I Have A Stupid Question

[Phyllis Jean]

My Question Is: Can A Blocked Artery Become Unblocked By Diet, Exercise, And Medication? If Not, Is A Stent The Only Answer?

The Reason I Am Asking Is, My Left Anterior Descending Artery (lad) Is About 70 Percent Blocked. What Can I Do To Keep It From Becoming Further Blocked?

Sorry For Such A Silly Question, But I Really Would Like To Know.

 

[Wise]

Phyllis I don't think that is a silly question. While I'm not an expert on this subject at all, I can tell you that a couple years ago I had a 20% blockage (not much I know) and that is gone. I'm clean as a whistle. I can only attribute that change to weight loss, better eating habits (I'm eating more veggies and fruits altogether for example), and medicine. I don't honestly know if a 70% blockage can be reversed, but I do know that my cholesterol levels are down from about 285 two years ago to 147 as of last month. Best wishes on finding your answer.

Wise

 

[gadgetman]

Phyllis,

That is actually a very good question. I did a Google search and found several "cure all" sites. Don't know if anyone here has had experience with these.

FIRST, WARNING--I AM NO EXPERT AT ANY OF THIS. I am just one who has been poked and tested for a few years. As for my case, in 1995 I had my first cath. The Cardio said one was 100 per cent blocked but it had made it's own smaller veins around the blockage, another was about 70 per cent, and two were about 20 per cent. They decided that because of my age we (I love the use of "WE"%) would try medications, diet changes and close monitoring. Things finally caught up to me in 2004, although I am not sure my Cardio would have called for by-pass surgery without the valve problems. I wound up receiving three by-passes while they were in there. Don't know how much more they had blocked since 1995.

It is my understanding that the medications usually don't get "rid" of the blockage but rather make your veins more efficient. Some do it by making your blood thinner and easier to move through your system. Others make your veins larger to make things move better. I also went through EECP (I'll let you Google) which was supposed to help the heart veins expand. Some people receive benefit from this treatment. My Cardio said I didn't get as much improvement as he had hoped.

Some more knowledgeable VR.COM members will be along shortly and be able to shed more light on this question. Good luck.

Wise,

I did seem to have some improvement in lowering my cholesterol levels from 260 plus in 1995 to around 135/145 now. That, along with aspirin and some other meds seemed to improve my circulation. Of course each person is different (DISCLAIMER). What works for one will not work for another.

Goodnight and,

May God Bless,

Danny

 

[Missy]

I don't totally have the answer but I can repeat what my husband's cardiologist told him. He had a heart attack and almost died. One artery was 100% blocked and two were at 50%. They won't stent them until 70%. As they couldn't get an accurate blood test on my husband they didn't know for sure what was causing it and what medicine to give. They don't get a totally accurate blood test during a heart attack. It took almost 4 months to get one on him. By then the diet was already starting to work. The hospital nutritionist made the mistake of thinking it might be cholesterol. Put him on low fat,vegetables, fruit and grain.I knew that was wrong after what the cardiologist had said. The cardiologists assumed that they knew. After research and talking to nurtritionists I came up with the diet. By then he was home. When the cardiologist put him on chicken, turkey and low carb, it was almost identical to the one he was already on and the dr. said to continue doing what we were doing. they could have killed him with the hospital diet if he had stayed on it.
First of all, one must know what is causing the blockage. There is a difference between cholesterol and triglycerides.
Cholesterol diets are the low fat,fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Triglyceride diets are low sugar, low fat, low carbs even complex. So most of the foods are cut out and one gets a vitamin. In my husbands case triglycerides and cholesterol were both high and so the diet had to be extreme. The only vegetables he was allowed was squash, bell peppers, tomatoes limited, mushrooms and the greens. White turkey and chicken.
He gets fat free cheese and milk, two bread daily, splenda or artificial sweetner. He is allowed one treat meal per week.
He was not given medicine for either. As they didn't know for sure they didn't know what to give him and there are so many side effects from the meds. Within just a few months he was skinny and his blood tests were great. The cardiologist has said that it can be REVERSED.
However, since my husband was not really overweight but just by a few pounds he now is skinny and looks kind of haggard. And he continues to smoke. Which I worry about but he really has trouble quitting. He has tried. I feel so sorry for him as I quit almost 10 yr. ago and know how difficult and traumatic it is.
He has not had another angiogram to check his arteries but I am just hoping as he is that it has reversed. He says he feels good so I hope that means something. After a few months the cardiologists let him have two/three small servings of lean beef per week. But he doesn't eat that much.
Watching cholesterol is great but one has to know that the diet they put you on for that can be the worst thing you can do for triglycerides and they are dangerous.
I have done a lot of research on this and it is hard to put in just a few paragraphs. But I hope the basics are here. Check to see what is causing the blockage if you don't already know.

Good luck.

 

[Wise]

I did seem to have some improvement in lowering my cholesterol levels from 260 plus in 1995 to around 135/145 now. That, along with aspirin and some other meds seemed to improve my circulation. Of course each person is different (DISCLAIMER). What works for one will not work for another.

Danny, yes I'm on the aspirin regimen too. Looks like we had similar situations. However I do agree that what worked for us may not work for another. This is truly important to remember when relaying personal experience, and when reading others experiences. All we can do is relay our experience and knowledge and hope others glean what they need. Best wishes.

Wise

 

[ClickerTicker]

You may want to take a look at Dean Ornish's work. It is claimed that "Ornish's program is the first to offer documented proof that heart disease can be halted, or even reversed, simply by changing your lifestyle".
A good friend led the yoga sessions used by the Ornish programme.
Your mileage may vary, but the logic of a very low fat diet reducing the progression, or even reversing the amount, of the fatty gunge in the arteries seems sensible.
Here's a few of links:
http://www.pmri.org/
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/61/67423
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6038796/site/newsweek/

A couple of years ago I attended a week-long workshop entitled "healing the heart" here in the UK. The primary leader was Dr Harvey Zarren, a retired cardiologist, mentioned in the MSNBC link. Greatly enjoyable and very helpful - closely aligned to Dean Ornish's philosophy of low fat diet, relaxation, gentle yoga etc. I'm going back for a second dose in August - just a weekend this time.