External Enhanced Counterpulsation

Groundbreaking Technology!

• Regenerative therapyto
• Reverses effects of heart disease
• Improves circulation
• Natural bypass
• Reduces arterial stiffness
• Strengthens cardiovascular system
• Inhibits plaque build up
• Increases stem cells
• Safe, noninvasive and proven treatment for heart disease

External Enhanced Counterpulsation (EECP) is FDA approved for treating angina and is used by more than 800 physicians in the US including those at leading medical centers such as Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins and the Cleveland Clinic. Besides angina, the treatment has been proven to benefit patients with congestive heart failure, a condition where the heart can't pump sufficient blood to meet the needs of the rest of the body.  Heart failure is one of the fastest growing cardiovascular diseases in the US, nearly 5 million Americans have heart failure and over a half-million new cases are diagnosed each year.

What Exactly Is EECP and how is it administered?

The actual treatment process is ingenious in its overall simplicity.  During EECP treatments you lie on a special bed with a series of blood pressure cuffs wrapped around your legs. You are hooked up to an EKG, which triggers the cuffs to inflate and deflate in sync with the heart beat.  During the resting phase of the heart, the cuffs inflate, pumping oxygen rich blood to the heart and the rest of the body.  When the heart pumps, the cuffs rapidly deflate, then the blood vessels expand so blood gets ejected from the heart with less work for the heart muscle.  You get all the benefits of a second heart pumping between each heartbeat.  The procedure is not painful- you will feel a strong "hug" sensation as the cuffs inflate upward over the calves, thighs and buttocks.

Treatment sessions last one hour. High levels of oxygen are administered during the treatment. Patient's usually listen to music, read, relax and some even fall asleep. Treatments are administered to patients on an outpatient basis usually in one-hour sessions daily. The number of treatments depends upon the medical condition. Angina and heart failure patients require 35 treatments.

How does EECP bypass blockages?

By opening up collateral circulation, which are dormant blood vessels that get woken up during EECP so that the blood flows around blockages. EECP also creates new blood vessels that go around the blockages. It does this by releasing VEGF, a growth factor for blood vessels. Amazingly it also stimulates the bone marrow to produce stem cells known as endothelial progenitor cells, which create brand new blood vessel cells that line your arteries.

What kind of success rates are seen with EECP?

EECP achieves practically unheard of success rates of 80 to 90 percent. For patients with angina EECP provides relief of chest pain, shortness of breath and fatigue. Patients treated with EECP have more energy, improved exercise tolerance and have less dependency on nitroglycerin and usually don't need nitroglycerin anymore. The treatment results are amazing.  These  patients have a much better quality of life. They get their lives back again and can do things they haven't been able to do for years. They have less need for hospitalization, angioplasty, stents and bypass.

What are some of the advantages of EECP?

First of all, it's important that we understand that heart disease is not just about blockages.  Heart disease is a systemic condition and not simply localized to one or two coronary arteries; it effects the whole vascular system-all 60,000 miles of blood vessels from your brain to the tip of your toes.  We need to treat the entire system not merely one or two vessels.  EECP treats the entire vascular system as it bypasses blockages; it doesn't merely treat blockages. Bypass surgery, angioplasty and stents  only eliminate isolated blockages in coronary blood vessels.  Plus there is a certain degree of risk with these procedures. Whereas EECP is noninvasive, carries no risk and is administered as an outpatient. There are no injections, intravenous catheters or needles involved.

How does EECP help heart failure?

EECP helps treat heart failure because it strengthens the heart muscle and it does this simply by pumping more blood back to the heart.  The more blood pumped back to the heart, the stronger it gets, this is called Starling's Law a fundamental principle of cardiac physiology.  This is similar to pumping iron at the gym-the more weight you lift, the stronger your muscle gets-the same is true for the heart muscle; the more blood returned to the heart, the stronger it pumps and the stronger it gets.

What are some of the other positive effects of EECP?

Besides bypassing blockages, creating new blood vessels and strengthening the heart, EECP causes the release of nitric oxide, which has an antioxidant and relaxing effect on your arteries. EECP reduces arterial stiffness, prevents plaque buildup and reduces inflammation in blood vessels. Since it is now well accepted that inflammation is a key underlying cause of heart disease, this anti-inflammatory effect is highly relevant.  EECP also has a detoxification effect and increases lymphatic circulation.  It reduces stress and has been shown to decrease anxiety and depression in patients with heart disease. And to top it off, you get the benefits of one hour of exercise while lying there.The benefits are wide-ranging and truly remarkable.

Are There Any Side Effects or Risks to EECP?

EECP is very safe.  Some patients find the pressure uncomfortable when they first start, but eventually adapt to it.  Occasionally the skin gets irritated, but adding more padding where needed reduces this problem.  Some patients, feel tired after the first several treatments, but with time they almost always feel more energized.

Is EECP safe if I already had bypass, angioplasty or stent?

Yes. In fact, EECP has been approved by Medicare for the treatment of angina patients whose condition is inoperable or for those who invasive procedures failed or were ineffective.

Does EECP have lasting benefits?

Yes it does. Studies have shown that three to five years after treatment, the benefits of EECP have continued such as less chest pain, less use of nitroglycerin and documented improved blood flow.

How does EECP compare with angioplasty or bypass surgery?

Studies have shown that after five years the outcome for EECP patients is about the same as angioplasty and bypass.

Who should not have EECP?

There are certain conditions that shouldn't have EECP. This includes pregnancy, severe aortic insufficiency, uncontrolled high blood pressure, abdominal aortic aneurysm, open wounds, deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in legs), hemophilia, high fever.

Can I do EECP if I'm taking Coumadin?

Yes.  Taking Coumadin is not a contraindication to doing EECP safely.

Does EECP detoxify the body?

Yes. EECP has a detoxification effect by removing metabolic waste products from cells and by increasing circulation to the kidneys and liver, which are responsible for ridding the body of toxins. Keep in mind that the blood not only delivers vital substances to the cells, it also "washes out" environmental toxins and metabol debris. In my opinion, the high pressure of  the EECP pumping action helps to "force" oxygen and nutrients into cells more effectively.

What about patients who can't lower their cholesterol because of a genetic disorder or simply because they won't change their diet, would EECP be of any help to them?

I think that EECP would most likely be very beneficial. I say this for two reasons.

First-It is fairly well accepted that high cholesterol and especially high LDL cholesterol are associated with  heart disease, which is probably due to a combination of blood vessel inflammation, plaque formation and subsequent blockages.  Since EECP  reduces inflammation in blood vessels and can also bypass the blockages, it seems quite reasonable to think that it would retard some of the effects of high cholesterol.
The second reason is because of a very interesting study done using  pigs.
In this study, the investigators took three groups of pigs.  One group got the standard diet that pigs are fed, this was the control group. The other two groups  were both put on a high cholesterol diet.  One of these high cholesterol groups was treated with EECP and the other was not.  So both groups ate the same high cholesterol diet, but one was treated with EECP and the other was not.
At the conclusion of the study biopsies of the blood vessels in all three groups were done. The normal diet group had cholesterol deposits and early plaque buildup. And as you might expect the high cholesterol group that did not have EECP had a lot more cholesterol deposits , plaque build up and the blood vessels cells were very disarrayed compared to the control group.  But the high cholesterol group that had EECP had no evidence of cholesterol deposits and no plaque build up and the cells were perfectly aligned. This positive effect of EECP is due to what is known as shear force.

EECP reduced the harmful effects of a high cholesterol diet in pigs.  Whether or not we would get the same effect in humans isn't known, but it would seem likely that the effectsI would be similar, since blood vessels in pigs and humans are very pretty much identical.

What do you mean by shear force?

Besides creating new blood vessels around blockages and making the heart stronger, I would have to say that the shear force effect of EECP could be the most beneficial.

Shear force or shear stress is the dragging force or friction generated by blood flow.  EECP induces a relatively high physiological shear stress on the blood vessel lining called the endothelium. We get several major benefits from this effect.

First, shear force stimulates the production of nitric oxide, which has an antioxidant and relaxing effect on blood vessels.  Shear stress also has anti-inflammatory effects on blood vessels.  And thirdly shear stress prevents adhesion molecules and white blood cells from sticking to the blood vessel lining, so it prevents  plaque buildup and  subsequent blockages.  In a nutshell, shear force keeps blood vessels relaxed, open, free of inflammation and prevents plaque buildup. There is no other medical treatment that comes close to doing all this.  EECP stands alone in its unique ability to effectively treat all of these conditions effectively and safely.

What is the Endothelium?

With all that being said, perhaps the most important benefit from EECP is what it does for our endothelium.  The endothelium is the innermost lining of our arteries, only one cell thick and the largest organ in our body. The endothelial layer is comprised of about one trillion cells, has the surface area of six tennis courts and weighs more than your liver or about five hearts.

One of the many functions of the endothelium is regulating the diameter of the blood vessel.  EECP stimulates the endothelial cells to produce nitric oxide.  Nitric oxide naturally dilates blood vessels and also has a proven antioxidant effect. Nitric oxide is one of the most important substances in our body having profound effects on the cardiovascular, immune and central nervous systems.  The Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology 1998 was awarded for discoveries about the effects of nitric oxide.

EECP also suppresses blood vessel inflammation. Not only is inflammation a major factor in cardiovascular disease; it also plays a role in other chronic diseases such as arthritis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other conditions.

Why do you also administer oxygen to these patients? Isn't just the EECP treatment itself enough?

Although oxygen is not typically administered at most EECP centers I decided that it would be a good addition, since most people I test have low levels of oxygen in their veins, which indicates a deficiency of cellular oxygen.

 

Oxygen is without question our most vital nutrient. It is an indisputable fact that lack of oxygen leads to death rather quickly.  Howeve, oxygen has importance in our lives beyond just life and death. Oxygen insufficiency may express itself anywhere from mild fatigue to life-threatening illness. The main characteristic of aging manifests as a gradual reduction in our physical and mental abilities, which is basically due to a lack of energy.  When our cells don't have sufficient amounts of oxygen, they lack the vitality they need  to be healthy and become more susceptible to disease and degeneration whether they are in the heart, liver, brain or any other organ.

 

One of the reasons I was influenced to use oxygen was because of a statement made by Dr. Arthur Guyton, probably the foremost medical physiologist of our time. He wrote "The Textbook of Medical Physiology" used by medical and graduate students throughout our nation.  Dr. Guyton said "All chronic pain, suffering and diseases are caused from a lack of oxygen at the cell level". A rather profound statement indeed and enough to persuade me to treat patients with high levels of oxygen while they do EECP. Especially since so many of my patients have low levels of cellular oxygen when I test them.

Are there other other conditions that EECP is being used for?

Yes, the  potential is exciting and the list is growing. EECP is being used for a wide variety of conditions including peripheral vascular disease, sudden hearing loss and tinnitus, restless leg syndrome and peripheral neuropathy.  It has been used to treat  stroke survivors because it improves blood flow to the brain, so patients recover faster and more completely.  The Chinese use it for dementia and Alzheimer's because it improves blood flow to the brain. There are anecdotal reports of it helping Parkinson's disease patients.

EECP is beneficial for diabetics because they are at high risk of coronary artery disease.  Diabetics tend to have blockages that are widespread  and located in smaller arteries that are often difficult or even impossible to treat with invasive procedures.

Other clinics use EECP to treat erectile dysfunction. Men have to wake up to the fact that erectile dysfunction is probably an early sign of heart disease. So all you men that are taking Viagra or Cialis may be getting relief of your symptoms, but you are not addressing the underlying cause, which is heart disease. Remember, heart disease is a systemic problem. The blood vessels supplying the penis are smaller than those that supply the heart and heart disease may show up there first.

What about the average person, would EECP be beneficial?

Think about it, if EECP can help people with heart disease, including patients with end-stage coronary vascular disease, wouldn't it be good for someone who is healthy or at least appears to be healthy? Might it not make them even more healthy?  EECP improves blood flow to every organ and cell of the body, which delivers oxygen, nutrients and removes toxic wastes. It has the potential of preventing vascular diseases and age related diseases like no other.  It is the ultimate preventive health maintenance and wellness tool and has profound longevity and antiaging potential. It may be the most advanced preemptive treatment available today and happens to be a scientifically proven and safe technology.  The treatment is practical, makes sense and uses the body to heal itself.  What could be more natural?

Why is EECP considered regenerative therapy?

The benefits of EECP extend well beyond the time period of the hemodynamic effects and the prolonged effect is not fully understood.  This prolonged clinical benefit suggests that EECP has a regenerative effect.  Studies have shown that EECP increases the level of circulating hematopoietic progenitor cells and endothelial progenitor cells. Progenitors cells are stem cells. 

Endothelial progenitor/stem cells repair the lining of the blood vessels.  Hematopoietic progenitor cells are multipotent stem cells that give rise to all blood cell types such as neutrophils, macrophages, erythrocytes, platelets and lymphoid cells.  Lymphoid cell lineages include T-cells, B-cells  and NK cells.

In a nutshell, these stem cells regenerate the cardiovascular system, the immune system and create new red blood cells and platelets!

Would EECP help promote longevity and wellness?

The foremost degenerative process is age and can be defined as a reduction in circulating stem cells. Since EECP has been shown to increase the level of circulating stem cells, it is likely to slow the effects of aging.

Why wait until we are diagnosed with heart disease or other degenerative conditions?  EECP offers not only therapeutic benefits, but amazing potential to prevent or at least slow the onset of many of the diseases that are so prevalent in modern-day living. I believe that as we age our microcirculation gradually closes down slowing the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients to our cells. Without sufficient oxygen and nutrients cells gradually become less efficient and die.

We have over 60,000 miles of blood vessels in our body, which pulsate with our heartbeat an average of 100,000 times a day. The blood and cardiovascular system are an ongoing miracle bringing life to our body.  Take care of them.

Has there been much published research on EECP?

Yes, impressive research. One thing I really like about EECP is the science behind it, which is solid and extensive. EECP has gone through clinical trials at major universities and medical centers resulting in well over 100 scientific publications in mainstream journals, such as Journal of Internal Medicine, American Journal of Cardiology and the Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine.
EECP has been FDA approved since 1995 to treat coronary artery disease, angina, cardiogenic shock and to use during a heart attack.  In 2002 it was approved by the FDA for congestive heart failure. Medicare approved treatment of it for angina in 1999.

Could you summarize the key benefits of EECP treatment?

I be glad to. EECP increases blood flow to your heart by opening up collateral circulation and creating new blood vessels, while at the same time it strengthens your heart. It keeps your blood vessels relaxed, open, free of inflammation and prevents plaque buildup.
EECP reduces arterial stiffness and releases nitric oxide, which has an antioxidant effect making arteries resistant to spasm and clotting. It  has a detoxification effect and increases lymphatic circulation.

EECP has a relaxing anti-stress effect and has been shown to decrease anxiety and depression in patients with heart disease. You get the benefits of one hour of exercise while simply lying there. There is no other medical treatment that comes close to doing all this.  EECP stands alone in its unique ability to effectively treat all of these issues safely and effectively.

What influenced you to begin using EECP in your practice?

I have been practicing environmental medicine in the Seattle area for over 30 years now; a practice I have fully enjoyed and continue to find very rewarding, but I felt something more was needed to treat many of my chronically ill patients. Several years ago I asked God for something new to help, something different that would be beneficial for a broad spectrum of health problems.

 

God told me it had to do with blood and oxygen, which made sense to me, but I wasn't exactly sure what He meant, so I started looking into it.  I found that more than 90% of the patients I tested had oxygen deficits in their veins, which indicates a lack of cellular oxygen.  So, I started treating people with oxygen using various protocols, which was quite beneficial for certain patients, but others it had no effect.

 

I wondered why certain patients found no improvement  with oxygen therapy. The oxygen levels in their arteries was perfectly normal or slightly low indicating reasonably normal heart and lung function. It turns out that those patients who had low levels of venous oxygen were not transferring  oxygen from the arterial system to their cells; there was a blockage in the oxygen transfer mechanism.

 

I had heard about EECP many years ago and felt it was important, but didn't pay much attention to it at the time because I didn't have much interest in heart disease.  For some reason I began thinking about it again and started doing a lot of research about it.  When I started delving into the literature on EECP in great detail, I was actually blown away by the possibilities by what it does and what it was capable of.  But I was even more amazed that no one seemed to know much about it, like it was almost  some kind of secret.  Most doctors had never even heard of it.

 

Around this time I was also influenced by two different prophetic messages given at separate church conferences.  One had to do with stepping out-of-the-box and the other with creativity and cutting-edge spiritual links to technology.
So it was an accumulation of science and God inspired creativity that persuaded me. I love studying the Word God and I love studying the science that He created for us to use and enjoy. Purchasing the EECP equipment was very risky financially for me, but I decided to go ahead at God's prompting.

 

One morning about two months after I bought the EECP God spoke to me while I was reading Leviticus 17:11 "for the life of the flesh is in the blood".  And there you have it. Who could disagree  with this statement from the Bible?  The flesh cannot live without the flow of blood. Medical science guided by the word of God and I knew this was confirmation from God.

Summary of Positive Effects of EECP

The Perfect Treatment!

•    Strengthens heart muscle
•    Increases collateral circulation
•    Creates new blood vessels
•    Anti-inflammatory effect
•    Stimulates release of nitric oxide
•    Improves exercise tolerance
•    Antioxidant effect
•    Improves kidney function
•    Entire vascular system treated- all organs
•    Detoxification effect
•    Increases lymphatic circulation
•    Improves  blood flow to the skin
•    Inhibits development of atherosclerosis
•    Reduces arterial stiffness
•    Prevents plaque buildup
•    Increases blood vessel stem cell lines
•    Stress reduction
•    Decreases anxiety and depression.
•    Improves sleep
•    Longevity-antiaging effect
•    Noninvasive, totally safe
•    Scientifically sound and proven to work
•    Passive exercise-full benefits of one hour workout

Why not make EECP part of your health maintenance, wellness and disease prevention program!

Testimonials

Previous Bypass/Multiple Stent Patient

   "I have had over 50 EECP treatments and I cannot thank you enough for your kindness and caring attention each and every time.  Progress has been slow but worth the time, since surgery was the only offer available with the cardiology doctor in Mt. Vernon, WA. 

    My angina has gone from being a daily and painful anticipation to almost forgetting it was there.  I can now bathe without stopping to sit and take Nitro or going downstairs to do my laundry and clean my house and I live alone!  Thanks again for letting me see my veins again in my hands and feet and restoring them to normal color instead of white feet and purple toes. 

    I hope other doctors follow your approach to offering hope beyond surgery and drugs.  Thanks again to you, your staff, you patients and your work are in my prayers."
Ronald A. Meyer Sr.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

    "The biggest change I've experienced with EECP treatment is overall quality of life improvement.  As a person with multiple chemical sensitivities, nervous system degradation, peripheral vasculitis and several immune system issues, my quality of life had deteriorated.  Living day to day became increasingly dependent on vigilant avoidance of ordinary substances in our environment that triggered nasty whole body reactions.  Detoxification became increasingly difficult.
     EECP assists my body in pumping oxygen into my cells and all my systems seem to have improved as a result.  I have more energy, am less sensitive to chemicals, sleep better and find that my body is able to detox faster.  And, very importantly, EECP is non-invasive. An added bonus is that my insurance company reimburses me for half of the treatment cost. 
      I am very grateful to Dr. David Buscher for having the insight to understand that his patients could benefit from having better-oxygenated cells through EECP.  I certainly did."
Cheers, Pat Waterston

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

    "During the 31 years I have had ME-CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and Fibromyalgia, only a few treatments have significantly reduced the effects of my symptoms.  EECP is one of them.
    From the first treatment, I knew EECP would help me.  Immediately, my cognition and memory seemed much clearer, my mood became more optimistic and I was happier, and I noticed my stamina and energy were increased.  Further treatments have sustained these gains.
    On a practical level EECP makes a big difference in my life.  At home are the difficulties and confusion of deciding what to do every day as well as the to-do list to make sure I remember everything.  When I wake up in the morning, I look forward to the day without being depressed or over-whelmed.  Before EECP, it took all evening for me to empty the waste baskets and put out the garbage; now I can do it in less than an hour. 
    I have also experienced unanticipated positive side effects.  My muscles are so relaxed, I can now turn my head enough to look directly out the back window of my car when I am backing out of the driveway instead, of having to rely exclusively on the car's rear view mirrors.  And, after years of needing a pick up tool to retrieve anything off the floor, I can now stretch and bend easily enough to use my hands.
    EECP is not the cure, but it has so improved my quality of life that I will continue to do half-hour treatments every week.
    I whole-heartedly recommend EECP without reservation to anyone who wants to overcome some of the major limitations of ME-CFS and Fibromyalgia."
Louis H. Janson

 

If you want to learn more about EECP, I highly recommend Heal Your Heart with EECP by Debra Braverman, M.D. .  This is a good read, well documented and acomplete description of EECP; it's history, the science and amazing beneficial effects.