@truhealth76

I have some partial build up in my carotic artery he. Are there ways to lessen this build up? I am taking 80 mg of Lipitor per day and my last LDL count was 68 down from 101

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Lipitor or other statin have side effects — after 10 years – guranteed to have Diabetes. Stop taking that.
Change diet to Low Carbohydrate — also take supplements – Aged Garlic and L- Arginine and Niacin – from Health Food store or Vitamin Shop.

@truhealth76

I have some partial build up in my carotic artery he. Are there ways to lessen this build up? I am taking 80 mg of Lipitor per day and my last LDL count was 68 down from 101

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Hi @champak045.
Welcome to Connect. I see you have posted 4 times this morning in this discussion using direct language, telling members what they should and shouldn’t do. Keep in mind that everyone is different, and their health situation may vary from your own.
Please see the first rule of Connect’s Community Guidelines https://connect.mayoclinic.org/community-guidelines/ The guidelines state:
1. Be careful about giving out medical advice
– Sharing your own experience is fine, but don’t tell other members what they should do.

Members should not advise other members to stop taking their medication. Suggestions are welcome, but not directives. Please provide evidence (journal articles) from trusted sources to substantiate the effectiveness of the diet and supplements you refer to. Providing medically balanced articles helps members conduct their own evaluation of recommendations, and equips them with information to discuss with their doctor.

Hi, @loyd1934deborah, and welcome to Connect. I am wondering whether Magnesium would help you here. I am no sure if it would help, but have been told that calcium without the magnesium balance can cause build up of the plaque. I do take it regularly, avoid excessive calcium and seems to have brought the plaque under control.

Eileen

Really– how do you know it is under control ? did you do Calcium Score test – before and after 3 or 6 months ?

As I understand – calcium is only 20 % of plaque. And Vitamin K2 ( as MK-7 ) helps bind – or reduce calcium from existing plaque and carries to bones. Also need Vitamin D3 and boron – to complete the process.

Magnesium ( usually 50 % ) is required for bone density increase – taken along with calcium – boron and D3 – as supplements.

@champak045

Really– how do you know it is under control ? did you do Calcium Score test – before and after 3 or 6 months ?

As I understand – calcium is only 20 % of plaque. And Vitamin K2 ( as MK-7 ) helps bind – or reduce calcium from existing plaque and carries to bones. Also need Vitamin D3 and boron – to complete the process.

Magnesium ( usually 50 % ) is required for bone density increase – taken along with calcium – boron and D3 – as supplements.

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@champak045, Thank you for your reply. It was extremely informative. I will get some K2. They probably sell it at Sprouts along with the boron. I began taking D3 as soon as I was told mine was low. My bone scan shows they are much stronger than is usual for women my age.

Yes I have had the Calcium Score test, but it has yet to be repeated due to my health plan requiring about a year between testing.

@champak045

Really– how do you know it is under control ? did you do Calcium Score test – before and after 3 or 6 months ?

As I understand – calcium is only 20 % of plaque. And Vitamin K2 ( as MK-7 ) helps bind – or reduce calcium from existing plaque and carries to bones. Also need Vitamin D3 and boron – to complete the process.

Magnesium ( usually 50 % ) is required for bone density increase – taken along with calcium – boron and D3 – as supplements.

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In that case–you dont need additional calcium and boron for bones–
You get all supplements at Health Food store or GNC or Vitamin Shoppe – franchise –NOT at Sprouts ( not sure )..
Calcium Score test is usually $ 600 –but in Atlanta, Georgia -you can get doen for $ 100 — and I had coupon – done mine for $ 25

@champak045 While you are working on plaque in your arteries, have your hematologist do a Bindings sFLC on your serum. Until you know exactly your plaque is, you should not do anything but simple excercise. Mine has turned out to be mostly misfolded and dead protein, which also deposits in every other organ…brain, kidneys, lungs, sensori-motor nerves, etc. It probably is from Cystatin-C, but there are several others, and all these add-ons to your diet will not help if that is the case. So get the plaque, the serum, the plasma, the urine checked out for protein, etc.

@champak045

Really– how do you know it is under control ? did you do Calcium Score test – before and after 3 or 6 months ?

As I understand – calcium is only 20 % of plaque. And Vitamin K2 ( as MK-7 ) helps bind – or reduce calcium from existing plaque and carries to bones. Also need Vitamin D3 and boron – to complete the process.

Magnesium ( usually 50 % ) is required for bone density increase – taken along with calcium – boron and D3 – as supplements.

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My calcium score is checked annually.

@truhealth76

I have some partial build up in my carotic artery he. Are there ways to lessen this build up? I am taking 80 mg of Lipitor per day and my last LDL count was 68 down from 101

Jump to this post

Some recent posts to this discussion were focused on calcium blockage of coronary arteries and suggested that people with arterial blockage could benefit from three non-prescription supplements, wait three months, then undergo another CT-scan to check for calcification of coronary arteries.

No patient should resort to self-treatment in these circumstances. Symptoms of arterial blockage in the heart are not noted until the disease reaches an advanced state, according to Mayo Clinic. At that stage, the most expert and experienced medical specialists are needed as soon as possible to determine whether treatment is necessary immediately, and if not, what alternatives make sense. As to the three recommended supplements, some links to key research are listed below.

a) None of the three has been shown to “reduce plaque” (i.e. remove it). At best, they cut back on deposit of additional plaque and provide some relief from high blood pressure. Coronary artery disease detected early can be slowed by the supplements, but delaying medical intervention for these reasons is risky.

b) L-Arginine is a precursor of nitric oxide formulated in the body. As a person ages, this amino acid helps to increase serum nitric oxide that relaxes arterial walls, allowing blood more room to flow. However, it neither retards nor removes cholesterol, triglycerides, calcium, and other waste products that make up the blockage materials.

c) Aged Garlic is normally sold as capsules containing the ingredient in powder form. It helps to control fatty acids in the blood, but not calcium (the main concern of the patient in this discussion). Research shows that 2 capsules of aged garlic daily helped to reduce added cholesterol (mainly triglycerides) about 5 percent and blood pressure (systolic but not diastolic) up to 12 points. Positive as these results would be for people at early risk of heart or kidney disease, they are not primary factors in ADVANCED coronary artery disease.

e) Niacin too can help control cholesterol. It is used to increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (which in turn helps remove low-density lipoproteins (LDL)) from the bloodstream. But Mayo Clinic warns that niacin isn’t for everyone. People who take it in addition to common cholesterol medications see very little additional benefit, and niacin can cause uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous side effects. It should never be used (in other than small doses) except under a physician’s guidance.

General Background on Coronary Artery Disease & Its Treatment: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronary-artery-disease/home/ovc-20165305

Coronary Calcium CT Scans:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/heart-scan/home/ovc-20201884
Niacin Supplement Focus and Benefits (also scroll down to “Evidence”):
http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/niacin–niacinamide/evidence/hrb-20059838
L-Arginine Supplement Focus and Benefits (also scroll down to “Evidence”):
http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/arginine/background/hrb-20058733
Aged Garlic Supplement Focus and Benefits:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4734812/
Excellent information on the three supplements is available at <www.consumerlabs.com>, the best private source of research on supplements. ConsumerLabs.com tracks all research and tests thousands of supplements for proper labeling, dosages, prices, and applications. I used ConsumerLabs.com for this brief study, but it is available only as a paid subscription service. Interested persons may subscribe on the home page of the organization, then search for reports on any supplement of choice.

@truhealth76

I have some partial build up in my carotic artery he. Are there ways to lessen this build up? I am taking 80 mg of Lipitor per day and my last LDL count was 68 down from 101

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Thank you for this post, @predictable and for the research you did. The evidence-based links to trusted resources is very much appreciated.

@scottb

I have had plaque surgically removed from arteries feeding my legs. Be careful with stents as they are good initially but then can be a source for future plaque build up. I’m told take no external calcium and to get my dad cholesterol as low as possible. My good and bad cholesterol are about the same–I know unbelievable but it can be done.

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My cardiologist told me to take only regular aspirin, none of the NSAIDS, especially not Advil nor Aleve. I don’t know whether that’s condition- or disease-specific, but I don’t think so. I’ve seen articles from AARP that said the same thing. It seems important enough to ask your doctor to be sure.

@scottb

I have had plaque surgically removed from arteries feeding my legs. Be careful with stents as they are good initially but then can be a source for future plaque build up. I’m told take no external calcium and to get my dad cholesterol as low as possible. My good and bad cholesterol are about the same–I know unbelievable but it can be done.

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My cardiologist also tole me to take regular aspirin. I did ask about the enteric coated variety and he agreed it would be better so no stomach irritation would occur.

@scottb

I have had plaque surgically removed from arteries feeding my legs. Be careful with stents as they are good initially but then can be a source for future plaque build up. I’m told take no external calcium and to get my dad cholesterol as low as possible. My good and bad cholesterol are about the same–I know unbelievable but it can be done.

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Yes, definitely the enteric-coated ones. I take a low-dose one daily, per dr. orders. If I take a regular one for a headache, which I rarely do, I don’t take that one that day, just to be on the safe side.

Informed and honest-with-yourself nutrition and regular exercise. No magic pills, at least none without serious side effects and long-term consequences. There are supplements that MIGHT help but no studies to show for sure, so first, all I’ve read says nix eating red meat. It will also help to read more about what foods to eat and not eat. Here, I’ll help you start: 😉
http://nyti.ms/2xdA624
Who was it who said “You are what you eat”? Well, at least partly so.

@scottb

I have had plaque surgically removed from arteries feeding my legs. Be careful with stents as they are good initially but then can be a source for future plaque build up. I’m told take no external calcium and to get my dad cholesterol as low as possible. My good and bad cholesterol are about the same–I know unbelievable but it can be done.

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My cardiologist told me to take aspirin also, but I’m in 3rd stage kidney disease so I don’t take it. Don’t know what to do ? Sharon C.