{"id":3598,"date":"2008-08-15T09:24:45","date_gmt":"2008-08-15T09:24:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dr-rath-foundation.org\/?p=3598"},"modified":"2020-09-09T12:00:02","modified_gmt":"2020-09-09T12:00:02","slug":"why-nutrient-supplementation-is-important-in-heart-failure-and-arrhythmia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dr-rath-foundation.org\/2008\/08\/why-nutrient-supplementation-is-important-in-heart-failure-and-arrhythmia\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Nutrient Supplementation Is Important in Heart Failure and Arrhythmia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr A. Niedzwiecki, Dr med B. Bhanap, Dr med M. Rath
\n<\/em>Dr Rath Research Institute
\nSanta Clara, California, USA
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u00a0years old and older.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Major concerns with pharmaceutical approaches<\/h3>\n

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\u00a019, 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 or even death.<\/p>\n

It is alarming that \u2013 after repeated drug failures and the deaths of hundreds of people \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

Bio-energy \u2013 the Core of a Healthy Heart<\/h3>\n

It is a well-known fact \u2013 confirmed in numerous clinical studies \u2013 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\u00a0times 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 \u2013 about 6\u00a0kilograms of ATP (more than 12\u00a0pounds) per day.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0C, minerals (e.g. magnesium) and other natural substances (e.g. coenzyme\u00a0Q10). It is a well known fact that deficiency of just vitamin\u00a0B1 (thiamine) leads to a condition known as \u201cwet beri-beri,\u201d manifested by an enlarged heart, edema and lack of energy \u2013 the same features that accompany heart failure. As early as 1931 a clinical case study demonstrated the effective reversal of \u201cberi-beri heart\u201d with vitamin B1 re-supplementation. (Ref.1,2)<\/p>\n

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\u00a0C 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.<\/p>\n

Pharmaceutical Drugs Contribute to Aggravating Heart Failure<\/h3>\n

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 \u201cenergy-sparing\u201d drugs \u2013 such as ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers \u2013 do not eliminate the \u201cempty tank\u201d 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:<\/p>\n