Congestive heart failure is a severe condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood as it should. Although it has ‘heart failure’ in its name, it doesn’t mean that the heart stops working or literally failed, it means that heart muscles are contracting less overtime or have some mechanical issues. There is no cure for heart failure but congestive heart failure treatment helps to slow further damage and relieve symptoms. The treatment depends on various factors such as the patient’s stage, type of heart failure, the individual patient, and underlying conditions. In this article, we will talk about the best heart failure treatment available. So, let’s get started.
Different Types of Heart Failure
Congestive heart failure treatment depends on the type of condition you are into. There are basically two types of heart failure.
√ Reduce Left ventricular function (HF-rEF)
In this type of heart failure, the lower left chamber of the heart gets enlarged and can’t contract hard to pump the right amount of oxygen-rich blood of your body.
√ Preserved Left Ventricular function (HF-pEF)
In this type of heart failure, the heart pumps and contracts normally, but ventricles become stiffer and thicker than normal. Due to this, the ventricles are unable to relax properly and fill up the way. Because of less blood in the ventricles, less blood is pumped to the body.
Symptoms of Heart Failure
The major signs and symptoms of heart failure include
- Shortness of breath or trouble breathing.
- Fatigue and leg tiredness
- Swelling in legs, abdomen, and ankles.
- Need to urinate frequently
- Confusion, dizziness, and fainting
- Irregular or rapid heartbeats
- A dry, hacking cough
- Bloated and hard stomach
Causes of Heart Failure
Heart failure can be caused due to several conditions. Following are the causes of heart failure that are common.
- Coronary artery disease, which affects arteries that carry oxygen and blood to the heart.
- Heart attack is when a coronary artery becomes blocked, and blood cannot flow to all areas of the heart muscle.
- Cardiomyopathy, when the heart muscle is enlarged or damaged. It can be due to several factors such as drug abuse, genetics, smoking, viruses, pregnancy, and alcohol intake.
- Diabetes and high blood pressure
- Heart defects by birth.
- Arrhythmia, which is abnormal heart rhythms including atrial fibrillation.
- Obesity
- Kidney disease
- Illicit drug and tobacco use
- Medications used for cancer treatment
Prevention
The best way to prevent congestive heart failure is to keep a distance from the conditions that contribute to it.
✅ Stop smoking
✅ Eat foods that contain little saturated fat, sodium, sugar, and trans fat.
✅ Lose weight if you are obese or overweight.
Follow treatment program precisely
Diagnosis
Before starting the congestive heart failure treatment, your doctor will consider your family history, medical history, physical exams, and a few tests. These tests are:
- Electrocardiogram (EKG)- This is a painless test that provides you information about the electrical activity of your heart. It includes if you have previous attacks and how fast your heart is beating.
- Chest X-ray- This test includes a picture of lungs, heart, and other chest structures that shows if you have any signs of lung damage or if your heart is enlarged.
- BNP Blood test- In this test, the B-type natriuretic peptide hormone is tested. This is a market of prognosis and severity of heart failure.
- Echocardiogram- This test involves an ultrasound image of the heart.
- Holter monitor- This test measure the electrical activity of your heart. It is carried out by a portable device that you have to wear for a couple of days.
- Exercise stress test- In this test, you have to ride a stationary bicycle or walk on a treadmill to see how your heart is performing. If you can’t take this stress, stress can be induced with a help of a drug that causes the same reaction.
Different Types of Heart Failure Treatments
As mentioned earlier, heart failure cannot be cured, but the symptoms can be controlled. The most common heart failure treatment are:
✅ Lifestyle changes- You should avoid salt as it causes fluid retention and also avoids caffeine.
✅ Medications: Your doctor will suggest you a few medications such as Vasodilators, Diuretic, ACE inhibitors, Beta-blockers, Digital glycosides, antiplatelets, or anticoagulants.
✅ Surgical Procedure-Surgery is recommended in more severe cases, such as replacing heart valves or bypass blocked arteries. Some CHF patients need a type of pacemaker known as biventricular pacing therapy that helps both sides of the heart work. Ventricular Assist Devices can be used as a transplant treatment.
✅ Ayurvedic Treatment- Ayurveda believes that it is vital to clear toxins from channels and maintain good digestion in order to limit the accumulation of ama in the body. Luckily, several safe and effective Ayurvedic herbs can help you with congestive heart failure treatment. These are Ashwagandha, Brahmi, Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna), Pipal tvak (Ficus religiosa), Punarnava (Boerhavia diffusa), and Dalchini (Cinnamon tamala).
Congestive Heart Failure Treatment in Ayurveda
As mentioned earlier in the article, there is no cure for heart failure but you can control its signs and symptoms. Lifestyle changes, medications, and surgical procedures are the most talked-about treatments, Ayurveda is the most recommended one. In Ayurveda, CHF is known as hridya avrodh. It is caused due to imbalance of Kapha. In order to prevent CHF, it is important to eliminate excess salt, tobacco, alcohol, and other harmful substances that cause fluid accumulation. You should incorporate kapha pacifying meals.
The top Ayurvedic herbs that rejuvenate your heart and are best for heart failure treatment are punarnava and Arjuna. They strengthen the circulatory system, support healthy heart function and reduce the accumulation of fluid. Punarnavadi Guggulu clears too much fluid from the lymph and reduces pressure on the heart. Ayurveda suggests that a combination of lifestyle and dietary changes and herbs can be beneficial for heart failure management.
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Shuddhi – Ayurveda Products & Ayurvedic Treatment 