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National Institutes of Health Recruiting Volunteers for Largest Ever Chelation Therapy Study for Heart Disease

Posted on: Tuesday, 21 February 2006, 15:00 CST

The Following is a Satellite Newsfeed Advisory:

More Americans with heart disease are living longer, thanks to medical research and resulting improvements in prevention and treatment options. Still, heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S., with 13 million Americans living with the disease, and 500,000 dying from it each year (state heart disease statistics are included in the following B-Roll). Recognizing the urgency for new treatments, a growing number of patients are looking for ways to prevent heart attacks.

A medical research study is taking a close look at an investigational treatment for heart disease called chelation therapy (pronounced key-LAY-shun). Chelation uses a man-made amino acid, called EDTA, which is added to the blood through a vein. About 60,000 people per year seek chelation therapy as an alternative treatment despite a lack of clear evidence that it works.

Almost 2,000 people at more than 100 medical institutions across the country will take part in the study, which is sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Government's lead agency for medical research. NCCAM, the primary sponsor of the study, is dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) healing practices in the context of rigorous science, training CAM researchers, and disseminating authoritative information to the public and professionals.

The NIH study of chelation and its potential effectiveness in preventing heart attacks is the largest study of its kind. The goal of the research is to test the effectiveness of chelation therapy and/or high-dose vitamin therapy for the treatment of heart disease.

Men and women age 50 and older who have had a heart attack are encouraged to join this nationwide effort to study chelation therapy for heart disease. There is no cost to participate in the study and participants will be closely monitored to ensure they receive the optimal standard of care for their heart disease, such as vitamin supplements and advice on lifestyle and diet.

For more information on the study, log onto http:// www.nccam.nih.gov/chelation or call 1-888-644-6226.

Note to Producers: President George W. Bush has designated February as American Heart Month, with the goal of helping Americans become more aware of the dangers of heart disease.

THIS SATELLITE FEED CONTAINS:

B-Roll:

-- Volunteers Participating in Study

-- Doctor Reviewing Patient Charts

-- Doctor/Patient Interaction

SOT:

-- Gervasio Lamas, M.D., principal investigator, Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy

-- Edward Grocki, patient, study participant

-- Roy Heilbron, M.D., site investigator, Miami Beach

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FEED DATE: THURSDAY, FEB. 23

FEED TIME: 2 -- 2:30 p.m. ET

COORDINATES: C-BAND: AMC6 (C) /TRANSPONDER 22/AUDIO 6.2 & 6.8

DL FREQ: 4140 (H)

RE-FEED DATE: FRIDAY, FEB. 24

RE-FEED TIME: 10 -- 10:30 a.m. ET (FED IN ROTATION)

COORDINATES: C-BAND: IA5 (C) /TRANSPONDER 19/AUDIO 6.2 & 6.8

DL FREQ: 4080 (V)

FORMAT: Package TRT TBA

SOTs

B-roll

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Produced for National Institutes of Health

FOR STORY INFORMATION, CONTACT: Amy Lange, 202-745-5100

FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION, CONTACT: Medialink, 212-682-8300 / 800- 843-0677

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This feed is free for unrestricted use. A hard copy of tape number (02dc06-0187) can be obtained by contacting Medialink at 212- 812-7040. Comments regarding feed content and quality are welcome.

http://www.usnewswire.com

Source: U.S. Newswire

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