Ayurvedic Treatment for Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)

Heart is the major organ of body that regulates the circulatory system of body. Nowadays a number of heart problems arise due to the change in lifestyle like eating unhealthy food, lack of exercise due to busy schedule, obesity. Most common problems are hypertension, heart attack, cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common heart muscle problem that affects the functioning of heart. It is common cause of heart failure and other diseases like cardiac arrhythmias. It may be life threatening. There are numerous herbs present in nature such as arjuna, ashwagandha, brahmi etc. here we will discuss about symptoms, causes and Ayurvedic treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy.

What is Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)?

Cardiomyopathy is general term refers to abnormality of heart muscles.

It is a disease of heart muscles in which heart is unable to supply enough blood to body. The disease begins from pumping chamber of heart (left ventricle). In this, ventricle gets stretched and thin (dilates) and not able to pump sufficient blood to body. Due to insufficient supply of blood the fluid gets accumulated in lungs, abdomen, ankles and other organs of body which are the symptoms of heart failure.

Symptoms Associated With Dcm

Symptoms of DCM develop slowly with time.

The common signs and symptoms are mentioned below:

• Dyspnea or breathlessness
• Edema of legs
• Chest pain
• Fatigue and dizziness
• Irregular heartbeat
• Tiredness
• Palpitations

What are the causes?

There are different cause of DCM which are given below:

• It may be inherited i.e. from parents to their children.
• Diabetes
• Viral infection
• Coronary artery disease
• Heart valve problems
• Alcoholism
• Drugs (like anti-cancer) that have effect on heart
• Complications of pregnancy (postpartum cardiomyopathy)
• Thyroid problem

Diagnosis Of Dcm

The doctor may diagnose on the basis of medical history of patient, physical examination, blood tests and other tests which are given below:

• Blood tests- It helps to detect any toxin or infection in blood that may cause DCM.
• Chest X-Ray- It helps to diagnose the structure abnormalities in heart and lungs.
• Electrocardiogram (ECG) - It helps to record the electrical signal of heart.
• Echocardiogram- It is the primary tool for diagnosis of DCM in which the sound waves are used to produce the images of heart to diagnose whether the left ventricle is dilated. It also help to diagnose the amount of blood pumped through each heartbeat.
• Other tests- some tests such as CT scan, MRI, exercise stress tests, heart biopsy and cardiac catheterization.

Ayurvedic Outlook

As per Ayurveda tri energies vata, pitta and kapha which are responsible for good health. Imbalance of any three energies results in health complications. As per Ayurveda, aggravation of vata mainly praan vata is main cause of this disease.

Treatment of DCM in Ayurveda mainly focuses on the management of symptoms of disease and balance of tri energies in body.

Treatment of dcm in Ayurveda

Ayurveda is an ancient science of life that treats the health problems in natural and healthy way. It offers the natural way to treat the different diseases. It mainly aims at the balance of all three doshas in body which is the main cause of any disease.

Planet Ayurveda's Formulation For Dcm

Planet Ayurveda provides various herbal medicines for the treatment of heart problems. They use pure natural herbs to prepare the medicines. There are number of formulations like powders, tablets, capsules, syrups made from these herbs.

Ayurvedic treatment for DCM from the house of Planet Ayurveda is explained below. The below mentioned medicines are pure natural and herbal formulations.

1. Total Heart Support Capsules

These are special capsules offered by Planet Ayurveda to manage the proper functioning of heart. It provides strength to heart muscles.

It is made from different natural herbs which are explained below:

• Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna) - It is used from long time in Ayurveda to treat heart problems like hypertension, heart failure. It helps to provide strength to heart muscles. Its regular use is beneficial in various heart problems.
• Ashwagandha(Withania somnifera) - It is commonly known as Indian ginseng. It has great medicinal importance in Ayurveda as it offers the overall health benefits. It is useful to maintain the good cholesterol levels, good blood pressure and provides the strength to heart muscles.
• Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) - Brahmi is also considered as an effective herb to manage the symptoms of heart failure and support the good heart health. It also supports strength of heart muscles.
• Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis) - Shankhpushi is the great medicinal herb that has ability to balance the good cholesterol levels and also provides strength to heart muscles.

Dosage: One capsule two times in a day with plain water.

2. Arjuna Capsules

It is 100% herbal formulation of Planet Ayurveda for heart diseases. These are prepared from pure extract of herb Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna).

Benefits: It acts as cardiac tonic and thus helps to provide strength to heart muscles. It helps to decrease the LDL cholesterol and increases the HDL cholesterol. It contains the coenzyme Q which is very beneficial in treating heart problems.

Dosage: One capsule two times daily with plain water.

3. Arjun Tea

It is an herbal formulation which is effective medicine for heart problems. In Ayurvedic text its "Ksheer Pak" is described, that means boiling it in milk and water. It has property to improve the blood circulation of heart.

It is obtained from different herbs which are explained below:

• Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna) - It has great medicinal property to improve the functioning of heart. It helps the strengthening of heart muscles. Its regular use helps in various heart problems like CHF, heart failure, blood pressure.
• Punarnava (Boerhavia diffusa) - It is rejuvenating herb that provides relief in various heart problems. It provides relaxation to heart muscles.
• Pipal tvak (Ficus religiosa) - It has property to provide strength to heart muscles.
• Dalchini (Cinnamon tamala) - It has property to reduce the cholesterol levels and provide help to strengthen the heart muscles.
• Choti elaichi (Elettaria cardamom) - It also supports the good health of heart.

Direction for use:

• Put one cup of water and 1 cup of milk in a pan.
• Add 1 teaspoon of arjuna tea and then stir the mixture.
• Boil the mixture and simmer it on low heat. Boil until it reduces to one cup.
• Strain the tea and add sweetener if needed (drink without sugar).

4. Punarnava Capsules

Planet Ayurveda offers the punarnava capsules for the treatment of heart problems. These capsules are prepared from the pure extracts of herb Punarnava (Boerhavia diffusa). This herb has the great medicinal importance in Ayurveda and supports the good health of cardiovascular system.

Dosage: One capsule two times in a day with plain water after meals.

Diet And Lifestyle

If you are suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy then you can manage your life by following some simple tips in your daily routine which are given below:

• Do regular exercise.
• Eat healthy and balanced diet like fruits, vegetables which are good for heart health.
• Avoid use of alcohol, smoking, toxic drugs.