CASE STUDY

Case Study- Patient with Cardiovascular Disease



Case Study- Patient with Cardiovascular Disease

A 56-year-old Caucasian Mrs Watts presented with the following complaints during her initial visit in April 1999: high blood pressure that was poorly controlled with prescription drugs; migraine; high cholesterol; depression; severe anxiety; irritability; fatigue; poor libido; low sex drive; genital herpes; poor short-term memory; trouble falling asleep; weight gain; arthritis; and irregular menstrual cycle. Her vital signs: height, 5'4"; weight, 125 pounds; blood pressure, 150/90 mmHg; pulse, 64 beats/minute.Many of these signs and symptoms are risk factors for CHD, including hypertension, elevated cholesterol, and depression/anxiety. We indicated that broad-spectrum treatment of these risk factors could dramatically reduce her chances of experiencing debilitating or deadly CHD.

The Mrs Watts had complained of most of her symptoms for the last 10-15 years. She did not exercise, noting that despite her desire to lose some weight, she felt tired all the time. The Mrs Watts was taking the following drugs: triamterene/ hydrochlorothiazide, Procardia XL®, and Nifedical XL® (for high blood pressure); Premphase® (for hot flashes and vaginal dryness); Zoloft® (for depression); Butisol Sodium® (sedative) and Ambien® (for sleeping disorder); and Zovirax® and Valtrex® (to manage genital herpes recurrences). Initial laboratory evaluations revealed high total cholesterol (241 mg/dL). Her profile of basic steroid hormones also was significantly imbalanced. The Mrs Watts's hormone levels are shown in Table 1 (reference ranges shown in parentheses). (Kelly and Stanner 2003).

Hormone - (Reference Range) - Mrs Watts's Result

DHEA-S - (65-380 ug/dL) - 66

Pregnenolone - (10-230 ng/dL) - 50

Total estrogen - (61-437 pg/mL) - 643

Progesterone - (0.2-28 ng/mL) - 0.7

Total testosterone - (14-76 ng/dL) - 29 (Hamer et al. 2009).

The Mrs Watts had an extremely high level of total estrogen and low levels of the four other steroid hormones. She demonstrated a relative dominance of estrogens, which can stimulate sympathetic system activity and might explain why she had serious difficulties correcting her blood pressure. The Mrs Watts's initial treatment program focused on correcting what we considered her "foundational problem": hormonal imbalance. (Hamer et al 2009).

Additional supplements included in her treatment were: Life Extension Mix, three tablets taken three times daily; omega-3 fatty acids, 1000 mg taken in the morning; glucosamine sulfate, 2000 mg taken in the morning; phosphatidylserine, 200 mg taken in the morning; and NutriCology® ProGreens® (containing green foods, plant fibers, bioflavonoids, herbal extracts, and probiotics), one scoop taken in the morning. After three days on the program, the Mrs Watts discontinued her use of Premphase.

During the first month of treatment, the Mrs Watts's blood pressure improved to 130/90 mmHg, her migraines decreased in frequency and severity, and her joint pain disappeared completely. We increased her dose of DHEA to 100 mg in the morning and 50 mg at noon, and added 0.2 ml of progesterone and 420 mg of magnesium citrate to be taken one hour before bedtime. During the next three months, the Mrs Watts's depression and anxiety were so improved that she decreased and then discontinued her use of Zoloft® and ...