I’m often asked, “But Bryce, what would you do if you were told you needed coronary bypass surgery?”
Here is my top 10 answer to this question:
- get intravenous chelation therapy
- go on a higher fiber diet
- start aggressive antifungal therapy
- follow an oral chelation therapy supplement program
- do a LOT aerobic exercise
- improve thyroid, DHEA and testosterone hormone levels
- stay far away from cigarette smoke
- do something about reducing stress
- get tested!
- Get started on ALL of the above STAT!
INTRAVENOUS CHELATION THERAPY
The problem with bypass surgery is that it only corrects blood flow in the coronary arteries while the rest of the arterial system is left untreated. Intravenous chelation therapy treats the entire arterial system.
Intravenous chelation makes use of a solution containing a synthetic amino acid called EDTA. It works at the molecular level binding and removing (chelating) from the circulation toxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, aluminum and arsenic. EDTA is also thought to remove calcium deposits from arterial walls, eliminating them via the urine and the bile. Many chelation experts, however, believe its effects have more to do with enhancing the flexibility of arteries, thus reducing overall circulation stress.
The average cost of coronary bypass surgery (hospitalization, doctors’ fees etc.) to Medicare is $60,000.00 per patient. Alternatively, twenty or more 2-4 hours of chelation treatments cost $2,500.00
The side effects of chelation therapy include vein irritation or infection at the intravenous site, pain, headaches, fatigue, blood pressure changes and blood sugar changes. These are transient and disappear after the first few treatments or can be eliminated by adjusting the frequency and duration of the treatments.
For more information on chelation and to get a list of doctors practicing chelation in both Canada and the USA, contact the American College of Advancement in Medicine, 23121 Verdugo Dr., Suite 204, Laguna Hills CA., 92653, USA, phone: 714-583-7666.
HIGH FIBER DIET
A good diet against heart disease should eliminate sugar and refined carbohydrates and be made up mostly of a large variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. All this helps improve elimination as well as liver detoxification. It is advisable to consume more cholesterol lowering foods like garlic, onions, carrots, oat bran cereal, tofu, milled (ground) flax seed, seaweed products like kelp, dulse and kombu as well as high pectin containing foods like pears, apples, grapefruit and oranges.
ANTIFUNGAL THERAPY
Heart disease is really the end result of a chronic systemic fungal infection. Studies reported by Costantini and his fellow researchers at the World Health Organization indicate that following a high sugar and yeast diet increases the fungal population in the gastrointestinal tract, in turn, increasing fungal mycotoxin blood levels that ultimately elevate cholesterol. High blood cholesterol levels are a red flag indicating the presence of free radicals, oxidant damage and infestation of the body with fungi.
The anti-lipid drugs like lovostatin and other “statins” used to bring LDL-cholesterol levels (i.e. the bad cholesterol) down are all also antifungal agents. Further, practically all antifungal therapies, whether natural or prescription drug, lower LDL-cholesterol and help reverse atherosclerosis.
Safe and effective natural antifungal therapies include oil of oregano, garlic, oxidative therapies like ozone, stabilized liquid oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, capryllic acid, bovine colostrum, probiotics and numerous others. For more detailed information on antifungal therapies, see “The Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook” by Jeanne Marie Martin and yours truly.
ORAL CHELATION THERAPY
The following is my recommendation for oral chelation therapy:
L-Arginine – 6000 – 12,000 mgs. daily, an essential amino acid, promotes natural body production of nitric oxide and subsequent cyclic GMP synthesis that dilates (opens up) blood vessels, stimulates growth hormone release which increases lean body mass while decreasing total body fat percentage.
Hempseed oil – 3 tbsps. daily for a good balance of omega-3, -6 and –9 oils that reduce inflammation that occurs with heart disease.
Niacin hexaniacinate (flush-free niacin) -1000 – 3000 mgs. daily, can lower total cholesterol blood levels by as much as 18%, raise HDL-cholesterol by 32% and lower triglycerides by 26%.
Chromium -1000 or more mcgs.daily, especially in the picolinate form, can decrease both cholesterol and triglycerides while improving glucose tolerance.
Copper – 2 mgs. or more daily – decreases cholesterol but must be balanced by zinc – 15 mgs. daily.
Vitamin C -1000-6000 mgs. daily helps prevent atherosclerosis by directly promoting the breakdown of triglycerides and through its regulation of arterial wall integrity via its essential role in collagen formation.
Vitamin B-6 – 25-100 mgs. daily prevents accumulation of high levels of the amino acid homocysteine implicated as one of the tissue injuring substances initiating cholesterol build up and atherosclerosis. Other supplements which lower homocysteine levels include vitamin B12 and folic acid.
Carnitine -1500 mgs. or more daily lowers triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol while raising HDL-cholesterol and helps increase heart muscle strength and stamina
Proline – 2000 mgs. daily is an amino acid that also helps strengthen the heart muscle.
Selenium – 600 mcgs. daily lowers the risk of free radical damage and the risk of heart disease by as much as 75%
Vitamin E – 800 I.U. daily in men can reduce the risk of a heart attack by 46%; in women the risk reduction is by 26%.
Coenzyme Q-10 (CoQ10) – 400 mgs. daily is now considered to be the most important anti-oxidant for the heart and particularly effective in the treatment of chest pain, high blood pressure and heart beat irregularities.
Curcumin – 3 grams or more daily – the yellow pigment of tumeric (Curcuma longa) is primarily an anti-inflammatory agent comparable to cortisone, ibuprofen and phenylbutazone; it protects the liver and helps lower cholesterol levels; it has also been reported to be effective as a cancer preventive agent as well as an antioxidant comparable in activity to vitamins C and E.
Ginkgo biloba extract -1000 mgs. daily is an excellent circulation enhancer and antioxidant.
Pycnogenols – 300 mgs daily of grape seed extract or pine bark extract and bilberry (300 mgs. daily) are all excellent antioxidants known for their ability to inactivate harmful free radicals thought to initiate atherosclerosis and other degenerative diseases.
Combination products containing a dozen or more of these nutrients in one pill or capsule are available from different supplement suppliers.
EXERCISE
The Feb. 17, 2000 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine ran an editorial on the importance of exercise in both the prevention and treatment of heart disease. The beneficial effects of regular exercise on cardiovascular disease may be a consequence of a number of factors, including improvement of coronary artery endothelial function secondary to the enhanced use of nitric oxide, a potent coronary artery vasodilator. Aerobic exercise should be done daily for at least one hour each time.
THYROID, DHEA AND TESTOSTERONE
Low levels of three hormones increase the risk of heart disease. In both men and women, thyroid hormone, DHEA and testosterone appear to be the most important ones to keep at optimal (not necessarily at normal) levels. For thyroid, morning basal body underarm temperatures, should be no lower than 97.4Fº. Optimal levels of DHEA and testosterone should be determined by laboratory tests
LIFESTYLE FACTORS
Stress at home or at work as well as smoking hasten premature death from coronary heart disease. Even if you do not smoke, being near a smoker increases your exposure to second hand smoke. With its higher levels of carbon monoxide, second-hand smoke can be deadly.
While there may be other ways of reversing heart disease naturally including strict vegetarian diets, regular yoga or meditation and different forms of detoxification, I feel that the above approach would work best for most people confronted with the prospects of coronary bypass surgery.
GETTING TESTED ‘FUNCTIONALLY’
What if I told you that you could have a test performed that would give you an idea of how likely and how often your heart would say “no”. Now you can. It’s called genetic SNP screening. Testing involves looking at single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNP’s that are essentially mutations in your DNA. This type of test offers a sort of crystal ball reading. Knowing what you are predisposed to in terms of possible heart issues and then developing an effective plan of action to thwart these issues through the use of diet, lifestyle, and supplementation is one of the most empowering things you can do. A mantra at one of the more advanced genetic screening laboratories in North America, Navigenics, is “There’s DNA. And then there is what you can do with it”.
Test a series of cardiovascular markers: Triglycerides, Total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, VLDL, Apo-Lipoproteins [including: apo A, apo B, and Lp(a)] for cholesterol levels, Homocysteine for your need for B-vitamins, hs-CRP for cardiovascular inflammation, HbA1c for blood sugar levels over time, Fibrinogen for clotting potential, Lp-PLA2 (PLAC test for ischemic stroke), ionized calcium for ‘hardening of the arteries’, NT-ProBNP for congestive heart failure, and Genomic SNP’s for your genetic predictor markers of heart health.
REFERENCES
Barnes, Broda O. Hypothyroidism, The Unsuspected Illness. Harper and Rowe, 1976.
Costantini, A.V., Wieland, H., and Qvick, Lars I. Fungalbionics, The Fungal/Mycotoxin Etiology of Human Disease, Vol. 1 Atherosclerosis & Vol. II Cancer. Freiberg, Germany:Johann Friedrich Oberlin Verlag, 1994.
Costantini, A.V., Wieland, H., and Qvick, Lars I. Etiology and Prevention of Atherosclerosis. Freiburg, Germany: Johann Friedrich Oberlin Verlag, 1999.
Moore, Neecie. Bountiful Health, Boundless Energy, Brilliant Youth: The Facts about DHEA. Dallas:Charis Publishing Co., Inc. 1994.
Ornish, Dean et al. Can lifestyle changes reverse coronary heart disease? The Lancet, July 21, 1990; 336:129-133.
Ornish, Dean. Program For Reversing Heart Disease. New York:Ballantine Books, 1990.
Robbins, John. Diet for a New America, Walpole, New Hampshire:Stillpoint, 1987.
Vita, Joseph A and Keaney, John F. Exercise — Toning Up the Endothelium? Editorial. The New England Journal of Medicine — February 17, 2000 — Vol. 342, No. 7
Werbach, Melvyn R. Nutritional Influences on Illness. Northamptonshire, England:Thorsons, 1989.
Werbach, Melvyn R. Nutritional Influences on Illness. Second Edition Tarzana, California:Third Line Press, 1993.
Werbach,Melvyn R.and Murray, Michael T. Botanical Influences on Illness. Tarzana, California:Third Line Press, 1994.
Wilson, Denis E. Wilson’s Syndrome – The Miracle of Feeling Well. Longwood, Florida:Cornerstone Publishing Co. 1995. This book is available by calling 800-621-7006.