Women with repeated chest pain represent the biggest disconnect between evidence and medical practice in the United States. Many women have heart attacks who don’t have heart artery blockages. When I wrote about women and heart artery disease on Oct 26, 2021, my neighbor Jean called me. She said, “I read your article, and I might be one of these women.”
She had had chest pain multiple times and she sought medical attention. She did her part. She had more than one stress test on a treadmill, and she could only walk two minutes on a fifteen-minute test. That alone is a sign of heart artery disease. She had a heart artery catheterization and it was as clean as a whistle. No blockages at all. She saw a cardiologist several times. On her most recent visit, he told her that she did not have heart disease, she could stop aspirin, and she did not need to see him anymore. Every day across America, other women with repeated chest pain are hearing that same advice, and it is wrong. Too often, it is dead wrong. I have treated 25 women like this myself. It is a common problem and it is a threat to our wives, sisters, daughters, and our neighbors like Jean.
We talked about eating real food, walking, and getting on optimal medical therapy through her doctor. I just asked my neighbor about her progress and it is an inspiration. Here is her report in her own words.
“At this time I am down a total of 22.8# and only 8 more to reach my goal! Even with all the cheating I did in Maui…No more chest pain since February. We could tell an enormous difference when we were back in Maui. When we were there back in Jan-Feb I could only walk about 1 mile and had to stop along the way and rest. I could hardly make it up the big hill I called Mt. Everest. This time it was barely a problem. I walked up it with much more ease. Never had to stop and rest this time either. Round trip the walk is 3.8 miles with small to large hills. There we had a beautiful view and several animal farms to walk past. There was almost a continuous breeze and little to no humidity. Much easier walking conditions. Here the air is thick and heavy and very hot. Maui the highest it got was mid to upper 80’s. We have been walking at Heritage Park in Simpsonville where it is mostly shady. We can walk as many miles as we want to there too.”
Last October Jean had chest pain that worried her. She could only walk two minutes on the treadmill. Now she has no chest pain and she can walk up hills. She can walk 4 miles. She is a great example of how effective optimal medical therapy (OMT) can be. It is not just about a longer healthier life. It is about a more normal life. If you have started working on OMT, we would love to share your story. whbester@gmail.com
Bill, please add our contributions to her success story! Thank you!
Bill, this is excellent. Thank you. Looking forward to Jean receiving her six month MCG session as eMCG https://EmergencyMCG.com will be doing more preventive visits in Atlanta next month. Let's discuss later this week.