My cardiologists told me that there is nothing that will remove the plaque from my blocked heart arteries.

They stated that improving cholesterol levels will prevent further "hardening of the arteries", but will not reverse already clogged ones.

Lenin told me on another thread that taking statins and and thereby improving LDL will (may?) reverse plaque. I surely hope that is true, and hope to see more discussion on this subject. Are you there, Lenin? :wave:

On that same subject, there is information that "supplements" can do this job. For example can taking lecithin help?

Has anyone been successful with other supplements? Some people call them "oral chelators."

Certain types of statins, and the blood pressure drug beta blockers have been shown to reduce plaque. Ask your doctor about these, as there are recent medical studies to back them up.

Supplements are less promising sadly. Among those alleged to reduce plaque are grapefruit pectin. An Israeli medical study claimed that pomegranite juice every day reduced plaque.

Oral chelation is a highly questionable and controversial alternative approach. From what I have read, there is no evidence it works, and it s not accepted by the medical community as an effective, harmless approach.

Good luck!

acp

Thanks, ACP. Actually after I posted the question, I have done a lot of searching on the internet.

I found many articles by doctors, some by cardiologists, that regular exercise will reverse narrowing of the arteries, and it makes sense to me.

You see, I have a bad hip and cannot walk far, so for the last several years have used that as an exuse for doing nothing (although I do garden in the summer months). Can no longer cross country ski, or cycle.

Now, since my heart attack in March, I have started going to the pool to exercise in the deep water, and just started using my stationery bicycle that has remained idle for years. I have found that the pool work-out makes me feel very much better for the whole day.

By the way, I do take pomegranate extract. Also lecithin. Have taken lipitor until about 2 weeks ago. I very seldom get angina in the evenings now, although at first I could tolerate very little exertion in the evenings.

As well, my cardiologist and Cario Rehab have strongly advised to use a lot of Omega 3 oils, such as fish oil.

On the subject of statin drugs (Lipitor), I found that it was affecting my leg (the one with the bad hip), and I often could not even put my weight down, as the leg would start to "give way."

Being off Lipitor, is one of the reasons I am interested in any supplements that would repair the narrowing of the arteries, as I have 25% blockage in the lower left part of the heart.

Many doctors are recommending fish oil along with other medications to lower LDL. Take enough capsules for the DHA and EPA to equal 1000 mg. daily. If you are on Coumadin, you should talk to your doctor before using the fish oil. I also take Flaxseed oil. Along with lowering your LDL, you should focus on raising your HDL. Exercise and a very moderate use of alcohol (one or two glasses of wine or beer daily) will help build HDL. Lowering your LDL and raising your HDL will give you your best shot at reversing your plaque build-up.

The only thing that has been proven to come close to actually reversing plaque in arteries is Dr. Ornish's approach which includes a diet that is very low in fat and rich in complex carbs with very little, if any, meat or non-fat dairy products. This is part of his "total system" that includes weight loss, exercise and meditation. It is a very demanding system that is difficult to follow and is not for the faint of heart (no pun intended). But if someone is sufficiently motivated, it is not impossible to follow.

On that same subject, there is information that "supplements" can do this job. For example can taking lecithin help?

Has anyone been successful with other supplements? Some people call them "oral chelators."

Lecithin:
It IS a potent emulsifier of fat and thus I have taken it on and off for many years...what, if any arterial benefits? Who knows? I started taking it becasue I read some thirty yea5rs ago that it is good for preventing fatty livers in drinkers.:angel:

Claims for other "supplements" to reverse plaque are pure charletanism.
There are no effective oral chelating agents....claims that Vitamin C is one is probably the most irresponsible of all and it's repeated over and over and over again.

I think there MIGHT be some intuitive evidence that regular ALCOHOL is heart protective by removing fats from vessel walls. After all, alcohol dissolves fats.:D That MIGHT be where the statistical provable cardiac benefit from alcohol comes from.

So is it really a good idea for your heart to have a glass of red wine or 2 every night? How will that react with blood pressure medicine like toprol?

In general, most doctors do not advise a patient to start drinking alcohol to get the benefits of the one or two drinks. They would rather stress other lifestyle changes (losing weight, cholesterol reduction, diet etc.) However, if the patient already takes that one or two drinks a day, it is usually considered a positive thing especially when it comes to raising HDL and they would not tell the patient to stop drinking unless there are contra-indications.

If you are on Toprol, drinking alcohol will make you drowsy or dizzy. So if you are on any heart medication, it is a good idea to check with your doctor before starting to drink.

I came across an article that mentioned that two drugs used to shrink cancer tumors are showing promise for slowing growth of fatty deposits in arteries which can cause heart disease and stroke. One of the drugs, TNP-470, has already passed safety tests in humans and was given to mice with high cholesterol and it dramatically inhibited buildup of plaque. The other drug is called endostatin and it also showed ability to inhibit growth of plaque in blood vessels. Obviously they are still experimental and let's hope they will be ready for use in our life-time. In the meantime, the best defense is still a heart healthy regimen to prevent that plaque from forming in those arteries in the first place.

In general, most doctors do not advise a patient to start drinking alcohol to get the benefits of the one or two drinks. They would rather stress other lifestyle changes (losing weight, cholesterol reduction, diet etc.)

nosa,
That misplaced fear of creating raging alcoholics is, IMHO, an example of the grossly misplaced "care" that some doctors like to think they are giving patients. It reminds me of depriving patient dying in painful agony of adequate pain medication becasue of fears that they might cause "drug addiction." For some silly reason doctors seem occasionally to turn "schoolmarmish" or "moralistic" for no reason...perhaps it's a natural consequence of an overblown ego.;)

Anybody with heart issues, plaque issues, or cholesterol issues, especially low HDL, would be foolish not to avail himself of 2 or 3 drinks a day...there is no drug that raises HDL better than alcohol, even niacin, and the alcohol flush is SO much more pleasant.
If the doctors used consistent logic they would be forced to say "we don't recommend starting statins because they can cause rhabdomyolysis, but if you're already taking a statin then continue"...sounds nutsy, doesn't it? :jester:

The proviso against the two drinks is, of course, VERY wise for someone with serious booze issues. Alas, I must count muself in that number. I NEED HDL enhancement but I cannot use daily booze because 2 drinks to me means 2 BOTTLES of wine. Dammit.

Lutheran,
Two glasses of wine each night won't interfere with your beta-blocker.

What would you recommend Lenin? Is wine the best way for me to get this increase in HDL or some other way? Beer? I really need to raise that HDL as mine is under 40 whilst my total cholesterol is around 180. Thats not good. I also want to take the non flush Niacin thats in my local CVS. Will that also help me?

Lutheran,

It's the alcohol that helps and not really the manner of delivery. Red wine claims the addition of resveratol as heart-protective but the evidence isn't strong that red wine is any better than beer or spirits.

Whatever floats your boat and delivers about 1 ounce or more of pure ethyl alcohol is fine...that's about 2 can of beer, 2 glasses of wine (8 ounce total) or a big stiff martini or Manhattan.