Over the past few days, I have received a tremendous number of inquiries for my opinion regarding the above-referenced abstract, published by Dr. Steven R. Gundry on November 8th. The referenced abstract used the PULS (Protein Unstable Lesion Signature) blood test that checks blood vessels for multiple markers of inflammation, including the blood vessels of the heart (coronary arteries). A total of 566 patients were studied. Their ages ranged from 28 to 97 with equal participants of men and women. Researchers found that the inflammation biomarkers of the participants increased within 2 to 10 weeks after receiving the second dose of the Moderna vaccine; compared to testing the same inflammation biomarkers 3-5 months before the vaccine. The authors concluded that the vaccine could increase the risk of heart attack, blood clots, and other vascular events from 11 - 25%. 

I utilized the PULS test in my practice for a few years but discontinued use of it completely as I found it to be unreliable. My patients with no significant heart disease were found to have a high risk of heart attack even though they had no coronary plaques or any vascular disease. These patients continue to stay healthy and disease-free (without the use of any medications). So, what does that mean? Does that mean the test is wrong? NO. Not necessarily. What it means is the following:

1. Even though those inflammatory markers increased after the Moderna vaccine, they might also increase with a kidney infection, pneumonia, or other vaccines. Would people who get a kidney infection or pneumonia get a heart attack? If that were the case, we would see people dying of heart attacks more frequently after a kidney infection or a bout of pneumonia, but we don’t. An increase in inflammatory markers does not directly correlate with the risk of heart attack or blood clots (except for a subset of patients with very significant plaque buildup in their arteries).
2. There are several markers of inflammation in our bodies but other than just a few, the rest have not been proven to increase cardiac or vascular events. That is why we don’t use them in clinical practice. Many of the markers used in PULS have not been proven in clinical trials to cause heart attacks or vascular events.
3. The duration and severity of the inflammation are also important. In this study, the biomarkers were elevated for up to 10 weeks. We do not know how much longer the biomarkers continued to elevate. If the biomarkers decreased over the subsequent weeks or months, then the possible risk associated with it will also decrease. Therefore, if the biomarkers decrease after 3-6 months, you can NOT conclude that the 5-year risk of a heart attack will be high.
4. The study was only conducted on 566 patients. This is a very small sample size to make a conclusion. A much bigger sample size (in the order of tens of thousands of patients) will need to be studied in a double-blinded clinical study frame to reach an accurate and correct conclusion.
5. Lastly, it is wrong to make the conclusion that a certain vaccine could cause heart and vascular events with only 10 weeks of follow-up and without demonstrating one single heart attack or a vascular event during the 10-week follow-up in those patients who were studied.

In conclusion, I believe that the study neither confirms nor disproves that the Moderna Vaccine increases the risk of cardiac and vascular events and should not be used by itself to convince patients not to get the vaccine. More robust and accurate clinical studies with much higher sample size and duration will need to be conducted to determine whether the vaccine increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Dr. B is a world-renowned expert leading the Preventative and Functional Cardiovascular Disease field. He is Board-Certified in Cardiovascular and Internal Medicine. Dr. B has served as a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine and Cardiology at UCLA’s Geffen School of Medicine since 2003. He is also on staff at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s renowned Center of Excellence and is the Medical Director at The Beverly Hills Institute of Cardiology and Preventive Medicine. His practice is uniquely positioned amongst an extremely small group of cardiologists worldwide, who possess in-depth knowledge of functional and orthomolecular medicine to apply an integrative approach that seeks to use all scientific and proven methods available (not just medication) to treat heart disease. 

As a leader in the field of Preventive Cardiology, he specializes in incorporating the latest cutting-edge research and advanced genetic testing, along with highly specialized and sophisticated biomarkers to predict an individual’s chance of developing significant cardiovascular disease within specified subsequent years. Dr. B creates a personalized, comprehensive treatment approach for each individual patient. In treating patients, both those with and without cardiovascular disease, he combines the best of traditional and integrative medicine.

Dr. B received his medical degree from Finch University of Health Sciences in Chicago, where he was ranked number one in his graduating class (of 192 students), receiving numerous awards and honors that included being inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) medical honor society, a fraternity to which only the top 10% of medical students in the country are invited. He went on to complete his internal medicine and cardiology training at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. 

Dr. B strives to give back to his community through his fundraising efforts to further heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s research. Equally important, he created a non-profit organization to help patients with no or low income get access to heart disease testing. 

Dr. B is also the author of Heart Attack: Will it Happen to Me which can be purchased on Amazon.com. He is also the founder of the B100 Method, an innovative approach in the prevention of heart disease that utilizes accessible tools that allow individuals to become more involved in their heart health. More information can be viewed at www.b100method.com

For all media requests, please contact Sabrina Bitmayl at sabrinab@b100method.com.