Heart Disease
Congestive Heart Failure (Making the Best of Damaged Heart)
There is a lot that can be done, even for a failing heart. A friend and patient of mine has a damaged heart. His heart valves don’t work very well. His ejection fraction (The percentage of blood that leaves the heart with each pump) is only about 30% compared to the normal range of 58%. Yet, he is still able to ski, his cardiologist is amazed. How can he do this with Heart Disease like such poor heart valves.
The answer is his nutrition. The heart is primarily a muscle, muscles need energy and the source of that energy are the mitochondria found within the muscle cells. Our goal has been to feed his heart and to optimize his energy production, so he can live the fullest possible life, even with his damaged heart. We do this by supporting his mitochondria. New research shows that it is now possible to repair and grow new mitochondria.
There are a number of diseases that are related to mitochondrial damage including Congestive Heart Disease, Cardiomyopathy, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, and chronic fatigue syndrome. High dose CoQ10 (800 mg to 3,000 mg per day) has been helpful in these conditions. These doses are 15 to 100 times higher than the average dose of CoQ10 used in most supplements, Which typically ranges from about 10mg to 60mg.
CoQ10 helps protect mitochondrial DNA, but it is not thought to help regenerate new mitochondria. However, now there is new evidence that new mitochondria can be generated using an new molecule PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone). PQQ is found in our diet, but in very small quantities. PQQ in high enough concentration to be effective is now available in supplement form.
Nutrients known to improve mitochondrial function (Heart Disease) are:
There are also a number of herbal compounds that are helpful in promoting mitochondrial health. The most cost effective was to provide mitochondrial support is to take a supplement specifically designed to improve mitochondrial function.