Hello everyone! As today is the World Heart
Day, we have some useful information for all kind of heart problems. Kindly go
through the blog and let us know if you have any sort of queries.
What
is cardiovascular (heart) disease?
The heart is like any other muscle in body. It
needs an adequate blood supply to provide oxygen to allow the muscle to
contract and pump. Not only does the heart pump blood to the rest of the body,
it also pumps blood to itself via the coronary arteries. So, when there is any
problem in the heart or its blood vessels, it leads to the cardiovascular
disease.
Common
heart diseases:
- Atherosclerosis - a condition that develops when a substance called plaque builds up in the walls of the arteries
- Heart attack - when the blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked by a blood clot
- Ischemic stroke - when a blood vessel that feeds the brain gets blocked, usually from a blood clot
- Hemorrhagic stroke - when a blood vessel within the brain bursts, most likely cause is uncontrolled hypertension
- Heart failure - also known as congestive heart failure, means the heart isn't pumping blood as well as it should
- Arrhythmia - an abnormal rhythm of the heart - too slow, fast or irregular
- Heart valve problems - when heart valves don't open or close enough or gets prolapsed, thereby not allowing the blood to flow through as it should
- Congenital heart problems – heart defects since birth
Major warning signs and symptoms:
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Upper body pain or discomfort in the arms, back, neck, jaw, or upper stomach.
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea, lightheadedness, or cold sweats
Causes
of heart disease:
- High amounts of certain fats and cholesterol in the blood
- High blood pressure
- High amounts of sugar in the blood due to insulin resistance or diabetes
- Blood vessel inflammation
- Any infection in heart
- Excessive use of alcohol or caffeine
- Smoking
- Drug abuse
- Stress
Risk
factors:
- Diabetes
- Overweight
- Poor diet
- Physical inactivity
- Excessive alcohol use
- Cigarette smoking
- Excess stress
Common
Diagnostic Tests for Heart diseases:
- Chest X-ray
- Stress test
- ECG
- CT heart scan
- Myocardial biopsy
- Heart MRI
- Echocardiography
- Cardiac Angiogram
- Angiography
Cardiovascular
disease and its treatment:
- Heart valve problems – Medications/ Heart valve surgery
- Arrhythmia – Medications/ Pacemaker
- Heart Attack – Medications/ Angioplasty/ Bypass
- Stroke – Medications/ Angioplasty/ Endarterectomy
Ayurveda
view of Hridroga (Heart disease):
Ayurveda believes that heart diseases are due
to the imbalance of tridoshas (Vata,
Pitta & Kapha) due to the incompatible food, wrong
lifestyle and imbalance of the mind (raja & tama doshas).
So, bringing these tridoshas back
to the normal level is the major step in management of heart diseases.
Ayurvedic
treatment for Hridroga:
The basic principle of Ayurveda to treat cardiac
disorders are:
- Eliminating the morbid doshas through panchakarma therapies
- Cleansing and keeping the strotas (channels of transportation of nutrients) intact
- Establishing the normalcy of the agni (metabolism)
- Strengthening the dhatus (tissues)
- Taking control over the raja and tama doshas of mind
- Having proper diet
- Maintaining a good life style
- Appropriate medication
Aim
of Ayurveda treatment for Heart disease:
- To manage newly diagnosed cases
- To use as adjuvant therapy with an objective of -
- Better control
- Prevention of disease complications
- Better quality of life
- To reduce or withdraw the modern medication
- To reduce the adverse effects of modern drugs
Herbs
useful in the management of Cardiac problems:
- Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna)
- Haritaki (Terminalia chebula)
- Vacha (Acorus calamus)
- Pippali (Piper longum)
- Pushkarmula (Inula recemosa)
- Guggul (Commiphora mukul)
- Rasona (Allium sativum)
- Palandu (Allium cepa)
- Ardhrak (Zyngiber officinale)
- Yashti Madhu (Glycerrhiza glabra)
- Tulasi (Ocimum sanctum)
- Haridra (Curcuma longa)
- Amala (Phyllanthus emblica)
- Jathiphala (Myristica fragrance)
- Lavang (Eugenia caryophyllus)
- Twak (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
- Ajamoda (Trachyspermum ammi)
- Bhunimba (Andrographis paniculata)
- Ela (Ellettaria cardomum)
- Chitrak (Plumbago zeylanica)
- Methika seed (Trigonella foenum-graecum)
Ayurvedic
medicines for heart ailments:
- Arjunarishta
- Punarnavarishta
- Arjuna Ksheerapaka
- Chandraprabha vati
- Chyavanaprasha
- Brahmi Rasayana
- Rasonadi kashaya
- Nagarjunabhraras
- Prabhakarvati
- Hridayarnavaras
- Shilajitha
- Shiva Gutika
- Vishweshwar Rasa
- Sarpagandha Ghan Vati
- Muktavati
- Mansyadi Kwatha
- Dashamularishta
- Agasthya rasayana
Panchkarma therapies for cardiac disorders:
- Hrid basti (Heart basti): It is a reservoir of warm herbal oil or decoction is place on the heart area of the chest. This treatment nourishes and strengthens the heart muscle, regulates the cardiac functions, melts away stress & emotional grief and increases peace & happiness.
- Hrid dhara (Heart dhara): It is a procedure where in warm herbal oil or decoction is poured continuously from certain height, which helps to reduce spasm of intercostal muscles and improves local blood supply by vasodilatation.
- Shirodhara: A continuous stream of medicated warm herbal oil / decoction / medicated milk / buttermilk / coconut water is poured continuously on the forehead for 30 – 45 minutes in an oscillating manner. This helps to relax the mind & body and also helps to heal various stress induced heart problems.
- Other panchkarma therapies like Abhyangam, Swedanam, Virechanam & Basti also helps to solve the cardiac disorders.
Other ways to heal the heart problems:
Yoga:
The
following asanas should be practiced for heart problems with very slow speed:
- Tadasana (Mountain pose)
- Vrikshasana (Tree pose)
- Utthita hastapadasana (Extended hands and feet pose)
- Trikonasana (Triangle pose)
- Veerbhadrasana (Warrior pose)
- Utkatasana (Chair pose)
- Marjariasana (Cat pose)
- Adho mukho svanasana (Downward facing dog pose)
- Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)
- Dhanurasana (Bow pose)
- Setu bandhasana (Bridge pose)
- Salamba sarvangasana (Half shoulder stand)
- Ardha matsyendrasana (Sitting half spinal twist)
- Paschimottanasana (Two-legged forward position)
- Dandasana (Stick pose)
- Shavasana (Corpse pose)
Mudra:
The following mantras help to open the heart
chakra, calm the brain & reduce stress and anxiety. It also prepares the
body better for pranayama and meditation.
- Apan vayu mudra (Heart mudra)
- Prana mudra
- Surya mudra (Sun mudra)
- Linga mudra
- Ganesha mudra
Pranayama:
- Anuloma Viloma – 15 min
- Sheetali purak followed by Bhramari rechak – 21 rounds
- Ujjayi without kumbhak – 10 min
Meditation:
The best mantras to chant for all the heart
problems are:
- Ong Sohung
- Beej mantra for heart chakra - Yam
- Om Hraam Namaha!
- Surya mantra – Om Hraam Hreem Hroom Suryaya Namaha!
- Rama mantra – Om Apadamapa Hataram Dataram Sarva Sampadam Loka Bhai Ramam Shri Ramam Bhuyo Bhuyo Namamyaham!
To listen to these mantras with specific mudras, kindly visit:
Color therapy:
Green is the color of our heart chakra. So, in order to
integrate the powers of green color for happy & healthy heart, you can include
the following things in your routine:
- Include a green colored clothing item or accessory in your attire regularly.
- Keep a green colored piece of crystal or glass in your workplace, or in your home.
- Use a green colored night-dress so that you may benefit from the energies while you sleep.
- Use green colored bulb or night-lamp. If you don’t find a green colored bulb, you can use a green colored film to wrap around a regular white bulb.
- Include green color in your home furnishing.
- Visualize the green color in your head during the day.
Indian music therapy:
The ragas Bhairav and Durga have a power of Divine bliss and protection. Both help activate the Anahat (heart) chakra. When the Kundalini touches the heart chakra, Raga Bhairav activates spirituality in the person. Raga Durga boosts self-confidence and helps develop the quality of the air element.
Acupressure:
The following acupressure points are important
for cardiovascular health:
- Ht 7 (Spirit Gate) – Ht 7 is the depression point on the inner wrist. Stimulating this point by applying steady pressure of the thumb helps in treating heart problems like chest pain, irregular heartbeat and palpitations.
- Pc 6 (Inner Gate) - Pc 6 is located on the palm side of your wrist, two thumb widths above the wrist crease in the center of the arm. Pressing this point helps strengthen the heart and also relieves the pain or discomfort of the chest. Pc 6 opens the chest and is therefore good for treating chest or cardiac problems. It acts on the emotions by promoting the free flow of Qi in the body, promoting relaxation, and calming the heart and mind. So it helps to treat stress related problems.
Diet:
Simple diet chart for a healthy heart-
- Eat limited food on regular intervals
- Have vegetables and fruits everyday
- Select whole grain products like whole wheat flour instead of refined flour
- Limit unhealthy fats like butter, cream, margarine, bacon fat, etc and have healthy fats like fresh cow’s ghee, vegetable oil, olive oil, nuts, seeds, etc.
- Consume healthy protein diet like beans, peas, lentils, flaxseed, walnuts, soybeans, canola oil, etc.
- Reduce the sodium in the food by adding rock salt in your food instead of the table salt. Also avoid the tinned, artificially colored or preserved products
- Avoid the foods which are high in calories or low in nutrition, including foods like soft drinks and candy that contain a lot of sugar
- Limit the amount of alcohol you drink
Lifestyle:
- Avoid excess sitting for long duration
- Exercise regularly
- Regularly walk barefoot to ground with the earth
- Manage your stress level
- Do not smoke cigarettes
- Have a good sleep every night
- Get regular check-ups done
I hope this blog helps you to make healthy
choices with a positive attitude from today itself, as any small change will help
to reduce the risk of your heart disease. Remember little changes go a long
way, so keep moving and never give up. Have a happy and healthy life ahead.
(P.S: As every human being is different according to
Ayurveda, all have different cures. So, kindly consult us or an Ayurveda doctor before
taking any herbal medicines.)
This post is written by Dr.Jaina Patwa who is an
International Ayurvedic practitioner based at Mumbai, India. She is available
as an online Ayurvedic Consultant on Skype.
(Skype ID - vishwacare)
VishwaCARE offers Ayurvedic treatment globally for all
the health problems. We prepare fresh herbal medicines for each and every
patient, as according to Ayurveda every individual should be treated
differently. We use high quality organic herbal extracts which are easy to
take, effective and completely safe for long-term use.
For authentic Ayurveda
treatments or queries, kindly email us on vishwacare.jaina@gmail.com or
contact us on +919833998817.
