Fatal Heart Attacks…Caused by Your Medication?

By Dr. Al Sears on 11/17/2009


My old college roommate, R.G. looked a mess when he came to me. A month after his heart attack he was in my clinic desperate for help.
“If this is what it feels like to survive a heart attack I’d rather be dead!”
His doctor had him on a laundry list of drugs, including statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs), beta-blockers to “protect” his heart and nitrates to keep his blood vessels open.

Doctors often prescribe nitrates at the first sign of chest pain. But this common medication for chest pain actually increases your risk of having a fatal heart attack.

Luckily, there are natural and safe alternatives to nitrates. I’ll tell you about these alternatives, and I’ll tell you what you can take to protect your heart from these drugs.

Millions of Americans take nitrates, such as nitroglycerin. You can take them as tablets you swallow, sublinguals you place under your tongue or as patches you apply to your skin. Here is a list of the most common nitrates:

· Dilatrate
· Imdur
· Ismo
· Isordil
· Isosorbide
· Nito-Bid
· Nitro-Dur
· Nitroglycerin
· Nitrolingual
· Nitrostat
· Minitran
· Monoket

People take nitrates to relieve heart symptoms. Angina is chest pain caused by a temporary lack of blood flow to the heart. Nitrates will temporarily open blood vessels to allow blood to flow back into the heart.

However, as they do this they damage the sensitive lining of your heart’s blood vessels called the endothelium. This eventually makes the endothelium stop its normal functioning (endothelial dysfunction). People with endothelial dysfunction suffer from more heart attacks.

A now landmark study from Japan revealed just how damaging nitrates are. People who took nitrates on a regular basis were 2.4 times more likely to have a major cardiac event than those who didn’t take nitrate drugs. And the nitrate accelerated any damage already present in the heart. [1]

Nitrates temporarily dilate blood vessels by helping to produce nitric-oxide molecules. Nitric oxide (NO2) naturally opens blood vessels.
Fortunately, nitrates aren’t the only substances that cause the release of NO2. Several naturally occurring nutrients can also release NO2. These supplements have the same effect, without harming the heart.


L-arginine: The most important of these supplements is l-arginine. L-arginine is a precursor for NO2. This means that it has a hand in the production of NO2. L-arginine gently causes blood vessels to dilate and improves endothelial dysfunction.

The International Journal of Cardiology published a study, which analyzed 35 people with endothelial dysfunction. Researchers split people into two groups. One group took l-arginine, while the other took a placebo. Those who took the l-arginine saw an improvement in the health of their endothelium. The placebo group had no significant change. [2]


Taurine: Taurine is an amino acid that protects against endothelial dysfunction and endothelial cell death. Taurine also causes vessel dilation. Scientists have seen the benefits of taurine in the lab. As a powerful antioxidant taurine protects the heart lining. Taurine can actually prevent endothelial cells from dying. [3]


Folic Acid: Folic acid lowers levels of toxic substances that irritate the heart’s lining. Less irritation means a reduction in cardiac events.
In one well-done study, researchers found “folic acid supplementation significantly improved endothelial dysfunction…” [4]


Vitamins C and E: Both Vitamin C and E have antioxidant effects on the lining of you blood vessels. The vitamins protect the lining from damage. They do this by blocking the oxidative stress caused by irritants like nitrates. Take a mixture of tocopherols and tocotrienols (the two kinds of vitamin E) for the best protection.


If you are on nitrates, you may be able to switch to a more gentle natural nutritional approach to relief symptoms without damaging the delicate living system lining the blood vessels of your heart.

You should also check your C-reactive protein and homocysteine levels. As their levels rise, your chance of having a heart attack does too. Controlling these inflammatory factors can have the opposite effect of the nitrate drugs and keep you heart blood vessels supple and responsive.


Sources:

1. Circulation Supplement II Circulation 2002 Nov; 106(19): Preliminary Abstract 1494

2. Lekakis J. et al., Oral l-arginine improves endothelial dysfunction in patients with essential hypertension. Int J Cardiol 2002 Dec; 86(2-3): 317-323

3. Wang J. et al., The beneficial effect of taurine on the prevention of human endothelial cell death. Shock 1996 Nov; 6(5): 331-338

4. Title L. et al., Effect of folic acid and antioxidant vitamins on endothelial dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease. Am Coll Cardiology 2000 Sep; 36(3): 758-65


About the author

Dr. Al Sears is fast becoming the nation's leading authority on longevity and heart health. His cutting edge breakthroughs and commanding knowledge of alternative medicine have been transforming the lives of his patients for over 15 years.

Learn more at:
http://www.alsearsmd.com


Posted in: Heart and Cardiovascular Herbs and Supplements


Researched by:
@mannaglide

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This information is not, and is not intended to replace actual medical advice from a qualified doctor.

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