Preventing Heart Disease
Heart disease affects many people all over the world and is one of the major causes of death and disability in the developed world. It includes such ailments as atherosclerosis (thickening of the arteries), coronary disease (blockages in the blood vessels that provide oxygen and nutrients to the heart), cardiomyopathy (weakening of the heart muscle), angina (chest pain) and palpitations (irregular heartbeat). Preventing diseases of the heart can prolong your life as well as keeping you healthy. Regular exercise, eating nutritious food and staying away from unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking a lot of alcohol can help you prevent heart related problems later in life. Herbs can play a big part in helping you maintain a fit and healthy heart.
Symptoms
Symptoms of heart disease may include difficulty breathing, pain in the chest, dizziness, fatigue, rapid heart rate or a feeling of fluttering in the chest.
Causes
Causes of heart disease include high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, excessive ingestion of alcohol, eating a diet high in fat and low in nutrients, and thrombosis. Other ailments like diabetes can put a person at a higher risk of developing heart disease.
Cautions
Heart disease can lead to heart attack, stroke and death. If you ever feel a tightening or squeezing sensation in the chest, make an appointment with your doctor immediately or if he is not available don't be afraid to call the emergency services. If you are aware of unusual pains in and around your neck, shoulders or arms or have a tightening of the chest accompanied by fainting, nausea, lightheadedness, or feel short of breath, seek immediate help.
Herbal Treatments
Internal Applications
- Cayenne – this herb stimulates the heart, regulates blood flow and strengthens the capillaries and arteries. It also helps circulation. Add cayenne to your daily diet or take a tincture.
- Garlic – this wonderful herb prevents disease and reduces the risk of atherosclerosis. It can reduce high blood pressure, lower cholesterol and thin the blood, preventing clots. Add a good dose of garlic to your daily diet or take as a tincture or as capsules.
- Hawthorn – this herb has long been used as a tonic for the heart. It strengthens the heart and normalizes heart function. It can lower blood pressure by dilating hardened and clogged arteries. It helps the heart deal with less oxygen, which is common when dealing with a clogged coronary artery. Hawthorn can help relieve angina and can regulate irregular heartbeat. This herb can be taken as a tincture in the dose of 1 teaspoon in a little bit of water every day, or as a tea made from the flowers or the berries.
- Ginger – this herb has been proven to almost as effective as garlic in preventing blood clots.
- Ginkgo biloba – this herb improves the circulation through the brain and the heart by dilating the arteries.
- Valerian – this herb is a natural sedative and stress reliever. This calms the heart and helps with palpitations and blood pressure.
- Rosemary – this herb is high in antioxidants and helps protect the heart from damage by free radicals. It also stimulates the circulation and dilates the blood vessels.
- Lemon balm – this gentle herb helps reduce stress, high blood pressure and calms palpitations. Take as a soothing tea as needed.
- Lemon – taking lemon juice daily helps prevent cholesterol from accumulating in the blood vessels.
- Psyllium - take 1 sachet in a glass of water a day to help keep cholesterol levels lower.