By Bonnie Jenkins, Advanced Natural Wellness

One of the more frightening things your doctor can tell you is that you have congestive heart failure (CHF). But, contrary to what you may think, congestive heart failure doesn’t mean that your heart has stopped beating or that death is eminent. In fact, about 5.7 million Americans are currently living with this cardiac condition.

So what does CHF really mean? Simply put, heart failure occurs when the heart isn’t squeezing as hard as it should to pump blood to the body’s other organs. As blood flowing out of the heart slows, blood returning to the heart through the veins backs up. As a result, fluid leaks throughout the body, especially into the lungs, legs, and ankles.

Heart failure creeps up on you over weeks and months as your heart becomes weaker and less able to pump the blood your body needs. By the time the condition is diagnosed, chances are the heart has been losing steam for quite a while. At first the heart tries to compensate by becoming larger and more muscular – and by pumping faster. The rest of the body pitches in to help out the heart: Blood vessels narrow to elevate blood pressure as a way to make up for the heart’s loss of pumping power, and blood is diverted from less important tissues and organs to maintain adequate flow to the heart and brain. But these measures simply mask the problem. Eventually, the heart and the body just can’t keep up.

Are You At Risk?

At age 40, your chance of developing CHF over your lifetime is 1 in 5.You want to know how to avoid becoming a statistic? First and foremost, control your blood pressure. Other scenarios that can increase your risk include clogged arteries that don’t carry enough blood into the heart; a previous heart attack with scar tissue that interferes with the heart muscle’s normal work; heart defects present since birth; heart valve disease due to past rheumatic fever or other causes; cardiomyopathy and other diseases of the heart muscle; and myocarditis and/or endocarditis (infection of the heart and/or heart valves).

Symptoms can include swelling of the legs or ankles, shortness of breath, sudden weight gain, abdominal swelling or pain, trouble sleeping, dry or hacking cough, increased fatigue, and confusion. If your doctor suspects CHF, you will be scheduled for an echocardiogram (a type of ultrasound). If CHF is confirmed, the doctor will typically prescribe a combination of medications. The most common drugs used to treat CHF include ACE inhibitors, vasodilators, beta-blockers, digitalis, and diuretics. And, because this diagnosis sounds so scary, you probably won’t question these conventional tactics. But maybe you should.

All of these drugs, while effective, come with a bevy of side effects – including gastrointestinal problems, kidney and liver problems, cognitive decline, mood changes, and even erectile dysfunction. And not everyone with CHF needs all of these medications! Luckily, there are some highly effective ways to treat CHF that don’t require a prescription.

Heart-Healthy Hawthorn

If you could rely on just one supplement for heart disease, it would be hawthorn. Rich in antioxidants, clinical trials have confirmed that hawthorn extract is beneficial for people with early-stage CHF. In one study, patients with CHF taking 160-900 mg. of hawthorn extract daily for eight weeks showed improved quality of life, including a greater ability to exercise without shortness of breath and exhaustion.

But one of the most remarkable studies involved 3,600 patients. The subjects were treated three times a day with 300 mg. of hawthorn standardized to 2.2 percent flavonoids. Although it was an observational study and not a placebo-controlled trial, the eight-week results were impressive: Heart palpitations dropped from an average of 40 percent to 18 percent, edema was reduced from 50 percent to 13 percent, and the overall symptom score was lowered from nine to three. The authors noted that hawthorn provided a significant overall benefit for patients with the symptoms of CHF.

Hawthorn contains large amounts of flavonoids that stabilize capillaries and strengthen weak blood vessels. Hawthorn is also a wonderful heart tonic, since it helps treat elevated cholesterol levels and slightly lowers blood pressure. And one study has found that hawthorn extract may also help those with stable angina. If that weren’t enough, this herb acts as a natural calcium channel blocker and an ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitor.

Exercise Your Options

You may be surprised to learn that physical activity is also an important component of CHF management. People often believe that exercise is harmful to a failing heart – a common misconception reinforced by shortness of breath and a tendency to tire easily.

But, over time, daily exercise will increase your stamina to keep fatigue in check. Plus, regular exercise makes it easier to manage high blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It also helps you lose weight and keep it off. Of course, you should check in with your doctor before starting an exercise program, especially if you have CHF. But, even patients with more advanced disease can benefit from some activity, like walking.

One supplement that can improve your ability to exercise is the amino acid L-carnitine. In one clinical trial, 80 of 160 heart attack patients took a daily dose of 4,000 mg. of L-carnitine for one year. The participants who were given the L-carnitine showed less mortality and had an improved heart rate, heart rhythm, and blood pressure levels, as well as better blood lipids.

But it’s this amino acid’s reputation for increasing exercise capacity that is really exciting. Just be aware that not any type of carnitine will do. Much of the research on carnitine’s impact on exercise in people with CHF used a modified form of the amino acid called propionyl-L-carnitine (PC). In one double-blind trail, 500 mg. of PC per day led to a 26 percent increase in exercise capacity after only six months. In other research, patients with CHF who were given 1,500 mg. a day had a 21 percent increase in exercise tolerance and a 45 percent increase in oxygen consumption.

One Last Thing …

If you have a family history of CHF, don’t assume that it’s in your future, too. A new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that women who ate a diet similar to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet had a reduced risk of developing heart failure. DASH includes high amounts of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and a low intake of fat and dairy products. It’s also low in sodium. Sodium – a.k.a. salt – is linked with high blood pressure.

The study found women with DASH scores in the top 10 percent had fully half the rate of heart failure compared with the one-quarter of participants with the lowest scores. One reason may be that the foods that make up the DASH diet are high in potassium. Another reason is that this diet also resembles the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet.

So, fill up your plates with fresh fruits and vegetables, along with whole grain pasta, brown rice, lean chicken, and omega-3 rich fish. Not only will you lessen your risk of CHF and hypertension, you might even drop a few pounds along the way!

Research Brief …

You know you should be taking supplemental calcium to support strong bones. But did you know that this mineral can also fight cancer? The latest results on the calcium-cancer connection come out of the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. Researchers collected diet information from nearly half a million men and women, age 50 to 71, paying particular attention to how much calcium they consumed from both their diet and supplements.

After following the participants for seven years, the research team discovered that women getting 1,300 mg. of total calcium each day reduced their risk of all cancers by seven percent compared to women who only got about 200 mg. daily. Both men and women benefited from calcium’s ability to prevent certain types of cancer, especially cancer of the stomach, colon, and rectum.

Specifically, men getting at least 1,530 mg. of calcium per day had a 16 percent lower risk of digestives cancers compared with men getting less than 526 mg. per day. And women getting at least 1,881 of calcium daily had a 23 percent lower risk than those with an intake of only 494 mg. Along with dairy and supplements, you can boost your calcium intake with green leafy vegetables and beans, as well as calcium-fortified cereal, orange juice, and soy milk.

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References:

Ferrari R, et al. Therapeutic effects of L-carnitine and propionyl-L-carnitine on cardiovascular diseases: a review. Annals of the NY Academy of Sciences. 2004;1033:79-91.

Holubarsch CJ, et al. The efficacy and safety of Crataegus extract WS 1442 in patients with heart failure: the SPICE trial. European Journal of Heart Failure. 2008;10:1255-1263.

Levitan EB, et al. Consistency with the DASH diet and incidence of heart failure. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2009; 169:851-857.

Park Y, et al. Dairy Food, Calcium, and Risk of Cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2009; 169: 391-401