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Part 2 of 4: Uncertainties and controversies in neurology and medicine - with focus on cardio and cerebrovascular disease, stroke and TIAs. Future Rife with Strife series will focus on controversies in other areas of neurology.

Today’s focus: EDTA (ethyline diamine tetra acetate) for the treatment of cardiac, peripheral and cerebral atherosclerosis.

Reports:

• Basics of EDTA pharmacology
• History of EDTA as a treatment for atherosclerosis
• Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT)
• Controversies of EDTA chelation for treating atherosclerosis. E.g. U.S. vs. Evers.

Resources for learning more:

• www.drcranton.com/chelation.htm
• www.acam.org
• Saunders textbook: Cardiovascular Drug Therapy - with chapter and many references on EDTA chelation therapy.

Who are the ‘Quackbusters‘? We didn’t have time to cover this question during the show, but this group remains a mystery. It publishes opinions against so-called ‘integrative medicine’ (previously called ‘alternative medicine’), including attacks against the use of EDTA chelation for atherosclerosis. We on the STAT editorial team would appreciate learning who funds this organization. It is not clear from their website.
Next week’s show: We’ll address testosterone for stroke care and the controversial area of bio-identical hormone therapy (versus the use of synthetic/derivatized hormones).

Flow Productions will be producing additional lines of podcasts based on cutting medical news and information. Click for demos: Audio magazine format and video (’enhanced podcast’). If you are interested in sponsoring one of the shows please contact info@flowproductions.org.

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (862)

Uncertainties and controversies in neurology and medicine - with focus on stroke and TIAs.

Part 1 of 4. This 4-part series focuses on controversies in the area of strokes and TIAs. Future Rife with Strife series will focus on controversies in other areas of neurology.

Hear these reports:

The Role Of Controversies In The Advancement Of Medicine: medical controversies, with criticism and debates, are the way that optimal medical therapies crystallize.

TIA and Stroke Admissions: a study on primary care physicians last year in the journal Stroke showed that even when strokes and TIAs were well recognized as medical emergencies by the PCPs, essentially 30% of them would not admit the TIA patients as a medical emergency.

Immediate Treatment of TIAs: the PROFESS trial is underway comparing clopidogrel (Plavix) with ASA/dipyridamole (Aggrenox) for secondary stroke prevention. Until those results are available, which drug is best to use for the prevention of stroke in TIA patients? Or is Aspirin alone adequate ?

Carotid Stenting Versus Carotid Endarterectomy: Which do you recommend for your patients and why?

Intra-Arterial Thrombolytics for the Treatment of Acute Stroke: You may recall the “Lazarus phenomenon” from STAT episode #61. Dramatic improvement after intra-arterial thrombolytic occurred in twenty-five percent of the patients. Might this ‘emerging therapy’ someday take the place of IV infusions of thrombolytics?

Percutaneous Closure of Patent Foramen Ovales for Stroke Prevention: The relative risk of any thromboembolic event is 4-fold in patients with a PFO. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine 4 months ago support that PFOs and resulting paradoxical emboli are a cause of stroke in both older patients and younger patients. How about this proposition: the large-scale procedural intervention - percutaneous PFO closure - for the prevention of strokes (and migraines)? Now there’s a controversy that society is probably not quite ready to grapple with.

Next week’s show: Controversies about neuroprotection before or after acute ischemic stroke, and EDTA chelation therapy as a preventive and treatment for cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease.

Flow Productions will be producing additional lines of podcasts based on cutting medical news and information. Click for demos: Audio magazine format and video (’enhanced podcast’). If you are interested in sponsoring one of the shows please contact info@flowproductions.org.