Doctors Ignore Proven Alternative to Coronary Stents and Bypass Surgery

[Celebration]

http://search.lef.org/cgi-src-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=0&page_id=471&query=eecp&hiword=EECPS%20eecp%20

A unique opportunity to save countless lives and billions of dollars is being overlooked by the medical community. This technique increases blood flow to the heart, strengthens the circulation, and offers a proven way to treat heart disease in lieu of stents or bypass surgery.

Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) is a safe, non-invasive procedure that can overcome heart disease in two ways—by passively exercising the heart to strengthen the vascular system and by targeting inflammation, the underlying culprit in damaged blood vessels that inhibits blood flow.


More than 100 studies have demonstrated its overwhelming effectiveness and unquestioned safety in improving blood flow in patients with heart disease. Some experts are calling for the EECP procedure to become first-line therapy for heart disease, long before surgery or other invasive procedures are used. Approved by the FDA for chronic stable angina, cardiogenic shock, congestive heart failure, as well as during a heart attack, EECP not only saves lives but is also considerably cheaper and safer than traditional invasive procedures such as angioplasty and coronary stents, which continue to be the mainstay of therapy. Medicare even pays for it!

By improving circulation, this simple procedure prevents arteries from becoming blocked, allowing the heart to do its job more effectively. As is often the case, health care in the United States is often driven by lucrative revenues making many in the medical community reluctant to embrace alternative therapies.


...........snip................

For patients with some forms of heart disease, enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) is a non-invasive, high-tech, low-risk procedure, performed on an outpatient basis, which offers a remarkable reprieve from some of the potentially disabling symptoms of stable angina and coronary heart disease. Patients lucky enough to be offered this underused therapy may experience changes in their conditions that range from significant pain relief to renewed mobility and energy, to a rekindled libido. They may also literally gain a new lease on life, simultaneously avoiding the dangers of coronary bypass surgery while buying enough time to reverse the heart disease that brought them to this crossroads in the first place. But chances are, unless you inquire about it, you’ll never even be told this option exists.

[trotsky]

1. What a ridiculous headline. Doctor-hatred is getting out of control.

And you should be ashamed for helping to propagate it. Their bashing begins with the words, "Imagine this scenario." In other words, let's paint a fictional picture and bash mainstream doctors using it.

[Celebration]

2. Huh?

This is pretty accurate, as far as I can tell. This is an FDA approved procedure, but many patients are not being told about it.

It could be that the doctors don't know about it.

[trotsky]

4. In which case they wouldn't really be "ignoring" it, now would they?

Sheesh.

[Celebration]

5. well, I haven't done a survey

A doctor has to buy the equipment to be able to use this. This is just a guess, but I am "guessing" that doctors that don't have the equipment are unlikely to recommend it.

The point is that people need to be apprised of all options. This may or may not be the best treatment for a particular patient. However, if they are not told about it, the patient cannot consider that option.

I think it is rather appropriate for this to be posted in the Health Forum, and I *always* use the title of the article in my subject, whether it offends anyone or not.

[trotsky]

7. So based on a guess, you're willing to post a claim that doctors "ignore" a treatment

rather than being unaware of it, or perhaps even deciding that it wouldn't be appropriate in a given circumstance?

Your article was devoid of facts too - just engaging in reckless, unsupported doctor bashing.

Shameful and disgusting.

[Celebration]

8. you need help n/t

[bbgrunt]

10. well, my doctors never mentioned it when I had 3 stents put in last year.

...and I asked about alternatives.

[crikkett]

11. itsjustme SAID that the TITLE OF THE ARTICLE was posted, not their opinion.

so stop beating them up. You've made your point.

[trotsky]

13. Thanks for your opinion.

I'm off to "get help" now. :eyes:

I'll just turn a blind eye to doctor-bashing next time, so as not to "beat someone up."

[crikkett]

23. Dude you went overboard and stopped reading, that's all. n/t

[trotsky]

24. Perhaps you could point out exactly where itsjustme said...

that she doesn't agree with the title?

And then you can maybe go on to explain how people who have devoted many years of their lives to healing people deserve such shoddy initial reporting and re-publishing on this forum.

Again, thanks for your opinion that I went overboard. I'm proud to go "overboard" to defend those who heal. You can defend this rotten publication if you want.

[Usrename]

17. I guess they would be ignorant of it.

They're just plain ignorant, they aren't ignoring anything.

[emilyg]

14. Perhaps they don't know about it.

My ex, a physician, had a stent. Did not know about this.

[KT2000]

3. This has been the first

line of treatment in China for a long time.
It is actually an FDA approved treatment in the US as well.
To the body this treatment is a simulation of exercise and gives the body almost the same benefits -
anti-inflammatory effects (chemicals released from the interior of the vessels) and increased circulation by keeping the smaller blood vessels alive.
People can google EECP and find clinics offering this treatment.

[Celebration]

6. you know those silly looking things they sold on TV?

Where it supposedly pumps the lymph fluid up the leg, to get rid of edema, supposedly? This is like a very high tech, FDA approved version of that (and undoubtedly more effective). I think you have to go to the doctor's office for an hour or so for thirty days or so and get hooked up to it.

Then, new blood vessels grow around the old blocked ones, or something like that.

It probably should be used a lot more here, but people don't know about it.

Thanks for the information about China.

[KT2000]

9. Yes

the contractions of the cuffs are synchronized to the heart's activity. Now they are operated with computers.

A variation of this is used on some people after surgery to avoid clots.

I bet a lot of people would do better trying this than taking some of those mind-numbing drugs.

;-)

[Celebration]

12. And not just drugs!!

We are talking about an alternative to open heart surgery in many instances.

[Jim__]

15. Good information. Thanks for posting it. - n/t

[silverweb]

16. Very interesting.

There's a very strong history of coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease on both sides of my family, so this definitely warrants further investigation.

[Celebration]

18. EECP procedure used for first time to treat diabetic patient

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=§ion=subcontinent&xfile=data/subcontinent/2008/July/subcontinent_July156.xml

A doctor in Kerala has successfully tried a non-surgical procedure called enhanced external counter pulsation (EECP) for treating a diabetic patient with liver and renal failure.

.........sbuo..........................

"Thomas had a serum Creatinine level of 7.5 mg/deci litre (normal 1.5mg/dl), gross swelling of feet and face, Serum Potassium level of 5.9 mg/dl (normal: 5.5 mg/dl) and markedly decreased urine output. His doctors had advised him renal transplant and Hemodialysis as his only options forward and was referred to India for placement of Atreriovenous Fistula," Dr Ajith said.

He said he had chosen the EECP treatment for Thomas on a first time trial on the basis of an earlier published study from Germany which had noticed improvement of renal function in patients with both liver and renal failure awaiting transplantation.

"After 35 days of one hour a day EECP therapy, Thomas remarkably improved both clinically and biochemical parameters. Post EECP therapy he lost about 6kg weight, his swelling had disappeared, urine output had doubled at half the dose of diuretic medication, his blood pressure had normalised at half his medication strength," said Dr Ajith.

He said EECP is an effective procedure to augment renal excretory function in healthy volunteers as well as in patients with diabetic renal failure. In such patients, GFR (glomerular Filteration rate) and renal plasma flow increased during EECP.

[Warpy]

19. The problem with the folks at Life Extension is that they take

an extremely limited study at a university and ASSUME every doctor has access both to the study and to the equipment and that the whole business has gotten FDA approval from corrupt appointees who have every reason to drag their feet.

The original study is here: http://cardiology.ucsf.edu/clinical/eecp/#stony_brook

I would suggest the people at Life Extension provide this information without the polemics in the future. They're making themselves look stupid.

[Celebration]

20. this is not a new treatment AT ALL

From the linked page--

"Discussed during the "Cardiology Update, 1997" October 16-18, 1997
at the Carmel Valley Ranch Resort, Carmel, CA
Directed by William W. Parmley, MD, FACC
and Kanu Chatterjee, MBBS, FRCP, FACC"

The fact that this study was in 1997 and still patients don't seem to know about it seems to prove their point.

Overall, more than one hundred studies have been done.

Doctors should keep up with their fields. Ignorance is not an excuse- at least not for cardiologists. This is not a cure all, but for many people it is a way better mousetrap that has been invented, and has been available for several years. Some clinics do have it. I certainly would seek those clinics to get any serious heart problems checked out. Even with those clinics, the operations are likely to be more profitable (not saying that is a consideration, but the patient needs to know that).

Here are just the studies in the last two years: If my cardiologist was not aware of these, then I certainly would not trust him/her.

And if the cardiologist does not have the equipment, and the patient is a good candidate for this, the patient should be apprised of the treatment, with the option of going to another group.

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May O.


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Yavari M, Montazeri HR.

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Ask the doctor. Enhanced external counter pulsation (EECP) is getting wider recognition, and some clinics provide this service. Is it a safe medical substitute for stent implantation or heart bypass? Any side effects?
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26:
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[trotsky]

21. Sorry, Warpy.

The general assumption in this forum is that doctors are evil, right down to the last one, and they'd withhold a cure for AIDS if it meant they could get a better tee time at the golf course. They ALL must know EVERYTHING the INSTANT it becomes known SOMEWHERE, and if they don't they're totally incompetent and want to see you die anyway. :sarcasm:

Sad, really, the scorn that's heaped on medical professionals. Oh but just because someone posts a link and a title and an excerpt and many follow-ups defending the article doesn't REALLY mean they agree with it. More :sarcasm:

[grasswire]

22. same old

"As is often the case, health care in the United States is often driven by lucrative revenues making many in the medical community reluctant to embrace alternative therapies."

[trotsky]

25. "driven by lucrative revenues"

This coming from a website whose banner includes a phone number and shopping cart to order products direct from them. :eyes:

[Celebration]

26. And that has to do with EECP exactly HOW? n/t

[trotsky]

27. It has to do with the bias of the article you posted, of course.

Unless it's A-OK for your preferred sources to make money off of people's pain and sickness, but NO ONE ELSE.

[Celebration]

28. the source makes ZERO money off EECP

You are way off here. You would have a point if they made money off of it, but, in fact, they don't. If you want to bring financial interests into this, yes, EECP is cheaper than surgery. Do the math.

[trotsky]

29. Again, you totally miss the point.

Better luck next time.

[chicagomd]

30. Ignore?

Common.

How about limited clinical application and the fact that to show clinical effect you have to get a patient to drive to a clinic once a day for THIRTY FIVE DAYS might have something to do with it. It is hard enough to get people to take a pill once a day with any regularity

If you don't like that alternative, how about the company that has 80% of the market share for the devices that perform EECP has a stock that is currently trading at $0.07 needs a little boost.

http://www.vasomedical.com/index.php

There are five centers listed when you search my zip code, hardly a suppressed secret, and doubtfully a cure-all given none of them are major research institutions in a town full of them.

[Celebration]

31. we have one in my city

Which seems not enough. It happens to be have some of the *best* cardiologists in town, but that may not be typical of other places. They are not formally connected to the medical school here.

This is a way to search for places that have the devices--

http://www.vasomedical.com/patients_treatment.php

There is plenty of research on these devices, but yes, they do seem to get the ho hum from the medical profession, with a resulting poor profits of the company.

But then, I think that was the whole point. The research is being ignored while *most* doctors continue to do the same old, same old.

Patients should be informed about this option. If it is too burdensome to go to the doctor for an hour every day for a month, they can opt for the much more expensive and often more risky surgery.