In a recent letter, I told you that if you can move, you can exercise using my PACE principle.
But maybe you still have a few doubts…
Today, I want to share a letter from a reader who told me about his experience with PACE. To protect his privacy, I’ll use his initials, B.E.
He is a regular reader and a Confidential Cures subscriber. Here’s what he told me:
“In February, I had problems breathing. My wife made an appointment with a cardiologist for the next day.
During my exam, the doctor took three electrocardiograms. He later told me that my condition was so bad that I might have died at any moment.
I was told I’d need a stent, maybe two, to improve blood flow [and prevent further damage to the heart]. It was scheduled for a month later. The doctor also prescribed several pills and a cardio rehab program.
But I decided to start doing PACE at home according to your advice.
On the day I was going to get operated on, I had to get special x-rays of my heart so the doctor could decide whether I needed one stent or two. After the “photo session,” the doctor came in and said he had good news:
I had no lesions in my heart, and my arteries were totally clean. I did not need a stent.
I was confused. I asked if this meant I would not get operated on. Yes, he said. That is what it means!
Today, I’m continuing with my PACE program. I am told that my congestive heart failure is close to being handled totally.”
I love hearing from my readers like B.E. Especially when they write to tell me something they’ve learned from my letters has helped them become stronger and healthier.
I
t’s why I keep writing to you and fighting the misguided advice of conventional doctors who continue to push lousy advice – as they did with B.E.You see, stents are not an effective treatment for heart disease.
But that doesn’t stop cardiologists from recommending them…
Every year, millions of heart stents are implanted in Americans. It’s the most common cardiac procedure in the U.S. Today, 7 million Americans have at least one stent in their chest.1
Stents are mesh tubes that force open an artery. They’re designed to improve blood flow and prevent heart attacks. In theory, it sounds great.
But stents create more problems than they solve, including:
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- Re-narrowing of the artery causing it to clog once more. Nearly 10% of arteries were clogged again within three to six months, often triggering a heart attack.2
- Formation of blood clots that block the artery and lead to heart attack or stroke. Almost 12,000 Americans die every year due to blood clots in their stents.
- The need to take blood-thinning drugs or aspirin, sometimes for life. Patients on blood thinners have to stop taking them after any operation. Stopping can cause clots and triple the risk of having a heart attack during or after surgery.4
- It’s not a low-risk procedure. Despite what cardiologists say, 40,000 patients will experience serious complications, including death, during surgery.5
Cardiologists say that despite the risks, stents are necessary to save lives.
It’s just not true…
In a large study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers looked at nearly 2,300 patients with significant coronary artery disease. Half got a stent, and the other half didn’t.
After seven years, the researchers found that the group who received stents had more heart attacks than those who didn’t.
Cardiologists didn’t like those results. So an even larger study was done on more than 7,000 heart patients. Again, the results showed that heart attacks increased in stent patients.
But studies like these made no difference in slowing down the number of stent procedures cardiologists perform each year. In 2020, 2 million stents were implanted. That’s more than double the number from a decade before.6,7
At the Sears Institute, I help my patients reverse heart failure naturally and safely – using a combination of diet, supplements, and therapies.
But one of the first things I always recommend is PACE.
PACE is specifically designed to strengthen your heart in just minutes a day.
Short bursts of intense exercise are what nature intended for your heart and the rest of your body. Unlike cardio or other aerobic or endurance exercise, PACE causes an adaptive response. This means giving your body a new set of challenges, so it adapts to what you’re asking it to do.
And that will allow your heart to increase its ability to pump harder for those times when you need it.
Like B.E., many of my patients who have tried PACE have turned around their heart health.
And research backs up what I’ve seen in my clinic.
In the Harvard Health Professionals Study, researchers followed thousands of people. They found that the key to exercise is not length or endurance. It’s intensity.
The more energy a person exerts during exercise, the lower their risk of heart disease.8 In another study, the intensity turned out to be the key to longevity and reduced risk of death.9
One of the easiest ways to get started with PACE is to start with an exercise you enjoy. Whether that’s swimming, running sprints, or walking. Just remember to keep increasing the challenge. And to rest and recover fully between each period of exertion.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
References:
1. Ellis S. “Deaths linked to cardiac stents rise as overuse seen.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-09-26/deaths-linked-to-cardiac-stents-rise-as-overuse-seen. Accessed on May 5, 2022.
2. “Why Does Restenosis Happen (and What Can Be Done About It)?” 2019health.clevelandclinic.org/know-your-best-options-when-you’re-facing-restenosis.” Accessed on May 5, 2022.
3. Stergiopoulos K and Brown D.“Initial coronary stent implantation with medical therapy vs. medical therapy alone for stable coronary artery disease:a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.” Arch Intern Med. 2012 Feb 27;172(4):312-9.
4. Smilowitz N, et al. “Perioperative Major Adverse Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Events Associated With Noncardiac Surgery.” JAMA Cardiol. 2017 Feb 1;2(2):181-187.
5. Stergiopoulos K, Brown DL. “Initial coronary stent implantation with medical therapy vs. medical therapy alone for stable coronary artery disease:a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.” Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(4):312–319.
6. https://idataresearch.com/stents-implanted-per-year-in-the-u-s/ Accessed on May 5, 2022.
7. >https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/08/06/bush-stent-heart-surgery/2623111/ Accessed on May 5, 2022.
8. Lee I, et al. “Relative intensity of physical activity and risk of coronary heart disease. Circulation. 2003;107(8):1110-6.
9. Lee I, et al. “Exercise intensity and longevity in men. The Harvard Alumni Health Study.” JAMA. 1995 Apr 19;273(15):1179-84.