CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

An Alternative and Complementary Medicine Resource Guide

Contents:

  Introduction
    Books
  Journals
  Research and Treatment Centers
  Professional Organizations
   Self-help and Referral Organizations
   Web resources

INTRODUCTION

The resources contained in this information pack relate to alternative and complementary therapy options available for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. There are many more books and resources available.  The following have been selected as key resources that will lead you to many more.  They have been carefully categorized and factually described to facilitate your own research.   Some key conventional medicine research resources have been included to provide basic information on the process of diagnosis and orthodox treatments.

Conventional therapies for the treatment of cardiovascular disease have focused on the use of angioplasty and heart bypass surgery.  Reduction of blood pressure and cholesterol through the use of medication, along with lifestyle changes in exercise, diet and stress management have recently been introduced alongside conventional treatment - a crossover from alternative approaches.

Alternative therapies for cardiovascular disease focus on ways of reversing heart troubles while avoiding potentially dangerous and invasive therapies. While emphasizing lifestyle changes of good nutrition, exercise and stress management, new alternative treatments are emerging that may be effective in treating cardiovascular disease without putting the patient at risk. These include chelation therapy, oxygen therapy, Coenzyme Q10. 

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NOTE:  The following resource listings are not intended to be comprehensive, nor to be used as a guide for treatment. They are provided for information only. The resources are selected and categorized to help you with your own research:

BOOKS

AUTHORITATIVE RESEARCH RESOURCES

Joe D. Goldstrich, M.D. Healthy Heart, Longer Life Ultimate Health Publishers, Rev. Ed. 1996 A cardiologist's advice on an optimal diet for maintaining cardiovascular health.   He analyzes the Mediterranean diet and the research underpinning his recommendations.

Peter Kwiterovich, M.D. The Johns Hopkins Complete Guide for Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease Prima Publishers, 1993 A medically accurate book that discusses various heart diseases and their prevention as well as proper diet and good health habits.

Dean Ornish, M.D. Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease Ballantine Books, 1992 A step-by-step guide to reversing heart disease through lifestyle changes. This program is backed by clinical research studies and includes discussion of the psychological, emotional and spiritual conditions that are vital to healing.

 
CASE STUDIES/OBSERVATIONAL DATA

Dr. Elmer Cranton Bypassing Bypass Medex Publishers, 1990 This book discusses the theory of eliminating metals and free radicals by use of chelation therapy for cardiovascular problems. Dr. Cranton's research is based on experience and is intended to prevent surgery, as well as enhance the benefits of surgery when it is necessary.

Burton Goldberg Heart Disease Future Medicine Publishing, inc., 1999 From the publisher of Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide, this book is a guide to alternative treatments available for cardiovascular disease and includes use of  nutrients, chelation, oxygen therapy, diet and Chinese medicine.

Morton Walker, D.P.M. The Chelation Way Avery Publishing Group, 1990 A  how-to book on chelation therapy which discusses over-the-counter chelation agents and how to use them. NOTE : Many physicians caution against self-medication for serious conditions.

Julian Whitaker, M.D. Is Heart Surgery Necessary? Regnery Publishing, 1995 Based on his clinical experience, Dr. Whitaker gives an overview of alternative therapies available for the treatment of heart disease, and his perspective on the advantages of alternative therapy versus conventional therapy .

JOURNALS

Cardiosource
http://www.cardiosource.com/
Provides abstracts and selected full-text articles. A search page is provided by the Journal of the American College of Cardiologists to help you locate abstracts.

Heart Web Online
http://www.heartweb.org
A peer-reviewed cardiology journal that includes case reports, multimedia presentations and a search of current available articles.

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RESEARCH AND TREATMENT CENTERS

The Dean Ornish Centers
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/3068.1548
These 13 centers provide treatment based on his vegetarian diet, exercise and stress-reduction techniques:

Alegent Health
Alegent Immanuel Medical Center
6901 N. 72nd Street
Omaha, NE 68122
Sheila McGuire, Program Director
Phone: (402) 572-3321
Fax: (402) 572-2371

Alegent Bergan Mercy Medical Center
7500 Mercy Road
Omaha, NE 68124
Steve Luppes, Program Director
Phone: (402) 398-6778
Fax: (402) 398-5768

BroMenn Healthcare
Department of Cardiology
P. O. Box 2850
Bloomington, IL 61702
Rene McKinley, Program Director
Phone: (309) 827-4321, ext 2522
Fax: (309) 888-0961

Broward General Medical Center
Wellness Center
1625 SE Third Ave.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316
Kevin Hall, Program Director
Renee Kotchek, Patient Inquiries
Toll Free: (800) 528-4888
Phone: (954) 355-4386
Fax: (954) 355-4347

Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield (3 Sites)
http://www.highmark.com
Healthplace/Health Education Center, Suite 1721
120 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Amy Wilhelm, Program Administrator
Phone: (800) 447-1352
Fax: (412) 544-7181

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield at Windber Medical Center
600 Somerset Avenue
Windber, PA 15963
Barbara Duryea, Program Director
Phone: (814) 467-3634
Fax: (814) 467-3604

Mercy Health Partners of Southwestern Ohio
Mercy Franciscan Hospital
Wholistic Health Center
2366 Kipling Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45239
Judy Steele, Co-Program Director
Michael Wizer, Co-Program Director
Phone: (513) 853-5097
Fax: (513) 681-3264

Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital
http://www.palmettorichland.edu/prominent/prominent.html
Cardiovascular Wellness-Heart Center
5 Medical Park (14 Medical Park, Suite 100)
Columbia, SC 29203
Annette Stalvey, Program Director
Phone: (803) 434-6966
Fax: (803) 434-3837

ScrippsHealth
Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine
Shiley Sports & Health Center FC2
10820 North Torrey Pines Rd.
LaJolla, CA 92037
Rauni King, Program Coordinator
Phyllis Mabbet, Administrator
Phone: (858) 554-3300
Fax: (858) 554-2965

St. Francis Hospital & Health Center
Cardiac Services
12935 South Gregory Street
Blue Island, IL 60406
Gayle Payonk, Program Director
Toll Free: (800) 721-8000 , ext 5560
Fax: 824-4596

Midwest Center for Health and Healing
SwedishAmerican Health System
4230 Newburg Road
Rockford, IL 61108
Anese Cavanaugh, Program Director
Phone: (815) 484-8710
Fax: (815) 484-8719

Swedish Medical Center
1101 Madison, 10th floor
Seattle, WA 98104
Suzanne Westcott, Program Director
Phone: (206) 215-3500
Fax: (206) 386-3189

Walter Reed Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, N.W.
Bldg 2 Room 4A34
Washington DC 20307
C/O Eugene Thomas GS13
Audra Nixon, Program Director
Phone: (202) 782-1555
Fax: (202) 782-3813

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PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

American College for Advancement in Medicine
http://www.acam.org/
23121 Verdugo Drive, Suite 204
Laguna Hills, California 92653
Phone: (949) 583-7666
Email: acam@acam.org
This organization has established certification and standards of practice for chelation therapy. Provides referrals, and a directory of listings of physicians world wide who have been trained in chelation therapy and alternative medicine.

American Board of Chelation Therapy
70 West Huron Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
Phone: (312) 266-7246
Established protocol for chelation therapy and certifies physicians trained in chelation therapy. Will provide the names of board-certified physicians.

The American College of Hyperbaric Medicine
http://www.hyperbaricmedicine.org
PO Box 25914-130
Houston, TX 77265
Phone: (713) 528-0657
Email:  Pgapen@aol.com
An organized group of physicians that practice oxygen therapy and promote research and education in this field.

International Oxidative Medicine Association
http://www.healthy.net/othersites/farr/ioma/about.htm
P.O. Box 891954
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73189
Phone: (405) 634-1310
Fax: (405) 634-7320
A professional and paraprofessional membership organization that provides information and basic medical and clinical research in the field of biological oxidative medicine. This includes the following therapies: Ozone, Chelation, Hyperbaric, and Hydrogen Peroxide.

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SELF-HELP & REFERRAL ORGANIZATIONS

The American Heart Association
http://www.americanheart.org
National Center
7272 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, Texas 75231
Phone: (800) AHA-USA1
National organization that provides conventional preventative and treatment information as well as scientific background resources.

The Rheumatoid Disease Foundation
5106 Old Harding Road
Franklin, Tennessee 37064
Phone: (615) 646-1030
Non-profit organization, has listings of physicians that perform chelation therapy for a small donation.

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WEB RESOURCES

Promotional and commercial sites are not included in this listing unless they provide significant impartial information resources.

Alternative Health
http://www.allhealth.com/alternatives/
Click on medical conditions and then heart & blood. Provides a panel of medical experts to discuss alternative therapies with as well as list of relevant articles in New England Journal of Medicine.

Death Too Early? The Solution for Heart Disease
http://www.oralchelation.net
An online book by Karl Loren which discusses ways to prevent heart disease and has links to pages that discuss oral chelation including its history and some case reports.

Gordon Research Institute
http://www.gordonresearch.com/
This site includes several cardiovascular and related articles based on Dr. Gordon's research and experience over the past 50 years on chelation therapy, nutrition, mineral metabolism, alternative and preventive therapies.

Heart Disease/Cardiology
http://heartdisease.about.com/health/heartdisease/mbody.htm
An effective way to gain an overview of any health resources on the World Wide Web is to use one of the Internet meta-directories that give categorized listings of relevant sites. About.com provides weekly updated articles hyperlinks to hundreds of sites relating to all aspects of cardiovascular disease.

Women's Health
http://www.womens-health.com/health_center/heart/hr_idx.html
Heart disease is the number one killer for women.  A page from Women's Health Interactive gives statistics about coronary heart disease as well as risk factors and methods of managing them.

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