I have tried it all before my first stent procedure and subsequent diagnosis of severe plaque buildup. Massive dosages of Vitamin D, then Vitamin E (a subsequent study showed this to be dangerous for the heart), fish oil supplements, including Flaxseed Oil and recently I tried Pomegranate extract. I have also heard Resveratrol is good for cardiovascular health, but again, with no double bind studies to back it up, and no control (other than the usual required “The FDA has not verified the above statements….”), you really have no idea what you are getting.

The only supplement that I believe works for me is N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC). I pick it up at GNC and take 600mg/day. In the cardiac unit at the hospital I had my procedures in, they would sometimes give me an oral preparation of NAC (nasty tasting stuff).

I originally started taking NAC when I was a smoker as the claim was it protected the lungs. When I did have a CAT scan of my lungs done about 5 years ago for reasons unrelated to my heart, the doctor and scan technician said they would not have known I was a smoker if I had not told them. Later, I found out that NAC is used in hospitals for emergency detoxification of the liver in acetaminophen overdoses. Subsequent research on my part indicated strong evidence that NAC was a good overall liver detox amino acid.

I quit smoking over a year ago, but I have been taking NAC for almost 8 years. With all the meds I am on that are metabolized by the liver, I just thought this would be a good idea. I have only had elevated liver enzymes on two occasions (both times due to another medication unrelated to heart meds), and these levels were not high and dropped rapidly after cessation of the offending medications.

As my cholesterol and other blood measurements (and I have just about everything measured multiple times) indicate the medications are working, I can honestly say, in my case, that NAC does not interfere with the medications or, if it does, the interference is mild.

I still take large dosages of fish oil (Omega-3 and 6) to assist with my unstable mood disorder. This was actually recommended to me by my psychiatrist. However, I have been warned by doctors not to overdo these as they can interfere with blood coagulation at high enough dosages and I don’t want to risk internal bleeding.

Best Regards,

Gerald

I have a healthy skepticism about most of the alternative treatments, but would you mind explaining some of the treatments/supplements you used or considered using? What made you initially consider alternative treatments? Did you notice any adverse side effects from any of the alternative treatments, and do you think it is possible that some of them might have actually contributed in a negative way to your health?