MT. DORA, Fla. -- Too look at it, you might think it's "snake oil" and you might question your doctor's sanity for prescribing it. But one cardiologist in Mt. Dora has been studying a treatment called EECP. He says it's proving to be a cure for some particular types of heart disease.

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It's called EECP, or Enhanced External Counter Pulsation. Three blood pressure cuffs on each leg coordinate with the patient's own heartbeat to pressure pump blood back into the heart. That stretches arteries and stimulates the growth of new vessels, creating a natural bypass for blockages.

"Sure beats open heart surgery," says Dr. Ken Kronhaus.

He isn't the first doctor to bring EECP to Central Florida, but he is the first to research its effectiveness in curing blockages in the tiny vessels and capillaries that run deep inside the heart muscle.

"The Mayo Clinic loves it. There's good science. The Cleveland Clinic loves it," he says.

Dr. Kronhaus says women, more often than men, suffer this disabling problem called Microvascular Angina.

Because the problem won't show up on a heart cath, too often these women are told their shortness of breath, the tightness in their chests, fatigue, and anxiety is more in their heads than their hearts. And they may end up seeing a psychiatrist, rather than getting the life-saving treatment from a cardiologist

"The great thing is, it keeps patients out of the hospital, out of the doctors office in the future," says Dr. Kronhaus.

Next month, Dr. Kronhaus will present his research about the long-term benefits of EECP at the American College of Cardiology.

The treatment is one hour a day, five days a week, for seven weeks. However, it costs about $5,000, compared to about $20,000 for angioplasty in the hospital. So, you may see a lot more of this in the future.