Cardiomyopathy

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Cardiomyopathy

 

This doctor gave a guy six months to live.

The guy couldn't pay his bill.

The doctor gave him another six months.

(Henny Youngman)

 

Raised very much as a boy, in the 1950's and early

60's, I had my usual assortment of heroes. My Dad, of

course, was one of them. I remember one of our usual

wretched snowy Rochester winters. Pa took the bus to

work at the time, and had a short walk from the bus

stop to our house. Half way home from the bus stop,

there was a sidewalk plow, really a tractor with an

oversized snowblower in front, that had been clearing

the walk of at least two feet of new snow. The

operator was trying to clear a stick or ice chunk from

the blades with his heavily booted foot. The only

problem was that the fellow had left the machinery

running, and it was stronger than he thought. It took

the end of his foot clean off, boot and all. There

was blood gushing everywhere, scarlet spatters all

over the white snow. Pa never missed a step.

Instantly, he grabbed the man, pushed a big handful of

snow onto the wound, and held it there. He carried

the fellow to the nearest house, a two-family orange

brick apartment. He pounded on the door, an old man

opened it, and in they went, blood and all, all over

the man's carpet. An ambulance was called. The man

lived.

 

I never found out what happened to his toes.

 

There have been a handful of times when I've had a

role in saving a life. One in particular stands out.

 

Dave was 51, intelligent and cheerful. He had

brought his entire family to see me over the years.

This time his wife brought him.

 

" So what's up? " I asked them. They looked awfully

serious that morning.

 

" Dave has been to the doctor, and to a cardiologist, "

said his wife Sandra. " He has been diagnosed with

dilated cardiomyopathy. "

 

If you looked carefully, you could see that she was

near tears.

 

Dave nodded his head.

 

" It doesn't look so good, " Dave said.

 

" How bad is it? " I asked.

 

" The specialists said I have two years to live,

unless I get a heart transplant, and there is even

doubt about that. "

 

He looked at his wife, and then down, and then at me.

 

" Anything we can do? " Dave asked quietly.

 

There it was again: that question, that single

question that makes the difference between passive

surrender and active resistance.

 

" What have the doctors offered besides a transplant? "

I asked.

 

" They said there is no other treatment, " Dave

answered.

 

" It sounds like you have little alternative but to

try some alternatives, " I said. " There is in fact

literature supporting the use of diet, vitamin E,

vitamin C, a substance called coenzyme Q-10, and the

essential fatty acids linoleic and linolenic acid.

Want to hear about them? "

 

They sure did.

 

" Dave, the first thing you have to do is lose

weight, " I said.

 

He looked at me with a childlike, " Do I hafta? "

 

But Dave said, " I know. I've let myself go for the

last five years at least. What's the best way to do

it? "

 

" What do you think? " I responded.

 

" Exercise, right? "

 

" Sure. " Everybody knows it; it's just that not

everybody does it.

 

" What exercise is best for me? " asked Dave.

 

" The one you will actually do, " I answered. It is a

stock reply, but a true one. " What do you like to

do? "

 

" Well, walking. Don't do it much, because I have a

desk job. But I like walking. "

 

I waited.

 

" I could walk on my lunch hour, " Dave said presently.

" Weekends, too. Sandra will walk with me. "

 

Sandra nodded vigorously.

 

" What else should I do? " said Dave.

 

" Vegetable juice fasting: a week on, and a week off.

Repeat until you've lost 30 pounds at least. Do you

own a juicer? "

 

" Yes, " smiled Dave. " But we haven't been using it. "

 

" Well then. dust it off and start today, " I said.

" You will also need to supply the heart with the

special nutrients it prefers, specifically the fatty

acids. Linolenic acid is found in fish, leafy green

veggies, and flaxseed oil. Linoleic acid is found in

oils in general. Lecithin contains both. "

 

" How do you pronounce that word again? " said Sandra.

 

" Lecithin? Remember it this way: 'You are less-a-thin

than you used-to-a-be.' "

 

They both laughed politely at such low humor.

 

I continued, " There is about half a gram of linolenic

acid in a tablespoon of lecithin granules. There's

eight times as much linoleic acid. Try to have three

to five tablespoons a day. Most people work up to

that amount gradually. "

 

" How do you take it? " asked Sandra. Dave pursed his

mouth, bracing himself for the worst.

 

" Stir it into yogurt, or juice. It won't dissolve in

liquids, but just drift around. Down it quickly, and

follow with something you like to eat. It doesn't

taste bad, but it's not everybody's first choice,

either. It is by far the cheapest source of the

essential fatty acids. Your heart preferentially

burns them for fuel. It is analogous to 'high-test'

premium gas for a car. "

 

" You keep saying 'fatty acids.' Isn't lecithin high

in fat? " said Sarah.

 

" It is if you ate nothing else. But even five

tablespoons a day is 24 grams of fat, or about 30% of

the Recommended Daily Value. On a vegetable juice

diet, you will have no other source of fat, so you

need it here. For that matter, lecithin is a

lipotrophic compound, and may help mobilize and get

rid of fat buildups in the body. That part is

controversial, but the heart's need for the fatty

acids is beyond question. "

 

" What about vitamins? " Dave asked.

 

" Little doubt about those, either. In animals,

vitamin E deficiency will cause heart conditions much

like cardiomyopathy. Vitamin E seems to help the

heart do more work on less fuel and oxygen. 'E'

increases your heart's stroke volume, that is, the

amount of blood pumped per beat. Stronger, more

regular heartbeats are essential for you, Dave. "

 

" No argument! " Dave replied. " How much? "

 

" Working up gradually to somewhere between 1,000 and

2,000 IU a day is what I've read. Be sure the Vitamin

E is the natural, d-alpha tocopherol type. 'Mixed

Natural Tocopherols' on the label would be better

still. "

 

Sandra dutifully wrote all of this down on a notepad.

 

I went on. " Vitamin C is needed for all connective

tissue. Deficiency, really severe vitamin C

deficiency like scurvy, results in profound connective

tissue and muscle damage. I'd also recommend calcium

and magnesium, as orotates, aspartates or citrates for

best absorption. Hans Neiper, MD, one of Europe's

finest cardiologists, uses those extensively. You

could and probably should double the RDA of both. "

 

" That is a lot of stuff to be taking, along with the

juicing and the lecithin, " Dave said.

 

" Don't worry, there's more, " I said with a cheesy

grin. " Coenzyme Q-10 has shown promise in conditions

like yours. It is a bit pricey, but worth it under

the circumstances. "

 

" How much of that will I need? " said Dave.

 

" Hard to say. Physicians use between 100 and 400

milligrams a day. It certainly will not hurt you if

you take the high end of that, so get a bottle, read

the dosage information on the label, and take as much

as you can afford to. "

 

" He can't afford not to, " Sandra said, as if on

cue. " We'll do all of it. Won't you, Dave. "

 

" Yep, " Dave said.

 

And he did. We talked a few times over the next two

months, and each time Dave felt better and better.

 

" I lost over 30 pounds, " Dave said. " I'm increased

my walking to over two miles every day. I can handle

5 or 6 cups of juice easy, sometimes eight. And I'm

taking all those pills you told me about. "

 

" Vitamins, Dave. They are all non-prescription

nutritional supplements. "

 

" Vitamins, right. Sure, who cares! I feel great! "

 

" What have the doctors said? " I asked.

 

" They said I've gotten no worse, so keep doing

whatever I'm doing. "

 

" That'll certainly do for starters, " I replied.

 

In healing, there are levels of achievement. We

always hope for cure, fast and unconditional. We can

be well pleased with improvement, even if gradual and

partial. And any progress is good. Keeping a serious

disease from getting any worse is success. Slowing a

rate of decline is well worth doing. Improving length

of life is a victory, and failing that, better quality

of life is still desirable. You try for the best, and

see what you get.

 

Dave and I talked again some months later.

 

" Just have been to the cardiologist! " said Dave.

" I'm symptom free! They " know " I have dilated

cardiomyopathy, but they can't find a single symptom

of it. I have no pain at all. This is wonderful! "

 

Sure was. And after five years, he was still pain

free.

 

Copyright C 1999 and prior years Andrew W. Saul.

From the books QUACK DOCTOR and PAPERBACK CLINIC,

available from Dr. Andrew Saul, Number 8 Van Buren

Street, Holley, New York 14470.