Still Kicking

Well, it's been nearly two months since my last entry. I thought I'd better create a posting so you all would know I am still alive and kicking. I am doing very well. I can't remember the last incident of angina pain so I guess the EECP keeps working well after the therapy is over.

I am in the process of preparing to relocate to Sedona, Arizona and hope to have made the move by the end of June at the latest. I will keep you posted on the reason I have moved more than halfway across the country once I get settled in. Those who know me will be in for quite a surprise, I am sure.

Also, look for a change in the subject matter of this blog come the summertime. I started it in 2004 as an effort to alert unsuspecting patients to the unscrupulous practice of putting greed before the patient's welfare. I still believe way too many CABGs are performed in the United States but my life has taken a huge turn that has prompted me to choose one cause over the other. I will still rant about cardiologists who coerce their patient's families into getting unnecessary and expensive surgery. The medical terrorists, as Dr. Howard Wayne referred to them, will get know peace from this quarter.

Take care for now and remember always get a second opinion before allowing them to cut.

EDTA vs EECP

On another forum that I spend a lot of time on, Cannuck had a comment about EDTA:

Originally Posted by Cannuck Chelation has been used for many decades for a variety of reasons. My wife's Aunt was treated with EDTA for the aftereffects of the concentration camps, as were German citizens from the Ruhr Valley for heavy metal poisoning. I personally know seniors who have done so here for various cardiovascular conditions (most with significant success), and can tell you that the results are VERY short in coming.

I wanted to clarify a comment I previously made regarding EDTA and explain my reason for using EECP as my next step in treating my angina. Here was my reply:

When I said EDTA (Chelation therapy) either oral or IV is controversial, that doesn't mean I disapprove of it. Quite the contrary, I feel it is a choice of treatments that has been effective in treating CAD and some other coronary diseases and despite the fact it hasn't been approved by the FDA for use in such diseases, should be available to patients making informed choices. The reason I am opting for EECP is because I have studied its effects, side effects and contraindications and have talked with patients who have received it. Unlike bypass surgery "victims" and angioplasty (balloon & stent) recipients, none of them had negative reports of their experiences.

Further, angiogenesis and the development of a collateral vessel system to naturally bypass the clogged coronary arteries is a process the body already has started on its own, without the introduction of any drug. Like it or not EDTA is a drug and therefore could have side effects or be harmful. There are reports of unexpected deaths during or following chelation therapy. I have found none associated with EECP. That is not to say EECP recipients haven't died as a result of therapy, there simply are no reports where the therapy caused the deaths, that I have found.

I realize EDTA is a natural enzyme and as such can be sold as a nutritional supplement and I am not opposed to nutritional supplements as long as they are used wisely and in some form of a therapeutic regimen. I personally take the following supplements daily in the strengths and doses indicated:

Organic Flaxseed Oil 1200 mg, three times a day
Borago Seed Oil 1200 mg, three times a day
Omega 3 Fish Oil 1200 mg, three times a day
d-Alpha Tocopheryl (Vitamin E) 400 IU, one time a day
Glucosamine 750 mg Chondroitin 600 mg, twice a day
Folic Acid 800 mcg, one time a day
B-100 Ultra B-Complex, one time a day (Puritan's Pride Brand)
l-Arginine 500mg, one time a day
Super C Complex 1000 mg, three times a day (Puritan's Pride Brand)
Acetyl L-Carnitine 400 mg with Alpha Lipoic Acid 200 mg, one time a day
Natural Selenium 50 mcg, four times a day
Co-Enzyme Q10 100 mg, one time a day
Magnesium Oxide 400 mg, one time daily
Multiple Vitamin, one time daily

I always try to take my supplements with food and I am on a schedule that has me taking something, prescribed medications and supplements every six hours.

Just for the information to folks with CAD and angina, my medical treatment regimen is aimed at not only controlling my blood pressure, but keeping it as low as possible without adverse side effects. I try to keep mine around 90/50 when I am at rest. It usually ranges between 80/40 to 100/50. When my BP is a normal 120/70 or more, during stress or increased physical activity, I often experience symptoms of angina. Here are the prescribed drugs I am on daily

Aspirin 325 mg in the morning
Fosinopril
Metopropolol Tartrate
Isosorbide Mn
Nitroglycerine (as needed)

No dosages are provided because you need to consult a physician before starting this protocol. Suffice it to say, some of the dosages are higher than usually recommended. The Isosorbide and Nitroglycerine were recently added to my regimen and Modiuretic was discontinued due to an abnormal increase in blood tests that indicated my liver was being adversely affected. I also take prescription medication for Parkinson's disease.

I cannot emphasize enough the need to be under the care of a medical doctor who you trust and have a good working relationship with. I encourage anyone who has CAD or angina or has a loved one who does to read my blog from beginning to end and to get a second opinion from a non-invasive cardiologist before being coerced into bypass surgery they do not need.

Mail Call - Where are all of the Noninvasive Cardiologists?

On 2/18/07, Dave wrote:

Hi Jeff:

I am a retired lSG living in Louisville, KY and never thought twice about heart problems! Had a mycardial infarction in 1974 while in the hospital at Ft Knox. Recovered well and have never taken anything other than a aspirin daily for it! I was referred to a Cardiologist by my Family Dr (Internal Medicine) "because your 76 yrs old, had a heart attack and on-set Type II diabeties"! I made the initial appointment and was scheduled for a stress test, echocardiogram and whatever the test is that takes about 30 minutes under a scanner in the morning then again right after the treadmill! Was informed I failed the stress test and apparently have blockage to the front of the heart; need to have a angioplasty and to determine if stints are appropriate or "we may have to go from there to more extensive surgury" My question of you is where did you find the info for locating a Cardiologist that tries medication first rather than doing the catherator bit! My blood pressure and cholesterol levels are good with medication and my diabeties well under control also! I noticedl you were from IN so thought maybe you knew of someone in this area that fits my need!

Dave

Hi Dave,

Nice to know a fellow E8/1SG/MSG (R) has the sense to do research and seek out second opinions. I found Dr. Wayne in a Google Search and that's also how I located his temporary replacement, Dr. Stephen DeVries. I Googled the words noninvasive and cardiologist . While there were some names that came up closer to me, oe in Indianapolis, for example, they were in a traditional group practice and I felt they were not independent enough. But the key is stay away from INTERVENTIONAL and INVASIVE Cardiologists. They are the ones that want to pierce your skin and fleece your pocketbook.

You sound like the average American who has had sn MI. It just goes to show us that not only the guy with high cholesterol has to worry, an MI can hit even those of us in great shape. I just finished reading Charles T. McGee's Heart Fraud: Uncovering the Biggest Medical Frauds in America . In this explosive book, the author validates something Dr. Wayne preached, cholesterol levels and types don't matter squat and the angiogram is a worthless test. McGee does endorse what he calls a Quantitative angiogram.

You are correct to question any cardiologist whose treatment of choice is a Coronary Artery Bypass Graft without first trying you on a regimen of medications. Doctors who don't tell what all of your treatmet alternatives are and the risks and benefits of each, aren't worth their salt and are not to be trusted. They are medical terrorists, looking to assault your body to make themselves rich. If you are able to go to an Army cardiologist or one at the VA, I am pretty sure you'd get a better opinion because you would be getting it from a physician who had no financial interest in the type of treatment you are put on.

If I hear of any doctors in Kentucky who are noninvasive cardiologists, I wikll definetely contact you and put it in my blog. Please let people know about my blog and do keep in touch.

With Warm Regards and Hope.

Jeff Brailey
9317)627-0359