Re: seeking infor re cheney heart stuff

[Guest guest]

Correct that the average

physician knows nothing about PFO.

The gold standard test as I understand it is some kind of doppler

imaging while they pump tiny air bubbles into your right atrium. As

such things go, it's not supposed to be terribly invasive or stressful

(no radiologic contrast used).

I don't think there's anything like a consensus about exact causes or

cures. Cheney himself warns against the classic allopathic fix, which

involves implantation of a device to hold the PFO shut. One of

Cheney's own patients nearly died from this procedure when, after a

time of improvment, the patient's body reacted to the nickel content of

the patch, much like some people's wrists develop rashes from wearing

cheap watches. In addition, since Cheney believes the PFO is partly

compensating for excessive atrial pressure, he feels fixing the PFO may

cause heart failure in the long run due to excessive atrial pressure.

Cheney is experimenting with some kind of porcine-derived growth

factors to strengthen the heart and close the PFO. I don't expect any

early results from this ... it will take some time to determine any

benefit, assuming there is one.

On the alternative medicine front I'm aware of at least one guy, a

kinesiologist, who professes to "balance" for PFO, although he is

careful not to claim it's a cure. You can read about it at

www.wellatlast.com. This fellow started talking about PFOs around the

same time Cheney did.

--Bob

amy poet wrote:

I would like to know the most basic question

what tests are there that show we have this heart problem? is

medicare/insurances paying for them?

what percentage of CFIDS fo;lks have this problem?

am I correct in assuming the average family Doctor has no idea about

this?

no aerobic exercise can;t be good either so what to do?

is it in any way connected to either the genetic blood stuff, or is it

rather the huge amount of infections causing it or is it related to the

tilt

table stuff.?

thanks, amy

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