Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)

Dr. Weyrich's Naturopathic Functional Medicine Notebook

Overview

Naturopathic medicine is best applied to the prevention of heart attacks - during a heart attack it is best to dial 911 and then administer CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation), preferably with the assistance of an AED (Automated Electronic Defilibrator).

Prevention of heart attacks generally focuses on reducing or controlling triggering events and risk factors such as:

• Inadequate supply of oxygenated blood to the heart
• Fluid or electrolyte imbalances
• Arrhythmias due to changes in electrical conduction of the heart tissue
• Certain drug overdoses
• Dyslipidemia, which is thought to lead to the formation of calcified plaques in the coronary arteries (atherosclerosis)
• Inflammation, which is marked by elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). While conventional medicine focuses mainly on correcting dyslipidemia, it appears that CRP is a better predictor of future heart attacks than is bad cholesterol (Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, LDL-C) [Starr2005, pg 37].
• Hypertension
• Diabetes (Type I and Type II)
• Tobacco smoking
• Obesity
• Physical inactivity

  Results published from the large Framingham Study, which is still ongoing, have led to the development of actuarial data that allows predicting the risk of a future heart attack for specific patient populations, as well as data the effectiveness of various treatments in reducing risk.

  The conventional approach to reducing atherosclerosis is primarily by controlling dyslipidemia through the use of statin drugs. This approach has been criticized on the basis that statin drugs may cause liver problems, and suppress the production of essential cofactors such as CoQ10 (ubiquinone) and hormones such as cortisol, estrogen, and testosterone. Nonetheless, studies such as the Framingham Study have demonstrated that, on average, patients treated with statin drugs live longer than untreated patients.

  Naturopathic medicine uses several other approaches, including supplementation with omega-3 essential fatty acids and hormonal balancing, with special attention to thyroid hormones.

  Studies paralleling the Framingham study have shown that correcting hypothyroidism is effective in reducing the risk of heart attack. In a study of 1,569 patients spanning 22 years, it was found that the total number of heart attacks observed in the study patient population was 4, compared with a total of 72 predicted by the Framingham risk calculation for that same population. The only medical intervention used in this study was treatment of hypothyroidism [Starr2005, pg 34; Barnes1972; Barnes1976a; Barnes1976b].

  Treatment

  • When treating hypothyroidism Dr. Barnes suggests a very slow rate of increase for persons with existing heart disease with a maximum of 2 grains for persons with a history of heart attack (other practitioners will go up to 2.5 grains). Dr. Barnes recommended not starting thryoid treatment until 2 months after a heart attack [Starr2005, pg 178].

  Hypotheses

  Correcting hypothyroid conditions may reduce the risk of a heart attack by boosting the immune system, which in turn lowers the rate of inflammatory infections that promote formation of atherosclerotic plaques in arteries [Starr2005, pg 36].

  In addition to blocking synthesis of cholesterol, statin drugs may also have an anti-inflammatory effect, which may better account from the observed reduction of the risk of heart attack [Starr2005, pg 37].

  Studies showing increasing death rates due to heart attack and various degenerative diseases in industrial countries may be confounded by decreased death rates due to diseases that kill patients in underdeveloped countries before heart disease can develop, such as tuberculosis [Starr2005, pg 39].

  ICD-9 Codes

  ICD9-Code	Description	Comments

  ---

  References

  Unless specifically noted above, references used in the construction of this web page include the following:

  [FDM] Lecture notes from Functional Medicine University.

  [SCNM] Lecture notes from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine.

  [UT] Lecture notes from the University of Tennessee graduate programs in Chemistry and Biochemistry.

  [Barnes1972] B.O. Barnes. Heart Attack Rareness in Thyroid-Treated Patients. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas (1972). Cited by [Starr2005].

  [Barnes1976a] B. Barnes & L. Galton. Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness. New York: Harper and Row (1976). Cited by [Starr2005].

  [Barnes1976b] B.O. Barnes. Solved: The Riddle of Heart Attacks. Trumbull, CT: The Broda O. Barnes M.D. Research Foundation (1976). [Cited by Starr2005].

  [Braunwald1997] Braunwald E. Shattuck Lecture - cardiovascular medicine at the turn of the millennium: Triumphs, concerns, and opportunities. NEJM 337(19):1360-1369 (1997). Cited by [Starr2005].

  [Gordon1971] Gordon T, et al. Premature mortality from coronary heart disease: The Framingham Study. JAMA. 215:1617-1625 (1971). [Cited by Starr2005].

  [Starr2005] Mark Starr. Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic. Columbia, MO: Mark Starr Trust (2005).

  ---

  Copyright © 2007-2010 Dr. Weyrich (Naturopathic Medical license number 07-1008). The information on this site is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease or illness. The statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

  This web page is http://www.DrWeyrich.com/disorders/mi.html   -   Phone Dr. Weyrich at (480) 423-6952