I too had a scary experience cycling.

It was April 14th and I was following a couple of younger riders up the canyon when my chest developed a sudden extreme pressure. It was like having someone sit on my chest. It really took the wind out of my sails. I fell behind and couldn't maintain my speed or heart rate. My heart dropped from 170 bpm to 138 and I couldn't force myself to keep up.

The pressure stayed with me for several hours. I rode home & rested but it wouldn't go away. I don't mind telling you that it scared the crap out of me.

The next day I asked a Dr friend of mine what to do & he suggested getting a nuclear stress test. I went in on Tuesday and all went well until I reached about 172 bpm. I didn't feel a thing but the technician asked me to repeat some of tests to double check his results. 15 minutes later during the interview with the DR I experienced slight angina. He recommended getting a multi-scan CT.

A week later I got the CT and they discovered 2 small calcium deposits on one of my coronary arteries. He said it was old stuff and their greater concern was soft plaque which showed up as shadows in my artery.

I couldn't get an appointment for over a month and everything looked like I would need an Angioplasty Stint which would be followed by medication for the rest of my life.

Being an impatient man & not liking my options so far, I turned to the internet. I read an article about acupuncture & Chinese herbs that helped some people with their angina.

I turned to Dr Ming here in SLC. She is a Chinese Cardiologist who understands both Eastern and Western medicine.

She put me on herbs with a warning to follow my doctors advice & not take any chances. I continued cycling regularly but cautiously.

What I discovered was that if I kept my heartbeat under 165, I could enjoy a ride without angina. Whenever I went over 165 bpm I would get angina.

My miracle is that after being on the herbs for a month, my angina went away. By May 28th I could push my heart up to 170 bpm with no problems, and now I can go up to 180 bpm.

When I finally got to my doctor's visit there was no need for Angioplasty. He was baffled.

I have experimented with my herbs and even dropped them for a few weeks at which time the Angina returned and when I got back on them for a week or so I was just fine.

This is my experience and I hope it helps someone. I suspect that Western Medicine is fairly narrow minded and it might be worth checking out Eastern alternatives. It worked for me.

PS. I am following my western doctor's advice by taking a baby asperin daily and limiting my red meat intake. I watch my cholesterol and get regular doctor visits. Good Luck & Best Wishes

CB