart disease and high cholesterol. Correcting hypothyroidism with dessicated thyroid rapidly reduces hypercholesterolemia, yet doctors, including ballantyne, dont rule out hypothyroidism before prescribing statins. There are very many factors, including prostaglandins, iron, and other mediators of inflammation, that interact in heart disease. Yet thyroid is the main cause of today's increased cardiovascular disease. But cardiologists such as ballantyne dont recognize this, and don't want to investigate, because the medical system is compartmentalized. You'd have to be sent to an endocrinologist for thyroid, who won't see the bigger picture, and will be ignorant of hypothyroidism and cardiovascular disease.. Broda barnes, m.d. wrote a laypersons summary of this years ago, detailing the ignorance of the medical system. The book title is "solved: the riddle of heart attacks". Just as an example, ballantyne said artherosclertic plaques just naturally happens to everyone, and when it becomes severe enough it's heart disease. But at least 20% of advanced heart disease patients present with no cholesterol plaques (atheroma). The inflammation of blood vessels and organs is accompanied by severe calcification, yet calcium or calcium hormones again aren't considered before doctors prescribe statins. Nor typically is vitamin d or k2, or the effect of dietary phosphate on cardiac calcification via parathyroid hormone. The system is failing because its explanations are primitive and wrong. Hypothyroidism is the main cause, described by broda barnes, m.d. in that book. I was dissapointed that ballantyne seemed to be completely uninterested in any of these factors. As for ballantyne, he's nice, but if he's ineffective how much does that matter? He doesn't take your personal experience with regards to your medical situation seriously. It's nice he wants to hear about your life but i couldve had years less suffering if ballantye, and other doctors, were less closed minded. I appreciated the nice things he said, but despite those words i continued to suffer until i started solving my own medical problems. Ultimately, unfortunately, in our system, you have to take charge of your own health. Dr. Ballantyne is ok ... he does this tough love thing but doesn't have answers. And if you find answers as a patient the tough love thing only goes in one direction. Hypothyroidism is an ignored cause of cardiovascular disease. This used … More

Dr. Ballantyne is not only an extremely proficient, detail-oriented, and experienced cardiologist, he is the most caring, quirky, and compassionate physician I have ever encountered. I am an adult congenital patient, and he was my cardiologist during the best of times, when my prosthetic valve was riding high and life was dandy, and then, when things took a scary turn because my valve failed and I was under the supervision of a different and unqualified cardiology team in a different state to which I had moved, Dr. Ballantyne swooped in and saved my life despite not actively being his patient at the time, choosing a top notch surgeon that could handle my case and being by my and my family's side every step of the way before, during, and after the surgery. Over the 12+ years I have known Dr. Ballantyne, he has always been there ready to offer world-class, highly compassionate care, regardless of the situation. The world needs more doctors like this one. Dr. Ballantyne is not only an extremely proficient, detail-oriented, and experienced cardiologist, he is the most caring, quirky, and compassionate physician I have ever encountered. I am an adult congenital patient, and he was my … More

Dr. Ballantyne is not only an extremely proficient, detail-oriented, and experienced cardiologist, he is the most caring, quirky, and compassionate physician I have ever encountered. I am an adult congenital patient, and he was my cardiologist during the best of times, when my prosthetic valve was riding high and life was dandy, and then, when things took a scary turn when my valve failed and I was under the supervision of a different and unqualified cardiology team in a different state, Dr. Ballantyne swooped in and saved my life despite not actively being his patient at the time, choosing a top notch surgeon that could handle my case and being by mine and my family's side every step of the way before, during, and after the surgery. Over the 12+ years I have known Dr. Ballantyne, he has always been there ready to offer world-class, highly compassionate care, regardless of the situation. The world needs more doctors like this one.

Very methodical and laser focused! No nonsense but still great bedside manor.

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