by Dee Braun
Congestive heart failure occurs when the heart is not pumping blood as efficiently as it should and is not getting the required amount of blood to the organs in the body. Soon after the efficiency of the heart goes down the organs do not receive the right amount of oxygen and nutrients, and symptoms occur.
Symptoms of congestive heart failure include: Edema, irregular or rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trouble concentrating, wheeze, nausea, coughing with phlegm that is white or tinged with blood, appetite loss or fluid retention that results in fast weight gain
Symptoms are not always apparent while resting but will almost always show up during some type of exercise. Exercise tends to cause an individual to become fatigued and dizzy. The blood pressure goes down and the body attempts to make up for the lost blood volume by setting off hormone and nerve signals that are meant to increase blood volume by retaining water.
The heart also has a tendency to start beating at a rapid pace while it's muscles become thick and the ventricles stretch out to allow more blood flow. This does not fix anything because it is still not beating effectively enough to get the required amount of blood to the organs and tissues.
Congestive heart failure can either come on suddenly or gradually get worse over time. It is normally caused by some other medical condition or damage that was caused to the heart. Some things that can lead to heart failure include: infections in the heart, damage caused by heart attacks or surgery, congenital heart defects, constant high blood pressure, coronary artery disease or faulty heart valves.
Many times, heart failure sticks around for life and needs to be managed by a thorough treatment plan from your doctor. It is treatable with a combination of medication and sometimes surgery.
If an underlying condition has led to the heart failure the key is to treat the underlying condition first. If it is treated effectively then the heart failure sometimes can correct itself. This can only happen if the heart did not receive any permanent damage.
There are ways to naturally help this condition:
Exercise: Just 30 minutes of exercise twice a week can reduce the risk of hospitalization or death in heart failure patients, according to study findings presented at the March 2009 annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology. With more exercise, the benefit is even greater. Walking at a rate of 2 miles per hour for 30 minutes a few times a week will make a difference.
Supplements: There are quite a number of herbs and supplements that could have a beneficial effect on heart disease. I have listed some below. You may click on each one for more information but ultimately the use of supplements has to be done with the full knowledge and approval of your health care provider.
* Fish Oils or eating cold water fish reduces the risk for heart rhythm disturbances and may reduce the risk of heart palpitations, atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmia.
* Vitamin D deficiency is associated with heart dysfunction, sudden cardiac death, and death due to heart failure. An association between vitamin D deficiency and heart trouble is physiologically plausible since vitamin D is known to affect contractility of the heart.
* Arginine may prolong exercise capacity in those with congestive heart failure. Arginine supplements are available over the counter.
* Carnitine is potentially helpful since the heart uses carnitine for energy production
* CoQ10 may be beneficial in heart failure. See CoQ10-60mg supplement for more information.
* Hawthorn is vasodilatory, increases coronary flow, acts as an inotrope (stimulates heart contraction), decreases peripheral resistance, and has ACE-inhibitor-like effect. Daily dosage Hawthorn berry herb 3 to 5g or 160 to 900 mg extract for a few weeks. Appears to be useful in mild heart failure.
* Folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 can help prevent reoccurrence of blocked arteries in patients who have undergone coronary angioplasty.
* Psyllium fiber may help reduce cholesterol levels.
* Magnesium mineral may help
* Ribose may be beneficial to individuals with congestive heart failure.
* Astragalus has been studied in heart failure
I would also highly recommend reading the information HERE on the use of supplements and nutrition to combat heart failure - the information presented there could help save your life.
An estimated 4.8 million Americans have congestive heart failure (CHF)... Half of the patients diagnosed with CHF will be dead within 5 years. Each year, there are an estimated 400,000 new cases.
CHF is the... most common diagnosis in hospital patients age 65 years and older. In that age group, one fifth of all hospitalizations have a primary or secondary diagnosis of heart failure.
Congestive heart failure is a serious medical condition that you should not try and cure with herbal remedies alone. You can talk to your doctor about incorporating some herbs into your treatment plan and see what they say, but you really need to make sure that you follow their advice to a 'T'. You only get one heart and a heart transplant is probably not something that you want to go through anytime soon.