Urban Myth: Atkins died of a heart attack!

[Katy131]

Hi

While talking to a GP friend, who does not know about my low carbing,
she brought up the subject of Dr Atkins.

She: Of course, that Dr Atkins died of a heart attack.

Me: (affronted but covering it) No he didn't, he slipped on ice, hit
his head and was in a coma.

She: (pointing at me with her fork) No! He slipped on the ice
*because* he had a heart attack!

Me: Well I haven't heard that. Where did you hear it?

She: (less sure of herself) Oh .. in some newspaper ...

Me: Probably in The Sun, I imagine! (then, so as not to offend
her) Of course I know you don't read The Sun ... I heard that he
hit his head and was in a coma - and that heart problem he had a few
years ago was a viral infection and that he walked out of the
hospital the next day.

I don't remember what she said then, she appeared to capitulate
slightly, but I do remember changing the subject - in my usual rush
to avoid conflict, I did not want her to start asking me how I should
know all this ...

So ... although I'm sure that the anti Atkins brigade would
immediately jump to this conclusion, has anybody actually seen this
in print and, to act as Devils Advocate for a moment, how do we
really know that this isn't true?

Katy

[Paulie-M]

Hi Katy,

The only reports I've seen in our newspapers have just mentioned that he died in New York, following a fall on the ice. I haven't seen anything say it was due to a heart attack.

[LisaUK]

There was NO heart attack. He slipped and fell on the icy sidewalk and that is from the Atkin's website. Geez - he was a cardiac doctor for crying out loud!

*shakes head at your GP friend*

People love to bring him down but he's done more for thousands of peoples' health and diets and lives than any other 'diet' related person.

[tofi]

His fall was seen by several people, including a colleague physician from the Atkins Center. He slipped on the ice during that big storm last winter, hit his head on the icy pavement/sidewalk and sustained brain damage so bad that he could not survive without life support. He was in hospital for about a week while doctors tried everything possible to reverse his coma but it proved impossible and his life support was removed.

During that week, he was NOT treated for any cardiac problems, just for the head/brain injury. Without the injury, he was in excellent health.

I just feel so sad whenever I think that he died just before the results of studies showed that he had been right all along. I hope he knows.

[LittleAnne]

Katy

I think I can recall on one programme on TV once ealier this year that said that Dr A had died of a heart attack. Then the next day they had to apologise for getting it wrong. So it is this uninformed reporting and mis information that does this, particularly as it has been Atkins bashing season in the UK. Don't think it was a newspaper, but it could have been.

[SylviaUK]

And the sad thing is, so many people will believe it because "I read it somewhere" :( That makes me both angry and sad, angry that people can behave so much like sheep, and sad that the powers-that-be seem to do everything they can to ensure a sheep-like response :cry:

[LisaUK]

It's very baaaaaaad when people get like that isn't it?

*cheeky grin*