Ray D. Strand
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 CoQ1Q Deficiency and Heart Failure
Not only have numerous investigators established the normal blood levels of CoQlO; they have identified what seems to be a direct correlation between the severity of heart failure and the correlating depletion of CoQlO. Significantly decreased amounts of CoQlO have been noted in periodontal disease, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Deficient levels of CoQlO have been most clearly established, however, in the blood levels of patients with congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy. |
Abram Hoffer, PhD, MD, FRCP(C) and Dr. Jonathan Prousjy, DPHE, DSC, ND, FRSH
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 Congestive Heart Failure: Some of the most notable features of thiamin deficiency include cardiomyopathy, irregular heartbeat, and shortness of breath - clinical signs that mimic congestive heart failure. In fact, a pilot study did find thiamin deficiency among many congestive heart failure patients on long-term therapy with the drug furosemide. Based on this evidence, it is a wise idea for all patients with congestive heart failure on diuretic medication to take replacement doses of thiamin each day. |
Gerald E. Markle and Frances B. McCrea
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 Third, ACE inhibitors do have a limited effect in reducing the risk of heart failure and death from strokes. The HOPE study found that the treated group suffered fewer heart failures (9% compared to the 11.5% for the placebo), fewer deaths from diabetes (6.4% compared with 7.6%), and fewer deaths from all causes (10.4% to 12.2%).24 A meta-evaluation of five major studies involving more than 12,000 patients found similar results. Treatment led to fewer heart failures (13.7% to 18.9%) and fewer deaths from any cause (23% to 26. |
Ray D. Strand
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| Congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy have numerous causes: hypertension, repeated or severe heart attacks, viral infections, and infiltrative heart diseases like lupus or scleroderma, to name a few. In each case the disease weakens the strength of the heart muscle so that it is unable to handle the amount of blood it receives from the body. The heart tries to compensate for its weakened state by dilating and beating faster. But blood eventually backs up into the lungs, filling them with fluid. This is called congestive heart failure. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 Some patients with severe heart failure rapidly improve from New York Heart Association functional class IV to functional class II after only four to eight weeks of treatment, and their improvement seems to continue for as long as the taurine treatment is continued. Taking taurine orally improves left ventricular function and symptoms of heart failure.
I recommend taurine for anyone who is having problems with water retention and bloat. |
Bottom Line Health
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| Side effects are rare but may include an increased risk of infection, lymphoma, neurological problems and exacerbation of heart failure.
•T-cell inhibitors. Alefacept (Amevive) slows skin cell division by blocking the effects of the T cells. Approximately 20% of patients experience almost total skin clearing.
Drawbacks: Alefacept is given by intramuscular injection in the doctor's office. Side effects are rare but may include liver function abnormalities.
•Efalizumab (Raptiva) is the newest biologic. It prevents T cells from triggering scaling and/or inflammation. |
Joerg Gruenwald, Ph.D.
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 OVERDOSAGE
With overdosage, in addition to the already-mentioned symptoms, the following can also occur:
Heart: cardiac rhythm disorders, all the way up to life-threatening ventricular tachycardia, atrial tachycardia with atrioventricular block
Central nervous system: stupor, visual disorders, depression, confused states, hallucinations, psychoses
Lethal dosages lead to heart failure or asphyxiation. Administration over extended periods leads in rare cases to gynecomastia. |
| Symptoms of poisoning include severe outbreaks of sweating, enlarged pupils, spasms and elevated body temperature, with death following through heart failure and asphyxiation. Following stomach emptying (gastric lavage with burgundy-colored potassium permaganate solution), therapy consists of the administration of activated charcoal and prophylaxis against shock. Spasms should be treated with diazepam, electrolyte substitution should be employed, and sodium bicarbonate infusions should be used to prevent acidosis. Intubation and oxygen respiration are also on occasion necessary. |
| Death follows, often not until days later, through asphyxiation and heart failure. Two to three Cocculus kernels can be fatal.
Treatment consists of inducing vomiting and/or gastric lavage, purging with sodium sulphate, instillation of activated charcoal and forced diuresis. The spasms should be suppressed with as much diazepam as is absolutely necessary. In case of fever, the patient should be wrapped in ice packs, administered high-caloric infusions and possibly oxygen respiration. Phenothiazines and analeptics should be avoided.
DOSAGE
Mode of Administration: In combination preparations. |
Mehmet C. Oz., M.D. and Michael F. Roizen, M.D.
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 Taking it as a supplement seems to protect against heart failure and other inflammatory processes by improving the efficiency of the mitochondria. The usual dose is 200 milligrams a day (100 in the morning and 100 in the
Coenzyme Q10 (cont.)
Yes afternoon). It's especially helpful for people who take statin drugs, because statins decrease levels of CQ10, which may be why statins can be associated with muscle cramps and pain— your arteries are literally being starved of energy and are crying for help. |
Marshall Editions
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 To treat edema due to heart failure: Mix 12 g of Huang Qi (milk-vetch root), 10 g of Gui Zhi (cinnamon), 12 g of Wu Wei Zi (schisandra fruit), 12 g of Wu Jia Pi (acanthopanax root bark), 15 g of Fuling (poria), 15 g of Bai Zhu (white atractylodes rhizome), and 5 g of dried ginger root. Caution: Consult a doctor before using this formula.
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Acupuncture: Treatment can reduce fluid retention by treating the original cause of edema, and by helping circulation and metabolism. Consult an acupuncturist for advice. |
| Coconut is thought to be good for edema caused by heart failure.
NATUROPATHY
Diet: A high salt intake can lead to water retention and may worsen edema. Do not add salt to your food and refrain from eating packaged 2^\Cjrl foods, cold cuts, anchovies, and any other foods high in salt. Eat one to two l££J^ servings of bright-colored foods such as blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and raspberries for their high bioflavonoid vitamin C content. These substances help strengthen the capillaries and improve the immune system. |
Bottom Line Health
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| In fact, the patients who would gain the greatest benefit from these drugs—the elderly and those who have heart failure or other diseases— were the least likely to be using the medications as directed.
THE STUDY
The study participants had all undergone at least one heart procedure, such as bypass surgery, or had at least a 50% blockage of one coronary artery. While a majority of the patients did take the drugs occasionally, many did not take them regularly.
There were suspicions about inconsistent use of heart drugs, but it's always a surprise when you see numbers like these. |
Joerg Gruenwald, Ph.D.
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| Death usually follows within 6 hours due to heart failure or asphyxiation. For adults, the estimated fatal dosage lies between 1 to 2 g. Countermeasures include gastrointestinal emptying, keeping the patient warm, cardiovascular and pulmonary support, magnesium and calcium infusions, administration of atropine to fight bradycardia, lidocaine for relieving the arrythmias, possibly artificial respiration, pain relief (no opiates).
DOSAGE
Mode of Administration: Administration of the drug is prohibited. |
Bottom Line Health
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| THE STUDY
In a study of more than 1,400 Ontario residents who were hospitalized for heart failure, those judged to be at the greatest risk of dying within a year after release were significantly less likely to be prescribed front-line medications for the condition.
The risk assessment was based on a number of factors, including age (older people are at higher risk), kidney function and the presence of other medical problems.
Those in the highest risk category had a 50% chance of dying within one year, Lee says. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 It's also contraindicated for heart failure, kidney disease, liver cirrhosis, and cholestatic liver disorders.
De-glycyrrhizined licorice is frequently used in supplements for its anti-inflammatory and other beneficial properties. There is 2 to 9 percent glycyrrhizin in licorice root. The de-glycyrrhizined root extract has a maximum of 3 percent glycyrrhizin in it. co m o
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O o o co
Olives
Look up any nutritional textbook and you're sure to find an entry for olive oil, with a massive number of references touting its health properties. |
Bottom Line Health
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| Example: In a Stanford University study of people who had heart failure, stress declined by 22% and depression by 34% after six weeks of cardiac coherence training (CCT). CCT involves using biofeedback to control the moment-to-moment changes in heart rate.
Exercise to calm your heart: Take slow, deep breaths, and center your attention on your heart. Imagine that you are breathing in and out through your heart.. .imagine how each inhalation brings in oxygen to nourish your body and each exhalation dispels waste.
Visualize your heart floating in a lukewarm bath. |
| Impaired brain blood flow can result from heart failure or other cardiovascular problems, such as a narrowing of either brain or neck arteries due to atherosclerosis.
"So this finding points out that we have to be very cognizant of the state of our cardiovascular systems as we get older," Yousem adds. "Not only for the health of our hearts, but for the health of our brains."
THE LOW BLOOD PRESSURE CONNECTION
According to the Dutch team, late-onset dementia shows clear associations with both structural brain damage and decreased cerebral blood flow. |
Bill Sardi
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 These figures do not include those women who died of heart failure caused by the drug. Recurrence is one thing, survival is another. medical journal called Herceptin a cure, another said it was inadequate, while a third said, because of its cost, there should be a process for women to access such a highly effective drug. [Globe and Mail, Nov. 24, 2005]
The question arises, should a drug that reduces recurrence, but not necessarily mortality of breast cancer be approved for use even if it would bankrupt the public health system? |
| Digitalis is a drug often prescribed for heart failure. Digitalis is a molecule of similar structure to estrogen. A study performed in 1979 showed that women with breast cancer taking digitalis experienced nearly a 10 times decreased risk for recurrence or spread of their cancer compared to women not taking digitalis. Only 1 woman among 40 taking digitalis experienced recurrence or metastasis versus 21 out of 88 among non-digitalis users. [The Lancet, June 2, 8127, 1196-97, 1979; New England Journal Medicine, Feb. |
| Cancer Letters 202: 125-29, 2003] Thiamine deficiency, which commonly occurs among patients with leukemia (blood cancer), can result in heart failure, nerve damage and other side effects. Alcohol also depletes thiamine. Therefore, a careful balance of thiamine status is recommended for cancer patients. [Postgraduate Medical Journal 77: 582-85, 2001 ] Probably 10-15 milligrams per day is adequate from dietary supplements.
In an animal study, rats fed low-thiamine diets with simple sugars developed pre-cancerous abnormalities in their colon. |
Bottom Line Health
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| SUPPORTING STUDY
A previous study had also found consistent underuse of medications for heart failure patients. This new study adds support to those findings, says Dr. Frederick Masoudi, associate professor of medicine at the Denver Health Medical Center, and a leader of the earlier study.
POSSIBLE REASONS
"Higher-risk patients are more complicated to treat and probably require a lot more time and a lot more effort. That may be one of the primary reasons," for the undertreatment, says Lee. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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 Besides their potential to cause damage to the heart and liver, other side effects include weight gain—sometimes, extreme weight gain—a common issue with any hypoglycemic drug; water retention (edema) that causes swelling and can contribute to heart failure; sizeable increase in "bad" LDL cholesterol (about 19 percent more than placebo), bad news for heart health; and a slight decrease in levels of hemoglobin, a protein that transports oxygen through the bloodstream—another factor that could cause stress to the heart.
A decision to use any medication is about balancing risks with benefits. |
Ray D. Strand
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| The largest of these international studies was the Italian Multi-Center Trial by Baggio and Associates, which involved 2,664 patients with heart failure. In this particular study nearly 80 percent of the patients improved when they started taking CoQlO, and 54 percent of these patients had major improvements in three major symptom categories.5 Put simply, studies and real-life examples show that CoQlO is an enormously helpful supplement in treating patients with life-threatening heart conditions. While it doesn't cure them, it certainly hinders the progress of the disease. |
| Congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy are diseases of the heart muscle.
An electrical system triggers this muscle to beat in a coordinated and efficient manner. The heart's valves then open and close, allowing the blood to flow efficiently through its four chambers. As the primary muscle with the responsibility of pumping life-giving blood to every organ in the body, the heart must continue beating consistently at all times and therefore has remarkably high energy requirements. |
| CoQlO to their patients with heart failure or cardiomyopathy.11 It is not as if they have a good alternative therapy in mind. The National Institute of Health has funded most of the studies involving CoQlO in the United States. But unlike the plethora of synthetic drugs, CoQlO is a natural product, and as such cannot be patented through the FDA.12 Pharmaceutical companies are not going to spend the $350 million needed to get a natural product like CoQlO approved by the FDA if there is no economic incentive. |
Thomson Healthcare, Inc.
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| Bharani A, Ganguly A, Bhargava KD, Salutary effect of Terminalia Arjuna in patients with severe refractory heart failure. Int J Cardiol, 49:191-9, 1995 May.
Chauhan S, Agarwal S, Mathur R, Vasal assault due to Terminalia arjuna W. & A. bark in albino rats. Andrologia, 53:491-4, 1990 Sep-Oct.
Dwivedi S, Jauhari R, Beneficial effects of Terminalia arjuna in coronary artery disease. Indian Heart J, 49:507-10, 1997 Sep-Oct.
Hansel R, Keller K, Rimpler H, Schneider G (Ed), Hagers Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, 5. Aufl. |
Jack Challem
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 Liz's sister, brother, and grandfather had already been diagnosed with diabetes, and they suffered from some of the disease's complications: nerve damage, hypertension, heart failure, and stroke. Many of these complications stem from chronic low-grade inflammation, and Liz's elevated CRP level confirmed the link. She, too, would develop diabetic complications if nothing changed, and that fact turned out to be her motivator.
Liz was determined not to suffer the same medical fate as her family members. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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| Side effects: Side effects may include excessive heart rate slowing; inability to raise heart rate much during exercise; worsening of congestive heart failure; and rarely, confusion, depression, or worsening erectile dysfunction (impotence).
Nutrient depleted: Beta blockers deplete CoQ10 and reduce production of a hormone called melatonin. By blocking beta receptors, these medicines may also block the action of an enzyme needed to make this hormone, which is produced at nightfall and promotes sound sleep.
Needed supplement: Take 100-300 mg of CoQi0. |
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