Herbal & homeopathic remedies beneficial in Arrhythmia (Cardiac Arrhythmia, Fibrillation, Ventricular Fibrillation)

Arrhythmia (Heart-beat Irregularities)
Know the REAL effects of HERBAL Remedies (using Full-Spectrum Method) including Ginkgo & Hawthorn on Cardiac Arrhythmias.

· General Description · Symptoms · Causes · Herbal & Homeopathic Remedies · Helpful Dietary Habits · Dos and Don'ts

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Irregularities in the heart beat, whether more or less than the normal 72 beats a minute, are termed arrhythmia. Tachycardia is the condition when the heart beats at a much faster pace, i.e., more than 100 beats per minute whereas in bradycardia, the heart beats slower than normal, usually less than 60 beats per minute. Sometimes, it is neither more nor less, but irregular, as in the case wherein someone is angry, anxious, scared or physically exerted.

Our heart’s rhythm is created by the contractions of the cardiac muscle which has a normal frequency of 70 – 75 beats per minute. Usually these palpitations are harmless but require medical assistance if there frequency increases alarmingly.

Basically, our heart has its own electrical system which is made up of specialized cells that generate and conduct electrical impulses to the four chambers of the heart, synchronizing their contractions. It is the sinus node, which is located at the top of the heart in the right atrium that is our heart’s natural pacemaker. It automatically sets the heart’s rhythm.

Disruptions in the heart’s electrical system can produce premature or extra heart beats (ectopic heart beats or extra-systoles), fast rates (tachycardia), slow rates (bradycardia) and some other life threatening disturbances like atrial fibrillation (fast irregular quivers of the heart’s upper chambers) and ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation (irregular quivers in ventricles). In sick sinus syndrome, heart beats too slowly or too fast due to the failure of the sinus mode to generate pacing signals properly.

There are luckily, a number of herbs that are found in nature, that can reduce arrhythmias, regulate heart actions, normalize blood pressure, and strengthen the heart muscles. Read more to know more.....

Arrhythmia occurs when the chambers in the heart that receive blood from the veins and pump it into the ventricles get out of control. This happens due to the disruption of the electrical impulses within the heart muscle. The main reasons for this occurrence are –

Usually, an occasional bout of irregular heart beat should not bother anyone, but if the problem is persistent, it calls for medical attention. In effect, an abnormal heartbeat rhythm may call for a medical emergency. There are various types of arrhythmia of varying degrees and severity and only a GP or ND can diagnose and suggest medications.

The following herbal medications are usually recommended as a supplement to the conventional medicine and we strongly recommend you, as always, to contact your Naturopath Doctor or a Medical Herbalist before trying out any of these. Also be sure to source to obtain any natural remedies from a reputable company to ensure maximum safety and efficacy.

The herbal ingredient Crataegus oxyacantha (Hawthorn) is highly praised for its beneficial affects on heart health, and has been traditionally used to reduce arrhythmias (Walker, AF, Marakis G, Morris AP, Robinson PA. “Promising hypotensive effect of hawthorn extract: a randomized double-blind pilot study of mild, essential hypertension”. Phytotherapy Research. 2002;16(1):48-54). Hawthorn is known to regulate heart actions, normalize blood pressure, and strengthen the heart muscles, thus reducing the occurrence of heart related problems.

Other herbs such as Passiflora incarnate, Viburnum opulus & Ginkgo biloba are also well-known their benefit on heart health, and all have been implicated in the reduction of cardiac arrhythmias (Koltai M, Tosaki A, Hosford D, Braquet P. “Ginkgolide B protects isolated hearts against arrhythmias induced by ischemia but not reperfusion”. Eur J Pharmacol 1989;May 19;164(2):293-302). These herbs also help to reduce the underlying triggers of arrhythmias such as stress, muscle convulsions and high blood pressure.

A combination of all these herbs can:

- Maintain blood pressure within the normal range
- Support healthy pumping action of the heart and the maintenance of a regular heartbeat
- Support healthy circulation responsible for adequate flow of blood to the heart & extremities
- Support systemic balance in the cardiovascular system responsible for regulating blood flow and healthy blood pressure
- Promote coronary artery health and integrity
- Support healthy energy levels and soothe common nervous tension

If your autonomic nervous system is under control, problems such as arrhythmia are usually out of question unless you already have some cardiac disorder. Proper diet plays an important role in supporting your hypothalamus to retain good control over this autonomic nervous system.

Some points to remember are:

·	Eat healthy meals at regular intervals with less content of sweets in them.
·	People with faster metabolic rate should eat protein rich food as it takes longer to digest and prevents blood sugar level from falling down, which in turn helps prevent arrhythmia.
·	Get your allergy test done or try to find out for yourself the culprit of those infrequent palpitations. Foods like Soya sauce have been found to create such effects in certain people.
·	Magnesium is known to kick out calcium from the cells which in turn is known to stimulate muscular contractions within the cell. Magnesium therefore creates rhythmic contraction and relaxation and should be a vital constituent of your diet. It is easily found in soybeans, beans, nuts, bran and green vegetables.
·	Potassium is also known for its heart rate reduction action as also for its ability to reduce irritability of the muscle fibers. It is usually abundant in fresh fruits and vegetables but care should be taken in that you take less sodium (common salt) as sodium depletes potassium reserves. Diuretics and laxatives also eat up potassium level.
·	Those who have quickened action of heart in which it beats too rapidly, eating raw onion daily with the meals might help a lot. Right quantity of onion juice is not only helpful in the flow of blood but also protects one from several heart-related problems.
·	Avoid stimulants like tea, coffee, cola, chocolate etc.

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Some most effective home made remedies are:

·	Grape juice – Grape juice has been found to be quite effective in regularizing heart beat. Small quantity of grape juice at regular intervals in a day should prove beneficial although care should be taken in case your digestive system is sensitive to grapes, in which case it should be avoided.
·	Snake guard – Two tablespoon juice of snake guard leaves three times in a day is also known to regulate heart beat.
·	Guava – Another easy remedy is eating a raw guava on an empty stomach daily. This calms the nervous system as also counters the effect of anemia which in turn results in constipation and flatulence, both of which raise the heart beat.
·	Cardamom – Boil ¼ teaspoon of crushed / powdered cardamom seeds in a cup of water with small quantity of tea and drink.
·	Honey – A tablespoon of honey with a tablespoon of lemon juice in a glass of water at bed time has also seen to do wonders in case of this problem. Honey is also very light for heart and is easily digested too.

·	Along with proper diet, a positive attitude and mild exercise should take care of your anxiety which in turn should help your hypothalamus retain good control over the autonomic nervous system.
·	Massaging your right carotid artery is a vagal maneuver that straight away gives relief in case of palpitations. Your doctor will tell you the exact place and amount of pressure to be applied. It is found below the jaw connecting to the neck.
·	When arrhythmia strikes, its time to give your body and mind rest immediately. Rest is the proven best mechanism for stopping an attack.
·	A simple yet very effective method to bring some immediate relief in case of tachycardia is to take a deep breath and bear down, as you would for your bowel movements. This stimulates your parasympathetic nerves, the nerves that are responsible for calming down your heart.
·	Mild exercises help a lot in curbing tachycardia. These exercises first raise the heart beat usually to 160-170 beats per minute but with little conditioning bring the resting heart rate down to the normal levels after a certain amount of time.
·	De-stress – In today’s fast and extremely challenging life, a breakthrough of the autonomic conduction of the heart wherein the heart loses its rhythm, is not uncommon. Therefore, it is even more important to de-stress yourself by relaxing yourself one way or the other.
·	Drinking alcohol and smoking should come down drastically; else all the above precautions may prove by themselves, useless.

Use the above mentioned herbal remedies and take the necessary precautions to regularize your heart-beat, control or keep under control the blood pressure & support systemic balance in the cardiovascular system.