Heart disease

Heart disease or cardiovascular disease is the leading health problem in the western world claiming more than 1 million lives annually. In the UK, 101,000 deaths annually are due to coronary heart disease.

Heart disease is the inadequacy of the heart and blood vessels due to the blood vessels narrowing.  As the heart pumps, it fails to maintain the minimal amount of blood circulation throughout the body.  The result is that congestion and edema develop in the tissues.  If there is lack of oxygen there may be chest pain called Angina. 

The General Clinical Symptoms include shortness of breath (must sit leaning forward to catch breath), enlarged tender liver, engorged neck veins, pulmonary rales in various combinations, radiating squeezing pain, pain aggravated with any exertion or stress, palpitations, sweating. Ankle edema, pitting edema and cough with fluid or sputum that is pink in color.

In Chinese medicine, chest pain and heart failure have many different causes. The basic cause of chest pain is obstruction of the circulation of Qi and blood. Chest pain may be caused by either deficiency or excess patterns. Deficient patterns include weak circulation of blood with pooling of blood causing stickiness or increased viscosity of the blood (yin deficiency) which causes stagnation of both Qi and blood.  Excess patterns include pathogenic substances which block the circulation of Qi and blood. Generally heart failure is a complex disorder which combines both excess patterns with underlying deficiency patterns (root and branch). 

Chinese Medicine Symptoms of Possible Heart Disease – vertical or tangential crease on earlobes, Horizontal crease across the bridge of the nose, deep narrow central crack on the tongue extending to the tip.  The Left side of the heart connects with the Liver and/or the heart while the right side of the heart belongs to Lungs.

Kidney Yang, Heart Yang, and Lung Yang deficiency are the most prominent patters which may result in water retention and/or Blood Stasis.
Kidney and Heart control whole body Yang
Right foot edema - Yang Qi disorders
Left foot edema - Yin disorders

Prevention of Heart Disease

Diet

Avoid Eating - high fat, high cholesterol foods, caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, chocolate, sugar, butter, red meat, fried foods, soft drinks, spicy foods, white flour

Eat More – fibre, raw foods, fish, turkey, chicken, garlic, onions, lecithin, raw nuts (not peanuts, olive oil  (generally a well balanced diet)

Exercise - People who are sedentary will be more likely to have heart disease when compared to people who are active in their daily lives.

Weight  - Obesity is a major factor in heart disease

Stress  - Avoid stress, lean stress-management techniques