Passing on the bypass

For many alternative healthcare professionals, however, this is not news. Since 1977, similar studies have returned results that are simply confirmed by this more recent study. In the late 90’s, for instance, the Los Angeles Times reported on a study demonstrating that unnecessary heart surgery increased the in-hospital death rate by more than 70%. And by some estimates, bypass surgery and angioplasty cause more than 30,000 in-hospital deaths in the U.S. each year. The important distinction here is that these deaths are not caused by heart disease, but by surgery.

Since there is a lot of controversy surrounding this procedure, I asked HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., to give us his insight into chelation, and here’s what he had to offer:

“Most therapists in the know who use chelation for arterial disease believe that a mixture of oral and intravenous (IV) chelation works best. I agree with this route. Though put down by the conventional types, this alternative should be given some serious attention by anyone with confirmed cardiovascular disease. It’s vastly cheaper than bypass surgery (though not cheap – about $100 for each of 30 IV treatments) and has a very impressive track record. I understand some insurance companies are even paying for it now, in an effort to avoid having the patient go for a bypass.

“I’ve had the 30 treatments, and though they take a few hours each week to sit through, there’s very little other hassle. If this treatment is something you wish to consider, you should become familiar with the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) and its literature. ACAM physicians are the pioneers of chelation therapy and are, by far, the most skilled and qualified doctors to do these procedures, or, at the very least, they’re the best people to learn about the procedures from. I’d recommend a trip to www.acam.org and a look into their literature before going under the knife.”