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Medicial Mistakes?
How many people each year suffer some type of preventable harm that contributes to their death after a hospital visit?
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| | Chelation Therapy: Case Histories (by Simon Martin) | |
In addition, we have access
to the reports of two doctors he consulted for examinations during
1982, when his severe angina began after his prostate operation,
and a full proposal for treatment from a specialist in an American
coronary unit. This surgeon had seen the previous medical records
and from them suspected 'significant' disease of our man's coronary
arteries. Subject to a full physical examination in the United
States, the proposal moved on to plans for surgery and warned
of a possible cost of up to $20,000, a sum of money which puts
into perspective the comparatively modest cost of chelation.
An opinion from the chief
of this American unit was that our patient let's call him
George would need an angiogram and probable angioplasty,
with possible bypass surgery. George was told to proceed "immediately'
with this schedule, and certainly not to leave it longer than
two months. His angina by then had become unstable.
George did not have the bypass.
His angina 'virtually ceased' after his first chelation infusion.
But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
George's problems really started
in 1972. A specialist professional in a demanding job, he had
an episode of dizziness and his doctor found his blood pressure
had got way too high. To control it he was first given Reserpine,
a drug isolated from the Rauwolfia plant, whose constituents are
a traditional sedative. Reserpine pulls out of the tissues, nerve
endings and the brain, circulating chemicals that act on blood
vessels to raise blood pressure.
One of Reserpine's sideeffects
is that it can affect mood, and George's blood pressure medication
was changed several times over the years until he had finally
settled on two Catapres tablets a day. Catapres contains clonidine,
a chemical which works on the central nervous system. It reduces
blood pressure, slows the heart and is a mild sedative. It does
nothing to treat the root causes of high blood pressure, but effectively
does away with the symptoms the body's warning signals
that something is wrong and needs attention.
Towards the end of the 1970s,
George was bothered by a fluctuation in his heartbeat and occasional
chest pains. That was addressed with a prescription for two tablets
of Trasicor a day. Trasicor is based on oxyprenolol, which is
one of the class of drugs known as betablockers. These chemicals
are firm favourites of some professional musicians, who find public
performances so nerveracking that they are unable to play,
and even some sports people. The betablockers work by blocking
nerve endings called betareceptors. These are the receptors
that pick up nerve stimulus to the heart which can be sent
down the line due to emotional stress, fear, aggression, tension
and so on. The nerve signals, if received, would normally cause
the heart to increase its work rate so it beats faster.
Case histories
Betablockers are also
used to treat angina, as if there are any deficiencies in the
arteries supplying blood to the heart, when the nerve signals
speed up the heart, the increased flow of blood against the resistance
of a restricted artery can cause severe pain. George didn't experience
full angina, though, until a few years later. In 1982 he had microsurgery
on an enlarged prostate gland. Despite the drugs he was using,
immediately after the operation he developed severe angina and
was put on oxygen for three days. In an effort to control the
angina, he was given two more drugs to take in addition to the
two he was already taking. These were Nitrobid (four a day), a
drug which relaxes the walls of blood vessels, reducing the amount
of blood flowing to and from the heart; and Dyazide, later changed
to three capsules of Adalat a day.
Adalat is one of a class of
drugs known as 'calcium antagonists, an interesting choice
knowing what we know about chelation's effects on calcium. Adalat
works by slowing the entry of calcium (carried in the blood) into
the heart and blood vessels. The idea is to prevent the flow of
blood from 'silting up'; again, they do nothing to address the
underlying problem.
By the time George's angina
became worrying despite all these drugs it was
the end of 1985. By then he reported his symptoms as:
Blood pressure of 180
or 170/100 without medication, controlled at about 145 or 150/95
with medication.
Onset of angina after
four hours of working in the office, needing Nitrobid to control
it.
Regular waking at night:
three times, sometimes four times a night, needing more Nitrobid
and sleeping pills to allow sleep.
'Permanent feeling
of lack of air (oxygen), requiring rooms to have low temperatures
and windows open even on coldest nights. Inability to remain by
a fireside or to sit in stuffy rooms, trains, shops, etc. I could
not remain in a heated shop for more than a few minutes'
Ability to walk only
about one and a half miles (2.4 km) at steady pace, and not up
hills or steps. Shortness of breath.
Heavy chest pressure
at end of day's work.
'General malaise and
disinterest in life, with condition and sleeplessness interacting
to provide general deterioration in health,
Christmas with the family
was not pleasant. 'Life was difficult for my family due to my
inability to stay in a room at a comfortable temperature, said
George.
At that point, faced with
a recommendation for a $20,000 bypass operation with no guarantee
of improvement afterwards, an old friend in Nairobi, Kenya, suggested
that George investigate chelation, since doctors in Nairobi had
successfully treated numbers of people with similar conditions.
Treatment began on 15 January,
1986 after series of tests and I continued with my previous dosage
of Catapres, Trasicor, Nitrobid and Adalat.
After first chelation infusion,
angina virtually ceased with no reminding' pains to call for
the next medication due. Felt much brighter and began to make
plans for remainder of year. Began to sleep properly, with maximum
of one waking per night, but still with windows open, however
cold.
After second treatment on
the 17th, found I could lie in bed on left side for 20 minutes
before turning to right. Previously this was possible for only
a few minutes. I had a feeling of some movement at left side of
heart on Monday, 20th and Tuesday, 21st. Had severe heartburn
in night due to acidity as a result of taking too many "makeup"
yellow chelation supplement pills. This caused racing of heart
and was assuaged by taking Milk of Magnesia antacid pills. Quite
frightening at the time.
On Monday morning, 10th February,
after taking one Nitrocontin tablet with early morning tea, had
a pain of some sort across top of heart. Before chelation, I usually
had 'relaxation' pain in this place after taking nitroglycerin.
Only one single, nonsharp, pain was felt. During the morning
I noticed specks of white material up to 1/16 inch (1.5mm) or more
across with white vapour trails swirling slowly in my urine.
Throughout the first eight
infusions, I gradually began to feel better, with much improved
attitude to life. I began to breathe easily without the feeling
that there was chewing gum stuck around my heart. I found I could
sleep in a heated room with minimum ventilation, shovel snow slowly
and do jobs around the house with enthusiasm again. Also, at various
times during chelation, I had a 'feeling' at weekends that something
around my heart was moving not a pain, but a 'feeling',
first on top and left side, then underneath and then at back of
heart, etc.
I had had arterial pains in
my right calf and ankle swelling in my left ankle (especially
after flying) before chelation. This was described as venous thrombosis
by Dr T. I felt some slight pain in the right calf artery and
in the veins of my right leg during the second week of chelation.
Thereafter the pains, both right arterial and varicose, ceased.
After eight infusions I felt
altogether better. I reduced my Nitrocontin tablets (Nitrobid
not available in UK) from four to three per day on 31st January,
also Adalat capsules from three to two per day. On 7th February,
I reduced my two Catapres tablets per day to one. I expected to
reduce my Nitrocontin further, but Dr P required me to continue
with this reduced dose until the end of treatment.
I can now write for ten hours,
with considerable concentration and without onset of angina. I
think I see colours more brightly. No change was noticeable to
general vision or hearing, but a change of glasses did improve
vision.
From eighth infusion onwards
to the twentieth my ability to walk quite fast for long distances
became much improved, including walking nonstop up a fairly
steep long hill near my house. I have continued to feel 'movements'
at weekends in various parts of my body, including right side
of head and a return to top side, underneath and back of heart.
I now sleep through the night regularly with normal minimum of
room ventilation. I sometimes need a sleeping pill the night after
an infusion.
I cleared a 5 inch (12.5cm)
depth of snow from our house drive and footpaths (quite extensive)
at beginning of March.
After the twelfth infusion
my BP was down to 130/80 despite reduction of BPreducing
pills. I reduced my Nitroglycerin to 1 1/2 (2.5 mg) tablets per
day.
After the twentieth infusion,
I had very definite movement activity all around my heart on the
Saturday night and this woke me from sleep. It subsided without
medication and I felt similar movements in the centre of my right
calf. I wondered whether this was debris or plaque being moved.
The faint feeling or slight pain in right calf remained. On Sunday,
I slept well again.
I feel the treatment has done
all that I could have possibly hoped for and after a few months'
rest I intend to have more chelation infusions.
I have lost weight (about
8lb/3.6kg) but am still 5 or 6lb (2.5kg) overweight. At or around
the twelfthfifteenth infusion, I developed excess fluid
around my heart and could feel slight bubbling beneath my heart
at night. This was confirmed by Xray and Dr P advised cutting
fluids while on chelation. This I did and I believe the fluid
had gradually dissipated by the end of the treatment.
I informed Dr P of the slight
'pain' in my right calf. This was possibly brought about by my
climbing 190 steps nonstop one day.
Six weeks have gone by since
my treatment ceased on 21 March, and the pain in my right calf
and a slight pain at the back of my right knee have now virtually
disappeared and I do not feel them even on morning waking (as
I did before chelation).
A few months after completing
his chelation programme, George reported: 'I am feeling fine,
though working a ninehour day. I think in future it would
be better to cease the work stress and I have this in mind a year
from now!'
CONTINUED Previous 1 2 3 4 Next
 | A practicing naturopath, osteopath, and acupuncturist in the United Kingdom, with over forty years clinical experience, Chaitow is Editor-in-Chief, of the ...more |
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