Herbal Remedies and Self-Help for Angina

If you feel heaviness and pressure on your chest, it may be due to angina. The most common presentation of angina is chest pain that comes after activity, stress, or exertion; although there is a form of angina that happens even when at rest. Therefore the classic angina is chest pain on exertion and relieved by rest.

What is angina?

The accepted medical nomenclature is angina pectoris. Angina can feel like a heart attack. Even though it is not really a heart attack, it can be a precursor to such an unlikely and life-threatening event. Chest pain in angina happens when there is not enough oxygen-rich blood flowing to a part or section of your heart. It occurs when the arteries are blocked and are unable to deliver oxygen to your heart. Chest pain brought about by angina goes away quickly. It usually lasts a few minutes. It goes away with rest. Nonetheless, it can still be a dangerous condition. If you’re unsure about it or if the pain does not go away, call your doctor.

What causes angina?

Angina is usually due to heart disease. Fatty substance or cholesterol build-up in your arteries blocks blood flow to your heart muscle. This forces your heart to work double time or perhaps even triple time. That causes the pain. Blood clots in the arteries can also block blood flow that can cause heart attack.

At the hospital or in the clinic

Your doctor will get your medical history. He will request for examinations, including electrocardiogram. He might request for an echocardiogram of your heart. He will differentiate and eliminate other possible causes of chest pain, like heartburn, lung problem, and cardiomyopathy (enlarged thickened heart). Once you’re diagnosed with angina, he might prescribed medicines to widen your blood vessels, slow the heart down, and relax blood vessels to let more blood to flow to the heart. If medicines are not enough, you might be a candidate for the insertion of a tiny tube that props open arteries (angioplasty or stent). If more than one artery is blocked, bypass surgery might be indicated.

Self-help for angina

Lead an active life. Exercise. But if you feel pain, stop and rest. Know what triggers your angina. Avoid stress. If large meal triggers angina, try smaller portions. Protect your heart through lifestyle changes. Limit alcohol. Stop smoking.

Herbal remedies (Source: The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B. White, M.D.)

Garlic (allium sativum) and Onion (A. cepa). Garlic comes in tablet form. Daily dose of 40 to 80 milligrams of Ginkgo biloba. 1 cup of Hawthorne (crataegus spp.) tea three times per day. Ginger (Zingiber officinale), ½ inch slice of an average root daily.