Natural Approaches in Treating Heart Disease- The Natural Choice as First Line Therapy

by: daSilva Institute
Thursday, February 25, 2010

According to the American Heart Association, nearly 70 percent of the U.S. population has some sort of heart disease.

 

Most people are not well educated when it comes to popular heart treatments offered by our health care system. They are forced into treatments that don't work, are unnecessary or can be dangerous and even deadly.

 

There are scores of new natural cures and remedies for heart disease and heart problems that are being suppressed mostly because it is not cost-effective to market these natural solutions.

 

Every 34 seconds somebody dies of a heart attack in the United States and that for 50 percent of heart attack victims, there were no warning signs—the first symptom is death.

 

One million Americans die each year from hardening of arteries.

 

But you need to know that there are natural remedies for not only preventing, but reversing heart disease.  More importantly, the BioAge® Analysis, which is only available at the daSilva Institute can detect whether or not you are at risk for this major killer years before symptoms begin. 

 

Let’s look at some of these facts about how the current medical approach is tackling heart disease [Q&A]:

 

Is coronary bypass surgery an absolute must when your arteries are clogged with plaque?

 

Coronary bypass surgery for atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries) is one of the most common surgeries performed in America. Cardiologists do more than 400,000 bypasses a year, which equates to a $200 billion-a-year high-tech heart industry in this country.

A bypass surgery creates a detour or "bypass" around clogged, hardened arteries to restore blood flow to your heart using veins grafted from other parts of your body.

 

A big misconception is that hardening of the arteries only happens to old people, or with someone with elevated cholesterol.  However, shocking autopsy results from the Bogalusa Heart Study reveal extensive plaque build-up in "disease free" people aged 6 to 30... with as much as 71 percent blockage of arteries thus making it a very silent killer.

 

• Up to 85 percent of bypass surgeries are done on patients who don't meet the criteria for this surgery.

 

• In its journal, the American Medical Association admits that 44 percent of all coronary bypass surgeries are performed for inappropriate reasons.

 

• As many as half of all bypass surgeries fail, requiring another bypass.

 

• Recuperations from this highly invasive surgery can take months, and some patients suffer lifetime impairments such as memory loss, chronic inflammation, even depression.

 

• There's zero proof that bypass surgery does much more than relieve heart pain, except in 15 percent of patients with very specific heart problems.

 

• Up to 30 percent of vein grafts become blocked within one year.

 

• The risk of death of bypass surgery can be as high as 15 percent, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

 

What are some of the dangers of Bypass Surgery?

 

The New England Journal of Medicine warns that brain damage is a common complication of a coronary bypass.   Five years after bypass, 23 percent of patients showed abnormal mental decline. Other research puts the risk of diminished mental capacity after bypass surgery as much as 42 percent.

 

Are angiograms the unquestioned "gold standard" for determining your risk of a heart attack or heart disease?

 

Of 543 angioplasties examined by Harvard Medical School, about 66 percent of the people undergoing them should expect no benefit.

 

You need to know this important fact.  An angiogram is an x-ray image of your arteries to show whether a blood vessel is blocked, constricted or malformed. A dye is injected into your arteries to pinpoint the location and extent of any blockages.

 

The problem is, a shocking study by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute reveals that "inaccurate assessments of angiograms are common." In fact, their study showed that angiograms are only accurate within 25 percent of actual degree of arterial closure.

 

As many as 50 percent of coronary arteries forced open by balloon angioplasties close up within one year.

 

Doctors who perform angiograms tell patients if blockages are found, an angioplasty (clearing restricted arteries with a balloon) will be done and/or stents will be implanted at the same time.  So an angiogram can quickly become an angioplasty.

 

What you're not hearing is an eye-opening study reported in Talk to the Nation revealed that a healthy lifestyle and prescription heart drugs could be just as effective as undergoing an angioplasty and having stents implanted.

 

In this study, 2,300 patients with stable heart disease were divided into two groups. Both groups were given drugs to control cholesterol and blood pressure and to minimize blood clots, and all patients were counseled to lose weight, exercise and stop smoking. One group also underwent angioplasty and had stents implanted. The results? There were no additional benefits of having the angioplasty and stents implanted.

 

Data from several clinical trials are clear: Bypasses and angioplasties don't prolong life or prevent future heart attacks, except in a minority of patients with severe heart disease.

According to Harvard Medical School, nearly one in three angioplasties are "completely inappropriate" according to established guidelines.

 

Additionally, catheters used in an angioplasty can disrupt plaque, releasing small pieces that can block smaller blood vessels. And an angioplasty can tear your arteries and even trigger a heart attack or stroke.

 

As your own patient advocate, you need to discover better and safer options for determining your heart disease and/or heart attack risk and clearing clogged arteries. 

 

What is my risk of a heart attack if I do have a plaque in the artery?

 

The New England Journal of Medicine reports that coronary blood vessels increase in size as blockages occur. This means when plaque blockages approach 50 percent of the diameter of your coronary arteries, your arteries enlarge to compensate. The result? A diseased artery may allow just as much blood flow as a healthy one.

 

How important are stents?

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation reports that out of 100 patients who get drug-coated stents implanted in their hearts, 90 will need a repeat procedure.

 

What about pharmaceutical medications to prevent heart disease?

 

The American Heart Association admits that some prescription drugs increase your risk of heart attack by 60 percent.  For example, many high blood pressure drugs multiply your risk of a heart attack. In a shocking study revealed by Harvard Medical School, two groups of patients with heart problems were either given laser surgery to improve blood flow or a "placebo" surgery (that is, they thought they were getting surgery, but no surgery was done).

 

Can taking statin drugs to reduce high cholesterol reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke?

 

For the past 20 years, the heart industry has made high cholesterol the “demon” behind heart attacks and strokes.  And their marketing tactics have worked.  More than 13 million American take cholesterol-lowering statin drugs—and more than $22 billion a year is spent worldwide on these drugs, with the bulk of sales in the United States.

Cholesterol-lowering drugs based on flawed study, however.

 

The $10 billion-a-year sales of Lipitor^® for lowering your cholesterol is based on a flawed study.  The claim that high cholesterol can cause atherosclerosis is based on only 14 percent of actual patients studied.

 

The facts are that:

 

• Nearly half of all heart attack victims have completely normal cholesterol (William Castelli, MD- former director of Framingham Study/Harvard).

 

• 16 clinical trials prove that the effect of diet on your cholesterol is minimal at most, lowering your cholesterol by only 2 to 4 percent.

 

• Statin drugs do lower cholesterol, but they also deplete your body of a vital nutrient that may cause your heart to fail (noted in the list of side-effects).

 

• Cholesterol is a vitally important substance, which is needed to build our cells' membranes and produce several key hormones (testosterone, estrogen, progesterone and so on).   

 

• If cholesterol drops too low, you're actually at risk of depression, says Psychomatic Medicine, as well as erectile dysfunction, which many studies show a strong correlation with heart disease.

 

New research reveals that low levels of HDL “good” cholesterol put you at even greater risk for heart attack or stroke than high LDL cholesterol levels.

 

In fact, a Harvard Medical School study found that the ratio of low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides is the strongest predictor of heart attack, even more accurate than the LDL/HDL ratio.

 

The same study states that people with the highest ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol have a heart attack risk that's 16 TIMES HIGHER than those with the lowest ratio.  Yet statin drugs do NOTHING to raise HDL “good” cholesterol or lower triglycerides.

 

What do low levels of your body's sex hormone have to do with hardening of arteries?

 

A Rotterdam Study shows that low levels of this natural hormone mean a much greater risk of clogged arteries.  In men testosterone has been found to protect arteries, while in women it is estradiol.

 

Does a family history of heart disease and heart attacks mean you're destined to the same fate?

 

A lot of people with parents, siblings or relatives who've suffered from heart disease or a heart attack believe they are destined for the same fate. They've heard or read the statistics that claim a person with a family history of heart disease is 10 times as likely to suffer from heart disease as the person who has no family history of the disease.

 

People think, “I have little or no control of my genetics, so I might as well accept the fact I'll have heart disease, too.” Thinking like this is not true.  And new research backs this up.

 

The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that the current crop of published genetic factors linking family history and heart disease are “worse than random at predicting cardiac risk.”

 

Yes, there are cases where families all seem to have heart disease or heart attacks, but these cases do not necessarily correlate to larger populations.  In plain English, just because someone in your family has had heart disease or a heart attack does not mean you'll suffer the same fate.

 

What about Natural Treatments?

 

Nobel Prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling often spoke about natural therapies that may someday "end the need for bypass surgery."  At present, there are a number of safe and natural approaches that are currently undergoing large studies by the National Institute of Health for the reversal of atherosclerosis and heart disease.

 

Currently, there is an FDA-approved, safe amino acid that is up to three times safer then aspirin, that has shown evidence of removing plaques from arteries.  There are other natural substances that can prevent the build up of plaque in your arteries.  There are nutrients available for breaking up blood clots and keeping your blood thin and smooth, thus preventing another very common cause of heart attacks.  Thinning your blood naturally can reduce your risk of a deadly blood clot.

There are many safe, easy and inexpensive steps you can take, right now, that dramatically reduce your risk of heart disease.  The therapeutic goals at the daSilva Institute of Antiaging and Functional Medicine in attacking this deadly disease is to:

 

• Avoid a heart attack- taking steps to relieve the body of any known triggers

 

• Detect markers that identify risk factors that may be mediators for heart disease

 

• Reverse heart disease by promoting the body’s natural healing process, and finally

 

• Heal a failing heart by fixing biochemical and physiological imbalances that may be present in the body

 

One of the best tools made available to the daSilva Institute is the BioAge® Analysis a remarkable test that can predict disease years before signs and symptoms manifest.

 

In addition, the daSilva Institute is directed by Guy DaSilva, MD,  a leading pioneer and innovator in Antiaging, Regenerative and Functional Medicine.  His unique diagnostic skills combined with his expertise in nutrition & bio-pharmacology along with his remarkable understanding of the human body and the mechanisms of disease makes Dr. DaSilva a keen “Medical Detective” able to tackle the most daunting & most difficult cases.

 

For more information, contact the daSilva Institute of Antiaging & Functional Medicine by email (info@daSilvaInstitute.com) or phone (1-888-8-daSilva [1-888-832-7458]). 

 

We are located at 7313 Professional Parkway East, Sarostoa, FL  34240 and on the web at www.daSilvaInstitute.com. 

 

The daSilva Institute was recently awarded the distinction of “Therapeutic LifeStyle Center of Excellence” for the treatment of Chronic Diseases