Heart Blockage Treatment without Surgery

Heart Blockage Treatment without Surgery

Heart blockage is known as coronary artery disease in medical terms. It is mostly caused by deposition of plaque inside the walls of blood vessels that supply blood to the heart. This kind of disease takes place gradually over many years. Hence the symptoms do not come in the notice unless there is a significant blockage in the heart. The prime culprit to this is the sedentary lifestyle.

Signs and symptoms

  • Shortness of breath – When the blood is not able to pump enough blood to the heart, it leads to tiredness and shortness of breath.
  • Chest pain – This is a common symptom manifested as tightness or pressure in the chest. It may be triggered by any mental or physical stress. The pain may also radiate to the neck, back or arm.
  • Heart attack – This happens at the terminal stages when there is a complete blockage of the coronary artery. There is an extreme pressure in the chest radiating to the shoulder and the arm.
  • Abnormal perspiration

Conditions that may occur as a result of heart blockage:

  • STEMI (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction) – This happens whenever there is a sudden blockage in the blood vessels, leading to a heart attack. A major area of heart muscles may be affected, which is seen through the changes in the ECG and in the chemical markers.
  • N STEMI (non ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction) – This is not noticed on the ECG or electrocardiogram. However, the chemical markers in the blood may warn you about the damage caused to the heart muscle. The blockage may be complete or partial.
  • Unstable angina –Angina can be a frequent sign. It can be relieved by taking oral medications instantly. However, unstable angina can lead to a heart attack.

How is it treated?

Primarily, the following treatments are most commonly used for coronary artery disease.

However, there is also heart blockage treatment without surgery which is discussed below.

What is the best treatment for heart blockage?

Some of the most commonly done treatments for heart blockage are surgical. However, there are some conditions which can also be treated non-surgically if the blockage is not too severe. Let’s go through some of the most effective ways to deal with the heart blockage:

Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery 

This is a surgery that involves creating a bypassed way around the blocked artery to facilitate the blood flow to the heart. The graft is taken from a blood vessel in another part of the body. The surgery is performed under general anaesthesia. The techniques used to perform the surgery can be either open-heart surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and off-pump surgery. The open-heart surgery is the traditional form of surgery which is performed in cases where a wide incision needs to be made to gain access to the blocked artery.

However, with the minimally invasive technique, the surgery can be performed with a smaller incision where there is easy access.

Off-pump surgery is quite similar to the open-heart surgery in which the chest bone is opened. But, the heart does not stop functioning during the surgery. Unlike the traditional technique, the heart-lung bypass machine is not used. This is also known as beating

 

Heart blockage removal without surgery

Many cases of heart blockage can be treated even without surgery. Some of the non-surgical treatments are given below:

Chelation Therapy

This is a new technique that uses chemical processes for the removal of toxic metals and minerals from the body. A substance called EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) is used for the detoxification of the body. The EDTA solution is injected into the patient’s body and it binds with the calcium plaques that cause blockage of the coronary arteries, hence improving the blood flow.

Additional benefits of chelation therapy:

  • It is used in treating metal poisoning, including mercury, iron, arsenic, lead, uranium etc.
  • It may also be used to treat diseases like sickle-cell disease and thalassemia.
  • Moreover, it is used as an antioxidant by reducing the production of free radicals and lower down their negative effect.
  • Chelation therapy is also reported to be used for Alzheimer’s disease.

Lifestyle and dietary changes

A few basic changes in your lifestyle can help you in preventing a heart attack which might happen as a result of heart blockage. Some of these steps:

  • Regular exercise – It is important to walk or do any physical activity on an everyday basis. You may contact your doctor or physiotherapist to learn safe ways to do exercise.
  • Emotional stress – If you are an overly emotional person or take abnormally high stress, its significant to meditate every day. Excessive stress leads to constriction of blood vessels and may also increase the blood pressure.
  • Smoking – Smoking is a major obstacle to recovering from any illness. It should be the first step to be taken when it comes to making lifestyle changes.
  • Dietary changes – Prefer to eat foods which are low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Increase the number of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. You may also include fish or fish oil capsules in your daily diet.
  • Weight management – It is important to work on losing weight if you are obese or overweight and also regularly measure your BMI.

 

Can a heart blockage be treated with medicine?

When you visit a cardiologist after noticing certain signs and symptoms, a detailed cardiac evaluation is conducted. Only after the investigations, the doctor can decide the exact line of treatment for you. The medicinal treatment, however, can be used for multiple purposes such as:

  • To reduce the workload on the heart and dilate the arteries, so that the chest pain is relieved.
  • To prevent angina and other symptoms that may occur due to coronary artery disease.
  • To prevent further narrowing of the coronary arteries.
  • To open up the clogged artery.

The most common categories of medicines that are used in such cases are mentioned below:

  • Aspirin – Sometimes, the doctor recommends taking a daily aspirin or some other blood thinner to reduce the chances of blood clotting and thus preventing the obstruction of the coronary artery. However, aspirin cannot be used by all. People who have bleeding disorders or already taking blood thinners should not take it or consult a cardiologist before taking aspirin.
  • Beta-blockers – These medications are given to reduce the heart rate and hence the blood pressure. This, in turn, reduces the oxygen demand by the heart.
  • Cholesterol-modifying medications – These drugs help in the reduction of low-density cholesterol.
  • Calcium channel blockers – These are most commonly used with beta-blockers if they are unable to work alone. These help in improving chest pain.
  • Nitroglycerine – This medication is available in the form of tablets, sprays, patches etc. It is used to control chest pain by temporarily dilating the coronary arteries.
  • ACE Inhibitors – These are used to reduce blood pressure and indirectly also help in preventing the progression of coronary artery disease.

Can ECG detect heart blockage?

An electrocardiogram is a diagnostic test to examine heart-related issues by measuring the electrical activity of the heart as it pumps. It may be recommended by the cardiologist if you smoke or you are overweight, have diabetes or high blood pressure. People having symptoms like chest pain, breathlessness, dizziness or irregular heartbeats may also be advised to get an ECG.

An ECG may help in detecting enlargement of heart, abnormal position of heart, poor blood supply, inflammation of heart, congenital heart defects etc. However, it cannot tell much about blockage in the coronary arteries.

 

 How do you get rid of heart blockage naturally?

Most of us usually prefer to avoid getting treated by surgeries or medicines as these have their own side-effects. Hence, the researchers all over the world continue to find ways to treat such conditions in a natural way. Here are some of the most beneficial and the most commonly used ways to treat heart blockage:

Garlic 

Garlic is grown worldwide, which was originated from Siberia but then spread to other parts of the world in a span of 5000 years. It is often used to treat high blood pressure, low blood pressure, and high cholesterol. It is reported that garlic helps in restricting the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. It has the following effects on the body which ultimately help in preventing and treating the already existing heart blockage. These effects are:

  • Garlic has chloroform extracts which promote anti-thrombotic and antiplatelet aggregatory effect, which inhibits the platelets to accumulate and coagulate the blood.
  • It also helps in enhancing a process called fibrinolysis, which is carried out to dissolve the clots formed in the blood. This further helps in improving the blood circulation in the body.
  • Garlic also helps the management of heart rate and lowering the blood pressure.
  • It also helps lowering down the cholesterol levels in the body.

Co-Enzyme Q10 (CoQ10)

It is a good antioxidant that is naturally produced in our body. The levels are kept reducing with advancing age or those who have heart disease. It is most commonly found in meat, fish and whole grains. Other than this, these days campsure and tablets are also available. It is often used to treat heart conditions as well as migraines.

Flax seeds

The flax seeds are mainly composed of phytosterols, omega-3 and lignans, all of which help in boosting the heart health. Especially, phytosterols are the molecules which have a similar structure to cholesterol. These help in preventing the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine.Flax seeds also have huge amounts of fibre which is also in maintaining cardiac health.

 

HOW TO AVOID HEART ATTACK?

Coronary artery disease develops over a period of time with plaque accumulation in the coronary arteries leading to blockages in the artery which ultimately results in heart muscles receiving less blood supply to heart muscles. Patient do not experience any complains of chest pain or dyspnea till blockage accumulation reaches 70-80% in the coronary artery.  Heart attacks happens when the covering of the plaque ruptures. As the severity of the blockages increases the pressure on the inner walls of the arteries increases and chances of heart attack increases.

 

Blockages develop primarily due to error in diet. Eating fried food, cold food, eating non veg food, having skimmed milk, eating fruits daily etc. are primarily the diet one needs to follow. Yoga and daily walking for 30 minutes is necessary for keeping the body fit which in turn helps to avoid the heart attack. Stress management is one of the major important factor that patient needs to do in his daily life as stress in one of the  major reasons that can precipitate heart attack. One should analyses the stress factors that affect his life and learn to manage them. Pranayama and meditation also helps in reducing the stress of the patient.

 

Patient should have complete knowledge of what are blockages and what are the factors that affect his health and what he can do to avoid risk factors and live a healthy life. Another important step patient is that medications should be taken on time. Certain medications help in keep blood thin and avoid blood aggregation and clot formation which in turn avoids heart attack. Patient should regularly get himself tested for lipid profiles, blood sugar levels etc. to ascertain his health level so that he can take preventive measures and avoid further complications. To know exact percentage of blockages one can undergo CT coronary angiography which is a non- invasive diagnostic test.  Patient having heart blockages should avoid going bypass surgery as the complications are many when it comes to open heart surgery. Patient should opt for a more safer, non-invasive procedure called EECP  which helps in establishing collateral circulation and improving the blood flow to the heart.

HOW TO REVERSE HEART DISEASE

CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE BEING A LIFESTYLE DISEASE CAN BE REVERSED WHEN CERTAIN NECESSARY STEPS ARE TAKEN.

THE FOREMOST IMPORTANT THING IS REVERSAL OF HEART DISEASE IS DIET MANAGEMENT. HIGH TRIGLYCERIDES LEVEL IN THE BLOOD IS A RISK PARAMETER FOR A PATIENT. INTAKE OF OILY FOOD, FRIED FOOD, FATTY FOOD ETC INCREASES THE TRIGLYCERIDE LEVELS IN THE BODY. ANOTHER IMPORTANT POINT TO DIET MANAGEMENT IS TO STOP EATING NON VEG FOOD. INCLUSION OF FRUITS AND SALADS IN ONE’S DIEST IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT PART OF DIET MODIFICATION.

SECOND FACTOR AFFECTING THE HEART IS STRESS, SO STRESS MANAGEMENT BECOMES AN ESSENTIAL PART OF AVOIDING FUTURE CARDIAC EVENTS. RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT CHRONIC EXCESSIVE STRESS CAN CAUSE A MAJOR IMPACT ON THE HEART. DEEP BREATHING EXERCISES DURING MOMENTS OF STRESS CAN HELP MANAGE STRESS AND LOWER THE RISK OF HEART DISEASE.25-30 MINUTES MODERATE INTENSE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SUCH AS BRISK WALKING, PRODUCES ENDORPHINS WHICH ARE FEEL GOOD HORMONES OF THE BODYTHAT HELP YOU FEEL CALM AND SLEEP WELL AND KEEPS STRESS AT BAY

THIRD POINT IN REVERSAL OF HEART DISEASE IS YOGA AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE IS ONE OF THE MOFICATIONS ONE NEEDS TO MAKE FOR

REVERSAL OF HEART DISEASE. 30 MINUTES OF DAILY WALKING HAS LONG TERM HEALTH BENEFITS FOR THE BODY AS A WHOLE. YOGA IMPROVES STRENGTH, BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY AND HELPS IN HEART HEALTH.

APART FROM THESE BASIC LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS WE AT CORDIS HEART INSTITUTE ALSO PROVIDE NATURAL BYPASS TREATMENT CALLED EECP TREAMENT AND CHEALTION THERAPY TO PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE.

WHEN DO YOU KNOW CHEST PAIN IS HEART RELATED?

NOT EVERY CHEST PAIN THAT YOU SUFFER FROM IS OF CARDIAC IN ORIGIN. CHEST PAIN CAN ORIGINATE FROM PRIMARILY FROM 4 CAUSES

1 CARDIAC

2 GASTIC CAUSES

3 PULMONARY CAUSE

4 MUSCULAR CAUSE

CARDIAC CHEST PAIN IS USUALLY EXERTIONAL ONLY. SOMETIMES HEART RELATED CHEST PAIN COMES AT REST. BLOOD VESSEL SUPPLYING TO THE HEART ARE CORONARY ARTERY VESSEL. BLOCKAGE IN THESE ARTERIES HINDERS THE BLOOD FLOW TO THE HEART AND THIS HINDERANCE OF BLOOD SUPPLY CAUSES CHEST PAIN. WHEN THE PATIENT IS AT REST HEART MUSCLES REQUIRE 45 ML OF BLOOD. WHEN THE PATIENT IS EXERCISING THE HEART MUSCLE REQUIRES 55-60 ML OF BLOOD. DUE TO THE BLOCKAGE IN THE ARTERIES THE CORONARY ARTERIES ARE NOT ABLE TO MATCH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE HEART MUSCLE. DUE TO THIS DIFFERENCE THE PATIENT EXPERIENCES DISCOMFORT OT CHEST PAIN. WHEN THE PATIENT TAKES REST OR STOPS THE EXERCISE THE BLOOD REQUIREMENT REDUCES SO THE CHEST PAIN DECREASES.

TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR CHEST PAIN

1 E.E.C.P ENHANCED EXTERNAL COUNTERPULSATION. IT IS AN US FDA APPROVED TREATMENT FOR ANGINA AND LEFT VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTION. IT’S THE NEST TREATMENT FOR CARDIAC PAIN AS IT IS NON SURGICAL AND SAFE. EECP IS THE BEST ALTERNATIVE FOR BYPASS SURGERY AND ANGIOPLASTY

2 ANGIOPLASTY

3 BYPASS SURGERY

4 MEDICAL MANAGEMENT

Doctors proven Alternative to bypass surgery ways!

A heart bypass surgery or coronary artery bypass surgery is performed to replace damaged arteries that supply blood to the heart muscles. The blood vessels are taken from another area of the body to repair the damaged arteries. The arteries might get damaged due to blockage. Arteries are responsible for supplying the heart with oxygenated blood. Blockage of arteries can lead to restricted blood flow resulting in heart failure.

Heart bypass surgery is usually recommended by doctors in such a case; however the surgery comes with a few risks such as bleeding, arrhythmia, blood clot, chest pain, infection, kidney failure and low-grade fever. Over the decade, more alternatives to heart bypass surgery have been discovered and implemented. Few of the alternatives have been listed below:

  1. Balloon angioplasty

During the process, a tube is threaded through the blocked artery following which a small balloon is inflated to widen the artery. The tube and balloon is removed and a small metal scaffold called a stent will be left in the place. The stent prevents the artery from contracting again.

  1. Enhanced external counter pulsation

The process involves compressing blood vessels in the lower limbs which increases blood flow to the heart. The extra blood flowing gets delivered to heart with every heartbeat. The blood vessels may develop extra branches over time, to deliver blood to the heart. This is indirectly known to be natural bypass procedure.

  1. Other methods

One can always consider certain medications before resorting to heart bypass surgery. Medicines that help in cholesterol reduction can slow plaque buildup in the arteries. Daily dose of baby aspirin can help prevent heart attacks. Apart from this healthy diets and simple lifestyle changes can go a long way. Avoiding saturated and trans fats help the heart stay healthy.

What are indicative advantages for alternative to bypass surgery?

Among majority of population, coronary heart diseases are one of the most dreadful one. With the advent of science without any pains also these treatments are possible. Here are few things that will help to consider doing alternative to bypass surgery.

  • Stable angina: The experience doctors and expertise techniques of EECP could help in solving up the problems even of stable angina very effectively. One of the plus boons is that they don’t cause any kind of pain to patient yet very effective in solving the problem.

2)  Removes Toxic materials from the body: The experienced doctors with the chelation therapy eliminate harmful metals and minerals from our body.

3) Improves the blood flow: In the phase of sedentary lifestyle due to proper eating lifestyle habits there could be toxic things harming of the body. The experienced hands do help in solving these problems and could give you interim benefits in few visits.

4) Safer even for patients having prior history of diabetes:- The alternative bypass surgery was found to give better contentment to the patients thus the alternative methods are much effectual for people who are having pre –medical conditions.

5) Targets inflammation easily:- Even when there is inflammation in heart it could cause a greater problems. EECP treatments are vital in improving the coronary Collateral circulation.

As there could be multiple coronary problems pertaining to different patients, only after understanding the problems the treatments are being advised to you.