Hi, following a second Angiogram two weeks ago, my Cardiologist told me that there were two further Arteries with 'mild' Atherosclerosis and would be treated with medication (I had two other Arteries Stented earlier in June). I was prescribed Isosorbide Mononitrate for my Angina issues but nothing new for dissipating the Atheroma, so I'm guessing he is relying on my Statins to do that. However, I understand that the Statins do a great job in lowering Cholesterol levels, but didn't know that they actively dissolved existing Atheroma too? Has anyone been prescribed any other Meds to dissolve Atheroma ? Doing a bit of research I found an article about 'Cyclodextrin', claiming that it actively "dissolves cholesterol crystals and reduces atherosclerotic plaques". Has anyone used this, or any other Meds that dissolve existing Atheroma?
Thanks
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djducker
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There are no drugs that will dissolve your Atheroma, just diet and exercise. I recommend that you watch the film "Forks Over Knives". It is on Netflix and YouTube. It is about global medical research, including a massive study of 800,000 Chinese people. You might find it helpful, I did. It will show you that you can clear out your arteries. In the film, there is a bloke with 27 diseases. After 6 months on a WFPB diet he was down to 1.
Sorry jimmyq, I should have mentioned that I have followed a WFPB diet for many years (with the addition of oily fish) and also extremely active with regular Football, Running and Walking - before my Coronary Artery Spasms prevented. My question was simply to see if there was anyone being prescribed 'any' Meds to dissolve the Atheroma, as the articles I read regarding Cyclodextrin was written in 2016 and stated as being "cleared for Human use".
Oily fish is not strictly wholefood plant based for the purpose of disease reversal or regression. If you strictly follow a WFPB diet with no oil and no salt, you can stop coronary artery disease in its tracks and reduce artery plaque. In Dr Esselstyn's published studies, almost 100% of his patients had no further heart events.
I'm not aware of any drugs that can reverse plaque build up in the arteries. The purpose of both medication and lifestyle changes (such as diet) is to slow or halt the future build up of plaque rather than reverse it.
There are some small scale studies that have claimed to reverse plaque build up by rigorously following plant based diets. It might be true, it might not be. Furthermore it might be true for some people, but not for others. As far as I know there is no large scale clinical trial that has demonstrated a diet based method for actually reversing (as opposed to halting) plaque build up. What's more I think this is also the conclusion of the BHF, who sponsor this site.
I have done some searches for natural foods which will help dissolve plaque.
One study showed pomegranate juice helps dissolve plaque but after a bit of digging I find it was funded by Lynda and Stewart Resnick. These people are US billionaires who own among other things the Pom wonderful brands of pomegranate juice.....slight conflict of interest there.....still looking.
Thanks tunybgur, intense but interesting reading! But this is the sort of information on ‘active regression’ of the disease I was looking for - if in fact it exists. I’m convinced somewhere in nature it does!
As the previous respondents have said, there is no globally recognised drug or chemical that will dissolve plaque otherwise we would all be taking it.
As a heart attack survivor with 'diffuse atherosclerosis and a 90% blockage of the distal LAD' I have searched long and hard but the more I look the more confusing it gets...for instance why do Eskimos have low heart disease? Why is it only arteries get plaque and not veins? ....etc etc
I heard a report that beetroot juice was good for heart disease patients and have been taking it daily. I am not sure if it does any good but I have also been following Linus Pauling regime of high vit C for several months and my cholesterol score has reduced. I stopped taking all of the
I have been taking beetroot juice for some months. I mix it with probiotic yogurt drink as it is more palatable. I cannot tell whether it has improved anything but I have not got worse. A heart expert on the radio recommended it.
But lots of seal meat which has masses of saturated fat, and they ate virtually no green stuff.
Personally I think the industrial use of hydrogenated fats did for my generation....before we found out how dangerous they were....they were everywhere and we didn't know.
A friend of mine was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was a BA pilot and a very rationale and evidence driven personality. One of the things he's finding hardest is not to be sucked into believing that some crackpot cancer cure can give him the hope he craves.
I strongly suspect that similar psychological pressures exists for all serious illnesses. We'd all love to believe that Cranberry juice or five portions of Kale a day is the secret solution we're looking for.
I'm not saying don't look for a cure for atherosclerosis, but I am saying be rigorous and sceptical in your analysis. Just because you want something to be true has absolutely zero impact on wether or not it is actually true!
The overwhelming medical consensus is that if we had heart disease before our stents and bypass operations, then we all have the exact same degree of heart disease now. We can slow down the future progress of our disease with life style changes and with medication, but we can't turn the clock back and flush out our arteries.
I have seen/heard something quite similar - once the damage is done, it's done. That was commented by a Cardiologist Consultant. It's not pleasant to hear, but he was trying to empathise the importance of "prevention".
With atherosclerosis I am convinced that the industrial use of hydrogenated fats since the early 1900's is responsible for much of the heart disease we see today.
I was astonished to find out how much plaque was in my coronary arteries considering I was super fit, very diet conscious, etc etc but still suffered a heart attack, however these deadly fats were ubiquitous in my diet in the 50's to 90's.
Doing a bit of research I found out that trans fats made up to 5-7% of our diet and are still not banned from use in the UK but are only subject to 'voluntary codes of practice'.....in other words you must check with your local chippy or Chinese to see what fat they use because in all likelihood they still use trans fats because they do a great job, last longest and are the cheapest option.....unbelievable!
There is a saying in the running community that - you can't run away from a bad diet. I am certain that there should also be another saying - that you can't run away from your poor selection of parents!!!
Personally, I think that the Jury is still out on all of this. I recall when I was around 20YO (50 years ago ), there was in Australia then an epidemic of heart disease and people dying young with heart attacks. In those days there were NO supermarkets with their high GI carb manufactured foods - but people were eating LOTS of saturated fats, red meat, eggs, butter, etc. I do not remember much obesity back then. Roll on 50 years , and we have LOTS of supermarkets with all their manufactured foods (High GI carbs) , not much saturated fat being eaten but also LOTS of obesity. I personally think that low GI carbs are necessary (whole grains and vegetables) as are fats and proteins in the right proportions AND quantities.
From scientific trials, plaque (atheroma) can selectively lessen with high dose statins and also the new PCSK9 injectible drugs which are reserved for those with very high cholesterol. Plaque has also been shown to lessen and selectively regress with a wholefood plantbased diet. See Dr C.E Esselstyn's book called Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. The End of Heart Disease by Dr Joel Fuhrman is another.
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), there was in Australia then an epidemic of heart disease and people dying young with heart attacks. In those days there were NO supermarkets with their high GI carb manufactured foods - but people were eating LOTS of saturated fats, red meat, eggs, butter, etc. I do not remember much obesity back then. Roll on 50 years , and we have LOTS of supermarkets with all their manufactured foods (High GI carbs) , not much saturated fat being eaten but also LOTS of obesity. I personally think that low GI carbs are necessary (whole grains and vegetables) as are fats and proteins in the right proportions AND quantities. 
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