Successful Ayurvedic Herbal Treatment of Congestive Cardiac Failure (CCF)
Congestive cardiac failure (CCF), also known as congestive heart failure, is a medical condition in which the heart is unable to pump oxygenated blood to the body with its normal efficiency. Various conditions can be responsible for causing CCF and include diseases of the coronary arteries, persistent high blood pressure, diseases of the heart valves, diseases of the heart muscles, and long standing alcohol or drug abuse.CCF may initially not cause any symptoms; however, if left untreated, it becomes gradually progressive over time and leads to symptoms like chest pain or discomfort, breathlessness, fatigue, pain in abdomen, swelling in feet and abdomen, increased nocturnal urination, and decreased appetite.
Early diagnosis and management of this medical condition is important in order to prevent permanent and irreversible damage to the heart and increased mortality. It is very important for the affected individual to remain under the regular supervision and medical care of an experienced cardiologist on a long term basis. In addition to modern conservative care, institution of aggressive Ayurvedic treatment to treat both the cause and effects of CCF can result in highly gratifying results in a condition where the usual long term goal is to maintain the patient with minimum symptoms and complications.
The concurrent use of Ayurvedic medicines is indicated more in CCF patients who do not respond satisfactorily to modern medical treatment. Obesity, diabetes, long standing high blood pressure, congenital heart defects, concurrent medical conditions, faulty lifestyle, faulty drug compliance, and alcohol or drug abuse are high risk factors which render a patient refractory to standard conservative therapy.
Ayurvedic medicines are very effective in quickly controlling high blood pressure; this reduces the work load on the heart thereby reducing heart muscle fatigue and compromised pumping action. Herbal medicines work very well to reduce atherosclerosis and obstruction in narrowed coronary vessels so as to improve the blood flow to the heart muscles. Damage to heart muscles due to valvular insufficiency, heart muscle disease, or alcohol and drug abuse can be corrected using specific herbal therapy for the same. Work efficiency of the heart, both in systole (contractile stage) and diastole (relaxant stage) can be improved using appropriate herbo-mineral therapy.
Depending upon the severity of symptoms and the extent of existing heart damage, the dosage and duration of herbal treatment may vary. Patients may thus require treatment for periods ranging from a few months to a few years. With regular treatment, affected individuals notice a definite improvement in symptoms like swelling of the lower extremities and abdomen, breathlessness, fatigue and reduced appetite. On a more objective level, tests like a chest x-ray and 2-d echo test reveal improvement in such parameters as reduction in the size of enlarged heart chambers, improved valvular efficiency, improved heart ejection fraction, reduced load on the lungs, and resolution of swelling in and around the heart- covering layers (pericardium).
Depending upon residual symptoms and the overall medical condition of the patient, the treating physician needs to decide whether the Ayurvedic medicines can be gradually reduced and stopped altogether, or if a few medicines need to be continued. It is however prudent to at least continue with a few modern medications. The patient can continue being reviewed by a modern cardiologist so that the condition can be monitored, with just a few essential medicines being continued on a long term basis.
Ayurvedic herbal treatment can thus be judiciously used to treat refractory patients having CCF. Concurrent Ayurvedic treatment can dramatically improve the overall outlook of long term treatment of CCF and significantly bring down mortality resulting from this condition.