Vitamin C and heart disease

[jdb7560]

I asked my cardiologist about this and he laughed. Anyone have thoughts on this and Linus Pauling's cure?

[Paxiled]

Actually, heart architecture is what shortens the life span of many animals.  Take dogs.  They have a huge heart in a small body so they can run long distances and do all those things that are way beyond human capacity, but it costs them lifespan.  Our long lifespan in modern times is mostly due to modern sanitation, but we still need the body structure to take advantage of it.  Humans are the least evolved creature on Earth, we're the only ones who kill en masse just for pleasure, but we figured out how to extend life so we live sicker longer.  We are clever little things.

[gymdandee]

read the book I didn't say anything about C

[M4Y0U]

Still not the reason why non-human animals have less heart attack.

[jdb7560]

I think he was referring to the human body's inability to produce its own vitamin C- which most animals (mammals) do... save for a couple. Quite fascinating nonetheless. Makes for an interesting hypothesis.

[M4Y0U]

We are animals... with extended lifespan so greater chance to die from a disease such as heart attack when you know it's 90% lifestyle habits...

[gymdandee]

read the book by doctor Rath "why animals don't get heart attacks but people do"

[Paxiled]

I'm afraid you've passed my knowledge on that one.  I don't know if there are any risks.  Hard to see why there would be -- seems like it would either work or not work -- but that's something you'll have to research.  You're getting into that weird area of alternative treatments that can't get money for good research and are so rejected by allopathic medicine nobody can ever get good data -- too little profit in these things compared to medication.  Wish I could be of more help.

[tony969]

Does it have any side effects though because with my condition I can not take any chances? Thank you for your response

[Paxiled]

Chelation is a fancy term for binding.  Minerals, for example, as pure elements are unavailable to the body, so you'll never see calcium listed as just calcium, it's always chelated with something such as citrate or malate or carbonate.  Citrate means it's bound with citric acid, malate with malic acid, carbonate with carbonic acid.  The body then breaks the chelation apart as it digests food or supplements or whatever; the better it can do this the better a supplement or nutrient is absorbed.  So the opposite is also true -- certain minerals will chelate to other minerals and leach them out of the body.  Excess calcium, because it's in a precise electrical balance with magnesium, will leach magnesium out of the body, for example (as well as all other electrolytes).  In chelation therapy the binding factor is EDTA, a substance which is said to bind to plaque (oxidized cholesterol that has stuck to the sides of the blood vessels) and leach it out of the body.  Whether this works, or what the statistical rate of success or failure is, is unknown.  

[tony969]

Yes, I tried Pauling Therapy- I am taking 6000 mg Vitamin C/powder/ L-Lysine and L-proling/ all powders/. In the beginning felt a little better, but after a month did not notice any difference. Anyway, I still keep taking them. Like you said- I don't think the doctors will approve chelation but the more we share- the better idea we will have how it works.

[jdb7560]

Ah, I seen the AHA doesn't buy into chelation therapy. So who knows. Of course, if chelation worked, it would turn the economics of cardiac related therapy upside down. It is a billion dollar business.

[jdb7560]

So the Pauling therapy is not working for you?

I don't know much about chelation. And I am curious why it is not used more often. I mean, a bypass or chelation? One seems obviously better. Do you have to request it or are doctors hesitant to use it?

[tony969]

I am 47 year old male, very athletic but unfortunately 4 months ago I had a heart attack/my left ventricle artery was 100% occluded/ and 2 regular metal stents were placed in my middle LAD. It was a big shock for everybody, especially for me, since my cholesterol was 170 at that time and even during my heart attack my blood pressure was 124/80. Plus genetically nobody has had or died of heart attack among my relatives. I do not eat fried or fast food so my diet was generally ok. My pain never stopped after that- I was experiencing constant chest pressure and shortness of breath but my doctor here did not pay any attention. He was saying that “etiology of my pain is not known but it shouldn’t be anything cardiac since my stress test was ok”.Last month I ended up in the emergency room with re-stenosis /one of the stents was clogged 99% and another stent was placed inside of those two. This time was Xience 5- drug eluted stent that went inside other two. The doctor started paying a little attention and even apologize that he did not listen to me.Since then/it’s been a little over a month/ I continue to experience the same problems. Every day I have pain- it doesn’t matter if I exercise or just sit in my office. The pain may start in the middle of the chest but moves to right or left, goes to back/upper part only/ and my shoulders/. Right above my breast bones hurt sometimes more and it is very tender to touch. Before I had my heart attack, I have never experienced anything like that- everything started after the stents were placed. Any suggestions or comments will be greatly appreciated- I can not function normally. I hope the stem cell science will advance much faster than we anticipate and will bring a new avenue and hope to people like us. In the meantim I am taking 6000 mg of Vitamin C along with L-Lysine and L-proline. I have read a lot about chelation but it don't have very much information how it's done. Could you give me more particular information: where to go, who to contact, how the process is done? Did you husband have heart attack? Thank you in advance

[allmymarbles]

I presume you have coronary artery disease. Vitamin C is an anti-inflammatory and in that sense is good, but I have never heard that it could remove plaque. However, IV chelation can. I know because my husband was free of heart problems for 15 years after he underwent chelation. Then the problem reappeared and he underwent chelation again.

[peggy64]

your dr laughed because he does not know about the subject, and this lets him sidestep and still appear intelligent.

[M4Y0U]

It's not just Vitamin C but the combination of all the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants such as polyphenols and other phytochemicals and a healthy lifestyle/diet including physical exercise that is good for you heart. But indeed Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and it is essential for healing.

Best regards,
M4

[mammo]

Due to its antioxidant properties, vitamin C has been used in patients with ischemic heart disease. Early data suggest that vitamin C may have a benefit on blood flow in the heart but more research is needed to confirm these findings.