Why Nutrient Supplementation Is Important in Heart Failure and Arrhythmia

[Guest guest]

Why Nutrient Supplementation Is Important in Heart Failure and Arrhythmia

_http://www4.dr-rath-foundation.org/NHC/articles/2008_08_15_heart_failure.html

_

(http://www4.dr-rath-foundation.org/NHC/articles/2008_08_15_heart_failure.html)

 

Dr A. Niedzwiecki, Dr med B. Bhanap, Dr med M. Rath

 

Dr Rath Research Institute

Santa Clara, California, USA

 

Heart failure is a deteriorating condition accompanied by edema, fatigue and

difficulty conducting even simple activities. It affects people at any age

and it often develops as a result of heart disease. Heart failure patients

often suffer from irregular heart beat, a frightening condition that carries a

risk of a sudden death. About five million people in the US are affected by

heart failure and arrhythmia and about 30-40% of them die within one year of

diagnosis. Heart failure together with malignant cancers is responsible for

more than half of the deaths in people 45 years old and older.

 

Unfortunately, heart failure and arrhythmia are increasing. Although many

new pharmaceutical drugs have become available they focus not on the root cause

of these problems but on the symptoms, and are associated with a very high

risk of side effects.

 

This article indicates that it is time for major revision of current health

approaches and presents new cellular medicine-based therapeutic directions in

these diseases.

 

Major concerns with pharmaceutical approaches

 

A recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) highlighted

setbacks in the treatment of irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) and

heart

failure. The June 19, 2008 edition of this journal emphasized the importance

of the issue by publishing two clinical studies in patients suffering from

these health problems and devoting an editorial section to this topic.

 

One of the studies compared the efficacy of current medications used in

controlling heart rhythm (rhythm control) and regulating heart rate (rate

control) in patients suffering from atrial fibrillation and heart failure. The

conclusions were clear: medications used in both categories have very dangerous

side effects and are not effective in solving the problems.

 

The other study described the shocking results of a supposedly better drug,

Dronedarone, a superior alternative to Amiodarone for the treatment of severe

heart failure. The clinical trial was planned for two years, but had to be

prematurely terminated within seven months of its initiation, due to an

alarming number of deaths reported in the Dronedarone group compared to the

placebo

group. The cause of such an increase in the number of deaths was primarily

associated with worsening of heart failure. The authors emphasized that

Dronedarone should not be used in heart failure patients with reduced left

ventricular function. Was the prescription of this drug stopped? Of course not.

The

manufacturers of the drug simply turned to other disease markets for

Dronedarone, to protect their investment. Currently, the drug is being evaluated

in a

large clinical trial as a treatment for cardiovascular events in patients

diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and other risk factors, which means that more

people will risk developing dangerous health problems – or even death.

 

It is alarming that – after repeated drug failures and the deaths of

hundreds of people – no health authority stands up to defend the health

interests of

the patients. It is also unfortunate that the scientific community,

primarily sponsored by drug companies, refuses to take a closer look at the

real

cause of heart failure and aim for a cure.

 

Bio-energy – the Core of a Healthy Heart

 

It is a well-known fact – confirmed in numerous clinical studies – that

deprivation of cardiac energy is the most important factor in developing heart

failure and irregular heart rhythm. The human heart is a muscle that requires

tremendous amounts of bio-energy to support its beats (conducted at regular

intervals 100,000 times per day for our entire life) and to provide strength

to recycle approximately ten tons of blood through the body. This energy is

produced in our cells in the form of adenosine tri phosphate (ATP) molecules

and our heart uses lots of them – about 6 kilograms of ATP (more than 12

pounds) per day.

 

The formation of bio-energy in the minuscule cell organelles (mitochondria)

is not a single process, but occurs in several steps which require

B-vitamins, vitamin C, minerals (e.g. magnesium) and other natural substances

(e.g.

coenzyme Q10). It is a well known fact that deficiency of just vitamin B1

(thiamine) leads to a condition known as “wet beri-beri,†manifested by an

enlarged heart, edema and lack of energy – the same features that accompany

heart

failure. As early as 1931 a clinical case study demonstrated the effective

reversal of “beri-beri heart†with vitamin B1 re-supplementation. (Ref.1,2)

 

The primary energy fuel for the heart muscle is not glucose, but fatty

acids. However, they cannot be burned in the energy cycle without the presence

of

a molecule called carnitine, which transports fatty acids into the

mitochondria. It is not surprising that the largest quantities of carnitine are

found

in muscle tissue. Carnitine deficiencies are likely because this nutrient is

formed from vitamin C and lysine, both of which are not manufactured in our

body and come only from the diet. Carnitine supplementation is therefore

important, especially for vegetarians, because plants are not a sufficient

source

for this nutrient.

 

Pharmaceutical Drugs Contribute to Aggravating Heart Failure

 

The need for a constant supply of biological energy to support optimal heart

function is well understood and accepted by the medical community. However,

the majority of pharmaceutical drugs used in heart failure patients are

designed not to re-fuel the working heart muscle with bio-power but to decrease

the expenditure of energy. Therefore, various “energy-sparing†drugs –

such as

ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers – do not eliminate the “empty tankâ€

problem

and even generate many adverse physiological consequences. In addition,

since many of these drugs deplete our body of essential nutrients critical for

cellular bio-energy production, they further aggravate cellular

energy-deficiency. For example:

 

Diuretics,

which are used as the primary treatment of heart failure – to remove water

accumulated in the tissues thereby lessening edema – also wash out critical

water soluble vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin B1, and minerals like

potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, etc. These micronutrients are essential

cofactors in the bio-energy generating cycle in the heart muscle cells.

 

Beta-blockers,

similarly to statin drugs, strip the body of the cardio-essential nutrient

coenzyme Q-10. This micronutrient is critical in the generation of ATP in cell

mitochondria. Numerous clinical studies document that supplementation with

coenzyme Q10 improves heart function in heart failure patients. (Ref.3,4)

 

Digoxin

depletes magnesium and B vitamins, which are essential for optimum

bio-energy production in cells.

 

The risk of deepening these micronutrient deficiencies is further

potentiated by anti-arrhythmic medications. It is not surprising therefore that

the

most common side effect of anti-arrhythmic drugs is: arrhythmia. In addition,

the drug-induced “energy saving†action further impairs blood circulation

in

the body and blood supply to many vital organs, including the brain,

contributing to depression and a decreased quality of life observed in heart

failure

patients.

 

Consequently, with time, such “treatments†of heart failure and arrhythmia

add to a vicious cycle of micronutrient depletion and additional weakening of

the heart muscle, thus leading to still further deterioration of the patient’

s health.

 

Increased Cellular Energy Production with Cellular Medicine

 

Dr. Matthias Rath’s Cellular Medicine approach provides a breakthrough in

understanding the root causes, prevention and adjunct treatment of heart

failure and arrhythmia. It recognizes that in most cases, heart insufficiency

and

irregular heart beat develop as a result of a chronic deficiency of vitamins

and other nutrients that provide bioenergy to the cardiac muscle and

electrical rhythm controlling cells.

 

Although many clinicians recommend the use of individual micronutrients, or

their random combinations, our research indicates that it is critical that

nutrients are provided in the form of specifically selected teams based on

their synergy. This assures maximum effectiveness, without the need of high

doses

of individual components, and helps in maintaining metabolic balance. We

have clinically confirmed the effectiveness of nutrient synergy in patients

suffering from heart failure and arrhythmia.

 

Clinical trial with essential nutrient synergy in arrhythmia

 

Dr. Rath’s Research Institute sponsored a double blind placebo controlled

clinical trial in patients with arrhythmia. This multi-center study involved

131 patients between 18 and 70 years old who had at least one episode of

arrhythmia per month and were taking anti-arrhythmic medications with little

success. While continuing their medications, one group of these patients was

taking

a synergy–based nutritional formulation, and the other a placebo, for

24-weeks.

 

The results showed a significant decrease in the frequency of arrhythmic

episodes that improved with time. After three months, about 23% of the

participants taking supplements experienced a decrease of arrhythmic episodes.

Their

number almost doubled (about 43%) after six months of vitamin intake. In

addition to other health benefits, there was a statistically significant

improvement in the quality of life of these patients, especially in the aspect

of

mental health. This is important because arrhythmia patients suffer depression

not only from deteriorating heart function but also from the constant anxiety

of anticipating the next episode.

 

This clinical study confirmed that synergy based nutrient supplementation

offers great benefits as an adjunct treatment and prevention of arrhythmia for

high-risk individuals. (Ref.5)

 

Clinical trial with essential nutrient synergy in heart failure

 

This pilot clinical trial in heart failure patients showed improved cardiac

pumping action based on the NYHA (New York Heart Association) grading system

that measures the quality of life of heart failure patients. NYHA uses a 0 to

4 scale grading system, with Grade 0 equaling no symptoms of heart

insufficiency and Grade 4 equaling a severe heart condition in which patients

are

confined to bed.

 

At the beginning of this study, seven out of ten patients suffered extensive

impairment of cardiovascular health (Grade 3 on the NYHA scale). Three of

the patients reported moderate limitation of their physical activity (Grade 2

on the NYHA scale). After six months of a nutrient synergy program added to

their usual regimen eight out of ten patients reported improvement in their

health condition by one or more grades on the NYHA scale. As a result, half of

the patients could lead normal lives again without any discomfort, weakness or

associated arrhythmias. (Ref.6)

 

Several clinical studies have reiterated these findings, thus emphasizing

the importance of bio-energy for optimum heart function. This includes a study

conducted at the Charite Hospital in Berlin (Germany) that had confirmed our

multi-nutrient approach as a more effective way to provide a full spectrum of

micronutrients for optimum bio-energy production. (Ref.7) This bio-energy

can only be provided by nutrients. Drugs, as we have shown above, have opposite

effects as they further contribute to the cellular depletion of

micronutrients.

 

Unfortunately however, information about such therapeutic failures, as

documented in the New England Journal of Medicine articles, does not reach the

patients and pharmaceutical companies continue to market these and other

similar

drugs. Such drugs are not only ineffective, they are dangerously harmful and

patients are paying the price with their heath and lives. It is therefore

our responsibility to share this knowledge with patients, their families and

their doctors.

 

References:

 

[1] Cohen AJ, Azir, Bijdrage tot de kennis de werking van vitamine –B1 bij

beri-beri, Dutch Healthcare Journal, December 23, 1931.

 

[2] Water W, Jellesma-Eggenkamp MJ, Bruijns E. Failure in self care and

heart failure, thiamine deficiency in geriatric patients. Tijdschr Gerontol

Geriatr. 1986, 27:97-101.

 

[3] Belardinelli R, Muçaj A, Lacalaprice F, Solenghi M, Seddaiu G, Principi

F, Tiano L, Littarru GP. Coenzyme Q10 and exercise training in chronic heart

failure. Eur. Heart J. 2006;27: 2675-81.

 

[4] Langsjoen H, Langsjoen P, Langsjoen P, Willis R, Folkers K. Usefulness

of coenzyme Q10 in clinical cardiology: a long-term study. Mol Aspects Med.

1994; 15 Suppl; s165-75.

 

[5] Rath M, Kalinovsky T, Niedzwiecki A. Reduction in the Frequency of

Arrhythmic Episodes in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Arrhythmia with

Vitamin/Essential Nutrient Supplementation Program. Journal of the American

Nutraceutical Association (JANA) 2005, 8; 19-25.

 

[6] Cellular Health and heart failure, Cellular Health Communications,

2001,1; 1.

 

[7] Witte KK, Nikitin NP, Parker AC, von Haehling S, Volk HD, Anker SD,

Clark AL, Cleland JG. The effect of micronutrient supplementation on

quality-of-life and left ventricular function in elderly patients with chronic

heart

failure, Eur. Heart J. 2005, 26; 2238-44.

 

(http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm)