Do you know what happens when your blood doesn’t flow freely to your heart? Or your arteries don’t pump enough blood to your legs? Or what happens when your brain doesn’t get enough oxygen from your blood?
You can get gangrene… suffer stroke or heart attack… or even die.
That’s because as you age your arterial walls grow thick with plaque deposits. As that happens, your blood flow slows down. And when your plaque grows too thick… it strangles your blood flow altogether. It’s a condition we call atherosclerosis. And it accounts for one?third of all deaths in the U.S.
Doctors often tackle this problem with statin drugs. But these drugs are expensive and sometimes ineffective. Worse, they can do more harm than good.
Experts and research alike oppose their use. Despite this, statins remain our first-line of defense.
And yet, there’s another therapy which some doctors claim is effective and safe. They point to evidence which has been compiled over 50 years – and in over 3,000 studies. Those pioneering surgeons say they have been successfully using this therapy for years. A Nobel-Prize winning doctor champions it.
But the medical industry has condemned its use. The FDA… American Heart Association (AHA)… and the American Medical Association (AMA) have joined together to shut this therapy out.
We reveal what this therapy is… and investigate whether it’s worth considering…
Battling Plaque
Plaque deposits form when decaying muscle cells, fibrous tissues, fat, cholesterol, and calcium deposits build up inside your arteries. These deposits can form anywhere in your body. But they are most dangerous when they grow near your heart or brain.
Growth usually starts in areas with turbulent blood flow. Where narrow vessels cause pressure to build up. Or where valves don’t close tightly.
Plaque increases with age. It causes your arteries to become hard and lose elasticity. When this happens, blood clots may form and break off. That blocks smaller vessels.
According to conventional medicine, high levels of blood cholesterol indicate plaque build-up. When that happens, your doctor will likely advise you to start taking statin drugs, which can lower your bad LDL cholesterol.
Getting Serious about Statins
It’s true that statins can lower cholesterol levels. But many experts believe that cholesterol is not the primary cause of heart disease. (See “The True Cause of Heart Disease” )
There’s certainly plenty of evidence that suggests they’re not the best treatment for atherosclerosis.
Here are just some of the many side effects of statins:
- dizziness
- nausea or upset stomach
- lack of appetite
- reduced liver function – which can cause jaundice
- itchy skin
- abdominal pain
- dark?colored urine
- constipation
- cramps and muscle pain
- joint pain
- weakness
- fever?like symptoms
- insomnia
- nightmares
- loss of memory
- sexual dysfunction
- depression
- shortness of breath
- irritating cough
No wonder some doctors advise against using statins.
Among them is Garry Gordon MD, DO, founder of the Gordon Research Institute.
“I will not recommend something with a five percent so?called benefit if there is a known risk as we have with statins,” says Dr. Gordon. “I can avoid [these risks] with alternative approaches.”
Seeking Alternative Therapies
Dr. Gordon is known worldwide for his study of EDTA chelation. Years ago, he studied and learned about EDTA chelation therapy. EDTA (ethylene diamine tetra?acetic acid) is an amino acid that’s chemically similar to vinegar.
EDTA chelation was first created in the 1930s. Back then it was used as an intravenous treatment for heavy metal poisoning. But as patients recovered from metal poisoning, they noticed a dramatic improvement in other symptoms including coronary artery disease.
And so the studies began. Dr. Gordon researched the therapeutic effects of EDTA. He focused primarily on heart disease.
He discovered that over the past 50 years, more than 3,000 studies, articles, and reviews have confirmed that EDTA is a safe and effective treatment for heart disease. It’s since been used by over two million patients.
“Look at my patients,” says Dr. Gordon. “They have any level heart disease and many of them are alive after five years. Compare [that to] those on standard therapy.”
He has spoken out about how most doctors see heart disease. He says that “they consider the diagnosis of congestive heart failure to be a death sentence.”
He notes that is “because over 60 percent of their patients are dead within the first year.”
On the other hand, he says, “I haven’t lost one patient with congestive heart failure in 10 years.”
He states that he’s saved patients who were inoperable. Patients who had already had every known form of bypass surgery, “until there were no more veins in their legs to strip out to put in their hearts.”
“They were sent home to die and I could get those people back to full functioning,” says Dr. Gordon. “I’ve had doctor friends who wouldn’t take the IV at first. They’re now on oral EDTA and are able to pass a treadmill stress test that they couldn’t pass for five years.”
Dr. Gordon advises patients against surgery, statins, and stents. He’s not convinced that cholesterol is the primary reason for heart attacks. Rather, he thinks it’s a combination of plaque buildup, blood clots, and inflammation.
His therapy tackles these conditions with a multi-pack of oral pills. These include a strong multivitamin, omega-3, primrose oil, a phosphatidyl serine with Gingko biloba, and three capsules containing the EDTA-enhanced institute formula. He says his tests show that such a combination lowers viscosity. This helps prevent fatal blood clots. It also breaks down plaque and helps tackle inflammation.
He also prescribes a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids and low in toxins to combat inflammation and reverse plaque.
Closing Ranks
Dr. Gordon points to the 3,000 studies that support the benefits of this therapy. But despite all the research, the AHA says the benefits of such therapy haven’t been proven. It says it’s reviewed the literature and doesn’t find enough evidence to support this therapy.
The AHA’s official policy states:
“Employment of this form of unproven treatment may deprive patients of the well-established benefits attendant to the many other valuable methods of treating these diseases.”
Many other mainstream medical groups agree. These include the FDA; the American College of Physicians; the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the National Institutes of Health; the AMA; and the American College of Cardiology.
But Dr. Gordon disagrees and points to 50 years or research that he says supports this treatment. He also notes his own documented success.
With so many naysayers, does anyone else support EDTA chelation therapy?
The Artery Health Institute has done its own tests. They found EDTA – mixed with garlic extract, malic acid, and parsley – immediately improves circulation. Full effects can be reached within three months of therapy.
And two?time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling, PhD, has publically championed the therapy.
“EDTA chelation therapy fits in well with my views on health care,” says Dr. Pauling.
He recommended that doctors embrace this new therapy if they want to save lives.
“Physicians who administer EDTA integrate the results of my own research into their chelation program,” says Dr. Pauling. “Chelation therapy will be of great advantage to the nonsurgical treatment for atherosclerosis.”
Plenty of other experts are championing this therapy.
Bruce Halstead, MD, founder of the World Life Research Institute, says over two million chelation treatments have been performed in the U.S. alone. There was not a single fatality in the group.
In 2003, the National Institutes of Health started an extensive $30 million clinical double?blind trial on EDTA chelation therapy for coronary heart. But the 10?year study was shut down in 2008 – just halfway through its run.
The Office for Human Research Protections demanded its suspension. That’s because several pharmaceutical groups complained, citing “inadequate informed consent.”
Dr. James P. Carter, M.D., PhD, suggests the government might be bending to pressure from Big Pharma to suppress therapies like EDTA.
Dr. Carter is a 50-year medical professional. Before retiring in 2007, he ran his own private practice in Mandeville, Louisiana… and served as the long-time Head of the Nutrition Section at Tulane University School of Medicine.
“The new therapy threatens the financial well-being of a politically powerful and well established branch of the medical profession,” says Dr. Carter. “Quite the opposite occurred with the immediate and widespread acceptance of bypass surgery and balloon angioplasty. It quickly brought wealth and fame to surgeons, cardiologists, large teams of health care professionals, and the hospital industry.”
That leaves prospective patience with two choices: opt for FDA approved methods. Or explore this alternative therapy.
The smartest option is to speak with a doctor you trust. Be sure it’s a physician who doesn’t profit from chelation treatments… but one who values a natural approach.
In the meantime, we’ll be reporting further on this important issue in the near future.
To your health,
Ian Robinson,
Managing Editor, Natural Health Dossier “Health Watch”