Concerning the Use of Ubiquinone for Congestive Heart Failure Brian E. Voncannon, ND May 2004
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The heart is an incredibly important part of the human body. Without its constant effort, we would cease to exist. There are many diseases that can contribute to the failure of this vital organ, just as there are many medications that can help combat them. This research paper will explore the relationship between congestive heart failure and the use of ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q10) to treat the same. This paper will take an objective look at what research has been done to both prove and disprove its success with this cardiovascular complication. Before delving directly into the pros and cons of ubiquinone usage, we need to define the elements of this condition and describe ubiquinone itself. I first want to discuss the elements of congestive heart failure (CHF) and its conventional treatments commonly used in medicine today. This will give more strength to this research as the reader will understand exactly what we are dealing with. CHF can best be defined as a condition in which the heart becomes unable to adequately pump blood through the body, while allowing blood to back up in the lungs. Though this may be a general definition of what constitutes CHF, there is an array of symptoms that the patient may experience due to this condition. Some of these may include: dypsnea (shortness of breath), fatigue, and edema of the legs and abdomen (Cardiology Channel, 2004). As stated above, blood can back up into the lungs thereby giving us a good understanding why one may experience shortness of breath. It is important to mention that not all patients will experience the exact same symptoms. This is just another example of how we are all unique. It is also important to note here that congestive heart failure is not a diagnosis in itself, but is a result of a larger problem (Life Extension Foundation, 1995-2004). It is interesting to note that the American Heart Association estimates that 4.7 million Americans have congestive heart failure with the number expected to increase every year. In my opinion, that is an extremely large of amount of people suffering from this disorder.
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After a diagnosis is made, the patient’s physician will normally do several things. He or she may prescribe various medications. Some commonly used are ACE inhibitors (Zestril®), diuretics (Lasix®), Angiotensin receptor blockers (Cozaar®), beta blockers, and others. Of course these are only examples of the possibilities. In addition to medications, there are other factors that would be considered. The physician would most likely advise the patient to reduce or eliminate alcohol and excessive sodium from their diets. There would possibly be a recommendation of adding moderate exercise to the patient’s daily regimen. Any combination of the above may be used to combat CHF, with each being custom tailored to the patient according to the severity of the condition. Now that we have examined a very brief summary of CHF and it’s conventional treatment, let’s look at the prognosis. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (2004), about two thirds of all patients diagnosed with CHF die within five years. They do state that some may live past five years, depending upon factors such as age, overall health, and the severity of the heart failure itself. Generally speaking, this doesn’t sound like good odds! From most sources of information, you may find this to be somewhat of an average answer regarding the prognosis of patients with CHF. This is the point in which I wish to turn the tables, so to speak. We’ve come to a point where an individual has developed a serious condition, received treatment, and basically written off after a number of years due to the fact that this is just how it goes. Often times, patients with serious illnesses are told that there is nothing more that medicine can do for them. This can be a devastating statement for one to hear. It is also at this point that the patient may seek a second opinion or another route to good health. There is no better time within this work to introduce that last bit of hope and maybe a ticket to a longer life.
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Alternative medicine through the use of herbs, supplements, and various modalities, has given many people back their lives. While there are studies that both prove and disprove this, you will often hear more about these cures from people you know. I have personally heard of individuals being cured of terminal illnesses and throwing away various medications after undergoing some type of natural therapy. Within the realm of heart disease, there may be more truth to these stories than some may think. Since we are dealing with congestive heart failure, one substance seems to rise to the top within the list of possible alternative treatments. This substance is called ubiquinone or Coenzyme Q-10. Ubiquinone is similar to vitamin E and is found naturally in many foods that we eat. It can be synthesized from the amino acid Tyrosine using about eight vitamins and various trace elements (Langsjoen, 2004). Ubiquinone is also considered an antioxidant. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and may reverse the damaged already done by them to the body (iVillageHealth, 2003). With the rise of interest in alternative medicines, many consumers are becoming more and more familiar with these substances and what they may do. While this also is a brief description of ubiquinone, there is much more to look at in terms of its use for congestive heart failure. To better understand the arguments for its use in this condition, I want to discuss what the action of ubiquinone is once it is ingested. In other words, what does it do that is relevant to congestive heart failure? There is an array of possible benefits to using ubiquinone. From the scientific data to the vitamin catalog that we receive in the mail, everyone has their own version of what this substance may do. It has probably been touted too much in some respects, so I tend to stick to only what the studies have shown. In this case, we want to keep our attention on the
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heart specifically. Since it was first isolated in 1957, more and more studies have surfaced, particularly since the 1980’s (Langsjoen, 2004). Ubiquinone appears to increase the heart’s tolerance to a lack of oxygen. While we all know that oxygen is vital to life, it is also vital to our muscles. It is important to remind you that the heart is also a muscle. Since ubiquinone is known to assist in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), it is no wonder that it can benefit muscles. For those readers that do not know what ATP is, it can most easily be defined as one of the cell’s major energy sources. ATP also aids in muscle contractions, thus a direct benefit for the heart (Healthnotes, 2002). It would be reasonable to state that the heart muscle definitely needs a great deal of energy. According to Dr. Peter H. Langsjoen, M.D, ubiquinone is highly concentrated in the heart and due to this, most clinical research on this substance has centered on that area. One particular study by Morisco, Trimarco, and Condorelli (1993) through the Dr. Rath Health Foundation, found that “the addition of coenzyme Q10 to conventional therapy significantly reduces hospitalization for worsening of heart failure and the incidence of serious complications in patients with chronic congestive heart.” Although this is one of many studies, the results are positive nonetheless. Another study that supports the positive side was conducted in 1991, as mentioned in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. This study was a multi center Italian study involving two groups that totaled 806 patients. One group was given conventional therapy and the other group was given ubiquinone in addition to conventional therapy. The study showed that while both groups improved over a six month period, the group using the ubiquinone improved much more (Satis, Weisel, and Verma, 2002). There are certainly many other smaller studies that do show a great potential for ubiquinone in the treatment of congestive heart failure and its underlying causes. This brings up
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a good point at this time regarding other conditions of the heart. Ubiquinone is certainly not limited to just congestive heart failure. In a long term study that covered eight years and 424 patients, it allowed 43% of the patients to stop using one or more medications for their current heart disease. It also showed that only 6% of the patients needed to add an additional drug to their therapy regimen. The conclusion of the study showed that “CoQ10 is a safe and effective adjunctive treatment for a broad range of cardiovascular diseases, producing gratifying clinical responses while easing the medical and financial burden of multi drug therapy” (Langsjoen, Langsjoen, Langsjoen, Willism, and Folkers, 1994). While there are positive studies available, there are also studies that show ubiquinone may not be of any use. In 1999, Paul S. Watson, Gregory M. Scalia, Andrew Galbraith, Darryl J. Burstow, Nicholas Bett, and Constantine N. Aroney, conducted an independent study on patients with congestive heart failure and the use of oral ubiquinone. The results were not as promising as those studies that were discussed above. The author states that, “in heart failure patients, treatment for 3 months with oral CoQ10 did not improve resting heart function or quality of life despite increased blood levels of CoQ10 to more than twice the starting values” (Cardiol, 1999). This list does go on concerning the failure of ubiquinone in the treatment of various heart diseases, as does the studies that show that it does help. With the above in mind, where does this put us in terms of a conclusive answer regarding the usage of this substance? The answer is that nothing is conclusive as of yet. The dosage has not even been established, as each study appeared to have used different amounts and different integrative approaches. Certainly ubiquinone is not the only alternative medicine that is the subject of investigation, nor is it the only one that does not have any established findings. More
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and more research needs to be done on this and other alternative therapies before we make our decisions about what does and what does not work. If I were asked to give my own opinion concerning whether ubiquinone should be considered for congestive heart failure, I would have to say yes, with an explanation. The first reason that I feel that it would be a viable option is that among all studies conducted, there apparently were no contraindications or serious side effects noted. If there was a risk involved in using ubiquinone at all, then it may not be worth trying. Secondly, there are enough studies available, starting more than twenty years ago, that do indeed show positive results. While there are always two sides to every study, having some positive results is a good sign. It is also not surprising to find that there are a few negative outcomes. Everybody is different in some way, medically speaking. Even conventional medications affect patients in different ways. If we were to compare the failure rate of ubiquinone to the failure rate of a known treatment for congestive heart failure, we might be surprised. Another reason why I personally would use ubiquinone in this case would simply be that it is worth the effort. If a patient knew that an alternative medicine existed that could possibly help them while not harming them, they would probably want to try. Congestive heart failure, as any heart condition, is no laughing matter. I would want to do everything that I could to get well and improve my chances of survival. Of course, we have to be reasonable about any alternative therapy. The patient would need to have the approval of their physician before using ubiquinone and by no means do I feel that it should be used alone for any heart disease. Self-treating any condition has risks, but when dealing with the heart, it is completely out of the question. With the approval of the patient’s physician along with conventional medicine, I feel that ubiquinone
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would be a very viable option for those 4.7 million plus individuals who suffer from congestive heart failure. In conclusion, we’ve discussed the definitions of both congestive heart failure and ubiquinone. We’ve looked at both positive and negative studies concerning the usage of the same. Throughout all of the above, it is clear that more research is most definitely needed in this area, as well as other areas of alternative medicine. The one promising thought that I leave with you concerning this particular research, as well as other alternative medicines is that there is hope and better things to come for those who suffer!
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References CHFpatients.com web site on congestive heart failure. Nutrient Stew (http://www.chfpatients.com/stew/coq10.htm) iVilliage Health web site on complementary medicine (http://www.ivillagehealth.com/library/onemed/content/0,7064,241012_248523,00.html# AlsoKnownAs) Langsjoen, Peter H., MD. Introduction to Coenzyme Q-10. Retrieved April 30, 2004, from http://faculty.washington.edu/ely/coenzq10.html Langsjoen H, Langsjoen P, Langsjoen P, Willis R & Folkers K. (1994) Usefulness of Coenzyme Q10 in Clinical Cardiology: A Long Term Study. Molecular Aspects of Medicine, 1994, 15 Suppl:s 165-75. Abstract retrieved May 2, 2004, from http://www.mdphc.com/nutrition/useful.html Morisco, Trimarco, & Condorelli (1993). Effect of coenzyme Q10 therapy in patients with congestive heart failure: a long-term multi center randomized study. Retrieved April 30, 2004, from the Dr. Rath Health Foundation, Heart Failure Study, http://www4.dr-rathfoundation.org/NHC/heart_failure/study/study07.htm Satis, Weisel, & Verma, (2002). Coenzyme Q10 and congestive heart failure: What is the Verdict? The Canadian Journal of Cardiology. Retrieved May 1, 2004, from http://www.pulsus.com/CARDIOL/18_10/raj_ed.htm The Cardiology Channel’s web site on congestive heart failure (http://www.cardiologychannel.com/chf). Unknown (2003). Congestive Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy. Life Extension Online Magazine. Retrieved May 1, 2004, from http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-037.shtml Unknown (2002). Health Notes Vitamin Guide. Coenzyme Q-10. Retrieved April 30, 2004 from http://www.gnc.com/health_notes/Supp/Coenzyme_Q10.htm US Department of Health and Human Services. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2004) Facts about heart failure. Retrieved May 1, 2004, from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/hrtfail.htm
