Guest guest Posted January 24, 2003 Report Share Posted January 24, 2003 Thu, 23 Jan 2003 16:10:01 -0500 Passing on the Bypass PASSING ON THE BYPASS Health Sciences Institute e-Alert January 23, 2003 ************************************************************** Dear Reader, Last week a colleague sent me a news item with critical information for anyone who is advised to undergo a heart surgery procedure. More than just saving you quite a bit of money, this information might very well save your life. ----------------------------- The dangerous status quo ----------------------------- The news item I received had details on an article in the New England Journal of Medicine that cited a nationwide study of 1,000 patients faced with the prospect of heart surgery, such as balloon angioplasty or bypass operations. The results showed that death due to heart attack was more than 210% HIGHER for patients who chose surgery. It may seem astonishing, but it's true: Patients who refused the invasive procedures had a much greater survival rate. For many alternative healthcare professionals, however, this is not news. Since 1977, similar studies have returned results that are simply confirmed by this more recent study. In the late 90's, for instance, the Los Angeles Times reported on a study demonstrating that unnecessary heart surgery increased the in-hospital death rate by more than 70%. And by some estimates, bypass surgery and angioplasty cause more than 30,000 in-hospital deaths in the U.S. each year. The important distinction here is that these deaths are not caused by heart disease, but by surgery. ----------------------------- Clearing passages ----------------------------- So - if your doctor suggests heart surgery, what are your options? One safe and considerably less expensive option is chelation therapy. Chelation contains vitamins, minerals, and a synthetic amino acid called ethylene diamine tetracetic acid (EDTA) that binds with calcium deposits in the arteries and eliminates them from the body. Since there is a lot of controversy surrounding this procedure, I asked HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., to give us his insight into chelation, and here's what he had to offer: " Most therapists in the know who use chelation for arterial disease believe that a mixture of oral and intravenous (IV) chelation works best. I agree with this route. Though put down by the conventional types, this alternative should be given some serious attention by anyone with confirmed cardiovascular disease. It's vastly cheaper than bypass surgery (though not cheap - about $100 for each of 30 IV treatments) and has a very impressive track record. I understand some insurance companies are even paying for it now, in an effort to avoid having the patient go for a bypass. " I've had the 30 treatments, and though they take a few hours each week to sit through, there's very little other hassle. If this treatment is something you wish to consider, you should become familiar with the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) and its literature. ACAM physicians are the pioneers of chelation therapy and are, by far, the most skilled and qualified doctors to do these procedures, or, at the very least, they're the best people to learn about the procedures from. I'd recommend a trip to acam.org and a look into their literature before going under the knife. " ----------------------------- Cutting edge ----------------------------- Another even less invasive treatment I've read about recently is called Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP). Like IV chelation, this treatment requires a round of regular visits to clinics with health professionals who are trained to administer EECP. The procedure utilizes a pressure suit fitted to the lower half of the body. An electronic device sequentially inflates three sets of flexible cuffs, moving the blood from the legs to the heart, synchronized with each heartbeat. Networks of auxiliary blood vessels are expanded, and the amount of blood flowing to the heart muscle is increased. EECP is a relatively new procedure that we haven't yet fully explored at HSI, so it's not something we're ready to recommend. From what I understand, however, it can be used to treat ischemic heart disease, but is primarily recognized as a treatment for angina. In the one and only study of EECP that I could locate (reported in the Journal of Investigative Medicine), the authors found that improvements were measurable up to one year after the EECP treatments were completed. An EECP study is currently being recruited by the Mayo Clinic Rochester. If you or someone you know has used EECP therapy, I hope you'll write and share your experience with us. In the meantime, if your doctor pressures you to have heart surgery, let him know that you insist on exploring the full range of options before committing to an expensive and dangerous procedure. ************************************************************** ....and another thing I hate to be the bearer of bad trends, but according to a report in Employee Benefits News, spending on prescription drugs for children through age 19 increased by 28% last year - a greater jump than for any other age group. In a recent e-Alert ( " The P Word " 1/6/03), I told you about an announcement from the FDA, stating they had approved the use of Prozac for the treatment of depression and obsessive compulsive disorder in children aged 7 to 17. This new market for Prozac can only add to the upward spending trend for kids - especially in light of even more disturbing recent research from the University of Maryland at Baltimore showing that between 1987 and 1996 the number of U.S. children treated with psychiatric drugs TRIPLED. No surprise that the forecast is for continued growth. To make matters worse, an epidemic of diabetes over the next two decades is predicted by some health officials. The primary reason: the growing number of U.S. children who are overweight. Health benefit providers say they hope to reverse these trends by encouraging parents to set good examples with healthy lifestyles that promote wellness. I'm certainly all for that. But with a generation of overweight kids, many of whom take daily doses of Ritalin and Prozac (among other drugs for infections, allergies, asthma, etc.), and a growing number of doctors who reach for the prescription pad before the stethoscope - it's like a " perfect storm " of trends, each reinforcing the other to perpetuate a culture that relies on medications to solve problems. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************** Sources: " Dr. Julian Whitaker's Health & Healing " May, 1997, Vol. 7, No. 5 " What Causes Heart Disease? " Alternative Medicine Angel " Enhanced External Counter Pulsation " The Doctors' Medical Library " Does Quality of Life Improvement Mean Hemodynamic Improvement? - Exploring Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP) " Marie Cheine, Florida Cardiovascular Research Foundation " Spending On Childrens' Rx Rises Rapidly " Kelley M. Blassingame, Employee Benefit News, January, 2003 Copyright ©1997-2002 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission. ************************************************************** ! If you'd like to participate in the HSI Forum, search past e-Alerts and products or you're an HSI member and would like to search past articles, visit http://www.hsibaltimore.com ************************************************************** To learn more about HSI, call (508) 368-7494 or visit http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/HSI/WHSIC313/home.cfm. ************************************************************** Gettingwell- / Vitamins, Herbs, Aminos, etc. To , e-mail to: Gettingwell- Or, go to our group site: Gettingwell Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 13, 2003 Report Share Posted April 13, 2003 PASSING ON THE BYPASSHealth Sciences Institute e-Alert**************************************************************Dear Reader,Last week a colleague sent me a news item with critical information for anyone who is advised to undergo a heart surgery procedure. More than just saving you quite a bit of money, this information might very well save your life. -----------------------------The dangerous status quo-----------------------------The news item I received had details on an article in the New England Journal of Medicine that cited a nationwide study of 1,000 patients faced with the prospect of heart surgery, such as balloon angioplasty or bypass operations. The results showed that death due to heart attack was more than 210% HIGHER for patients who chose surgery. It may seem astonishing, but it's true: Patients who refused the invasive procedures had a much greater survival rate. For many alternative healthcare professionals, however, this is not news. Since 1977, similar studies have returned results that are simply confirmed by this more recent study. In the late 90's, for instance, the Los Angeles Times reported on a study demonstrating that unnecessary heart surgery increased the in-hospital death rate by more than 70%. And by some estimates, bypass surgery and angioplasty cause more than 30,000 in-hospital deaths in the U.S. each year. The important distinction here is that these deaths are not caused by heart disease, but by surgery.-----------------------------Clearing passages-----------------------------So - if your doctor suggests heart surgery, what are your options? One safe and considerably less expensive option is chelation therapy. Chelation contains vitamins, minerals, and a synthetic amino acid called ethylene diamine tetracetic acid (EDTA) that binds with calcium deposits in the arteries and eliminates them from the body. Since there is a lot of controversy surrounding this procedure, I asked HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., to give us his insight into chelation, and here's what he had to offer: "Most therapists in the know who use chelation for arterial disease believe that a mixture of oral and intravenous (IV) chelation works best. I agree with this route. Though put down by the conventional types, this alternative should be given some serious attention by anyone with confirmed cardiovascular disease. It's vastly cheaper than bypass surgery (though not cheap - about $100 for each of 30 IV treatments) and has a very impressive track record. I understand some insurance companies are even paying for it now, in an effort to avoid having the patient go for a bypass."I've had the 30 treatments, and though they take a few hours each week to sit through, there's very little other hassle. If this treatment is something you wish to consider, you should become familiar with the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) and its literature. ACAM physicians are the pioneers of chelation therapy and are, by far, the most skilled and qualified doctors to do these procedures, or, at the very least, they're the best people to learn about the procedures from. I'd recommend a trip to acam.org and a look into their literature before going under the knife."-----------------------------Cutting edge -----------------------------Another even less invasive treatment I've read about recently is called Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP). Like IV chelation, this treatment requires a round of regular visits to clinics with health professionals who are trained to administer EECP. The procedure utilizes a pressure suit fitted to the lower half of the body. An electronic device sequentially inflates three sets of flexible cuffs, moving the blood from the legs to the heart, synchronized with each heartbeat. Networks of auxiliary blood vessels are expanded, and the amount of blood flowing to the heart muscle is increased. EECP is a relatively new procedure that we haven't yet fully explored at HSI, so it's not something we're ready to recommend. From what I understand, however, it can be used to treat ischemic heart disease, but is primarily recognized as a treatment for angina. In the one and only study of EECP that I could locate (reported in the Journal of Investigative Medicine), the authors found that improvements were measurable up to one year after the EECP treatments were completed. An EECP study is currently being recruited by the Mayo Clinic Rochester. If you or someone you know has used EECP therapy, I hope you'll write and share your experience with us. In the meantime, if your doctor pressures you to have heart surgery, let him know that you insist on exploring the full range of options before committing to an expensive and dangerous procedure.**************************************************************...and another thingI hate to be the bearer of bad trends, but according to a report in Employee Benefits News, spending on prescription drugs for children through age 19 increased by 28% last year -a greater jump than for any other age group. In a recent e-Alert ("The P Word" 1/6/03), I told you about an announcement from the FDA, stating they had approved the use of Prozac for the treatment of depression and obsessive compulsive disorder in children aged 7 to 17. This new market for Prozac can only add to the upward spending trend for kids - especially in light of even more disturbing recent research from the University of Maryland at Baltimore showing that between 1987 and 1996 the number of U.S. children treated with psychiatric drugs TRIPLED. No surprise that the forecast is for continued growth. To make matters worse, an epidemic of diabetes over the next two decades is predicted by some health officials. The primary reason: the growing number of U.S. children who are overweight. Health benefit providers say they hope to reverse these trends by encouraging parents to set good examples with healthy lifestyles that promote wellness. I'm certainly all for that. But with a generation of overweight kids, many of whom take daily doses of Ritalin and Prozac (among other drugs for infections, allergies, asthma, etc.), and a growing number of doctors who reach for the prescription pad before the stethoscope - it's like a "perfect storm" of trends, each reinforcing the other to perpetuate a culture that relies on medications to solve problems. To Your Good Health,Jenny ThompsonHealth Sciences Institute**************************************************************Sources: "Dr. Julian Whitaker's Health & Healing" May, 1997, Vol. 7, No. 5"What Causes Heart Disease?" Alternative Medicine Angel "Enhanced External Counter Pulsation" The Doctors' Medical Library "Does Quality of Life Improvement Mean Hemodynamic Improvement? - Exploring Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP)" Marie Cheine, Florida Cardiovascular Research Foundation "Spending On Childrens' Rx Rises Rapidly" Kelley M. Blassingame, Employee Benefit News, January, 2003Copyright ©1997-2002 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C.The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites withoutwritten permission.**************************************************************!If you'd like to participate in the HSI Forum, search paste-Alerts and products or you're an HSI member and would like to search past articles, visit http://www.hsibaltimore.com**************************************************************To learn more about HSI, call (508) 368-7494 or visit http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/HSI/WHSIC313/home.cfm.************************************************************** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 15, 2003 Report Share Posted April 15, 2003 Great news that the EDTA chelates calcium from the arteries, thus opening them and saving you from the bypass surgery! But is it really that great a news? Please correct me if I am wrong. But I think the flip side is that it will chelate calcium from the bones too and the bones will become brittle and arthritic. Moreover, the bones' health will also affect the immune cells which are manufactured in the bone marrow. So, two conclusions: #1. Chelate calcium only if you have to in view of the heart problem. #2. Take it from the Buddha that the Middle Path is the right path. Ratan. - Elaine *§ @y Sunday, April 13, 2003 8:04 AM Passing on the Bypass PASSING ON THE BYPASSSo - if your doctor suggests heart surgery, what are your options? One safe and considerably less expensive option is chelation therapy. Chelation contains vitamins, minerals, and a synthetic amino acid called ethylene diamine tetracetic acid (EDTA) that binds with calcium deposits in the arteries and eliminates them from the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 15, 2003 Report Share Posted April 15, 2003 I read somewhere (don't ask me where) that only magnesium EDTA should be used to prevent calcuim from being chelated out. Starris - "DR. Ratan Singh" <ratans Please correct me if I am wrong. But I think the flip side is that it will chelate calcium from the bones too and the bones will become brittle and arthritic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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