Diet Cure for Coronary Heart Disease - Home remedies, symptom, cause, treatment of Coronary Heart Disease

What is Heart?

The term coronary heart disease covers a group of clinical syndromes arising particularly from failure of the coronary arteries to supply sufficient blood to the heart. They include angina pectoris, coronary thrombosis or heart attack and sudden death without infarction.

The heart, the most vital organ in the body, is a muscle about the size of a clenched fist. It starts working even before birth inside the womb. Weighing about 300 grams, it pumps about 4,300 gallons of blood every day through the body and supplies oxygen and nourishment to all the organs. It beats 1,00,000 times a day, continually pumping the blood through more than 60,000 miles of tiny blood vessels. The heart, in turn, needs blood for its nourishment, which is supplied by coronary arteries.

What are the symptom of Heart?

A common symptom of heart disease is shortness of breath, which is caused by the blood being deprived of the proper account of oxygen. Another common symptom is chest pain or pain down either arm. Other symptoms are palpitation, fainting, emotional instability, cold hand and feet, frequent perspiration and fatigue. All these symptoms may be caused by many other disorders. Appropriate tests and studies are, therefore, essential to establish the true nature of these symptoms.

What are the causes of Heart?

The basic causes of heart disease are wrong food habits, faulty style of living and various stresses. The famous Framingham Heart Study of the National Heart and Lung Institutes identified seven major risk factors in coronary heart disease. These are : (I) elevated blood levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and other fatty substances, (ii) elevated blood pressure (iii) elevated blood uric acid levels ( mainly caused by a high protein diet), (iv) certain metabolic disorders, notably diabetes, (v) obesity, (vi) smoking, and (vii) lack of physical exercise. Any one or a combination of these risk factors can contribute to heart disease. Most of them are of dietary origin. These risk factors can be controlled by changing one's life style and re-adjusting the diet. Constant worry and tension stimulates the adrenal glands to produce more adrenaline and cartisons. This also contributes to constricted arteries, high blood pressure and increased work for the heart.

Dietary Treatment of Heart and home remedies

The fundamental factor in all heart diseases is the diet. A corrective diet designed to alter body chemistry and improve the quality of general nutritional intake can, in many cases, reverse the degenerative changes which have occurred in the heart and blood vessels.

The diet should be lacto-vegetarian, low in sodium and calories. It should consist of high quality, natural organic foods, with emphasis on whole grains, seeds, fresh fruits and vegetables. Foods which should be eliminated are all white flour products, sweets, chocolates, canned foods in syrup, soft drinks, squashes, all hard fats of animal origin such as butter, cream and fatty meats. Salt and sugar should be reduced substantially.

Patients with heart disease should increase their intake of foods rich in vitamin E, as this vitamin promotes heart functioning by improving oxygeneration of the cells. It also improves the circulation and muscle strength. Many whole meal products and green vegetables, particularly the outer leaves of cabbage, are good sources of vitamin E. The vitamin B group is important for heart and circulatory disorders. The best sources of vitamin B are whole grains.

Vitamin C is also essential as it protects against spontaneous breaks in capillary walls which can lead to heart attacks. It also guards against high blood cholesterol. The stress of anger, fear, disappointment and similar emotions can raise blood fat and cholesterol levels immediately but this reaction to stress can do little harm if the diet is adequate in vitamin C and panthothenic acid. The richest sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits.