How I Avoided the Death Rattle - Part 2
2. VACEPA

Dr Strum encouraged me to get my plasma omega 3 fatty acids tested to determine if they were out of whack. It’s not a common test but my local LifeLabs office does it for $77. He believes that these critical fatty acids are like a thermostat in the body. They affect inflammation as well as many other functions in the body, especially the heart. I had mine tested and I was out of whack on 3 of the most critical readings. Fish oils is the recommended treatment, preferable through diet, research on fish oil supplements has been spotty. Until. . . VASCEPA a highly processed EPA only fish oil. ( over $300 per month by prescription) can help. Vacepa startled the medical world in the now famous “RE-DUCE IT” trial. If you have heart disease or diabetes and raised triglycerides “VASCEPA can help lower your chance of a life-threatening heart attack or stroke by 25% when added to a statin.” In another study “Notably, the risk of sudden cardiac death was reduced by about 50 percent” . In the more recent Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS), participants who took EPA plus a cholesterol-lowering statin were less likely to have a major coronary event (sudden cardiac death, fatal or nonfatal heart attack, unstable angina, or a procedure to open or bypass a narrowed or blocked coronary artery) than those who took a statin alone. Interestingly, a recent Canadian study in multiple hospitals across Canada VACEPA proved to be effective in controlling inflammation in ICU Covid patients! My family doctor had never heard of it. My cardiac surgeon wasn’t interested in hearing about it. I’ve been taking the full dosage for 6 months and my recent omega 3 fatty acid blood test shows I am the sweet spot on all three of the measures I was previously out on. On the life lab report it stated for one measure, “omega-3 whole blood test scores in the highest quartile, 6.1% -10.2 % , were associated with an 80% lower risk of sudden death, than 2.1-4.3 %. ( first test mine was 2.6%.) after 2 months on VACEPA, “your whole blood score was 10.1%”

3. Vasparel ( trimedizine).

Vasparel is not an approved drug in Canada or the United States. It is illegal here. Dr Strum sent me some articles by Dr Gary Lopashuck at the University of Alberta about the way the heart uses energy to function. Lopaschuk notes that

“The heart needs a constant and plentiful source of fuel to maintain normal pump function. The main source of fuel for the heart is normally a combination of carbohydrates and fatty acids. However, in many forms of heart disease, fatty acids dominate as a source of fuel. For example, in uncontrolled diabetes or following a heart attack, almost all the energy needed by the heart is obtained from fatty acids. This is detrimental to the heart and can compromise heart function. However, pharmacological agents which either inhibit fatty acid use by the heart, or increase carbohydrate use, are beneficial to the heart following a heart attack.”

Dr Lopaschuk has over published over 500 peer reviewed articles on the heart, particularly about how the heart consumes energy. Dr Strum had previously recommended I try Trimedizine in a reduced dose because of my kidney disease. It is also Dr Lopaschuk’s recommended drug to rebalance the fatty acid/carbohydrate ratio in a failing heart. https://cardiab.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2840-2-16