Wayne's Story - Cardiomyopathy / Ray D. Strand, M.D.

Wayne was a classmate of mine in both high school and college. We ran track and spent a lot of time together when we were young. About 10 years ago, Wayne came into my office and complained of just not feeling well. He said his heart felt like it was jumping out of his chest. I put him in the hospital and consulted a cardiologist. Wayne had developed cardiomyopathy (severely enlarged heart) due to a viral infection he had suffered a month or two before. His heart was very weak and his ejection fraction (measurement of the heart's ability to contract) was only 17% (normal is 50 to 70). He was placed on the heart transplant list because his ejection fraction improved by only 4 or 5 points even with all the medication he took.

I placed Wayne on the aggressive nutritional supplement program I recommend for this disease, which includes high doses of a nutrient called Coenzyme Q10. CoQ10 is essential for the creation of energy within the cell, especially the heart muscle. Clinical research has shown that patients with heart failure and cardiomyopathy quickly become depleted in CoQ10 within their heart muscle because of their weakened state.

Dr. Peter Langsjoen, a biochemist and cardiologist, had shown in several clinical trials that when patients supplement with CoQ10, nearly 85% of them have a significant positive clinical response. Wayne's ejection fraction went back to 58% within 4 months, and he was taken off the heart transplant list and returned to work.
I have personally been involved with over a dozen patients with cardiomyopathy who have now been removed from the heart transplant list. They are not cured. However, as long as they take their aggressive nutritional supplement program and CoQ10, they are able to provide the fuel source their heart requires to compensate for its weakened state.

Ray D. Strand, M.D. Specialist in Nurition Medicine

The Enemy - Free Radicals

In the process of creating energy within the furnace or fireplace of a cell, occasionally a charged oxygen molecule is created called a free radical.

A free radical is an oxygen molecule that has at least one unpaired electron in its outer orbit. This literally gives the molecule an electrical charge, which creates very rapid movement as it tries to find an electron from the tissue around it. If it is not readily neutralized by an antioxidant, it can go on to damage the cell wall, vessel wall, proteins, fats, and even the DNA nucleus of the cell.

The medical and scientific literature has shown us beyond a shadow of a doubt that the root cause of over 70 chronic degenerative diseases is the result of oxidative stress from excessive free radicals. These are diseases like heart disease, diabetes, strokes, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and the list goes on and on. These diseases concern us, and we would certainly like to avoid them. You will learn in this blog why taking nutritional supplements gives you the best opportunity to prevent or delay these diseases.

The good oil for baby-boomers / NZ Herald

After childhood years being admonished to eat their veges, the baby-boomer generation is now being told to eat more oily fish.

The fish contains long-chain omega-3, credited in an Australian report issued in NZ yesterday with cutting the risk of chronic ailments including cardiovascular disease.
The report says baby-boomers aged 43 to 62 could provide huge savings for the health system if they consumed the recommended intakes of omega-3.

That equates to about two or three 150g serves of oily fish a week, fish oil capsules or liquid, or other foods enriched with marine omega-3.
Wendy Morgan, nutrition adviser for Sydney's Omega-3 Centre, told a functional foods and edible oils conference in Auckland that in the next 25 years the number of New Zealanders over 65 would double, with huge implications for the health sector.

Mrs Morgan said the centre's report pulled together Australian research which showed the benefits of eating oily fish, or consuming fish oil, as a source of long-chain omega-3.
"It is really important for this group of baby-boomers as they age."
She said there was "interesting" but not yet conclusive evidence of its benefits for problems such as obesity, diabetes, depression and dementia.
There was, however, strong evidence that omega-3 reduced the risks of heart disease, eye problems, and rheumatoid arthritis.

One study, for example, showed that eating recommended amounts of oily fish reduced by up to 75 per cent the onset of macular degeneration, causing loss of vision and possibly blindness.
Not only did omega-3 cut the risk of heart disease but it was even more powerful in preventing a second heart attack by up to 45 per cent.

Mrs Morgan said the overall benefits were savings to the health system from the treatment of chronic diseases in the ageing population and improved quality of life for the individuals.
The research showed baby-boomers were often already on special diets and interested in nutrition, but their intake of oily fish was not high.

"This is a call to action for baby boomers ... our message is start consuming omega-3 now."
Mrs Morgan said the actual intake was estimated at only about one fifth of what was needed to make a difference.
Long-chain omega-3 was found mostly in fish like salmon and sardines. While it was present in meat, the chains were not as longand therefore less valuable.
Mrs Morgan said omega-3 was found in every cell in the body but needed to be regularly replenished.

It was important in diet throughout a person's life, right from when a baby was in the womb.
Mrs Morgan said that while awareness levels were increasing, people were still not eating enough omega-3 and doctors were partly to blame for not telling patients of its benefits.

A United States study had shown that while most doctors knew about omega-3, and that it was beneficial, only 17 per cent remembered to tell patients with heart disease.
Mrs Morgan said the work of the Omega-3 Centre, a non-profit organisation, was supported by the Australian Heart Foundation and partly funded by commercial interests.


THE DOSE
Recommended average daily dose of long-chain omega-3:
* 500mg to reduce risk of heart disease.
* 1000mg if you already have heart disease.
* 3000mg a day if you have high triglyceride levels or rheumatoid arthritis (check with doctor first).

Thursday Nov 13, 2008 - By Angela Gregory

New advice from National Heart Foundation

The Complementary Medicine industry welcome the new advice from the National Heart Foundation

Emerging scientific evidence has strongly supported the view that daily consumption of fish oils provides therapeutic benefits for people with heart disease, as well as preventive benefits for general population. In the latest release of its position statement, National Heart Foundation of Australia for the first time made recommendations with respect to fish, fish oils and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) to improve the cardiovascular health of all Australians.

It recommends that, to lower their risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), all Australians without existing heart conditions should consume about 500 mg per day of combined DHA and EPA through the combination of oily fish, fish oil capsules or liquid, and food and drinks enriched with marine Omega-3 PUFA.

For adult Australians with documented CHD, National Heart Foundation recommends that they consume about 1000 mg per day of combined DHA and EPA through a combination ) of oily fish, fish oil capsules or liquid, and food and drinks enriched with marine Omega-3 PUFA.

The position statement by Notational heart Foundation also provides cautions on the consumption of fish with high and medium methylmercury content, and advise people to follow government guidelines regarding safety issues. Many people are unable to consume the recommended dosage requirements through fish alone and for this reason, fish oil supplements therefore provide consumers with a cost effective way of ensuring their omega 3 intake is adequate. For further information, please visit National Heart Foundation's website at: http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/document/NHF/HW_FS_FishOils_PS_FINAL.pdf

Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes / Ray D. Strand, M.D.

Eighty percent of diabetic patients today will die prematurely from a cardiovascular event like a heart attack, stroke, or ruptured aneurysm. This was true in 1970 and is true today. In spite of all our medication and present treatments for diabetes, we have not been able to change this horrible statistic. Now it is true that we are able to decrease the risk of what is referred to as microvascular disease like diabetic retinopathy and neuropathy. However, we have not been able to decrease the risk of major cardiovascular disease. Why is this happening?

As you have been learning in prior Health Nuggets, our arteries begin aging much faster than they should as soon as you develop insulin resistance. It may be 10 to 15 years before you actually develop diabetes. Clinical trials have shown that the day we actually diagnose a patient in our office as being diabetic that 60% of them already have major cardiovascular disease. Now that they are diabetic, their arteries will actually begin to age even faster. Physicians are behind the eight ball and are really intervening with their traditional treatments too late. The answer to this dilemma is to begin treatment earlier before the patient actually becomes diabetic.



RAY D. STRAND, M.D.
Specialist in Nutritional Medicine

Lowering Homocysteine Levels / Ray D. Strand, M.D.

Most people seem to know their cholesterol level; however, they rarely know their homocysteine levels. Physicians just do not order this test routinely. The homocysteine level should be below 7, and higher levels cause greater risks of developing cardiovascular disease. Even though physicians may tell you that a homocysteine level of 12 or lower is fine, I would encourage you to try to get this level below 7. First, I would recommend taking 1,000 mcg of folic acid, 50 to 150 mg of vitamin B12, and 25 to 50 mg of vitamin B6. If you are one of those individuals who does not totally respond to B vitamins, you can consider adding Betaine (Trimethylglycine or TMG) to reduce your homocysteine levels. I recommend starting with 1 gram daily and building up to as much as 5 to 6 grams if necessary to get your homocysteine level down below 7, or at least below 8.

There have now been over 50 clinical trials that have shown that those individuals who have elevated homocysteine levels are not only at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease but also Alzheimer’s dementia and various cancers. Yet, there have not been any good studies showing that lowering your homocysteine levels actually decreases your risk of heart disease and stroke. My personal feeling is that they do not lower the homocysteine level enough and that there is very little difference between the control subjects and the treated group. Since we know that elevated homocysteine levels are definitely a risk factor for patients, wouldn’t it be best to lower their homocysteine levels to the safe range?

If you would like to know your homocysteine level and your doctor will not order it, members of my “Online Medical Practice” located at http://www.drraystrand.com/ can order this blood test in the US through my web site.

RAY D. STRAND, M.D.
Specialist in Nutritional Medicine

Should I be Taking a Statin Drug to Lower my Cholesterol? / Ray D. Strand, M.D.

About 2 years ago, a panel of 11 cardiologists met (as reported in USA Today) to lower the recommended level of LDL cholesterol from 130 to 100. Obviously, the pharmaceutical industry was ecstatic with these new recommendations. However, it should not have come as a surprise to them, since 10 of the 11 cardiologists were on the payroll of one of the pharmaceutical companies. The problem with this recommendation is that nearly 98% of the population in the US and Canada has an LDL cholesterol level greater than 100. These recommendations would mean that nearly the entire population should take statin drugs. The New York Times reported that maybe statin drugs should be placed in our drinking water.

Several clinical trials show that individuals who are at risk of developing heart disease can decrease this risk by taking statin drugs. The problem is that researchers are not really sure if it is the lowering of cholesterol that lowers the risk or if it is the anti-inflammatory properties of the statin drugs. I believe that it is probably a combination of both of these effects. If you lower LDL cholesterol, there is just less that is available to become oxidized. Just like aspirin has been shown to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease due to its anti-inflammatory qualities (it all starts to make sense doesn't it), the statin drugs do the same. However, I have always believed that we should use drugs as a last resort and not a first choice. Statin drugs are truly over prescribed.

RAY D. STRAND, M.D.
Specialist in Nutritional Medicine

Oxidized or Modified LDL Cholesterol / Ray D. Strand, M.D.

Native or natural LDL cholesterol is not a concern when it comes to heart disease. It acts as a transport vehicle of cholesterol. However, when this LDL cholesterol becomes modified or oxidized by excessive free radicals, it causes a tremendous amount of inflammation of our arteries. Fat soluble antioxidants like vitamin E, beta carotene, and alpha lipoic acid have the ability to incorporate themselves within the wall of the LDL cholesterol and offer protection against this oxidative process. The medical literature shows that the higher the level of antioxidants within the wall of the LDL cholesterol, the more it is able to resist this damage by excessive free radicals.

Dr. Daniel Steinberg reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1989 that if enough antioxidants were on board, LDL cholesterol levels would not be a concern.

The problem is that physicians are not able to measure "Oxidized" LDL cholesterol levels in the lab. This is primarily research done in clinical trials. Physicians just measure total LDL cholesterol. This is why I believe it is so important to supplement all of these antioxidants and their supporting nutrients at optimal levels (cellular nutrition) to best protect your LDL cholesterol and decrease inflammation of your arteries.

RAY D. STRAND, M.D.
Specialist in Nutritional Medicine

What Causes Inflammation of Our Arteries? / Ray D. Strand, M.D.

The first question people should ask themselves is "What actually causes inflammation of my arteries?" If heart disease and aging of my arteries are results of low-grade inflammation over a prolonged period of time, then it would make logical sense to try to avoid those things that cause that inflammation.

• Dr. Ross listed several different causes of inflammation of our arteries in his review article found in the New England Journal of Medicine:
  "Oxidized" or "Modified" LDL cholesterol-NOT native LDL cholesterol

• Excessive free radicals created by high blood pressure, diabetes, central obesity, elevated or rapidly rising blood sugars, and from a fatty meal.


• Elevated homocysteine levels (this is a byproduct of protein metabolism that is primarily the result of vitamin B deficiency).


• Elevated levels of insulin due to insulin resistance.
  

When I treat a patient who has suffered a heart attack or has had coronary by-pass surgery, my goal is to eliminate all the causes of inflammation. The next several "Health Nuggets" will discuss this health concept.

RAY D. STRAND, M.D.
Specialist in Nutritional Medicine

Heart Disease-an Inflammatory Disease / Ray D. Strand, M.D.

Dr. R. Ross wrote a review article in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1999 titled "Atherosclerosis: An Inflammatory Disease." Atherosclerosis is simply hardening of the arteries. This leads to heart attacks and strokes. He states in this article that heart disease is not caused by too much cholesterol in your blood stream, but, instead, is the result of a prolonged, low-grade inflammation of your arteries. In fact, over 50% of the patients suffering from a heart attack actually have normal cholesterol levels. We have been told for nearly a generation that the problem is really just cholesterol. Certainly, this is what the pharmaceutical industry hopes you believe. The medical literature clearly indicates that heart disease is NOT a disease of cholesterol.

There are over 1.5 million heart attacks and over 750,000 deaths due to heart attacks in the US each year. Heart disease remains the number one killer in the US and the industrialized world, even though we are spending billions of dollars each year on cholesterol-lowering drugs. While there are several studies that prove taking statin drugs can lower your risk of having a heart attack, researchers are not sure whether this is the result of lower cholesterol levels or the anti-inflammatory properties of the statin

RAY D. STRAND, M.D.
Specialist in Nutritional Medicine