Symptoms Of Congestive Heart Failure

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.


Drinking Juice to Reduce Cholesterol and Prevent Heart Disease

Aaron Smith

Heart disease effects many of us in the UK, more so than in many other countries, but there is a strong possibility that this could be changed simply by changing our attitude towards food and consuming more juice.

The term 'heart disease' includes several conditions such from Congenital heart defects seen at birth to atherosclerosis (hardened arteries) that develop later. It is a complex issue with several inter-related factors. Hardening of the arteries and angina are a result of the inner walls of the bodies arteries narrowing due to a build up of plaque (fat, LDL cholesterol and other substances). Plaque build up is increased in people who have high levels LDL (bad) cholesterol and low
levels HDL (good) cholesterol. Oxidation of excess LDL cholesterol results in an increase of plaque. The HDL cholesterol helps to prevent the LDL cholesterol from increasing the plaque, moving it instead to the liver. Plaque build up alone may be enough to cause pain (angina) or heart attack.
However, if the plaque is ruptured or torn it can block the artery causing a coronary thrombosis (heart attack). Atherosclerosis can also be caused by inappropriate platelet activation causing the platelets in the blood to clot. Grape Juice inhibits Atherosclerosis Many of us will have seen news items claiming red wine helps to keep our hearts healthy. This is due to a substance in the grapes that used to make the wine known as polyphenols. However, recent tests have shown that although less polyphenols are present in grape juice than red wine, grape juice is better at inhibiting atherosclerosis

Purple Grape juice has also been found to help patients with coronary artery disease due to significantly improving the function of the cells (endothelial) lining the hardened arteries as well inhibiting inappropriate platelet activation

Purple grape juice's action as a potent platelet inhibitor is important as Platelets are involved in the development of Atherosclerosis

Other research has shown grape seed proanthocyanidin extracts reducing Atherosclerosis by up to 50% in animals.

Although that study was for grape seed extract alone, other studies have shown that the combination of grape seed extract and grape skin, as you would find in the juice, is more effective

.Fruit Juices Reduce Cholesterol. Pomegranate juice also offers wide protection against cardiovascular diseases

and has been shown to reduce cholesterol build up in plaque

and reduce the development of atherosclerosis

In laboratory tests orange juice has been found to lower cholesterol and significantly inhibit atherosclerosis

A 750ml serving of orange juice daily has been shown to decreased the LDL-HDL cholesterol ratio by 16% in tests on people

Tests on smokers has shown that carrot and orange juice combined significantly susceptibility of LDL to oxidation

(the process that increases plaque). As little as 330 mL of tomato juice

has also been shown to significantly reduce LDL oxidation

Adding garlic to vegetable juices takes some getting used to, but garlic has also been shown to decrease bad LDL cholesterol while increase HDL cholesterol

as well as reducing LDL oxidation

Plant sterols and stanols found in high quantities in veg like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower

have been found to reduce LDL cholesterol

One report says around 2g per day of plant sterol ester can decrease LDL cholesterol levels from 9% to 20%

Ginger has also been shown to significantly reduce LDL cholesterol and abnormal cell tissues (Aortic atherosclerotic lesion)

in the arteries around the heart.

With so much evidence proving the benefits of fruit and vegetable juices why on earth would we not want to include them in our diet?

1 Atherosclerosis. 2001 May;156(1):67-72. Red wine, dealcoholized red wine, and especially grape juice, inhibit atherosclerosis in a hamster model. Vinson JA, Teufel K, Wu N. Department of Chemistry, University of Scranton, Linden and Monroe Streets,

2 Adv Exp Med Biol. 2002;505:95-111. Potential health benefits from the flavonoids in grape products on vascular disease. Folts JD. Coronary Thrombosis Research Laboratory, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, USA.

3 J Nutr. 2000 Jan;130(1):53-6. Grape juice, but not orange juice or grapefruit juice, inhibits human platelet aggregation. Keevil JG, Osman HE, Reed JD, Folts JD. Cardiology Section of Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53792, USA.

4 ol Cell Biochem. 2002 Nov;240(1-2):99-103. Beneficial effects of a novel IH636 grape seed proanthocyanidin extract and a niacin-bound chromium in a hamster atherosclerosis model. Vinson JA, Mandarano MA, Shuta DL, Bagchi M, Bagchi D. Department of Chemistry, University of Scranton, Scranton, PA, USA.

5 J Nutr. 2002 Dec;132(12):3592-8. Grape seed and grape skin extracts elicit a greater antiplatelet effect when used in combination than when used individually in dogs and humans. Shanmuganayagam D, Beahm MR, Osman HE, Krueger CG, Reed JD, Folts JD. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53792, USA.

6 Atherosclerosis. 2001 Sep;158(1):195-8. Pomegranate juice consumption inhibits serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity and reduces systolic blood pressure. Aviram M, Dornfeld L. The Lipid Research Laboratory, Technion Faculty of Medicine, The Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, 31096 Haifa, Israel.

7 J Nutr Biochem. 2005 Sep;16(9):570-6. Pomegranate juice inhibits oxidized LDL uptake and cholesterol biosynthesis in macrophages. Fuhrman B, Volkova N, Aviram M. Lipid Research Laboratory, Technion Faculty of Medicine, The Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa 31096, Israel.

8 J Nutr. 2001 Aug;131(8):2082-9. Pomegranate juice upplementation to atherosclerotic mice reduces macrophage lipid peroxidation, cellular cholesterol accumulation and development of atherosclerosis. Kaplan M, Hayek T, Raz A, Coleman R, Dornfeld L, Vaya J, Aviram M. The Lipid Research Laboratory, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, The Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences and Rambam Medical Center, Haifa 31096, Israel.

9 Adv Exp Med Biol. 2002;505:113-22. Polyphenol antioxidants in citrus juices: in vitro and in vivo studies relevant to heart disease. Vinson JA, Liang X, Proch J, Hontz BA, Dancel J, Sandone N. Department of Chemistry, University of Scrant on, PA 18510-4626, USA. 10 Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Nov;72(5):1095-100. HDL-cholesterol-raising effect of orange juice in subjects with hypercholesterolemia. Kurowska EM, Spence JD, Jordan J, Wet more S, Freeman DJ, Piche LA, Serratore P. Departments of Biochemistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.

11 Clin Chem. 2000 Nov;46(11):1818-29. Influence of increased fruit and vegetable intake on plasma and lipoprotein carotenoids and LDL oxidation in smokers and nonsmokers. Chopra M, O'Neill ME, Keogh N, Wortley G, Southon S, Thurnham DI. Northern Ireland Centre for Diet and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland BT52 1SA, United Kingdom.

12 J Nutr. 2000 Sep;130(9):2200-6. Moderate intervention with carotenoid-rich vegetable products reduces lipid peroxidation in men. Bub A, Watzl B, Abrahamse L, Delincee H, Adam S, Wever J, Muller H, Rechkemmer G. Institute of Nutritional Physiology, Federal Research Centre for Nutrition, D-76131 Karlsruhe,Germany.

13 Lipids. 1998 Oct;33(10):981-4. Tomato lycopene and low density lipoprotein oxidation: a human dietary intervention study. Agarwal S, Rao AV. Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 14 J Nutr. 2001 Mar;131(3s):994S-9S. Study of garlic extracts and fractions on cholesterol plasma levels and vascular reactivity in cholesterol-fed rats. Slowing K, Ganado P, Sanz M, Ruiz E, Tejerina T. Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Complutense University, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
15 J Nutr. 2001 Mar;131(3s):985S-8S. Suppression of LDL oxidation by garlic. Lau BH. Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA.

16 Curr Opin Lipidol. 2000 Dec;11(6):571-6. Therapeutic potential of plant sterols and stanols. Plat J, Kerckhoffs DA, Mensink RP. Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.

17 Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Jan;75(1):79-86. An increase in dietary carotenoids when consuming plant sterols or stanols is effective in maintaining plasma carotenoid concentrations. Noakes M, Clifton P, Ntanios F, Shrapnel W, Record I, McInerney J. CSIRO Health Sciences and Nutrition, Adelaide, Australia.

18 Circulation. 2001 Feb 27;103(8):1177-9. AHA Science Advisory. Stanol/sterol ester-containing foods and blood cholesterol levels. A statement for healthcare professionals from the Nutrition Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism of the American Heart Association. Lichtenstein AH, Deckelbaum RJ.

19 J Nutr. 2000 May;130(5):1124-31. Ginger extract consumption reduces plasma cholesterol, inhibits LDL oxidation and attenuates development of atherosclerosis in atherosclerotic, apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Fuhrman B, Rosenblat M, Hayek T, Coleman R, Aviram M. Lipid Research Laboratory, Technion Faculty of Medicine, The Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences and Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.