The Homocysteine File
Glenn Tisman, M.D.
The Homocysteine
Bulletin Board
Doc is 'on-call' for 
your questions.

Sponsored in part by:
Physician Nutrition Associates

Edited by Glenn Tisman, M.D.
Date of conception 7/4/97

  

Purpose:
Now, with the recent publication of Dr. Kilmer S. McCully's book entitled "The Homocysteine Revolution", the time has come to reveal the truth about atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis, heart disease and stroke. The time is here to present the other half of the story, the story that until most recently, had been discarded, stuffed into the background and hidden by the elite medical academicians and pharmaceutical companies because of lack of monetary profit.  Through this internet web site, information will flow, in an attempt to directly educate the public about homocysteine's "widow-maker" toxicity against the heart.

Homocysteine: What is it?
Homocysteine is an amino acid.  If you recall, amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. The only source of homocysteine for use in our bodies is that which is formed by the liver after the ingestion of another amino acid, methionine. Methionine is found in protein foods, animal protein contains two to three times the amount of methionine as does plant protein.

Homocysteine: What does it do?
The amino acid participates in essential metabolic pathways of some vitamins. The problem with homocysteine is that even though 70% is bound to plasma proteins in the blood stream, it is a potent toxin to cells that line blood vessels (endothelial or intimal cells) and interacts with specialized proteins and cells in the blood causing blood to easily clot.  The toxicity directed at the endothelial cell when combined with blood clot promotion is a lethal marriage capable of producing heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary embolism. In addition, homocysteine worsens blood vessel narrowing in those with kidney diseases and diabetes mellitus.

Homocysteine toxicity: How do we stop it?
In order to understand how to stop homocysteine toxicity you must understand its mechanisms of action. Part of the purpose of this web site is to inform you about the significant potential toxicity of homocysteine so that you can be armed with facts to take back to your family and friends including your physician. I can almost guarantee you that your physician is not well informed about the dangers of homocysteine.

This forum will be used to unfold all the known homocysteine toxicities (and there are many) and how each may be prevented. In most instances we will be recommending therapy with various B vitamins and the ingestion of fresh healthy fruits and vegetables. We shall show that for many of you, a normal American diet can not supply the concentration of B vitamins necessary to detoxify homocysteine. That this is true has been scientifically documented by many clinical nutrition studies.

What to do next:
Make yourself comfortable and peruse the table of contents to the left. We have a library under construction and will soon be filled with important facts that will most likely add quality years to your life.
 
 

Glenn Tisman, M.D.
Editor

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