Off Topic - EECP reduces rehospitalization after heart attack by 3X, paid by Medicare – July 2018

I (founder of Vitamin D Life) first learned of Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) in the 1990’s
Looked very promising at the time
After 50 years of evolutio and testing it is now accepted practice
EECP treatment is paid for by most US health insurance companies and Medicare

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Wikipedia

• External counterpulsation therapy (ECP) is a procedure that may be performed on individuals with angina, heart failure, or cardiomyopathy.
• Not sufficient information to say it helps for strokes
• “While an individual is undergoing ECP, he/she has pneumatic cuffs on his or her legs and is connected to telemetry monitors that monitor heart rate and rhythm. The most common type in use involves three cuffs placed on each leg (on the calves, the lower thighs, and the upper thighs (or buttock)). The cuffs are timed to inflate and deflate based on the individual's electrocardiogram. The cuffs should ideally inflate at the beginning of diastole and deflate at the beginning of systole. During the inflation portion of the cycle, the calf cuffs inflate first, then the lower thigh cuffs and finally the upper thigh cuffs. Inflation is controlled by a pressure monitor, and the cuffs are inflated to about 200 mmHg.”

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Enhanced External Counterpulsation Therapy: Past, Present, and Future March 2017

doi: 10.1097/CRD.0000000000000122

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Enhanced External Counterpulsation Therapy for Heart Disease and More Mercola July 2018

• Includes text, video interview, and transcript
• "When EECP is done immediately after heart failure, your chances of repeat hospitalization within 30 to 60 days drops from 30 to 50 percent down to 15 percent"

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I suspect that Vitamin D would also help recovery from heart problems
Probably Vitamin D is synergistic with EECP

See also Vitamin D Life

• Cardiovascular disease 50 % more likely if low vitamin D - meta-analysis Nov 2012
• Heart attack ICU costs cut in half by Vitamin D – Oct 2018 - so person can get to EECP
• Seniors with Heart Failure helped by daily 4,000 IU of vitamin D (increase 16 ng) – RCT Aug 2014
• 7X increased chance of death if coronary artery disease and low vitamin D – Oct 2013
• Heart Failure Quality of Life greatly improved by 10,000 IU of vitamin D – RCT Oct 2017

In addition to Vitamin D

• Omega-3 provides many cardiovascular benefits – April 2018
• Higher Omega-3 index (4 to 8 percent) associated with 30 percent less risk of coronary disease (10 studies) July 2017
• Arterial stiffness reduced by Omega-3, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Magnesium, etc.

Cardiovascular category starts with the following

429 items In Cardiovascular category

• Overview Cardiovascular and vitamin D
• Hypertension and vitamin D
• Overview Metabolic Syndrome and vitamin D
• Overview Stroke and vitamin D
• Peripheral arterial disease risk is 1.5X higher if low vitamin D – meta-analysis March 2018
• Peripheral Arterial Disease 3.7 X more likely in diabetics with low vitamin D – June 2019
• Heart attack ICU costs cut in half by Vitamin D – Oct 2018

Meta-analyses

• Heart Failure and Vitamin D meta-analyses - 2016, 2019
• Cardiovascular death 1.5X more likely if less than 20 ng of Vitamin D – 22nd meta-analysis Nov 2019
• Vitamin D supplementation reduces many Cardiovascular Disease markers– meta-analysis July 2018

Omega-3 Helps

• Cardiovascular Prevention with Omega-3 (finally using high doses) – Sept 2019
• Higher Omega-3 index (4 to 8 percent) associated with 30 percent less risk of coronary disease (10 studies) July 2017

A poor Vitamin D Receptor can block Vitamin D in blood from getting to tissues

• Heart Failure 15X more likely if poor VDR, even if good level of vitamin D (China) – March 2019
• Coronary Artery Disease without diabetes 5 times more likely if VDR gene problems – meta-analysis May 2016

Cholesterol, Statins

• Cholesterol is needed to produce both Vitamin D and Cortisol
• Overview Cholesterol and vitamin D
• Statins and vitamin D statins often reduce levels of vitamin D
• Statin side-effects are reduced by Vitamin D – US patent Application – April 2019