Submitted by: Varsha Rathod, M.D.

If your blood vessels were laid end-to-end, they would extend approximately 60,000 miles! This is a long way to travel without coming across bumps in the road. These bumps are plaque build-up, clots that form in the arteries, and chronic damage from smoldering inflammation of the blood vessel wall. Inflammation can result from high insulin (type II Diabetes and pre-Diabetes), dental infections, smoking, stress, and other chronic infections.

Traditional medicine offers solutions such as bypass surgery and angioplasty after your blood vessels become blocked. These procedures are usually temporary and have not conclusively been shown to prevent heart problems, or extend life, and may be associated with serious side effects. A landmark study shows that angioplasty, at an average cost of $40,000 per patient, was no better than medical management!* Medical management consists of drugs, diet, and exercise. At Preventive Medicine I take a wholistic approach to medical management. Taking a wholistic approach to your heart means preventing those bumps in the road from forming as well as opening existing blockages. I use EDTA Chelation Therapy in conjunction with supplements, diet, stress reduction, and exercise.

EDTA Chelation is a non-surgical, intravenous method to restoring normal vascular and cellular function. Chelation removes toxic metals and calcium from soft tissues, inhibits free radical damage, promotes circulation in existing arteries, and encourages new blood flow. The whole body benefits from these results, not just blocked arteries. There are many hypotheses on how EDTA works. EDTA can stabilize enzymes that can break down plaque. It can also decrease free radicals which damage artery walls. Free radical damage can lead to plaque formation.

I evaluate each patient based on his/her condition to determine if Chelation could be beneficial. Chelation therapy is administered intravenously (IV) in our office. The American College for the Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) estimates that more than 500,000 people have undergone Chelation therapy safely using the ACAM protocol. Side effects are mild and can include low blood sugar, fatigue, and headache.

Chelation treatments can also be used for preventive measures. This may be beneficial especially for those who have a family history of heart disease, stroke, circulatory problems, suffer from diabetes, or other chronic illness. Remember, disease manifests after you notice symptoms of disease. Recognizing and addressing those symptoms makes all the difference when taking a pro-active approach to your health. Varsha Rathod, M.D.

Reference: Study Performed By: Heart Institute of the University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Circulation. 2007 Mar 6;115(9):1082-9

Additional Readings: Bypassing Bypass Surgery, Questions from the Heart

Wholistic Heart Health

Did you know that according to the American Heart Association heart disease is the largest killer of men and women in the United States? Someone dies every minute from a coronary event. Researchers continue to search for the best means to predict, prevent, and treat this killer. Emphasis is often placed on the common risk factors most people are familiar with such as cigarette smoking, high blood cholesterol, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. However, you cant always rely on these factors as sole predictors. For instance, high cholesterol is a risk factor in heart disease, but not all heart attack patients have high cholesterol levels.

Some physicians have started to recognize that valuable diagnostic information may be gleaned from measuring levels of homocysteine and C-reactive protein in the blood. Elevated levels of these two markers indicate inflammation in the cardiovascular system. Inflammation is believed to cause significant damage and plaque formation in the arteries.

Homocysteine is an amino acid found naturally in the body. High levels of homocysteine damage the arterial walls and cause inflammation. Levels of homocysteine will rise when there are nutritional deficiencies of vitamins B12, B6 and folic acid. Supplementation with these vitamins is known to lower homocysteine levels.

The other marker, C-reactive protein, indicates the presence of excessive inflammation in the circulatory system. Various research studies have noted a correlation between high levels of C-reactive protein and an increased risk of stroke and heart attack. Inflammation can be reduced by eating a heart-healthy diet consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, walnuts, flaxseeds and fish, while avoiding hydrogenated oils (margarine, shortening) as well as saturated fats from meat and dairy products. This diet is the same one recommended for patients struggling with insulin resistance and diabetes.

Maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system and managing heart disease has multiple components. Dr. Varsha Rathod at Preventive Medicine uses tools provided by conventional and alternative medicine to treat her patients. Our patients feel empowered to embark on lifestyle changes by undergoing nutritional counseling and identifying stress reduction approaches that work for them. Many patients also come to Preventive Medicine for IV chelation treatments. Chelation is FDA approved for the treatment of heavy metal toxicity and is currently being studied as a means to prevent the progression of heart disease. It is believed that Chelation Therapy stabilizes multiple enzymes involved in the formation of plaque.

If you are interested in a wholistic approach to heart health please call Preventive Medicine at 314-997-5403, our staff would be happy to assist you.

About the Author: About the Author: Dr. Varsha Rathod is a Board Certified Rheumatologist and Internist. Preventive Medicine has focused on a combination of traditional and holistic medicine since 1967. For more information about alternative solutions, visit

preventivemedicinestl.com

or call 314-997-5403.

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