Chest Pain

[dranderhilt81]

I apologize for the lenght of this message ahead of time.

I am a 25-year-old man and for almost a year, I have been getting pains in my chest on the daily basis. It started off mild, but it's getting more frequent and more noticeable. The pain varies all over my chest, including the sides. Also, I cannot seem to find any pattern for when it shows up. As far as describing the pain, I've never been good at that. I have had some dull and some shooting and maybe even some sharp pain, but it's hard to say. Most of the pain does not have me grasping at my chest, so it seems be fairly mild. Yet, there were a couple of times that I did have a bad shock of pain, but that's like once every 3-4 months and not every day, so I don't even know if the two are related. I know I'm being a bit vague, but unfortunately, that's all I know for sure.

I have never eaten healthy throughout most of my life, especially when I lived on my own without the knowledge of how to cook. I ate really bad actually. But for the last few years, I have tried to eat healthier, and I believe I have improved my eaten habits.
So, when these pains started I have gone to the doctor's and had some tests done. I had a blood test, urine test, echo(where they put that sonic thing to your chest and send sound through), and I have had x-rays . Everything came out either good or normal except for my iron level. I was a little low in iron. But there was no indication of a heart murmur or anything like that, even my cholesterol was fine. Now, I'm waiting to do some more tests, but it will be awhile before they get back to me.

My heart wasn't my only concern though. I have worked for a place that remanufactured brake shoes. I was working there for four years. I was told that they have stopped using asbestos in brake shoes, but I don't know how reliable that source was, and I don't know the age of some of those brake shoes. However, I did wear a mask sometimes, but other times the factory didn't have them, leaving me to ponder the consequences of this. Because of this, I did some research and went back to the doctor. The doctor told me that it takes 20 years+ for asbestos to start causing problems, so although he's booking me some lung tests, he says that's not my current problem.

Anyway, these wait times between tests are driving me nuts, so I wanted to ask some questions that I had forgot to ask earlier. And thanks for reading and helping.

Is there something I can do to find out what's causing my pain? Or at least narrow down the possibilities.
Can asbestos affect me after four years if I had a lot of exposure to it?
In layman's terms, what else could be causing this?

Again, thanks for the help.

[Health Dr. 1]

Diagnosis is very difficult, even with tests. I think that you are wise to pursue this seriously in case it is something that needs attention. It is an unfortunate reality that heart disease can still exist even when most of the tests fall within the normal range. In a case such as this one, it is probably best to work with a natural practitioner such as a naturopath or experienced chiropractor that can use alternate methods of diagnosis and testing. It would be wise to have both your spine and ribs, particularly the intercostals, checked to see if misalignment, muscle stress, or some type of inflammation is contributing to the pain. You may also want to request a test to determine inflammation in the circulatory system, which can be a very good indicator of heart health. A test for C-reactive protein is a good one for this. I would also suggest having your iron storage proteins, mainly transferring and ferritin, tested before beginning any intense iron supplementation. If you consume sufficient dietary iron, it may be a real key to determine why you are anemic. It could result from nutritional deficiencies, stomach or other type of ulcer, or secondarily to some other condition. There are many supplements and natural therapies that can be very helpful in your situation, but it is probably best to determine the root of the problem first.

Regarding the asbestos, it is still possible that you have been exposed. According to the Asbestos Network, this is possible either by working on older cars, accumulated residue in shops, or even by blowing out dust around the brake drums. Most of the issues associated with asbestos do show up years later after chronic exposure. It is impossible to tell what your exposure has been and what the long-term effects may be in the future. The good news is that are cleansing and nutritional measures can help to create an internal environment that is less prone to the expression of disease. I would suggest a colon cleanse and liver/gallbladder flush as described at www.ghchealth.com/liver-and-gallbladder-flush.html. The liver/gallbladder flush can even be repeated at 2-4 week intervals for a series of 3-4 flushes in order to remove more toxins. Further cleansing using a far-infrared sauna, an organic diet, and even chelation therapy would also be very beneficial. Hair analysis and other tests for heavy metals can be very useful in determining the need for and effectiveness of chelation therapy. Some other supplements that may be beneficial in the meantime include IntraMAX, IntraCal, systemic enzymes (Nattalone and Serralone), and NutraCool (applied topically to the local area).