Treatment of Megalocardia in Ayurveda with Herbal Remedies
Abstract
There are some diseases that require early interventions, as if not treated in initial stages they might progress into serious outcomes. One such ailment is megalocardia, although this condition is not necessarily dangerous but if not treated at an early phase it might result in serious cardiovascular disorders such as myocardial infarction (heart attack). With ayurveda we can surely manage the disease progression by using basic principles of ayurveda. So let’s start discussing this ailment in a more delineated manner.
Introduction
Megalocardia is also known as “cardiomegaly” is a disorder presented with enlarged heart size. More specifically we can say that having an enlarged heart size. It is not a disease but presented as a condition in various other disorders such as in coronary artery disease. Sometimes it is usually seen without any risk factor but this depends upon the part of the heart involved in the enlargement process. So depending upon what part of the heart is involved in this process in some cases patients may face problems of cardiac arrest due to this.
As per Ayurveda
(Charka viman 5/8)
Etiological factors
These are the main causes (nidan as per ayurveda) that results in formation of an ailment.
- Heredity plays a major role.
- Congenital anomalies such as malformation of the coronary artery.
- Connective tissue disorders.
- Overconsumption of a fat rich diet that includes unsaturated fatty acids in high proportion
Underlying disease
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Obesity
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Rheumatic heart disease
- Heart valve disease
- Cardiomyopathy
- Amyloidosis
- Presence of viral infection.
- Diabetes mellitus
- Renal diseases.
- Unhealthy dietary habits
- Seen in an athletic person.
As per Ayurveda
As per ayurveda main causes of ‘mansavaha sroto dushti’ are as follow
(Charka viman 5/15)
- Abhishyandi bhojan (Consumption of channel blocking diet)
- Sathulani ch guruni (intake of bulky and heavy food articles)
- Bhuktva svaptam diva (who sleep after consuming day meal)
Clinical Features
It includes the signs and symptoms. A symptom means the general complaints along with which patients present in front of the physician.
Signs: It means what a physician notices himself by observing the patient’s condition.
- Presence of palpitation
- Shortness of breath
- Pain in the chest region
- Fatigue and malaise
- Fainting
- Edema (swelling) over the dependent parts of the body.
Risk factors
It includes the factors responsible for increasing the chance of developing an ailment in the body. In right coronary artery blockage the common risk factors are
- Hypertension
- Obesity
- High blood cholesterol level
- Inactivity/lack of exercises
- Indulging in over fitness activities
Diagnosis
Through physical examination of the patient by using
- Inspection
- Palpation
- Auscultation
- Percussion
- Past history of hypertension and diabetes mellitus
- Presence of family history.
- Electrocardiography: it records the electrical signals as it passes through different chambers of heart.
- Exercise stress test
- Echocardiogram: this test uses sound waves to produce images of the heart that tells us about the pathology present inside the right coronary artery lumen.
- Cardiac CT Scan
- Chest x-ray
- Electrocardiogram
Management
Preventive measures
- Avoid consumption of processed and junk food.
- Do not smoke.
- Indulge yourself in regular exercises- perform exercise to certain extent not beyond your strength.
- Avoid severe unaccustomed exertion and harsh exercises after heavy meals or in cold weather.
- Eat a healthy diet rich with good antioxidants and other important nutrients by adding more fruits and vegetables in the diet.
Medication therapy
1. Digoxin
it helps in strengthening the pumping function of the heart as it will provide strength to cardiac muscles.
2. Anticoagulants
To reduce the risk of blood clot formation
3. Antiarrhythmics
Helps in maintaining normal rhythm of heart
Surgical intervention
- Heart valve surgery– in this the diseased part of the heart has been removed by surgery and it is replaced by an artificial valve.
- Coronary bypass surgery: in this surgical intervention we restore the normal blood flow of the coronary artery by diverting the blood flow around the blocked section of artery in your heart.
As per Ayurveda
We use two treatment modalities in right coronary artery blockage to sustainably manage the disease further growth. The first one is sanshodhan chikitsa (detoxification procedure) and san shaman chikitsa (alleviating treatment)
(A).Sanshodhan chikitsa (detoxification procedure)
In cardiomegaly we need to use ‘mridu sanshodhan’ (mild detoxification procedures)
- Snehana karma (oleation therapy) – Smoothing the body dosha’s by using herbal ghrit/oil.
- Mridu svedan (gentle fomentation/sudation) – fomentation is done with herbs that possess mild action.
- Mridu vaman – inducing emesis with mild potency herbs that are not very strong/harsh in action.
(b). Sanshaman chikitsa (alleviating treatment)
In this treatment modality we use the herbal medicines by oral route to balance vitiated doshas within the body itself.
Classical herbs mentioned in our ancient text are as follow
1. Rasa/bhasma/ pishti
- Haridyavran rasa
- Mukta pishti
- Praval pishti
Dosage: 125-250mg with lukewarm water after meal
2. Kwath
- Dashmool kwath
- Katphalaadi kwath
Dosage: 20-30ml with plain water after meals.
3. Ghrit
- Arjun ghrit
- Baladya ghrit
Dosage: 20-30 ml with warm water after meal,
Various classical herbs are mentioned in our ancient texts that works in balancing heart functioning known as “hridaya herbs” [herbs efficacious for circulatory system (heart and blood vessels) functioning]
- Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna)
- Haritpatri (Digitalis purpurea)
- Karpoor (Cinnamomum camphora)
- Vanpalanadu (Urginea indica)
- Tambool(Piper betle)
Along with these classical herbs, we can also use herbal formulation of planet ayurveda, as their products are made up of pure and standardized extract of herb and their products are also 100% organic and free from harmful chemicals and preservatives.
Herbal Remedies of Planet Ayurveda
Planet Ayurveda is a leading herbal manufacturing unit serving people worldwide with their authentic approach of healing by using principles of ayurveda. They have various herbal formulations that will work very efficaciously in conditions like megalocardia, it includes
Heart care Pack
This pack contains three herbal formulations that include
- Arjuna capsules
- Arjuna tea
- Total heart support
1. Total Heart Support
This herbal capsule is a very potent blend of herbs such as ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), arjuna (Terminalia arjuna), brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) and shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis). This formulation is very effective in strengthening heart muscles as herbs present in this formulation have sheet virya (cold potency) so it will have cooling effects on the nervous system of the body as well. As this formulation helps in providing strength to cardiac muscles so it will work very well in patients suffering from megalocardia problem.
Dosage: 2 Capsules, twice daily with plain water.
2. Arjuna Capsules
This herbal formulation contains pure and standardized extract of arjuna (Terminalia arjuna). Arjuna is known for its numerous health benefits on the heart and circulatory system of our body. It contains kashaya rasa (astringent taste) so it helps in reducing the growth of cardiac muscle due to its astringent property so serve as potent medicine for megalocardia patient’s.
Dosage: 2 Capsules, twice daily with plain water.
3. Arjuna Tea
This herbal tea contains arjuna (Terminalia arjuna) and some other herbs such as punarnava (Boerhavia diffusa), pipal tvak (Ficus religiosa), chhoti elaichi (Elettaria cardamomum) etc. This herbal tea contains a rich amount of antioxidants that helps in reducing harmful free radicals from the body. It will also help in clearing blood channels of the body and thus work very effectively in megalocardia patients.
Conclusion
Now we can conclude that ayurvedic herbs are very effective in managing disease like megalocardia, as it believes in the principle of ‘nidan parivar jan chikitsa’ (avoiding the root cause of disease). In megalocardia, the most common cause is intake of unhealthy fats that results in rise of bad cholesterol level or sometimes there is presence of hereditary involvement. So with ayurveda, we can sustainably save ourselves from such ailments by following the ideal dietary and lifestyle regime of “dinacharya and ritucharya”. If you are considering going for ayurvedic treatment, opt planet ayurveda as your utmost choice. You can directly visit them at their clinic in Mohali Punjab or can send your queries on their official email id- herbalremedies123@yahoo.com