Heart OK probably, not sure about everything else

[Lone Dog]

I had an ultrasound scan, which the dr said was normal, plus a good-looking ECG (as usual), and completed a run on the treadmill to get my heart rate up, no problems there either.

I don't have angina or PAD. However, I often have problems such as a lump in the chest (nothing digestive - had the tests for that), twinging in the neck sometimes. My circulation isn't great, legs are usually pale and cool, arms lose feeling at night in bed, and I do have the arcus senilicus in the eyes. I often feel like all the blood in my body is in my chest, neck and head. If I go for a strenuous walk it seems the blood circulates better, and the head is not so red or warm because the blood is elsewhere. In cold weather my fingers are blue. I don't get far with doctors, discussing this, they just did the heart tests to get me off their back because I've had this problem for some years. Once I got the good results back (which I was expecting, as 12 years earlier my angiogram was fine) instead of any kind of further investigation the dr mentioned counselling! I seem to be absolutely powerless to get any kind of further vascular investigation or advice.

Not sure about my cholesterol etc. as the doctors don't tell me. British NHS doctors are not the most forthcoming at times. My BP has peaked at 140/80 and these days seems to be lower, the other day it was 100/64.

I've read up on most of the heart/cardio-vascular treatments, and am going to begin the protocol from chapter 7 of your book, Owen. I don't know if it will help. It seems like there's a maze of stuff out there, but it's a start and a foundation for whatever I do in future.

I'd like to hear what others think of all this, I have been struggling to get anywhere with it. Looks like the doctors are not going to be helping me, unless I do need the counselling, after all.

[Johnwen]

How old are you? How much do you weight? Other then an occasional run like you mentioned how active are you. Like a physical demanding job or walking each day etc.
Your doing the right thing by starting on one of the Pauling theraphy's and since you live up there in the, "Pale Skin Country!" you might want to start on some D3 and maybe you can get your docs to check your "D" levels. Simple blood test.
You'll probably feel better right away.

[Lone Dog]

I'm 47, about 175 lbs. I don't run, but did on the treadmill for a hospital visit. I have an office job, but am active and do a lot of walking without problems, including up and down hills and strenuous walking.

I guess what I'm asking is how well the PT will help me, assuming that I have a certain amount of atherosclerosis. We always hear the words Pauling Therapy and heart disease together, and I wonder how well it will help for atherosclerosis elsewhere in the body. I presume plaque contains the same materials wherever in the body it is, lp(a), cholesterol, cellular debris etc, so in theory the PT should work.

I'd like to do what I can to peg this back, so I'm planning to take the PT plus some D3 and K2. That should cover the lp(a) and calcified plaque. Is D3 and K2 favoured over EDTA?

I've read up on various other things, serrapeptase and chondrotin sulfate also, and wonder if to include them in my programme. I also have Dr Levy's book on order as well.

[ofonorow]

I had an ultrasound scan, which the dr said was normal, plus a good-looking ECG (as usual), and completed a run on the treadmill to get my heart rate up, no problems there either.

I don't have angina or PAD. However, I often have problems such as a lump in the chest (nothing digestive - had the tests for that), twinging in the neck sometimes. My circulation isn't great, legs are usually pale and cool, arms lose feeling at night in bed, and I do have the arcus senilicus in the eyes. I often feel like all the blood in my body is in my chest, neck and head. If I go for a strenuous walk it seems the blood circulates better, and the head is not so red or warm because the blood is elsewhere. In cold weather my fingers are blue. I don't get far with doctors, discussing this, they just did the heart tests to get me off their back because I've had this problem for some years. Once I got the good results back (which I was expecting, as 12 years earlier my angiogram was fine) instead of any kind of further investigation the dr mentioned counselling! I seem to be absolutely powerless to get any kind of further vascular investigation or advice.

The main problem seems to be a perceived lack of circulation (although you say you do not have PAD and no clinical circulatory problems) so my first thought is the general Pauling regimen on or about page 14 of HOW TO LIVE LONGER AND FEEL BETTER. (My Chapter 7 includes Pauling's general recommendations, so I am happy you intend to follow the recommendations, e.g. high vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, B-complex and a multi-vitamin/mineral.) The basic Pauling regimen will help almost everyone who is not already following it feel better, especially the 6000 to 18000 mg of vitamin C.

The Pauling therapy with lysine and adding magnesium should help if the problem is an elasticity of your blood vessels. If they are constricted. So yes, try Chapter 7 and let us know how it works for you, say after 10 days to a month.

[Ralph Lotz]

K2 as MK-7, (brand in some research is MenaQ7), 50 mcg/day, D3, 2,000-5000 IU/day and EPA-DHA 300 mg +/day are good additions since they were not well understood at the time HTLLAFB was written by Pauling.

[Lone Dog]

Thanks for your replies.

Yes, I don't have any PAD symptoms, though as I say, the arms lose feeling sometimes in bed at night, and legs are pale and cool - the dr took my ankle pulse at one time and took a while but did find the pulse. There's some ED as well.

It is annoying that I will never know the extent of what is going on: either the science isn't there to detect or help, or the doctors don't understand or believe what I'm saying. I often hear them say 'the body doesn't work like that' when I try to explain how I see it.

At one time I used to get up in the morning (15-20 years ago) and have twinging in the centre of the chest for 10 mins. I thought it was angina, but I know now it wasn't. As the 'squeeze' proceeds, the point of the twinge seems to have got higher in the body - just this morning I had it in the neck (I have that regularly). It's where the body has beel relaxing over night, now you are awake and active the blood is returning to where it would normally be during the day, and that's what I feel, the blood forcing itself through blood vessel in the neck.

There are times where I've been off work sick for two weeks at a time with it twinging away in the chest. Also times when I've been in the back of an ambulance past midnight with it twinging away. After ECGs, blood tests and even a 24 hour heart monitor, nothing shows up.

I've read about all those ways of cleaning arteries (and SteveFromFlorida probably tried them) and I want to do what I can to achieve a level of stable health, even if it isn't possible to reverse atherosclerosis. Or if it is possible, I want to have a good try at it.