A reader’s husband, who is in his seventies, had triple bypass surgery two and a half years ago and has been taking aspirin and statins ever since. Recently, because of pain in his arm and increasing breathlessness, he took a treadmill test and is suspected to have more blocked arteries.  His wife is desperate to know if there is any way to clear the plaque form his arteries by natural means and prevent future problems.  Currently, he follows a vegan diet (and has done for the past 25 years), with no saturated fats apart from margarine (Suma Organic Sunflower Spread).  He takes a multivitamin/mineral supplement along with a B complex supplement, B12, and folic acid.  His alcohol intake is three to four glasses of red wine per day, with an occasional whiskey.  Can anyone offer advice?

Several readers point out that the statins could be causing your husband’s symptoms of muscle pain and breathlessness.  Check the patient information leaflet that comes with the medication, or speak to your GP, they suggest.  One reader explains that she experienced muscle pain and weakness from taking the statin drug Lipitor.  The pain disappeared once she stopped taking it and hasn’t reappeared since. 

Other readers believe that your husband’s vegan diet could be to blame for his artery problems.  “A vegan diet, with too many sugars (alcohol included), other carbs and a sedentary life style, is never a good idea and will cause atherosclerosis,” says one concerned reader.  It’s also likely he’s getting too much omega-6 and too little omega-3, says another.  “We need an equal ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. To help achieve this, stop the margarine intake, find a good quality coconut oil, and, if he won't take fish oil then use flaxseed oil to ensure an adequate intake of omega-3s.”

Another reader recommends a complete dietary overhaul (see a qualified nutritionist for advice), along with a regime of professionally supervised, sensible exercise.

In addition to looking at his diet and lifestyle, your husband may also want to look into chelation therapy – recommended by a number of readers as an alternative method for clearing clogged arteries.  Chelation therapy is a process involving the use of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body, but it is being employed by a growing number of physicians to reverse the process of atherosclerosis through the removal of the calcium content of plaque from the artery walls.

One woman describes her husband’s experience with chelation therapy: “My husband had a heart bypass operation in 1993 when he was not yet 50 years old.  He was prescribed statin drugs and the quantity of these escalated as the years progressed, with almost no change in his cholesterol levels.  He was not at all happy taking these prescription drugs and began chelation therapy in late 2001, which was initially administered intravenously for three months, when we were living in London.  Once we returned home it was not possible to get this type of therapy, but in early 2003 we had found out about Detoxamin (www.detoxamin.com), chelation by suppository, which he has used ever since. You need to take a good vitamin/mineral supplement at the same time.  His arteries have been monitored and the latest results, in July 2006, showed that his arteries are clearer than 60 per cent of the male population of his age.  He has taken neither statins, nor aspirin since 2001 and is in very good health, not something which could have been expected after his heart bypass in 1993.”

Another idea is to try serrapeptase, a proteolytic enzyme with powerful anti-inflammatory properties.  According to one reader, it can clear the arteries in 12-18 months, depending on their condition.  For more information see www.serrapeptase.info. 

Finally, a couple of readers recommend high-dose vitamin C for blocked arteries.  To find out more about how this vitamin can reverse heart disease click here.

---

FREE REPORT: 100 WAYS TO LIVE TO BE 100

Click here for your free report ‘100 ways to live to be 100’

Breathlessness and muscle pain in the arm can also be side effects from taking statins. I had muscle pain and weakness from Lipitor which has never reappeared since I stopped taking it. The symptom is listed as a side effect on the leaflet that comes with the tablets.

Muscle pain and breathlessness can be side effects from statins.  It might be worth checking with your GP.

Margarine, especially polyunsaturated fat can still become a trans-fat (bad fat) due to processing, although I would think that an organic one has less trans-fat that normal.  Olive oil is far better and won't become a trans-fat even in processing or cooking. 

To clear plaque from the arteries naturally, eat raw garlic about 4 cloves per day.

Unfortunately it's not very sociable, so make sure you have plenty of fresh parsley to chew on to freshen the breath!

  

Hi

Please go the the following website : yourticker.com

There you will find they are selling a product called Angioprim, which does a good job of clearing plaque from arteries. I tried it myself and found it very good, although my case was mild. I found it a bit costly though. Good luck.

Heidi

There is a school of thought which says that the plaque is there to protect the arteries.  This is an evolutionary survival technique the body uses dating back to the days when man could not store fresh food through the winter.  In the summers the diet would be full of fresh fruit and veg, and loads of vitamins.  In the winter meat would predominate, leading to a shortage of vitamin C.  Vitamin C is useful for keeping the arteries smooth inside, and for keeping them elastic.  During the winters, with little in the way of vitamin C, the arteries would become weaker, and perhaps risk splitting due to loss of elasticity.  So the surplus cholesterol circulating in the blood was laid down over the weaknesses to protect the arteries from splitting.  In the summer the flood of vitiamin C would clear the plaque and simultaneously restore the quality of the arteries so that the plaque was not needed. 

Neways do a product especially for this, called Orachel, which drenches the body in the vitamin/minerals that are necessary for arterial health, and hence to strip out the cholesterol plaques.  There are reports of people waiting for surgery to clear the plaque/bypass ops who have cleared the blockages by the time they were called for surgery.  I have no personal experience of this, but it seems to make sense, and would be worth a try.  Good luck.

 Mary

I believe serrapeptase works on removal of tissue such as arterial plaque. Plenty of information on it on the Net. Available from Bodykind and others.
Alan

It seems you have several options to try, but the condition is probably a consequence of 25 years Vegan diet........ Omega 6 overload , lack of Omega 3...causing a total imbalance due to sunflower margarine and NO saturated fats....saturated fats are essential for a healthy diet and do not cause blocked arteries!!

A vegan diet, with too many sugars,(alchohol included!) other carbs... and a sedentary life style is never a good idea and will cause artheriosclerosis

The Statins are another recipe for serious problems I'm afraid and contrary to popular belief, asprin is not advisable either.

However, all is not lost.....a serious dietry overhaul should help the condition along with a regime of professionally supervised,sensible exercise.

---

David

I agree wholeheartedly with 'dgtucker' regarding the overload of Omega 6 fatty acid, particularly if its been from an oil that been through to hydrogination process as in the manafacture of margarine. We need an equal ratio of Omega 3/Omega 6 fatty acids. To help achieve this, STOP the margarine intake, find a good quality Coconut Oil (google it to check its many qualities), and as a vegan, if you won't take fish oil then use Flax Oil to ensure an adequate intake of Omega 3's.

On the artery issue, have a look at Chelation Therapy which involves a series of intravenous sessions where a dose of harmless chemicals are run through the system to break up the plaques.

I am just about to commence a course of treatment that I hope will clear my arteries.  I have been looking for a natural oral remedy that I could try to enable me to get rid of the chest pain.  Although chealation therepy is (in some quarters) controversial I am willing to accept the anecdotal evidence from the web pages and also having spoken personally to a few people who have used this product and found immense benefit.

Check this out for yourself before making any decisions.  www.angioprim.com

I believe that the medical profession work within the confines of their particular discipline and can only help me to manage my heart condition, it is my own responsibility to identify and carefully examine what is available to effect a complete cure and restore my health.

Look into chelation treatment with EDTA. 

My husband had a heart bypass operation in 1993 when he was not yet 50 years old. He was prescribed statin drugs and the quantity of these escalated as the years progressed, with almost no change in his cholesterol levels. He was not at all happy taking these prescription drugs and began chelation therapy in late 2001, which was initially administered intravenously for three months, when we were living in London. Once we returned home it was not possible to get this type of therapy, but in early 2003 we had found out about Detoxamin, www.detoxamin.com, chelation by suppository which he has used ever since. His arteries have been monitored and the latest results, in July 2006 showed that his arteries are clearer than 60% of the male population of his age. He has taken neither statins, nor aspirin since 2001 and is in very good health, not something which could have been expected after his heart bypass in 1993.

You need to take a good vitamin/mineral supplement at the same time.

The best and most tested supplement to clear arteries is, as mentioned above, the substance by the generic name of Serrapeptase. The medical profession has known about this for many years but as the pharmaceutical companies are not able to patent it, then the GPs in the field remain mostly ignorant of its benefits as it is not licensed for prescription purposes. Serrapeptase is a potent anti-inflammatory, it also clears phlegm from the lungs (this can be a slight irritant during the first few weeks of administering the substance) but more importantly, it clears dead tissue from the body including plaque. It takes about 12 - 18 months to clear arteries depending on their condition. It is otherwise a benign substance. It is worthy of taking Serrapeptase before and immediately after an operation to reduce swelling and increase the rate of healing.

Contrary to the popular belief on the benefits of vegetarianism; this diet is a killer, a slow one, but, a killer. When plaque was analysed it was discovered to consist of a massive 70% from polyunsaturated fats, 23% from saturated fats (which is reputed to occur only in the prersence of carbohydrates in the diet) and 7% from other sources. There is strong evidence which is judiciuosly being suppressed from the public arena that polyunsaturated fats (of whatever description) is harmful at the cellular level of the body but more importantly, not only does it block arteries but it is also a potent immunospressant, a carcinogenic, and may also disrupt the thyroid gland. Too much polyunsaturated fat in the diet is the cause of strokes as it makes the blood thinner (so too does Asprin etc). There is very little processed foods available that does not contain polyunsaturated or vegetable oils. Forget about the hype on omagas 3s, 6s, and 9s, as the liver makes its own from saturated fat in the diet. Genuine free-range eggs from hens that have the freedom to have a diet of slugs, beetles, worms, etc produce yolks with the correct balance of omagas. Apparently the body requires very little omegas and paradoxically too much is harmful.

Avoid trans fats used in margarines and shortenings etc which are decidedly harmful to the body at its cellular level with its consequential health problems.

Carbohydrates, of whatever description (breads, sugars, fruits), raises blood sugar to dangerously high levels and keeps it high. It is more important to keep a check on blood sugar levels than it is on blood pressure. Consistently high BS levels are the cause of diabetes or diabetic related health problems especially in later life. Avoid dry seeds in the diet; they contain a protein inhibitor and a poison. It is best to sprout them which helps to reduce this harmful effect and increases considerably their nutrient value.

Today's dietetic message is, eat plenty of saturated fat and protein from red meat (a return to our ancestral diet) and avoid trans and polyunsaturated fats entirely, ramp down on carbs and instead of having flakes and unpasteurised/ homogenised skimmed milk for breakfast, return to the streakey-bacon and eggs fried in dripping; you'll love it and feel fitter, healthier, and much happier (and you will continue to retain your libido). Avoid too soy products which are also reputed to be harmful.

Regretfully, all animals produced for the food-line are in some way interfered with but the best meat currently on the market is both lamb and Aberdeen Angus (Scotch beef) as both those animals are principally meadow fed for the greater part of the year.

Here is some worthy reading matter: Dr Mary Enig's four part article on the 'Oiling of America' on Internet; Sally Fallon's book (listed in the library as a cookery book by someone who had not read it; it is a treatise on nutrition) 'Nourishing Traditions' and especially Bruce Fife's book 'Saturated Fat May Save Your Life' (an extremely interesting read). If you have not yet done so have a look at www.second-opinion.co.uk and as mentioned above Dr Mercola's Web site.

It may be wise to Google for goitrogenic foods to ensure that your diet is as safe healthwise as is possible today, and good luck!

 

 

I would suggest reading the WDDTY article on the Vitamin C/heart/artery disease hypothosis and see what you think of that or read The Great Cholesterol Con by Dr Malcolm Kendrick ISBN 978-1-84454-360-1. 

My suggestions:

Your body after so many years is probably too acidic, the acid makes you blood ph too acidic (say 6.9 when it should be 7.4) This damages the walls of your arteris.

The cholesterol is formed when the body is short on Vitamin C, then to fix the arteries it take the alkaline element from your bones (calcium & potasium) to patch up your arteris, this result in a thicker and stiffer build up than the normal organic matter created using Vit C.

Therefore, 1st take lots of Vit C, progressively moving to a high dose, in your case could be up to 60gm/dy or more. Check out the net there are some very good book on Vit C which explains why it works (the big pharma dont want you to know this as they cant patent it!).

Then look at reducing your body acidity. Check out the food you eat and drink.

Get a water alkalizer and drink heaps of water 2ltr /dy of very alkaline. This in some way makes it a lot easier for a 70yo than to totally change diet. It will result long term in a change of diet anyway, as the body with the water re-learn to react to acid food. See the net for lots of sources on Alkaline water.

Good luck, Alain.

My experience may not relate to the breathlessness and arm pain in the above concern, but I have taken Lipitor for over 10 years. A few years ago I began to have muscle pain in legs, arms, all over, as I  recall. I reviewed my newsletters from Dr. Weil (Arizona doctor who is frequently on TV) and found his statement, in more than one newsletter,  that anyone taking statins, should also be taking CQ10. My own primary doctor and heart doctor verified this. I began to take it immediately, and the muscle problem cleared up.  The warnings that come with statins mention the "rare" possibility of muscle pain. I began taking only about 60 mg, which improved my condition. But when I reported what happened to my heart doctor, he told me to double that amount. I am now taking 100 mg daily. Not everyone seems to have the problem, and I did not for many years, but I now have warned those I know who take statins to watch for any increased muscle pain.