Diseases of the cardiovascular system. Symptoms of a problem with the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Vascular problems: symptoms, signs, prevention, treatment. Heat without cardiac cataclysms is real Causes of cardiovascular diseases

The circulatory system is one of the integrating systems of the body. Normally, it optimally provides the blood supply needs of organs and tissues. Wherein the level of systemic circulation is determined by:

• heart activity;
• vascular tone;
• the state of the blood - the size of its total and circulating mass, as well as rheological properties.

Violations of heart function, vascular tone, or changes in the blood system can lead to circulatory failure - a condition in which the circulatory system does not meet the needs of tissues and organs for the delivery of oxygen and metabolic substrates to them with blood, as well as the transport of carbon dioxide and metabolites from tissues.

The main causes of circulatory failure:

• heart pathology;
• disturbances in the tone of the walls of blood vessels;
• changes in the mass of circulating blood and/or its rheological properties.

According to the severity of development and the nature of the course, acute and chronic circulatory failure are distinguished.

Acute circulatory failure develops over hours or days. The most common causes may be:

• acute myocardial infarction;
• some types of arrhythmia;
• acute blood loss.

Chronic circulatory failure develops over several months or years and its causes are:

• chronic inflammatory heart diseases;
• cardiosclerosis;
• heart defects;
• hyper- and hypotensive conditions;
• anemia.

Based on the severity of signs of circulatory failure, 3 stages are distinguished. In stage I, signs of circulatory failure (shortness of breath, palpitations, venous congestion) are absent at rest and are detected only during physical activity. In stage II, these and other signs of circulatory failure are detected both at rest and especially during physical activity. At stage III, significant disturbances in cardiac activity and hemodynamics at rest are observed, as well as the development of pronounced dystrophic and structural changes in organs and tissues.

PATHOLOGY OF CARDIAC ACTIVITY

The main part of the various pathological processes affecting the heart consists of three groups of typical forms of pathology: coronary insufficiency, arrhythmias and heart failure .

1. Coronary insufficiency characterized by an excess of the myocardial demand for oxygen and metabolic substrates over their influx through the coronary arteries.

Types of coronary insufficiency:

• reversible (transient) disturbances of coronary blood flow; these include angina pectoris, characterized by severe compressive pain in the sternum resulting from myocardial ischemia;
• irreversible cessation of blood flow or a long-term significant decrease in blood flow through the coronary arteries, which usually ends in myocardial infarction.

Mechanisms of heart damage in coronary insufficiency.

Lack of oxygen and metabolic substrates in the myocardium during coronary insufficiency (angina pectoris, myocardial infarction) causes the development of a number of common, typical mechanisms of myocardial damage:

• disorder of the processes of energy supply to cardiomyocytes;
• damage to their membranes and enzymes;
• imbalance of ions and liquid;
• disorder of the mechanisms of regulation of cardiac activity.

Changes in the basic functions of the heart during coronary insufficiency consist primarily in disturbances in its contractile activity, which is indicated by a decrease in stroke and cardiac output.

2. Arrhythmias - a pathological condition caused by heart rhythm disturbances. They are characterized by changes in the frequency and periodicity of the generation of excitation impulses or the sequence of excitation of the atria and ventricles. Arrhythmias are a complication of many diseases of the cardiovascular system and the main cause of sudden death in cardiac pathology.

Types of arrhythmias, their etiology and pathogenesis. Arrhythmias are the result of a violation of one, two or three basic properties of the heart muscle: automaticity, conductivity and excitability.

Arrhythmias as a result of impaired automaticity, i.e., the ability of heart tissue to generate an action potential (“excitatory impulse”). These arrhythmias are manifested by changes in the frequency and regularity of the heart’s generation of impulses and can manifest themselves in the form of tachycardia And bradycardia.

Arrhythmias result from a violation of the ability of heart cells to conduct an excitation impulse.

The following types of conduction disorders are distinguished:

• slowing or blocking of conduction;
• acceleration of implementation.

Arrhythmias as a result of disturbances in the excitability of cardiac tissue.

Excitability- the property of cells to perceive the action of a stimulus and respond to it with an excitation reaction.

Such arrhythmias include extrasystole. paroxysmal tachycardia and fibrillation (flickering) of the atria or ventricles.

Extrasystole- an extraordinary, premature impulse that causes contraction of the entire heart or its parts. In this case, the correct sequence of heart contractions is disrupted.

Paroxysmal tachycardia- paroxysmal, sudden increase in the frequency of impulses of the correct rhythm. In this case, the frequency of ectopic impulses ranges from 160 to 220 per minute.

Atrial or ventricular fibrillation is an irregular, erratic electrical activity of the atria and ventricles, accompanied by the cessation of the effective pumping function of the heart.

3. Heart failure - a syndrome that develops in many diseases affecting various organs and tissues. At the same time, the heart does not provide their needs for a blood supply adequate to their function.

Etiology Heart failure is associated mainly with two groups of reasons: direct damage to the heart- trauma, inflammation of the membranes of the heart, prolonged ischemia, myocardial infarction, toxic damage to the heart muscle, etc., or functional overload of the heart as a result:

• increasing the volume of blood flowing to the heart and increasing the pressure in its ventricles with hypervolemia, polycythemia, heart defects;
• the resulting resistance to the expulsion of blood from the ventricles into the aorta and pulmonary artery, which occurs with arterial hypertension of any origin and some heart defects.

Types of heart failure (diagram 3).

According to the predominantly affected part of the heart:

• left ventricular which develops as a result of damage or overload of the left ventricular myocardium;
• right ventricular, which is usually the result of overload of the right ventricular myocardium, for example in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases - bronchiectasis, bronchial asthma, pulmonary emphysema, pneumosclerosis, etc.

According to the speed of development:

• Acute (minutes, hours). It is the result of heart injury, acute myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, hypertensive crisis, acute toxic myocarditis, etc.
• Chronic (months, years). It is a consequence of chronic arterial hypertension, chronic respiratory failure, prolonged anemia, chronic heart defects.

Violations of cardiac function and central hemodynamics. A decrease in the strength and speed of contraction, as well as relaxation of the myocardium in heart failure is manifested by changes in indicators of cardiac function, central and peripheral hemodynamics.

The main ones include:

• reduction in stroke and cardiac output, which develops as a result of depression of myocardial contractile function;
• an increase in the residual systolic blood volume in the cavities of the ventricles of the heart, which is a consequence of incomplete systole;

DISEASES OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM.
Scheme 3

• increased end-diastolic pressure in the ventricles of the heart. Caused by an increase in the amount of blood accumulating in their cavities, impaired myocardial relaxation, stretching of the cavities of the heart due to an increase in the final diastolic blood volume in them:
• an increase in blood pressure in those venous vessels and cardiac cavities from where blood enters the affected parts of the heart. Thus, with left ventricular heart failure, the pressure in the left atrium, pulmonary circulation and right ventricle increases. In right ventricular heart failure, pressure increases in the right atrium and in the veins of the systemic circulation:
• decrease in the rate of systolic contraction and diastolic relaxation of the myocardium. It manifests itself mainly by an increase in the duration of the period of isometric tension and cardiac systole as a whole.

DISEASES OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

The group of diseases of the cardiovascular system consists of such common diseases as atherosclerosis, hypertension, coronary heart disease, inflammatory heart diseases and its defects, as well. also vascular diseases. At the same time, atherosclerosis, hypertension and coronary heart disease (CHD) are characterized by the highest morbidity and mortality rates throughout the world, although these are relatively “young” diseases and they acquired their significance only at the beginning of the 20th century. I.V. Davydovsky called them “diseases of civilization,” caused by a person’s inability to adapt to rapidly progressing urbanization and associated changes in people’s lifestyles, constant stress influences, environmental disturbances and other features of a “civilized society.”

The etiology and pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and hypertension have much in common. At the same time, IHD. which: is now considered as an independent disease, is essentially a cardiac form of atherosclerosis and hypertension. However, due to the fact that the main mortality rate is associated precisely with myocardial infarction, which is the essence of IHD. according to the WHO decision, it acquired the status of an independent nosological entity.

ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Atherosclerosis- chronic disease of large and medium-sized arteries (elastic and muscular-elastic type), associated mainly with disorders of fat and protein metabolism.

This disease is extremely common throughout the world, since signs of atherosclerosis are found in all people over 30-35 years of age, although they are expressed to varying degrees. Atherosclerosis is characterized by focal deposits of lipids and proteins in the walls of large arteries, around which connective tissue grows, resulting in the formation of an atherosclerotic plaque.

Etiology of atherosclerosis has not been fully disclosed, although it is generally accepted that this is a polyetiological disease caused by a combination of changes in fat-protein metabolism and damage to the endothelium of the intima of the arteries. The causes of metabolic disorders, as well as factors damaging the endothelium, may be different, but extensive epidemiological studies of atherosclerosis have made it possible to identify the most significant influences, which are called risk factors .

These include:

• age, since the increase in the frequency and severity of atherosclerosis with age is beyond doubt;
• floor- in men the disease develops earlier than in women, and is more severe, complications occur more often;
• heredity- the existence of genetically determined forms of the disease has been proven;
• hyperlipidemia(hypercholesterolemia)- a leading risk factor due to the predominance of low-density lipoproteins in the blood over lipoproteins and high-density lipoproteins, which is primarily associated with dietary habits;
• arterial hypertension , which leads to increased permeability of vascular walls, including for lipoproteins, as well as damage to the intimal endothelium;
• stressful situations - the most important risk factor, since they lead to psycho-emotional stress, which is the cause of disturbances in the neuroendocrine regulation of fat-protein metabolism and vasomotor disorders;
• smoking- atherosclerosis in smokers develops 2 times more intensely and occurs 2 times more often than in non-smokers;
• hormonal factors, since most hormones affect disorders of fat-protein metabolism, which is especially evident in diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism. Oral contraceptives are close to these risk factors, provided they have been used for more than 5 years;
• obesity and physical inactivity contribute to disruption of fat-protein metabolism and accumulation of low-density lipoproteins in the blood.

Patho- and morphogenesis atherosclerosis consists of several stages (Fig. 47).

Prelipid stage characterized by the appearance in the intima of the arteries of fat-protein complexes in such quantities that cannot yet be seen with the naked eye and there are no atherosclerotic plaques yet.

Lipoidosis stage reflects the accumulation of fat-protein complexes in the intima of blood vessels, which become visible in the form of fatty spots and yellow stripes. Under a microscope, structureless fat-protein masses are determined, around which macrophages, fibroblasts and lymphocytes are located.

Rice. 47. Atherosclerosis of the aorta, a - fatty spots and stripes (staining with Sudan III); b - fibrous plaques with ulceration; c - fibrous plaques; d - ulcerated fibrous plaques and calcification; d - fibrous plaques, ulceration, calcification, blood clots.

Stage of liposclerosis develops as a result of the proliferation of connective tissue around fat-protein masses and forms fibrous plaque, which begins to rise above the surface of the intima. Above the plaque, the intima becomes sclerosed - it forms plaque tire, which can become hyalinized. Fibrous plaques are the main form of atherosclerotic vascular lesions. They are located in places of greatest hemodynamic impact on the arterial wall - in the area of ​​branching and bending of blood vessels.

Stage of complicated lesions includes three processes: atheromatosis, ulceration and calcification.

Atheromatosis is characterized by the disintegration of fat-protein masses in the center of the plaque with the formation of amorphous mushy detritus containing remnants of collagen and elastic fibers of the vessel wall, cholesterol crystals, saponified fats, and coagulated proteins. The middle lining of the vessel under the plaque often atrophies.

Ulceration is often preceded by hemorrhage into the plaque. In this case, the plaque cover ruptures and atheromatous masses fall into the lumen of the vessel. The plaque is an atheromatous ulcer, which is covered with thrombotic masses.

Calcinosis completes the morphogenesis of atherosclerotic

plaques and is characterized by the precipitation of calcium salts in it. Calcification, or petrification, of the plaque occurs, which acquires a rocky density.

Course of atherosclerosis wavy. As the disease progresses, intimal lipoidosis increases; as the disease subsides, the growth of connective tissue around the plaques and the deposition of calcium salts in them increases.

Clinical and morphological forms of atherosclerosis. The manifestations of atherosclerosis depend on which large arteries are affected. For clinical practice, atherosclerotic lesions of the aorta, coronary arteries of the heart, arteries of the brain and arteries of the extremities, mainly low ones, are of greatest importance.

Atherosclerosis of the aorta- the most common localization of atherosclerotic changes, which are most pronounced here.

Plaques usually form in the area where smaller vessels originate from the aorta. The arch and abdominal aorta, where large and small plaques are located, are more affected. When plaques reach the stages of ulceration and atherocalcinosis, blood flow disturbances occur at their locations and mural thrombi form. When they come off, they turn into thromboemboli, blocking the arteries of the spleen, kidneys and other organs, causing heart attacks. Ulceration of the atheroslerotic plaque and the destruction of the elastic fibers of the aortic wall in connection with this can contribute to the formation aneurysms - saccular protrusion of the vessel wall filled with blood and thrombotic masses. Rupture of an aneurysm leads to rapid massive blood loss and sudden death.

Atherosclerosis of the brain arteries, or cerebral form, is typical for elderly and old patients. With significant stenosis of the lumen of the arteries by atherosclerotic plaques, the brain constantly experiences oxygen starvation; and gradually atrophies. Such patients develop atherosclerotic dementia. If the lumen of one of the cerebral arteries is completely blocked by a thrombus, ischemic cerebral infarction in the form of foci of its gray softening. Cerebral arteries affected by atherosclerosis become fragile and can rupture. Hemorrhage occurs - hemorrhagic stroke, in which the corresponding area of ​​brain tissue dies. The course of a hemorrhagic stroke depends on its location and severity. If hemorrhage occurs in the area of ​​the bottom of the fourth ventricle or the spilled blood breaks into the lateral ventricles of the brain, then rapid death occurs. In case of ischemic infarction, as well as in case of small hemorrhagic strokes that did not lead the patient to death, the dead brain tissue gradually resolves and in its place a cavity containing fluid is formed - brain cyst. Ischemic infarction and hemorrhagic stroke of the brain are accompanied by neurological disorders. Surviving patients develop paralysis, speech often suffers, and other speech disorders appear. When co-

With appropriate treatment, it is possible over time to restore some of the lost functions of the central nervous system.

Atherosclerosis of the vessels of the lower extremities is also more common in old age. When the lumen of the arteries of the legs or feet is significantly narrowed by atherosclerotic plaques, the tissues of the lower extremities are subject to ischemia. When the load on the muscles of the limbs increases, for example when walking, pain appears in them, and patients are forced to stop. This symptom is called intermittent claudication . In addition, cold temperatures and atrophy of the tissues of the extremities are noted. If the lumen of stenotic arteries is completely closed by a plaque, thrombus or embolus, patients develop atherosclerotic gangrene.

In the clinical picture of atherosclerosis, damage to the renal and intestinal arteries may be most pronounced, but these forms of the disease are less common.

HYPERTONIC DISEASE

Hypertonic disease- a chronic disease characterized by a long-term and persistent increase in blood pressure (BP) - systolic above 140 mm Hg. Art. and diastolic - above 90 mm Hg. Art.

Men get sick somewhat more often than women. The disease usually begins at 35-45 years of age and progresses until 55-58 years of age, after which blood pressure often stabilizes at elevated values. Sometimes a persistent and rapidly increasing increase in blood pressure develops in young people.

Etiology.

Hypertension is based on a combination of 3 factors:

• chronic psycho-emotional stress;
• hereditary defect of cell membranes, leading to disruption of the exchange of Ca 2+ and Na 2+ ions;
• genetically determined defect of the renal volumetric mechanism of blood pressure regulation.

Risk factors:

• genetic factors are not in doubt, since hypertension is often familial;
• repeated emotional stress;
• diet with high consumption of table salt;
• hormonal factors - increased pressor effects of the hypothalamic-pituitary system, excessive release of catecholamines and activation of the renin-angiotensin system;
• renal factor;
• obesity;
• smoking;
• physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyle.

Patho- and morphogenesis.

Hypertension is characterized by staged development.

The transient, or preclinical, stage is characterized by periodic increases in blood pressure. They are caused by a spasm of the arterioles, during which the wall of the vessel itself experiences oxygen starvation, causing degenerative changes in it. As a result, the permeability of the arteriolar walls increases. They are saturated with blood plasma (plasmorrhagia), which extends beyond the vessels, causing perivascular edema.

After normalization of blood pressure levels and restoration of microcirculation, blood plasma from the walls of arterioles and perivascular spaces is removed into the lymphatic system, and blood proteins that have entered the walls of blood vessels along with the plasma are precipitated. Due to the repeated increase in the load on the heart, moderate compensatory hypertrophy of the left ventricle develops. If in the transient stage the conditions causing psycho-emotional stress are eliminated and appropriate treatment is carried out, incipient hypertension can be cured, since at this stage there are still no irreversible morphological changes.

The vascular stage is clinically characterized by a persistent increase in blood pressure. This is explained by profound dysregulation of the vascular system and its morphological changes. The transition of a transient increase in blood pressure into a stable one is associated with the action of several neuroendocrine mechanisms, among which the most important are reflex, renal, vascular, membrane and endocrine. Frequently repeated increases in blood pressure lead to a decrease in the sensitivity of the baroreceptors of the aortic arch, which normally provide a weakening of the activity of the sympathetic-adrenal system and a decrease in blood pressure. Strengthening the influence of this regulatory system and spasm of the arterioles of the kidneys stimulate the production of the enzyme renin. The latter leads to the formation of angiotensin in the blood plasma, which stabilizes blood pressure at a high level. In addition, angiotensin enhances the formation and release of mineralocorticoids from the adrenal cortex, which further increase blood pressure and also contribute to its stabilization at a high level.

Repeated spasms of arterioles with increasing frequency, increasing plasmorrhagia and an increasing amount of precipitated protein masses in their walls lead to hyalinosis, or parteriolosclerosis. The walls of the arterioles become denser, lose their elasticity, their thickness increases significantly and, accordingly, the lumen of the vessels decreases.

Constantly high blood pressure significantly increases the load on the heart, resulting in the development of heart failure. compensatory hypertrophy (Fig. 48, b). In this case, the weight of the heart reaches 600-800 g. Constant high blood pressure increases the load on large arteries, as a result of which muscle cells atrophy and the elastic fibers of their walls lose their elasticity. In combination with changes in the biochemical composition of the blood, the accumulation of cholesterol and large molecular proteins in it, the prerequisites are created for the development of atherosclerotic lesions of large arteries. Moreover, the severity of these changes is much greater than in atherosclerosis, which is not accompanied by an increase in blood pressure.

Stage of organ changes.

Changes in organs are secondary. Their severity, as well as clinical manifestations, depend on the degree of damage to the arterioles and arteries, as well as on the complications associated with these changes. The basis of chronic changes in organs is not their blood circulation, increasing oxygen starvation and conditioned! they are organ sclerosis with decreased function.

During hypertension, it is of utmost importance hypertensive crisis , i.e. a sharp and prolonged increase in blood pressure due to spasm of arterioles. Hypertensive crisis has its own morphological expression: spasm of arterioles, plasmorrhagia and fibrinoid necrosis of their walls, perivascular diapedetic hemorrhages. These changes, which occur in organs such as the brain, heart, and kidneys, often lead patients to death. A crisis can occur at any stage of the development of hypertension. Frequent crises characterize the malignant course of the disease, which usually occurs in young people.

Complications hypertension, manifested by spasm, thrombosis of arterioles and arteries, or their rupture, lead to heart attacks or hemorrhages in organs, which are usually the cause of death.

Clinical and morphological forms of hypertension.

Depending on the predominance of damage to the body or other organs, cardiac, cerebral and renal clinical and morphological forms of hypertension are distinguished.

Heart shape, like the cardiac form of atherosclerosis, it is the essence of coronary heart disease and is considered as an independent disease.

Brain or cerebral form- one of the most common forms of hypertension.

It is usually associated with rupture of a hyalinized vessel and the development of massive hemorrhage in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke) like a hematoma (Fig. 48, a). A breakthrough of blood into the ventricles of the brain always ends in the death of the patient. Ischemic cerebral infarctions can also occur with hypertension, although much less frequently than with atherosclerosis. Their development is associated with thrombosis or spasm of atherosclerotic changes in the middle cerebral arteries or arteries of the base of the brain.

Kidney form. In the chronic course of hypertension, arteriolosclerotic nephrosclerosis develops, associated with hyalinosis of the afferent arterioles. A decrease in blood flow leads to atrophy and hyalinosis of the corresponding glomeruli. Their function is performed by the preserved glomeruli, which undergo hypertrophy.

Rice. 48. Hypertension. a - hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of the brain; b - myocardial hypertrophy of the left ventricle of the heart; c - primary wrinkled kidney (arteriolosclerotic nephrosclerosis).

Rice. 49. Arteriolosclerotic nephrosclerosis. Hyalinized (HK) and atrophying (AK) glomeruli.

Therefore, the surface of the kidneys takes on a granular appearance: hyalinized glomeruli and atrophied, sclerotic nephrons sink, and hypertrophied glomeruli protrude above the surface of the kidneys (Fig. 48, c, 49). Gradually, sclerotic processes begin to predominate and primary wrinkled buds develop. At the same time, chronic renal failure increases, which ends uremia.

Symptomatic hypertension (hypertension). Hypertension is an increase in blood pressure of a secondary nature - a symptom of various diseases of the kidneys, endocrine glands, and blood vessels. If the underlying disease is eliminated, hypertension also disappears. So, after removal of an adrenal tumor - pheochromocytoma. accompanied by significant hypertension, blood pressure also normalizes. Therefore, hypertension should be distinguished from symptomatic hypertension.

CORONARY HEART DISEASE (CHD)

Ischemic, or coronary, heart disease is a group of diseases caused by absolute or relative insufficiency of coronary circulation, which is manifested by a discrepancy between the myocardial need for oxygen and its delivery to the heart muscle. In 95% of cases, IHD is caused by atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries. It is IHD that acts as the main cause of mortality in the population. Hidden (preclinical) IHD is found in 4-6% of people over 35 years of age. Every year more than 5 million patients are registered worldwide. And B C and more than 500 thousand of them die. Men get sick earlier than women, but after 70 years, men and women get IHD equally often.

Forms of coronary heart disease. There are 4 forms of the disease:

• sudden coronary death, occurring due to cardiac arrest in a person who had no heart complaints 6 hours before;
• angina pectoris - a form of ischemic heart disease characterized by attacks of chest pain with changes on the ECG, but without the appearance of characteristic enzymes in the blood;
• myocardial infarction - acute focal ischemic (circulatory) necrosis of the heart muscle, developing as a result of a sudden disruption of coronary circulation;
• cardiosclerosis - chronic ischemic heart disease (CHD)- outcome of angina or myocardial infarction; Based on cardiosclerosis, a chronic cardiac aneurysm can form.

Course of ischemic disease can be acute and chronic. Therefore, they highlight acute ischemic heart disease(angina pectoris, sudden coronary death, myocardial infarction) and chronic ischemic heart disease(cardiosclerosis in all its manifestations).

Risk factors the same as for atherosclerosis and hypertension.

Etiology of IHD fundamentally the same as the etiology of atherosclerosis and hypertension. More than 90% of patients with coronary artery disease suffer from stenotic atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries with the degree of narrowing of at least one of them up to 75% or higher. In this case, blood flow adequate to even slight physical activity cannot be ensured.

Pathogenesis of various forms of IHD

The development of various types of acute ischemic heart disease is associated with acute disruption of the coronary circulation, which leads to ischemic damage to the heart muscle.

The extent of these damages depends on the duration of ischemia.

1. Angina pectoris is characterized by reversible myocardial ischemia associated with stenotic coronary sclerosis and is the clinical form of all types of coronary artery disease. It is characterized by attacks of compressive pain and a burning sensation in the left half of the chest with irradiation to the left arm, scapula area, neck, and lower jaw. Attacks occur during physical exertion, emotional stress, etc. and are stopped by taking vasodilators. If death occurs during an attack of angina pectoris that lasted 3-5 or even 30 minutes, morphological changes in the myocardium can only be detected using special techniques, since the heart is not macroscopically changed.
2. Sudden coronary death is associated with the fact that during acute ischemia in the myocardium, within 5-10 minutes after the attack, archpogenic substances- substances that cause electrical instability of the heart and create the preconditions for ventricular fibrillation. At autopsies of those who died due to myocardial fibrillation, the heart was flabby, with an enlarged cavity of the left ventricle. Fragmentation of muscle fibers is microscopically pronounced.
3. Myocardial infarction.

Etiology Acute myocardial infarction is associated with a sudden cessation of coronary blood flow either due to obstruction of the coronary artery by a thrombus or embolus, or as a result of prolonged spasm of an atherosclerotic coronary artery.

Pathogenesis myocardial infarction is largely determined by the. that the remaining lumens of the three coronary arteries in total amount to only 34% of the average norm, while the “critical sum” of these lumens should be at least 35%, since even then the total blood flow in the coronary arteries falls to the minimum acceptable level.

In the dynamics of myocardial infarction, 3 stages are distinguished, each of which is characterized by its own morphological features.

Ischemic stage, or stage of ischemic dystrophy, develops in the first 18-24 hours after blockage of the coronary artery by a thrombus. Macroscopic changes in the myocardium are not visible at this stage. Microscopic examination reveals dystrophic changes in muscle fibers in the form of their fragmentation, loss of transverse striation, and the myocardial stroma is edematous. Disorders of microcirculation are expressed in the form of stasis and sludge in capillaries and venules, and there are diapedesic hemorrhages. Glycogen and redox enzymes are absent in ischemic areas. Electron microscopic examination of cardiomyocytes from the area of ​​myocardial ischemia reveals swelling and destruction of mitochondria, disappearance of glycogen granules, swelling of the sarcoplasm, and overcontraction of myofilaments (Fig. 50). These changes are associated with hypoxia, electrolyte imbalance and cessation of metabolism in areas of myocardial ischemia. During this period, in parts of the myocardium not affected by ischemia, microcirculation disorders and stromal edema develop.

Death in the ischemic stage occurs from cardiogenic shock, ventricular fibrillation or cardiac arrest (asystole).

Necrotic stage Myocardial infarction develops at the end of the first day after an attack of angina. At autopsy, fibrinous pericarditis is often observed in the area of ​​the infarction. A cross-section of the heart muscle clearly shows yellowish, irregularly shaped foci of myocardial necrosis, surrounded by a red stripe of hyperemic vessels and hemorrhages - ischemic infarction with a hemorrhagic rim (Fig. 51). Histological examination reveals foci of muscle tissue necrosis limited to the unaffected myocardium demarcation(border) line, represented by a zone of leukocyte infiltration and hyperemic vessels (Fig. 52).

Outside the areas of infarction, microcirculation disorders, pronounced dystrophic changes in cardiomyocytes, and destruction of many mitochondria simultaneously with an increase in their number and volume develop during this period.

Stage of organization of myocardial infarction begins immediately after the development of necrosis. Leukocytes and macrophages clear the inflammatory field of necrotic masses. Fibroblasts appear in the demarcation zone. producing collagen. The focus of necrosis is initially replaced by granulation tissue, which matures into coarse fibrous connective tissue within about 4 weeks. Myocardial infarction is organized, and a scar remains in its place (see Fig. 30). Large-focal cardiosclerosis occurs. During this period, the myocardium around the scar and the myocardium of all other parts of the heart, especially the left ventricle, undergoes regenerative hypertrophy. This allows you to gradually normalize heart function.

Thus, acute myocardial infarction lasts 4 weeks. If during this period the patient experiences a new myocardial infarction, it is called recurrent . If a new myocardial infarction occurs 4 weeks or more after the first infarction, it is called repeated .

Complications may occur already in the necrotic stage. Thus, the area of ​​necrosis undergoes melting - myomalacia , as a result of which a rupture of the myocardial wall in the area of ​​infarction may occur, filling the pericardial cavity with blood - cardiac tamponade , leading to sudden death.

Rice. 51. Myocardial infarction (transverse sections of the heart). 1 - ischemic infarction with a hemorrhagic rim of the posterior wall of the left ventricle; 2 - obstructing thrombus in the descending branch of the left coronary artery; 3 - rupture of the heart wall. In the diagrams (below): a - the infarction zone is shaded (the arrow shows the gap); b - slice levels are shaded.

Rice. 52. Myocardial infarction. The area of ​​muscle tissue necrosis is surrounded by a demarcation line (DL). consisting of leukocytes.

Myomalacia can lead to bulging of the ventricular wall and the formation of an acute cardiac aneurysm. If an aneurysm ruptures, cardiac tamponade also occurs. If an acute aneurysm does not rupture, blood clots form in its cavity, which can become a source of thromboembolism in the vessels of the brain, spleen, kidneys and the coronary arteries themselves. Gradually, in an acute cardiac aneurysm, blood clots are replaced by connective tissue, but thrombotic masses remain or form again in the resulting aneurysm cavity. The aneurysm becomes chronic. The source of thromboembolism can be thrombotic deposits on the endocardium in the area of ​​the infarction. Death in the necrotic stage can also occur from ventricular fibrillation of the heart.

Rice. 53. Chronic ischemic heart disease. a - post-infarction large-focal cardiosclerosis (shown by an arrow); b - diffuse focal cardiosclerosis (scars are shown by arrows).

Outcomes. Acute myocardial infarction can result in acute heart failure, often with the development of pulmonary edema and swelling of the brain substance. The outcome is also large-focal cardiosclerosis and chronic ischemic heart disease.

4. Chronic coronary heart disease

Morphological expression chronic ischemic heart disease are:

• pronounced atherosclerotic small-focal cardiosclerosis;
• post-infarction macrofocal cardiosclerosis;
• chronic cardiac aneurysm in combination with atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries (Fig. 53). It occurs when, after a massive myocardial infarction, the resulting scar tissue begins to bulge under blood pressure, becomes thinner, and a sac-like protrusion forms. Due to the swirling of blood, blood clots appear in the aneurysm, which can become a source of thromboembolism. Chronic cardiac aneurysm in most cases is the cause of increasing chronic heart failure.

All these changes are accompanied by moderately pronounced regenerative hypertrophy of the myocardium.

Clinically Chronic ischemic heart disease is manifested by angina pectoris and the gradual development of chronic cardiovascular failure, ending in the death of the patient. At any stage of chronic ischemic heart disease, acute or recurrent myocardial infarction may occur.

Reasons Inflammation of the heart is caused by various infections and intoxications. The inflammatory process can affect one of the membranes of the heart or its entire wall. Inflammation of the endocardium - endocarditis , inflammation of the myocardium - myocarditis, pericardium - pericarditis , and inflammation of all the membranes of the heart - pancarditis .

Endocarditis.

Inflammation of the endocardium usually extends only to a certain part of it, covering either the heart valves, or their chords, or the walls of the heart cavities. With endocarditis, a combination of processes characteristic of inflammation is observed - alteration, exudation and proliferation. Of greatest importance in the clinic is valvular endocarditis . More often than others, the bicuspid valve is affected, somewhat less frequently - the aortic valve, and inflammation of the valves of the right half of the heart occurs quite rarely. Either only the superficial layers of the valve are affected, or it is affected entirely, to its full depth. Often, alteration of the valve leads to its ulceration and even perforation. Thrombotic masses usually form in the area of ​​valve destruction ( thromboendocarditis) in the form of warts or polyps. Exudative changes consist of saturation of the valve with blood plasma and infiltration of exudate cells. At the same time, the valve swells and becomes thicker. The productive phase of inflammation ends with sclerosis, thickening, deformation and fusion of the valve leaflets, which leads to heart disease.

Endocarditis dramatically complicates the course of the disease in which it developed, since the function of the heart is seriously affected. In addition, thrombotic deposits on the valves can become a source of thromboembolism.

The outcome valvular endocarditis are heart defects and heart failure.

Myocarditis.

Inflammation of the heart muscle usually complicates various diseases, without being an independent disease. In the development of myocarditis, infection of the heart muscle by viruses, rickettsia, and bacteria that reach the myocardium through the bloodstream, i.e., hematogenously, is important. Myocarditis occurs acutely or chronically. Depending on the predominance of one or another phase, myocardial inflammation can be alterative, exudative, productive (proliferative).

In the acute course, exudative and productive myocarditis can cause acute heart failure. When chronic, they lead to diffuse cardiosclerosis, which in turn can lead to the development of chronic heart failure.

Pericarditis.

Inflammation of the outer lining of the heart occurs as a complication of other diseases and occurs either in the form of exudative or chronic adhesive pericarditis.

Exudative pericarditis depending on the nature of the exudate, it can be serous, fibrinous, purulent, hemorrhagic and mixed.

Serous pericarditis characterized by the accumulation of serous exudate in the pericardial cavity, which often resolves without any special consequences in the event of a favorable outcome of the underlying disease.

Fibrinous pericarditis develops more often with intoxication, for example with uremia, as well as with myocardial infarction, rheumatism, tuberculosis and a number of other diseases. Fibrinous exudate accumulates in the pericardial cavity and fibrin bundles in the form of hairs (“hairy heart”) appear on the surface of its leaves. When fibrinous exudate is organized, dense adhesions are formed between the layers of the pericardium.

Purulent pericarditis most often occurs as a complication of inflammatory processes in nearby organs - lungs, pleura, mediastinum, mediastinal lymph nodes, from which inflammation spreads to the pericardium.

Hemorrhagic pericarditis develops when cancer metastases to the heart.

The outcome of acute exudative pericarditis can be cardiac arrest.

Chronic adhesive pericarditis characterized by exudative-productive inflammation, often develops with tuberculosis and rheumatism. With this type of pericarditis, the exudate does not resolve, but undergoes organization. As a result, adhesions are formed between the layers of the pericardium, then the pericardial cavity is completely overgrown and sclerosed. squeezing the heart. Often calcium salts are deposited in the scar tissue and an “armored heart” develops.

The outcome Such pericarditis is chronic heart failure.

HEART DEFECTS

Heart defects are a common pathology, usually subject to surgical treatment only. The essence of heart defects is a change in the structure of its individual parts or large vessels extending from the heart. This is accompanied by impaired cardiac function and general circulatory disorders. Heart defects can be congenital or acquired.

Congenital cardiac thresholds are a consequence of disorders of embryonic development associated either with genetic changes in embryogenesis or with diseases suffered by the fetus during this period (Fig. 54). The most common among this group of heart defects are patent foramen ovale, ductus arteriosus, interventricular septum and tetralogy of Fallot.

Rice. 54. Scheme of the main forms of congenital heart defects (according to Ya. L. Rapoport). A. Normal relationship between the heart and large vessels. Lp - left atrium; LV - left ventricle; Rp - right atrium; RV - right ventricle; A - aorta; LA - pulmonary artery and its branches; PV - pulmonary veins. B. Patent ductus arteriosus between the pulmonary artery and the aorta (the direction of blood passage from the aorta to the pulmonary artery along the ductus arteriosus is indicated by arrows). B. Ventricular septal defect. Blood from the left ventricle partially passes into the right (indicated by the arrow). D. Tetralogy of Fallot. Defect of the superior part of the interventricular septum immediately below the origin of the aorta; narrowing of the pulmonary trunk at its exit from the heart; the aorta emerges from both ventricles in the area of ​​the interventricular defect, receiving mixed arterial-venous blood (indicated by the arrow). Sharp hypertrophy of the right ventricle and general cyanosis (cyanosis).

Non-closure of the oval window. Through this hole in the interatrial septum, blood flows from the left atrium to the right, then to the right ventricle and into the pulmonary circulation. In this case, the right parts of the heart are filled with blood, and in order to remove it from the right ventricle into the pulmonary trunk, a constant increase in the work of the myocardium is necessary. This leads to hypertrophy of the right ventricle, which allows the heart to cope with circulatory disorders in it for some time. However, if the oval window is not closed surgically, then myocardial decompensation of the right heart will develop. If the defect in the interatrial septum is very large, then venous blood from the right atrium, bypassing the pulmonary circulation, can enter the left atrium and here mix with arterial blood. As a result, mixed blood, poor in oxygen, circulates in the systemic circulation. The patient develops hypoxia and cyanosis.

Patchy ductus arteriosus (Fig. 54, A, B). In the fetus, the lungs do not function, and therefore the blood through the ductus thalamus from the pulmonary trunk enters directly into the aorta, bypassing the pulmonary circulation. Normally, the ductus arteriosus closes 15-20 days after the birth of the child. If this does not happen, then blood from the aorta, in which there is high blood pressure, enters the pulmonary trunk through the ductus botalli. The amount of blood and blood pressure in it increase; in the pulmonary circulation, the amount of blood that enters the left side of the heart increases. The load on the myocardium increases and hypertrophy of the left ventricle and left atrium develops. Gradually, sclerotic changes develop in the lungs, contributing to an increase in pressure in the pulmonary circulation. This forces the right ventricle to work more intensely, resulting in its hypertrophy. With advanced changes in the pulmonary circulation in the pulmonary trunk, the pressure may become higher than in the aorta, and in this case, venous blood from the pulmonary trunk partially passes through the ductus arteriosus into the aorta. Mixed blood enters the systemic circulation, and the patient develops hypoxia and cyanosis.

Ventricular septal defect. With this defect, blood from the left ventricle enters the right, causing its overload and hypertrophy (Fig. 54, C, D). Sometimes the interventricular septum may be completely absent (three-chambered heart). Such a defect is incompatible with life, although newborns with a three-chambered heart can live for some time.

Tetralogy of FALLOT - ventricular septal defect, which is combined with other anomalies of heart development: narrowing of the pulmonary trunk, the aorta originating from the left and right ventricles simultaneously and with hypertrophy of the right ventricle. This defect occurs in 40-50% of all heart defects in newborns. With a defect such as tetralogy of Fallot, blood flows from the right side of the heart to the left. At the same time, less blood enters the pulmonary circulation than necessary, and mixed blood enters the systemic circulation. The patient develops hypoxia and cyanosis.

Acquired heart defects in the vast majority of cases, they are a consequence of inflammatory diseases of the heart and its valves. The most common cause of acquired heart defects is rheumatism, sometimes they are associated with endocarditis of a different etiology.

Pathogenesis.

As a result of inflammatory changes and sclerosis of the valves, the valves become deformed, become dense, lose elasticity and cannot completely close the atrioventricular orifices or the mouth of the aorta and pulmonary trunk. In this case, a heart defect is formed, which can have various variants.

Valve insufficiency develops with incomplete closure of the atrioventricular opening. If the bicuspid or tricuspid valves are insufficient, blood during systole flows not only into the aorta or pulmonary trunk, but also back into the atria. If there is insufficiency of the aortic or pulmonary valves, then during diastole the blood partially flows back into the ventricles of the heart.

Stenosis, or narrowing of holes between the atrium and ventricles develops not only with inflammation and sclerosis of the heart valves, but also with partial fusion of their valves. In this case, the atrioventricular orifice or the mouth of the pulmonary artery or the opening of the aortic cone becomes smaller.

Committed vice heart disease occurs when a combination of atrioventricular orifice stenosis and valve insufficiency. This is the most common type of acquired heart defects. With a combined defect of the bicuspid or tricuspid valve, the increased volume of blood during diastole cannot enter the ventricle without additional force of the atrial myocardium, and during systole the blood partially returns from the ventricle to the atrium, which is filled with blood. In order to prevent overstretching of the atrium cavity, as well as to ensure the flow of the required volume of blood into the vascular bed, the force of contraction of the atrium and ventricle myocardium compensatory increases, as a result of which its hypertrophy develops. However, constant overflow of blood, for example, in the left atrium due to stenosis of the atrioventricular orifice and bicuspid valve insufficiency, leads to the fact that blood from the pulmonary veins cannot completely flow into the left atrium. Blood stagnation occurs in the pulmonary circulation, and this makes it difficult for venous blood to flow from the right ventricle into the pulmonary artery. To overcome the increased blood pressure in the pulmonary circulation, the force of contraction of the right ventricular myocardium increases and the heart muscle also hypertrophies. Developing compensatory(working) cardiac hypertrophy.

The outcome acquired heart defects, if the valve defect is not eliminated surgically, is chronic heart failure and cardiac decompensation, developing after a certain time, usually calculated in years or decades.

VASCULAR DISEASES

Vascular diseases can be congenital or acquired.

CONGENITAL VASCULAR DISEASES

Congenital vascular diseases are in the nature of developmental defects, among which the most important are congenital aneurysms, coarctation of the aorta, arterial hypoplasia and venous atresia.

Congenital aneurysms- focal protrusions of the vascular wall caused by a defect in its structure and hemodynamic load.

Aneurysms have the form of small saccular formations, sometimes multiple, up to 1.5 cm in size. Among them, aneurysms of intracerebral arteries are especially dangerous, since their rupture leads to subarachnoid or intracerebral hemorrhage. The causes of aneurysms are the congenital absence of smooth muscle cells in the vessel wall and a defect in elastic membranes. Arterial hypertension promotes the formation of aneurysms.

Coarctation of the aorta - congenital narrowing of the aorta, usually in the area where the arch enters the descending part. The defect is manifested by a sharp increase in blood pressure in the upper extremities and a decrease in it in the lower extremities with a weakening of pulsation there. In this case, hypertrophy of the left half of the heart and collateral circulation through the systems of the internal thoracic and intercostal arteries develop.

Arterial hypoplasia is characterized by underdevelopment of these vessels, including the aorta, while hypoplasia of the coronary arteries may underlie sudden cardiac death.

Venous atresia - a rare developmental defect consisting in the congenital absence of certain veins. The most important is atresia of the hepatic veins, which is manifested by severe disorders of the structure and function of the liver (Budd-Chiari syndrome).

Acquired vascular diseases very common, especially in atherosclerosis and hypertension. Obliterating endarteritis, acquired aneurysms, and vasculitis are also of clinical importance.

Obliterating endarteritis - a disease of the arteries, mainly of the lower extremities, characterized by thickening of the intima with narrowing of the lumen of the vessels up to its obliteration. This condition is manifested by severe, progressive tissue hypoxia leading to gangrene. The cause of the disease has not been established, but smoking and arterial hypertension are the most important risk factors. Increased activity of the sympathetic-adrenal system and autoimmune processes play a certain role in the pathogenesis of suffering.

ACQUIRED ANEURYSMS

Acquired aneurysms are a local expansion of the lumen of blood vessels due to pathological changes in the vascular wall. They can be bag-shaped or cylindrical. The causes of these aneurysms may be damage to the vascular wall of an atherosclerotic, syphilitic or traumatic nature. Aneurysms occur most often in the aorta, less often in other arteries.

Atherosclerotic aneurysms, As a rule, they develop in the aorta damaged by the atherosclerotic process with a predominance of complicated changes, usually after 65-75 years, more often in men. The cause is the destruction of the muscular-elastic framework of the cardiac lining of the aorta by atheromatous plaques. Typical localization is the abdominal aorta. Thrombotic masses form in the aneurysm, serving as a source of thromboembolism.

Complications- rupture of an aneurysm with the development of fatal bleeding, as well as thromboembolism of the arteries of the lower extremities with subsequent gangrene.

Syphilitic aneurysms- a consequence of syphilitic mesaortitis, characterized by the destruction of the muscular-elastic frame of the middle shell of the aortic wall, as a rule, in the area of ​​the ascending arch and its thoracic part.

More often, these aneurysms are observed in men and can reach 15-20 cm in diameter. If the aneurysm persists for a long time, it puts pressure on the adjacent vertebral bodies and ribs, causing them to atrophy. Clinical symptoms are associated with compression of adjacent organs and are manifested by respiratory failure, dysphagia due to compression of the esophagus, persistent cough due to compression of the recurrent nerve, pain, and cardiac decompensation.

Vasculitis- a large and heterogeneous group of vascular diseases of an inflammatory nature.

Vasculitis is characterized by the formation of an infiltrate in the wall of blood vessels and in the perivascular tissue, damage and desquamation of the endothelium, loss of vascular tone and hyperemia in the acute period, sclerosis of the wall and often obliteration of the lumen in the chronic course.

Vasculitis is divided into systemic, or primary, And secondary. Primary vasculitis constitutes a large group of diseases, is widespread and has independent significance. Secondary vasculitis develops in many diseases and will be described in the relevant chapters.

Vein diseases are represented mainly by phlebitis - inflammation of the veins, thrombophlebitis - phlebitis complicated by thrombosis, phlebothrombosis - vein thrombosis without previous inflammation, and varicose veins.

Phlebitis, thrombophlebitis and phlebothrombosis.

Phlebitis is usually a consequence of infection of the venous wall; it can complicate acute infectious diseases. Sometimes phlebitis develops as a result of injury to a vein or its chemical damage. When a vein becomes inflamed, the endothelium is usually damaged, which leads to loss of its fibrinolytic function and the formation of a blood clot in this area. Arises thrombophlebitis. It is manifested by pain, tissue swelling distal to the occlusion, cyanosis and redness of the skin. In the acute period, thrombophlebitis can be complicated by thromboembolism. With a long chronic course, thrombotic masses undergo organization, however, thrombophlebitis and phlebothrombosis of the main veins can cause the development trophic ulcers, usually the lower extremities.

Phlebeurysm- abnormal expansion, tortuosity and elongation of veins that occurs under conditions of increased intravenous pressure.

The predisposing factor is congenital or acquired inferiority of the venous wall and its thinning. At the same time, compensatory foci of hypertrophy of smooth muscle cells and sclerosis appear nearby. The veins of the lower extremities, hemorrhoidal veins and veins of the lower esophagus are most often affected when the venous outflow in them is blocked. Areas of vein expansion may have a nodular, aneurysm-like, spindle-shaped shape. Varicose veins are often combined with vein thrombosis.

Varicose veins- the most common form of venous pathology. It occurs mainly in women over 50 years of age.

An increase in intravenous pressure may be associated with professional activity and lifestyle (pregnancy, standing work, carrying heavy objects, etc.). The superficial veins are predominantly affected; clinically, the disease manifests itself as swelling of the extremities, trophic skin disorders with the development of dermatitis and ulcers.

Varicose hemorrhoidal veins- also a common form of pathology. Predisposing factors are constipation, pregnancy, and sometimes portal hypertension.

Varicose veins develop in the lower hemorrhoidal plexus with the formation of external nodes or in the upper plexus with the formation of internal nodes. The nodes usually thrombose, bulge into the intestinal lumen, become injured, undergo inflammation and ulceration with the development of bleeding.

Varicose veins of the esophagus develops with portal hypertension, usually associated with cirrhosis of the liver, or with compression of the portal tract by a tumor. This occurs due to the fact that the veins of the esophagus shunt blood from the portal system to the caval system. In varicose veins, thinning of the wall, inflammation and the formation of erosions occur. A rupture of the wall of an esophageal variceal vein leads to severe, often fatal, bleeding.

As you know, cardiovascular diseases occupy first place among the most common and dangerous diseases of our time. There are many reasons for this, but the main ones are genetic predisposition and poor lifestyle.

Cardiovascular diseases are numerous, occur in different ways and have different origins. They can arise as a result of inflammatory processes, congenital developmental defects, injuries, intoxication, pathological changes in metabolic processes, as well as as a result of reasons that are poorly understood at present.

However, with such a variety of causes of diseases associated with disruption of the cardiovascular system, these diseases share common symptoms that appear in these pathologies. Consequently, there are general rules for recognizing the first signs of the disease. They need to be known in order to be able to avoid complications, and sometimes the disease of the cardiovascular system itself.

The main ones that allow us to talk about pathology associated with the work of the cardiovascular system:

Pain and discomfort in the chest

Pain is one of the most common symptoms of diseases associated with disruption of the cardiovascular system. If the pain is burning, acute, then most often a spasm of the coronary vessels occurs, which leads to insufficient nutrition of the heart itself. Such pain is called angina pectoris. They can occur during physical activity, low temperature, and stress. Angina occurs when the blood flow cannot meet the oxygen needs of the heart muscle. A doctor can recognize angina pectoris, or angina pectoris, already at the patient’s first visit. The situation is worse with the diagnosis of deviations. For a correct diagnosis, observation of the course of angina pectoris, analysis of questions and examinations of the patient are necessary. Additional research is required - daily ECG monitoring (ECG recording during the day).

There are angina pectoris at rest and angina pectoris. Angina at rest is not associated with physical effort, often occurs at night, has common features with a severe attack of angina, and is often accompanied by a feeling of lack of air. Angina can be stable, when attacks occur with a more or less certain frequency and are provoked by a load of approximately the same degree, as well as unstable, in which an attack occurs for the first time or the nature of the attacks changes: they occur unexpectedly and last longer, signs appear that are atypical for previous attacks ( progressive angina). Unstable angina is dangerous because it can lead to the development of myocardial infarction (MI). Patients with this type of angina must be hospitalized.

We must not forget that an attack of angina can be a harbinger of coronary heart disease (CHD) and myocardial infarction. In this regard, when the first symptoms of angina pectoris appear, the patient must undergo an electrocardiographic examination in the near future, and then carry out medical supervision for the further development of angina pectoris. It is believed that such patients require hospitalization to make an accurate diagnosis, as well as to monitor the course of the disease. To detect abnormalities in the functioning of the heart, the use of a cardiovisor gives a good result. The services provided by the project site help people independently monitor the dynamics of changes in the functioning of the heart and consult a doctor in a timely manner, even in cases where there are no visible manifestations of the disease.

Severe, prolonged pain in the chest, radiating to the left arm, neck and back, is characteristic of a developing myocardial infarction. One of the most common causes of myocardial infarction is atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels. Pain during MI is often intense and can be so strong that a person may lose consciousness and go into shock: blood pressure drops sharply, pallor appears, and cold sweat appears.

Severe pain in the chest, radiating to the back of the head, back, and sometimes to the groin area, indicates an aneurysm, or aortic dissection.

Dull pain in the heart area, sometimes intensifying and then weakening without spreading to other areas of the body, against a background of rising temperature, indicates the development of pericarditis (inflammation of the heart sac - pericardium).

Sometimes pain can occur in the abdominal area, which indicates vascular diseases of the abdominal organs.

With pulmonary embolism (PE), symptoms will depend on the location and size of the clot. The person will feel pain in the chest, radiating to the shoulder, arm, neck and jaw. A common accompaniment of thromboembolism is shortness of breath. Coughing and even hemoptysis may occur. The patient feels weakness and rapid heartbeat.

A dull and short stabbing pain in the region of the heart, which occurs regardless of movements and physical effort, without disturbances in breathing or heartbeat, is characteristic of patients with cardiac neurosis (neurocirculatory dystopia of the cardiac type).

Heart neurosis is a fairly common disease of the cardiovascular system. This is due to the busy rhythm of our lives and frequent stressful situations. As a rule, this disease occurs after nervous overload. Heart pain can last for quite a long time - from several hours to several days. With this pathology, pain is not associated with physical overload, which distinguishes it from pain with angina pectoris. The pain disappears after the person calms down and forgets about the anxiety he suffered. Advanced cases of neurasthenia can lead to angina pectoris.

With cardiac neurosis, in addition to cardiovascular disorders, patients also have functional disorders of the nervous system - absent-mindedness, increased fatigue, poor sleep, anxiety, tremors of the extremities.

Acute chest pain may indicate not only diseases associated with disruption of the cardiovascular system, but also be a consequence of other diseases. These include:

Intercostal neuralgia, which is characterized by acute, paroxysmal, shooting pain along the intercostal spaces (where the nerve passes). Pain points are located at the exit of the nerves (to the right and left of the spine). With intercostal neuralgia, skin sensitivity in the intercostal area may be impaired.

Herpes zoster, the appearance of which (the onset of the disease) is accompanied by pain similar to intercostal neuralgia, but often more intense. In the area of ​​pain (in the intercostal space), so-called herpetic blisters appear. The disease is accompanied by an increase in temperature.

Spontaneous pneumothorax, which is characterized by the sudden onset of chest pain, pain accompanied by severe shortness of breath. This disease is typical for people suffering from chronic respiratory diseases (chronic bronchitis, emphysema, etc.). Sometimes it can occur in people who do not suffer from the listed diseases, during heavy physical exertion, or during strong, sharp exhalation.

Cardiospasm (spasm of the esophagus), which, in addition to pain behind the sternum, is characterized by impaired swallowing and belching.

Cervical and thoracic radiculitis, accompanied by severe pain associated with movement (turns, bends of the torso, neck).

Very often, based on a person’s description of pain, a doctor can draw a conclusion about the origin of the disease. A cardiovisor can be an indispensable assistant in this case, which allows you to determine whether the pathology is related to the functioning of the cardiovascular system or not.

Palpitations and a feeling of irregular heartbeat

Strong heartbeat does not always mean the development of some pathology, since it can occur during intense physical activity or as a result of a person’s emotional arousal, and even after eating a large amount of food.

In diseases of the cardiovascular system, palpitations often appear in the early stages of the disease. The feeling of a malfunction of the heart occurs when the heart rhythm is disturbed. At the same time, it seems to a person that the heart either almost “jumps out” of the chest, or freezes for a certain period of time.

Such symptoms of cardiovascular disease are characteristic of tachycardia, which is accompanied by a palpitation with a distinct beginning and end, the duration of which can be from a few seconds to several days. Supraventricular tachycardia is accompanied by sweating, increased intestinal motility, copious urination at the end of the attack, and a slight increase in body temperature. Prolonged attacks may be accompanied by weakness, discomfort in the heart, and fainting. If there are heart diseases, then angina pectoris, heart failure. Ventricular tachycardia is less common and is most often associated with heart disease. It leads to impaired blood supply to organs, as well as heart failure. Ventricular tachycardia may be a precursor to ventricular fibrillation.

With heart block, irregular contractions may occur, in particular, “dropout” of individual impulses or a significant slowdown in heart rate. These symptoms may be accompanied by dizziness or fainting due to decreased cardiac output.

Dyspnea

With heart disease, shortness of breath can manifest itself in the early stages. This symptom occurs with heart failure: the heart does not work at full capacity and does not pump the required amount of blood through the blood vessels. Most often, heart failure develops as a result of atherosclerosis (deposits of atherosclerotic plaques in blood vessels). In the case of a mild form of the disease, shortness of breath is disturbing during intense physical activity. In severe cases, shortness of breath also occurs at rest.

The appearance of shortness of breath may be associated with stagnation of blood in the pulmonary circulation or cerebrovascular accident.

Sometimes cardiac dyspnea is difficult to distinguish from shortness of breath accompanying lung diseases. Both cardiac and pulmonary shortness of breath may worsen at night when a person goes to bed.

In case of heart failure, fluid retention in the body tissues is possible as a result of slowing blood flow, which can cause pulmonary edema and threaten the patient’s life.

Severe obesity, which increases the weight of the chest wall, significantly increases the load on the muscles involved in the breathing process. This pathology leads to shortness of breath, which correlates with physical activity. Since obesity is a risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease and contributes to the formation of blood clots in the veins of the legs with subsequent pulmonary embolism, it is possible to associate shortness of breath only with obesity only if these diseases are excluded.

Detraining plays an important role in finding the causes of shortness of breath in the modern world. Shortness of breath is experienced not only by sick people, but also by healthy people who lead an inactive lifestyle. During heavy physical activity, even a normally functioning left ventricle in such people cannot manage to pump all the blood entering it into the aorta, which ultimately leads to stagnation in the pulmonary circulation and shortness of breath.

One of the symptoms of neurotic conditions is psychogenic shortness of breath, which is easy to distinguish from cardiac shortness of breath. People suffering from cardiac neurosis experience difficulty breathing: they constantly lack air, and therefore they are forced to periodically take deep breaths. Such patients are characterized by shallow breathing, dizziness and general weakness. Such breathing disorders are purely neurogenic in nature and are in no way associated with shortness of breath, characteristic of cardiac or pulmonary diseases.

When making a diagnosis, the doctor can easily distinguish psychogenic shortness of breath from cardiac shortness of breath. However, difficulties often arise in the differential diagnosis of psychogenic dyspnea, which differs from the dyspnea characteristic of pulmonary embolism. It is important not to miss mediastinal tumor and primary pulmonary hypertension. In this case, the diagnosis is made by exclusion after a thorough examination of the patient.

To accurately determine the nature of discomfort in the chest, as well as shortness of breath, they resort to bicycle ergometry or Holter ECG monitoring. A high degree of efficiency in identifying pathologies in the work of the heart can be achieved using a computer system for screening analysis of dispersion changes in the ECG signal, which is offered by the project site.

Edema

The main reason for the appearance of edema is an increase in pressure in the venous capillaries. This is facilitated by reasons such as impaired renal function and increased permeability of vascular walls. If the swelling is mainly in the ankles, this may indicate heart failure.

Cardiac edema will differ between ambulatory and recumbent patients, as it is associated with the movement of interstitial fluid under the influence of gravity. Walking patients are characterized by swelling of the lower leg, which increases in the evening and subsides in the morning, after sleep. With further accumulation of fluid, it spreads upward, and patients experience swelling in the hips, then the lower back and abdominal wall. In severe cases, swelling spreads to the subcutaneous tissue of the chest wall, arms and face.

In bedridden patients, excess fluid usually first accumulates in the lower back and sacral area. Therefore, patients with suspected heart failure must be turned onto their stomach.

Bilateral symmetrical swelling of the legs, usually appearing after a long stay on one's feet, accompanied by shortness of breath, rapid pulse and wheezing in the lungs, may be a consequence of acute or chronic heart failure. Such swelling, as a rule, spreads from bottom to top and intensifies towards the end of the day. Asymmetrical swelling of the legs occurs with phlebothrombosis - the most common cause of pulmonary embolism, which can lead to overload of the right ventricle.

There are several ways to determine whether your legs are swollen. Firstly, after removing clothes, in places where they are pinched, for example, by the elastic bands of socks, there are pits that do not go away immediately. Secondly, within 30 seconds after pressing with a finger on the front surface of the leg, at the place where the bone is closest to the surface of the skin, even with slight swelling, a “pit” remains, which does not go away for a very long time. To accurately determine the cause of swelling, you need to visit a therapist. He will be able to determine which specialist should be contacted first.

Discoloration of the skin (pallor, cyanosis)

Pallor is most often observed with anemia, vasospasm, severe rheumatic carditis (inflammatory damage to the heart due to rheumatism), and aortic valve insufficiency.

Blueness (cyanosis) of the lips, cheeks, nose, earlobes and limbs is observed in severe degrees of pulmonary heart failure.

Headaches and dizziness

These symptoms very often accompany diseases associated with disorders of the heart and blood vessels. The main reason for this response from the body is that the brain does not receive the required amount of blood, and therefore there is not sufficient oxygen supply to the brain. In addition, cells are poisoned by decay products that are not taken from the brain by blood in a timely manner.

A headache, especially a throbbing one, may indicate increased blood pressure. However, in other cases it can be asymptomatic. Increased pressure must be treated, as it can lead to myocardial infarction and sometimes stroke.

Inflammatory processes (myocarditis, pericarditis, endocarditis) and myocardial infarction are accompanied by an increase in temperature, sometimes fever.

Problems with the heart may also be indicated by poor sleep, clammy sweat, anxiety, nausea and discomfort in the chest when lying on the left side, as well as a feeling of weakness and increased fatigue of the body.

When you first suspect the existence of problems associated with the functioning of the heart, you should not wait for visible symptoms to appear, since many diseases of the cardiovascular system begin with a person’s feeling that “something is wrong” in the body "

Everyone should remember the need for early diagnosis, because it is no secret that the earlier the disease is detected, the easier and with the least risk to the patient’s life the treatment will be completed.

One of the most effective means of early detection of cardiovascular diseases is the use of a cardiovisor, since when processing ECG data, a new patented method for analyzing microalterations (microscopic tremors) of the ECG signal is used, which makes it possible to identify deviations from the norm in the functioning of the heart in the early stages of the disease.

It is well known that the disease often develops, one might say, completely unnoticed by the patient and is detected only during examination by a cardiologist. This fact indicates the need for preventive visits to a cardiologist at least once a year. In this case, it is necessary to study the ECG results. If, when examining a patient, a cardiologist will have the opportunity to analyze the results of an electrocardiogram taken immediately upon the occurrence of symptoms of cardiovascular diseases, then the likelihood of making a correct diagnosis, and therefore of carrying out the correct treatment, will increase significantly.

Rostislav Zhadeiko, especially for the project.

Angina pectoris is included in the concept of coronary heart disease along with myocardial infarction and cardiosclerosis.

The disease develops when the heart muscle does not receive enough blood, nutrients and experiences oxygen starvation. A sharp pain appears in the chest (“the cry of the starving myocardium”), lasting several minutes. The pain occurs in the form of attacks, often radiating to the left arm, left shoulder, and under the shoulder blade.

Particularly typical for angina pectoris is the appearance of pain after the patient leaves a warm room into the cold. Sometimes an angina attack begins at night (angina at rest). These attacks are considered more dangerous, as they indicate that the disease has already gone far and urgent measures need to be taken.

Angina attacks can be rare (1-2 times a week) or frequent (many times a day). Typically, one of the severe attacks ends with the appearance of a focus of necrosis in the heart muscle (myocardial infarction), followed by the formation of scar tissue in this area.

For angina pectoris, the following medications are used in folk medicine.

Before starting treatment for angina pectoris, it is recommended to carry out three courses of therapeutic fasting for 7 days (followed by a seven-day recovery). If complete fasting is impossible, then you can do a partial fast - during the course, eat only nuts, honey, fruits, root vegetables and vegetables.

Mix equal parts of adonis herb and trifoliate herb. Pour 100 g of the mixture into 1 liter of vodka and leave in a dark place for 21 days. Strain. Drink 20 drops three times a day half an hour before meals.

Mix raisins, dried apricots, prunes and walnut kernels in equal parts. For 1 kg of mixture, add the pulp of one lemon with peel, but without seeds. Add 300 g of liquid honey to the mixture. Take 1 tablespoon three times daily on an empty stomach for ANY heart disease. The medicine strengthens the heart muscle and helps restore normal rhythm.

Healers always advise heart patients to drink tea from tricolor violet flowers. This tea should be drunk constantly, from month to month for a long time.

Mix garlic pulp and honey in equal quantities. Leave in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dark place for 7 days, stirring the contents daily. Take 1 tablespoon three times a day for ischemic heart disease, obliterating endarteritis, varicose veins and atherosclerosis.

Pick lily of the valley flowers and cover with sugar. During an attack of angina, place one pea under the tongue and suck.

- Hawthorn(flowers). Decoction. 2 tablespoons of dried flowers per glass of water. Boil for 5-7 minutes. Strain. Take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day.

Tincture. 10 g of dried flowers per 100 ml of vodka. Leave for 14 days in a dark place. Strain. Drink 25-30 drops three times a day.

- St. John's wort. Pour 2 tablespoons of dry herb with a glass of boiling water and leave for 1 hour. Strain. Drink 50 ml 2-3 times a day.

Tea made from hawthorn fruits is useful (a tablespoon of fruit per glass of water). Boil for 10 minutes, leave for 2 hours, strain. Drink 1 glass three times a day as tea.

- Motherwort. Pour 2 teaspoons of herbs into 500 ml of boiled water and leave for 8 hours in a warm place. Take 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day half an hour before meals.

Mix the alcohol tincture of motherwort with the alcohol tincture of lily of the valley (pharmaceutical preparations) and take 30 drops 2-3 times a day for angina pectoris.

- Stinking cornflower. Tincture (pharmaceutical preparation). Take 25 drops three times a day for angina, hypertension and circulatory disorders.

Prepare the collection: Yarrow - 1 part Valerian (root) - 1 part St. John's wort - 1 part Pour a tablespoon of the collection with a glass of cold water. Leave for 4 hours. Boil for 5 minutes. Leave at room temperature for 2 hours, strain. Drink 1/3 glass three times a day.

Take 1 liter of honey, squeeze or grind 10 medium-sized lemons with skin through a meat grinder, peel 10 heads of garlic (heads, not cloves). Mix everything together and leave for a week in a sealed container. Drink 1 teaspoon 4 times a day, but drink not immediately, but slowly, savoring it, without rushing. Don't miss days. Drink until the medicine runs out - for two months.

The following is considered one of the best ancient recipes for angina pectoris and cardiosclerosis. 10 tablespoons of hawthorn, 5 tablespoons of rose hips (pre-chopped fruits are taken) are placed in a saucepan. Spoons are placed on top. Pour in 2 liters of boiling water. The pan is wrapped warmly and placed in a warm place for 24 hours. Then strain the composition through cheesecloth and begin treatment.

Take 200 g 3 times a day before meals. The medicine is useful for all patients with heart disease. It works especially well after a myocardial infarction.

- Lovage. Boil 50 g of fresh roots for 10 minutes in one liter of water. Leave for 2 hours, strain. Take 1/4 cup 4 times a day. Make a fresh decoction every day.

- Rowan bark Y. Grind 200 g of bark and boil over low heat for 30 minutes in 500 ml of water. Leave for 2 hours, strain. Take 1 tablespoon half an hour before meals three times a day.

- Sunflower flowers. For angina pectoris and cardiosclerosis, as well as for vascular diseases, it is recommended: pour 1 glass of marginal sunflower flowers with 1 liter of water, boil for 5 minutes, leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 150-200 ml three times a day.

-Elecampane tall. 30 g of dry crushed root per 500 ml of vodka. Leave for 14 days. Take 30-40 drops three times a day for cardiosclerosis and angina.

Mix the juice of 2 lemons with the juice of 3 medium-sized aloe leaves. Add 500 g of honey to the mixture and leave in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for 7 days, stirring occasionally. For angina, take 1 tablespoon three times a day on an empty stomach (one hour before meals). Carry out 3-4 courses of treatment with a break of one month.

For rapid heartbeat and pain in the heart area, use the following composition: Valerian root - 2 parts. Motherwort grass -2 parts. Yarrow herb - 1 part. Anise fruits - 1 part. One tablespoon of the mixture is poured into 300 ml of boiling water and left for 1 hour. Take 1/2 cup three to four times a day.

If you are worried about pain in the heart area, put 30-40 drops of valerian tincture into a glass and hold it in your mouth for 1-2 minutes. A mixture of tinctures of valerian root and hawthorn works even better.

Chewing fresh lemon peel daily improves the functioning of the heart muscle.

The famous healer Lyudmila Kim advises rubbing fir oil into the heart area (below the nipple) during an attack of angina. Fir oil should be rubbed into the heart area 3-4 times a day. For one rubbing, 5-6 drops of fir oil are enough.

Pour one tablespoon of lemon balm into 300 ml of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes and drink 1/2 cup three times a day for tachycardia and cardiac neurosis, which often accompany angina.

Before treating angina or other heart diseases (if you are over 50), be sure to undergo treatment using the Tibetan cleansing method (garlic and alcohol. See treatment of atherosclerosis).

Many Russian and foreign authors believe that the cause of heart disease is an improper diet. According to N.V. Walker, “the starch molecule is insoluble in water, alcohol, or ether.” When eating foods containing starch, the blood becomes clogged with starch molecules, and it is much easier for the heart to pump clean blood, so it spends excess energy, quickly gets tired and exhausts its resources prematurely.

Walker believes that the most sustainable way to treat heart disease is a vegetarian diet and consumption of raw vegetable juices. It is advisable to exclude sugar, dairy products and starch from the diet.

People suffering from angina pectoris should constantly take vitamin B15 and eat as much ox liver as possible. Ox blood is also useful for them.

Traditional healer P.V. Karasev recommends the following recipe for heart patients. Grind 50-70 g of stinging nettle and place the resulting mass in a small enamel pan. Add 500 ml of water and after 30 minutes put on fire. Boil for 10 minutes (with the lid open), strain, cool and store in the refrigerator for no more than two days. Take 2 tablespoons of decoction 3 times a day for 15 days. Every five days, take a break from treatment for two to three days.

To achieve the best effect, before the “nettle treatment” you should treat with a decoction of mulberry (mulberry) roots. Grind 200 g of fresh roots, rinse well and pour cold water into an enamel bowl for 1 hour. Then boil for 15 minutes over low heat, cool and strain.

Take 1/3 cup three times a day half an hour before meals. Take the decoction in courses of three days (five courses).

During an attack of angina (if there is no nitroglycerin), you can chew and swallow a small clove of garlic. The pain is relieved after 20-30 minutes.

V. Tishchenko recommends the following recipe for patients with angina pectoris. Mix 5 tablespoons of finely chopped pine or spruce needles with 3 tablespoons of chopped rose hips and 2 tablespoons of onion peels. Pour the mixture into 700 ml of water, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Leave overnight, wrapped in something warm. Strain and drink 1.5-2 liters per day instead of water.

Treatment is carried out for 4 months. If the kidneys are not bothered, then onion skins can be omitted.

Myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction is necrosis of an area of ​​cardiac tissue. There is a close relationship between angina and myocardial infarction; If in case of angina pectoris the disruption of blood supply to the heart muscle is a short-term and reversible process, then in case of myocardial infarction the process is already irreversible and persistent. Over time, part of the heart muscle tissue is replaced by scar (connective), which leads to a significant deterioration in heart function.

The main cause of myocardial infarction is atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries (in 95% of cases). Factors that provoke the development of the disease are: nervous overstrain or strong emotional impact, physical overexertion - heavy muscular work, fast walking.

Smoking contributes to the development of the disease, as does overloading the stomach with rich food, especially fatty foods, as well as drinking alcohol.

Myocardial infarction can develop for various reasons. The first and most important cause of the disease is an organic narrowing of the lumen of the coronary artery or its large branches at any segment due to the development of the atherosclerotic process.

Another reason is coronary artery spasm, i.e. pathological temporary contraction of the vessel walls and cessation of nutrition to a certain area of ​​the heart muscle.

The third important cause of a heart attack is the formation of a blood clot in the coronary arteries. The tendency to thrombosis is caused by such factors as narrowing of the vessel due to the formed atherosclerotic plaques, disruption of the smooth surface of the inner wall of the vessel, changes in the body's anticoagulant system.

An important reason contributing to the occurrence of myocardial infarction is the state of collateral (auxiliary) circulation. The less developed the auxiliary vessels that supply the heart muscle, the greater the risk of myocardial infarction. Since collateral circulation is well developed in people involved in sports, athletes have much less chance of having a heart attack than untrained people. Currently, people have the concept of “running away from a heart attack,” which means jogging every day.

Myocardial infarction in 90% of cases begins with severe pain. Pain appears in the heart area, as well as behind the sternum and sometimes covers the entire chest. The patient feels as if he has a hot iron lying in his chest area.

The pain during myocardial infarction is very intense (“tearing”) in nature and can be so strong that the patient loses consciousness and shock occurs: pallor, cold sweat appear, and blood pressure drops sharply. If during an attack of angina the pain can be relieved with nitroglycerin or validol, then during a myocardial infarction these drugs are powerless.

In rare cases, myocardial infarction develops without pain and immediately manifests itself as symptoms of cardiovascular failure. This is more often observed in elderly and elderly patients who have suffered from myocardial damage due to cardiosclerosis for more or less a long time. This option is also often found with repeated myocardial infarctions.

After the attack of acute pain passes, the patient’s condition improves somewhat, but after two or three days signs of circulatory disorders appear. These include primarily cardiogenic collapse, cardiac asthma and pulmonary edema.

Cardiogenic collapse is characterized by a sharp drop in blood pressure and the appearance of a weak, rapid pulse. The patient is covered in cold sweat, he develops shortness of breath and blue lips (cyanosis).

With pulmonary edema, pulmonary symptoms come to the fore - suffocation, cough with the release of foamy pink sputum, severe weakness.

If myocardial infarction affects the right heart (right half), then the patient experiences congestive enlargement of the liver.

If myocardial infarction does not end in the death of the patient, then later part of the cardiac tissue at the site of necrosis is replaced by connective scar tissue. This tissue is not working, and therefore the patient subsequently develops chronic heart failure.

Treatment plants in acute myocardial infarction can only be auxiliary. Extracts, decoctions, and infusions of various medicinal herbs can only complement or temporarily replace the effect of chemical medications. For example, the auxiliary therapeutic effect of hawthorn preparations will be that it has a vasodilator, calming effect and lowers blood pressure.

Motherwort preparations reduce blood pressure and have a calming effect.

Flowers and leaves of lily of the valley and adonis also have a weak cardiotonic effect and have a beneficial effect on the patient’s condition.

In addition to the above, the following plants are used in the acute stage of myocardial infarction: arnica montana (inflorescences), astragalus wooliflora (herb or flowers), valerian root, melilot herb, leaves of the trifoliate, rhizome of elecampane, strawberry flowers and leaves, shoots of wild rosemary, flowers meadow clover, horse chestnut flowers, meadowsweet grass, cuff leaves, lemon balm and peppermint herbs, Crimean rose flower petals, dill (whole plant), fennel fruits, dandelion root, cinnamon rose hips, corn silk, mother leaves and-stepmother, sandy immortelle flowers, marsh cudweed grass, oregano grass, white willow grass, angustifolia leaves, rowan fruits, raspberry shoots, common chicory root, large burdock root, common chicory root, St. John's wort herb, oat straw, Baikal skullcap rhizome, fragrant rue herb, lavender flowers and herb, viburnum flowers, sage herb, broadleaf linden flowers, carrot roots, cranberry fruits, garlic and onions (the whole plant).

In addition to medications from official medicine, in the acute period of myocardial infarction (under the supervision of the attending physician), the patient can be given the following composition:

Horsetail - 2 parts Polygonum grass - 3 parts Hawthorn flowers - 5 parts Two parts of the mixture are poured into 400 ml of boiling water and left for 1 hour. Strain. Drink 1/3 glass for heart weakness.

Sweet clover herb Clover flowers Hawthorn fruits Valerian rhizomes Meadowsweet herb Melissa leaves Fireweed leaves Rose flower petals Take equal amounts of everything and mix. Take 1 tablespoon of the mixture with 300 ml of water and heat in a water bath in a sealed container for 15 minutes. Leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 1/3 cup 3-4 times a day.

Valerian root - 1 part Melissa leaf - 1 part Yarrow herb - 1 part Anise fruit - 2 parts Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture with a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour. Strain. Drink 1/3 cup in small sips 3-4 times a day for heart weakness.

Sweet clover grass Elecampane rhizome Shoots of wild rosemary Dill grass Immortelle flowers Celandine grass Oregano grass Take everything equally and chop. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into a glass of boiling water, boil for 2-3 minutes.

Leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 1/4 cup warm after meals.

Polygonum grass - 3 parts Hawthorn flowers - 5 parts Horsetail grass - 2 parts Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into a thermos with a glass of boiling water. Leave overnight, strain. Drink 1/3 glass three to four times a day for palpitations, insomnia, and irritability.

Watch leaves Hawthorn flowers Clover flowers Meadowsweet herb Oregano herb Dandelion root Peppermint leaves Elecampane rhizome Sage herb Celandine herb Mix everything, grind into powder. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water and simmer over low heat for 3 minutes. Leave for 1 hour. Strain. Take 1/3 cup three times a day warm after meals.

Polygonum grass -15 g Horsetail grass -10 g Hawthorn flowers -25 g Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water, leave for 1 hour in a warm place, strain. Drink during the day in 5-6 doses for cardiac weakness.

Marsh cudweed herb - 15 g Hawthorn flowers - 15 g Motherwort herb - 15 g Chamomile flowers - 5 g Pour a tablespoon of the mixture with a glass of boiling water and leave overnight. Strain. Take 1/2 cup three times a day after meals for heart weakness, pain in the heart and shortness of breath.

After the acute symptoms in a patient with myocardial infarction pass and his condition improves, you can switch to herbal infusions of a different composition.

Leaves of the sorrel Leaves of the three-leaved watch Lemon balm leaves Rowan fruits Take everything equally, chop and stir. Pour 2 teaspoons of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water and leave in a warm place for 2 hours. Strain. Take in three doses throughout the day.

Hawthorn flowers Dill fruits Oat straw Linden flowers Calendula flowers Preparation and use as in the previous recipe.

Peppermint herb Sweet clover herb Viburnum flowers Marsh cudweed herb Take equal amounts of everything, chop and mix. Pour 1 tablespoon of powdered collection into 300 ml of water and leave in a thermos for three hours. Strain. Drink 50 ml 3-4 times a day half an hour before meals.

Lily of the valley leaves Meadowsweet herb Rose hips Oregano herb Dandelion root Preparation and use as in the previous recipe.

Calendula flowers Sandy immortelle flowers Coltsfoot leaves Valerian rhizome Angelica rhizome White willow bark Sage herb Lavender herb Chop and mix everything. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water and leave in a thermos overnight. Strain. Take 1/3 cup 3-4 times a day an hour before meals.

Clover flowers Hawthorn fruits St. John's wort Herb White willow bark Fennel fruits Pour 1 tablespoon of chopped collection into 300 ml of boiling water and heat in a water bath for 15 minutes. Cool for an hour at room temperature, strain. Take everything warm three to four times.

For the treatment of myocardial infarction (not in the acute stage!) traditional medicine also recommends the following herbal remedies.

Tree hazel(hazel). Hazel preparations dilate the blood vessels of the heart and are therefore indicated for all types of coronary disease. Tinctures and infusions of common hazel lower blood pressure, act on the nervous system as a sedative and enhance the effect of painkillers for myocardial infarction and angina.

Hazel leaves and bark are also used in folk medicine as a good remedy for the treatment of hypertension and prostate adenoma in men.

Infusion. A tablespoon of crushed and dried leaves or bark is poured into a glass of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour in a warm place. Drink 2 tablespoons three to four times a day.

Parsnips. Parsnip preparations are a good antispasmodic, and also gently lower blood pressure and dilate the blood vessels of the heart.

Root vegetables and parsnip seeds serve as medicinal raw materials. Furocumorin tablets are prepared from them, which are taken for coronary heart disease (1 tablet 4 times a day).

Preparations for external use (xanthorin and beroxan) are used to treat vitiligo.

Olive. Infusions and decoctions of olive leaves are used in folk medicine as a coronary dilator and antiarrhythmic agent. The oil extracted from the fruit is an excellent choleretic agent.

Extracts from olive leaves have a pronounced hypotensive effect.

Tincture. 100 g of buds along with leaves are poured into 300 ml of 96% alcohol. Leave for 7 days in a dark and warm place. Strain. Drink 30 drops 3-4 times a day for coronary heart disease, hypertension and atherosclerosis.

Infusion. Pour 2 tablespoons of dried and crushed leaves with buds into 300 ml of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 1/3 glass 3-4 times a day.

- Carrot juice. All patients who have suffered a myocardial infarction are recommended to drink 1/2 cup of carrot juice with 1 teaspoon of sunflower oil daily.

Take 10 g of fresh leafy parsley stems, chop and pour 1 liter of white or red natural grape wine, add 2 tablespoons of wine vinegar and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Then add 300 g of honey to the mixture and boil for another 5 minutes. Pour into bottles while hot, seal and keep in the refrigerator after cooling. Take 1-3 tablespoons per day for all heart diseases as a general tonic.

Prepare a mixture: 125 g of chopped figs, 250 g of ground lemons without seeds (but with skin), 250 g of honey and 50 g of vodka. Stir everything with a wooden spoon and store in the refrigerator. Take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day as a general tonic for all heart diseases.

Dissolve a tablespoon of honey and the juice of half a lemon in a glass of birch sap. Drink in one dose in small sips in the morning on an empty stomach for hypertension, dropsy, cardiac edema, insomnia.

Pour 100 g of dry crushed St. John's wort herb into 2 liters of water. Boil over low heat for 10 minutes, leave for 1 hour at room temperature, strain. Add 200 g honey and mix. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Take 1/3 cup three times a day when cardiac activity weakens.

For heart pain due to coronary artery disease, as well as after a myocardial infarction, traditional medicine recommends using the following composition: 5 heads of garlic, five lemons with peel, 0.5 kg of honey. Grind everything in a meat grinder, mix with honey, leave for 7 days. Take 1 tablespoon three times a day on an empty stomach. The course of treatment is 2 months. The remedy is one of the best after myocardial infarction and for persistent ischemic disease.

For a weakened heart or interruptions in its functioning, traditional medicine recommends using peppermint. Pour a teaspoon of dry crushed leaves into a glass of boiling water and leave for 1 hour. Strain. Drink 1 glass in the morning on an empty stomach for a long time. Do not take breaks in treatment for six months.

To prevent myocardial infarction and stroke, fresh irgi fruits, as well as infusions and decoctions of them and irgi leaves with buds, are useful.

For heart disease, a potato diet is useful: the patient is given up to 1 kg of boiled unsalted potatoes (5-6 doses of 200 g each) during the day. To improve the taste, you can add freshly prepared yogurt to potatoes.

For pain in the heart, coronary disease, hypertension and palpitations, the leaves of the North Caucasus people are used magnolia grandiflora. Pour 100 g of fresh crushed magnolia leaves with 500 vodka or alcohol and leave in a dark place for 7 days, shaking the contents periodically. Strain. Take 20 drops with water 2-3 times a day.

For angina pectoris, heart weakness after a myocardial infarction, for hypertension and chronic heart failure, take astragalus fusiflora. Pour 100 g of fresh chopped astragalus herb into 1 liter of dry white wine, leave in a cool, dark place for three weeks, shaking occasionally, strain. Take 1 tablespoon three times a day before meals.

Here is what advice the famous healer Irina Vasilyeva gives to her heart patients:

1. Get your kidneys, lungs, intestines and liver in order.

2. Learn to limit the depth of your breathing. Develop the habit of reducing the depth of breathing and tensing your stomach in case of danger. Practice while lying in bed. This simple technique helps remarkably and does not give any bad consequences. In addition, you need to learn to avoid stress. Master auto-training!

3. For severe heart pain, take half a capful of any infusion of valerian root into your mouth. A mixture of valerian with hawthorn and Zelenin drops work very well. Do not swallow immediately, keep it in your mouth for 5-10 minutes, then swallow. During this time, you will have time to stick out your stomach, reduce your breathing and massage the heart meridian.

4. The external course of the heart meridian begins in the armpit, passes along the ulnar side of the shoulder and forearm along both the left and right arm, then along the ulnar edge of the hand and ends at the nail of the little finger. The direction of flow in the meridian is from the shoulder to the little finger. It is very useful to rub the meridian from the elbow to the little finger, with force until the hand becomes hot. Try it now! To do this, roll up your sleeves and rub the ulnar edge of your forearm and hand until warm, first on your left and then on your right hand. Now find the pulse on your wrist and count your heart rate. If the heart beats quickly and strongly, it needs to be calmed. To do this, massage the area of ​​the wrist between the first and second folds slowly and firmly. If the pulse is rare and weak, the heart needs to be toned. To do this, quickly and lightly squeeze the very tip of your little finger at the elbow. Be careful. Tighten your throat. Blood pressure may rise.

5. Place your right palm under your left chest on your heart. Cover your eyes. Think about your heart with gratitude. Thank him for his work, reassure him, stroke him, pressing his palm more tightly to his chest, with light circular movements, so that the skin moves. Say a kind word to your heart and wish it good luck. Wish it - with passion, with confidence: as you say, so it will be! - love and peace.

Talk to your heart and help it constantly.

6. In the morning, soak a cotton ball in valerian infusion and wear it on your chest all day. You can wear valerian root and a clove of garlic on your chest in a special bag. You can prepare yourself a medicine for the whole day in the morning: take a piece of bread the size of your finger. Cut it into 4 parts and add 2-4 drops of valerian infusion to each. Every four hours, put a piece in your mouth. Chew and hold in your mouth for a few minutes, then swallow.

This must be done until any cardiac problems disappear completely."

To protect against heart disease, the Bulgarian healer Vanga recommends that every person drink tea from blue hawthorn flowers four times a year for 4 days.

Patients with acute myocardial infarction require urgent hospitalization and treatment in a hospital setting. In the first days of treatment, the main emphasis is on medications and therapeutic exercises. Among medicinal plants, only those with calming and coronary dilating properties are used.

The role of medicinal plants increases significantly during the recovery period of treatment, which begins from the third to fourth week of illness. The recovery period (rehabilitation) of post-infarction patients takes a long time, and, of course, the patient cannot be kept only on pharmaceutical drugs all this time. The method of using medicinal plants is almost the same as for chronic heart failure and angina.

Cardiosclerosis

With this disease, scar connective tissue develops in the heart muscle due to inflammatory (myocarditis) or atherosclerotic processes.

The main symptoms of cardiosclerosis are heart failure, impaired contractility of the heart, rhythm and conduction disturbances. Patients complain of rapid fatigue, spasmodic or aching pain in the heart area, periodic palpitations (sometimes the heart rate can reach 200 beats per minute).

Atherosclerotic cardiosclerosis usually has a progressive course, although periods of relative improvement are possible. New acute disturbances of the coronary circulation, especially repeated myocardial infarctions, cause deterioration of the condition. There are painless forms of cardiosclerosis. In such cases, the disease manifests itself as rhythm or conduction disturbances, an increase in heart size, and signs of cardiac weakness (shortness of breath, swelling, etc.).

Cardiosclerosis is most often a type of general atherosclerosis. This is atherosclerosis with predominant damage to the vessels of the heart. Therefore, the treatment of cardiosclerosis and atherosclerosis is almost no different from each other. The only difference in treatment is that with cardiosclerosis, the main emphasis in treatment falls on the use of medications that relieve heart pain and arrhythmias.

- Onion And Garlic. For coronary heart disease, use in any form daily and continuously.

Infusions and decoctions of flowers and fruits hawthorn(especially when mixed with rose hips 1:1) are one of the best remedies for coronary artery disease.

- Lily of the valley flowers and leaves. Infusion. 1 tablespoon of dried flowers per 300 ml of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour, take 1/3 cup three times a day.

- Motherwort. For coronary heart disease, take infusions and decoctions of motherwort leaves and flowers.

- Hazel. In Bulgarian folk medicine, it is recommended to use hazel leaves and bark to treat hypertension, coronary artery disease, and also for prostate enlargement.

The raw materials are used for infusion. Pour a tablespoon of crushed and dried leaves or bark into a glass of boiling water. Leave for 2 hours. Drink 2 tablespoons 3-4 times a day.

- Hawthorn prickly. Flowers, leaves and fruits are used for treatment. Recently, the fruits have been used less frequently. From dried flowers or leaves, pour 2 tablespoons of boiling water to 0.5 liters and leave for two hours. Strain and drink a glass 3 times a day half an hour before meals.

Rheumatism

Rheumatism is an infectious-allergic disease that affects connective tissue, joints, and the heart. The impetus for the onset of the rheumatic process can be chronic foci of infection in the body: carious teeth, chronic tonsillitis and other sluggish diseases.

In 90% of cases, rheumatism occurs at a young age, while in old and senile age, health workers and healers mainly have to deal with the consequences and complications of the rheumatic process that began in youth. Doctors say that rheumatism “licks the joints and bites the heart.” Indeed, the main changes in the body occur precisely in these organs. Patients complain of constant or periodic (due to the weather) pain in the joints, impaired mobility, deformation and redness.

Many scientists believe that the cause of joint pain in rheumatism is an excess of uric acid in the body. This acid is given in large quantities by meat and meat products. When treating rheumatism, you need to give up meat food for many years and switch to vegetarian food, mainly raw vegetables and fruits. Treatment of rheumatism should begin with a thorough cleansing of the body and mandatory fasting in order to free the body from accumulated toxins. It must be remembered that cleansing the body is the first step leading to recovery.

The heart is affected in almost all cases of rheumatism. After the inflammatory process, the heart valves do not close completely, which leads to a weakening of its function. With each rheumatic attack, this situation worsens, the closure of the valves becomes more and more incomplete, and the defect progresses. The mitral valve is most often affected by rheumatism.

In old age, atherosclerotic changes (atherosclerotic plaques) in the mitral valve and heart muscle are added to inflammatory lesions of the mitral valve, which further aggravates the disease and leads to the development of chronic cardiopulmonary failure.

One of the very first signs of the onset of a rheumatic process is an increase in temperature to 38-39 degrees. An increase in temperature is accompanied by weakness and increased sweating. During this period, diagnosis of the disease is often difficult, and the patient is usually treated for acute respiratory infections, tonsillitis or chronic tonsillitis. But after a week or a little more the patient begins to complain of pain in the joints. The intensity of pain varies.

Sometimes the pain can be so severe that the patient can hardly move. More often, the pain is not too intense, and the patient considers it a manifestation of a general cold. Rheumatism mainly affects large joints: knees, elbows, ankles, and shoulders. The volatility of the pain is characteristic: first they arise in some joints, then move to others, thirds, etc. In very rare cases, the pain is concentrated in only one of the joints.

When examining the affected joints, one can note their swelling, redness, pain when palpated, and difficulty in active and passive movements.

Changes in the heart do not appear immediately. These changes can only be detected with a special study (ECG, etc.), and, unfortunately, this often occurs only after the formation of rheumatic endocarditis.

Prevention Rheumatic endocarditis is determined by the general prevention of rheumatism and consists of the following points.

1. Timely treatment of sore throat, especially if it tends to recur, chronic tonsillitis and other foci of streptococcal infection in the body (carious teeth, sinusitis, otitis media, etc.).

2. If, despite the treatment, the patient is subject to frequent exacerbations of chronic tonsillitis, surgical removal of the tonsils is indicated.

3. Hardening the body.

4. Timely and correct treatment of rheumatism in the acute period.

Treatment of rheumatism with folk remedies

- yellow acacia- tincture of twigs with leaves. For 30 g of raw materials 200 g of vodka. Leave for 10 days, strain. Take 20 drops three times a day with water.

- Dandelion "officinalis". Grind yellow dandelion flowers, add the same amount of sugar, mix well and put in a cold place for 10 days. After ten days, squeeze out the mixture, strain and put it in the refrigerator again. Take 1 tablespoon 30 minutes before meals. Dandelion stems (collected during flowering) are useful to add to salads, okroshka and main courses.

- Green tea J. For rheumatism and other joint diseases, green tea is brewed at the rate of 1.5 g per liter of boiling water. Drink 1 glass 2-3 times a day.

Tea with apple cider vinegar and honey is useful for rheumatism, gout, joint and muscle pain (for 200 ml of boiling water, 1 teaspoon of honey and 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar). Drink twice a day.

Alfalfa tea is useful for all joint diseases. Has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Tea with raspberries (30 g per 200 ml of boiling water). Take 2 glasses at night for chronic rheumatism.

- Bergenia thickleaf. Pour 1 tablespoon of chopped roots with a glass of boiling water, boil for 10 minutes over low heat, strain. For articular rheumatism, take 1 tablespoon three times a day.

Pour 100 g of lingonberry leaves into 2.5 liters of boiling water, leave for two hours, strain. Add 250 ml of vodka to the infusion and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes (do not bring to a boil). Take 100 g three times a day half an hour before meals. Take for six months (for polyarthritis, drink until movement in the joints becomes free). The infusion is taken for rheumatism, polyarthritis, kidney stones and bladder stones.

- Bearberry(bear berry). Pour 1 teaspoon of herb into a glass of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 1 glass 2-3 times a day.

- Smooth elm. 20 g of bark is poured into 300 ml of boiling water and boiled for 10 minutes over low heat. Leave for 3 hours in a warm place. Drink 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day for chronic rheumatism and gout.

- Bean fruit flaps. Pour 4 tablespoons of bean leaves with 1 liter of boiling water and simmer over low heat for 3 hours. Leave for 2 hours, strain. Drink 100 ml 1-2 times a day for rheumatism and gout.

- Common cocklebur. 1 tablespoon of herb per glass of boiling water. Boil for 3 minutes, strain. Take 1 tablespoon 4-5 times a day for rheumatism.

- Rose hip root. Pour 2 cups of crushed rosehip roots into 500 ml of vodka. Leave for 14 days in a dark place. Strain. For the first three days, take 1 tablespoon three times a day, then 30 ml three times a day before meals.

- Burdock. Root decoction. Pour 3 tablespoons of crushed roots into two cups of boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes over low heat, leave for 2 hours in a warm place, strain. Take 2 tablespoons three times a day. The squeezed out thick mass can be used externally in the form of compresses and poultices (hot).

Tincture of roots. Pour 200 g of fresh roots (first year of life) into 1 liter of vodka. Leave for 14 days in a warm place, shaking daily. Strain. Drink according to the scheme - from one drop to 10 and back, adding or subtracting one drop daily. Drink for 2 months. After a 10-day break, repeat the course of treatment again. The tincture can be used for external use for gout and rheumatism (compresses, rubbing).

Alcohol tincture of garlic is drunk 30 drops three times a day for joint diseases. The course of treatment is 1 month.

- Common dogwood. Dogwood fruits are useful for rheumatism in any form.

Many healers, after a course of treatment with hay dust, advised drinking a tincture of sarsaparilla root. To do this, pour 100 g of root with two liters of good grape wine. Infuse in a warm room for 14 days, shaking daily. Drink 1 glass three times a day. Healers believed that the healing power of the tincture was enormous; in the old days, even syphilis was treated with it.

- Gryzhnik naked. Pour 50 g of hernia herb into 1 liter of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 100 ml for arthritis, gout, rheumatism.

- Shepherd's Purse. Pour three tablespoons of dry herb into two glasses of boiling water and leave in a thermos overnight. Strain. Drink the infusion throughout the day.

- Oregano. Preparation and use of the infusion as in the previous recipe.

- Fragrant violet. Pour one teaspoon of herb into a glass of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 3 tablespoons three times a day. The healing effect of violet is enhanced if it is used in a mixture with bean leaves, corn silk or birch buds (all taken in a 1:1 ratio).

For patients suffering from articular rheumatism, it is very good to drink carrot and celery juice in the ratio: 300 g of celery juice and 700 g of carrot juice.

- Tatarnik prickly J. Powder from tartar leaves (without thorns) is taken for joint diseases, 1 teaspoon three times a day for a month.

Fresh fruits blueberries in large quantities they help with all joint pains.

- Elecampane tall. Mix 20 g of elecampane roots with 200 g of burdock roots and pour 2 cups of boiling water over the mixture. Boil for 10 minutes, leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 2 tablespoons three times a day half an hour before meals. The course of treatment is two months.

- Geneva's tenacious. Pour two teaspoons of boiling water into a glass, leave in a warm place for two hours, strain. Take 1 tablespoon three times a day for rheumatism.

- Moss clubmoss. Pour 1 teaspoon of herb into 400 ml of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 1 tablespoon three times a day.

- Tansy. 20 g of flower baskets per 200 ml of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 1 tablespoon three times a day.

Finely chopped apples pour boiling water over it, leave for 3-4 hours and drink for all joint diseases, as well as cough and hoarseness.

- Dogwood. Boil 1 teaspoon of roots in a glass of water for 15 minutes. Leave in a thermos for two hours, strain. Take two tablespoons three to four times a day for rheumatism.

- Daisy. Pour 1.5 tablespoons of the herb into a glass of boiling water and leave overnight in a warm place. Drink 1/3 glass three times a day.

For all joint diseases, drink oatmeal broth and broth from potato peelings or potatoes boiled in their jackets.

- Yarrow. Pour 1 teaspoon of herb into a glass of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 1/3 glass three times a day before meals.

- Air. Powder from calamus rhizomes is taken as a painkiller for rheumatism, gout and arthritis, 2 g three times a day.

- Wintergreen large-leaved. Two teaspoons of dry leaves per glass of boiling water. Leave in a sealed container for two hours, strain. Drink 2 tablespoons three times a day.

- Ephedra(Kuzmicheva grass). Pour 20 g of dried herb into three cups of boiling water, simmer until halfway over low heat, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 2 tablespoons three times a day before meals. The course of treatment is up to three months. Kuzmicheva grass is considered one of the best antirheumatic remedies in Russian folk medicine.

- Sea ​​buckthorn. Pour 500 ml of boiling water over 1 tablespoon of fruit and 1 tablespoon of dry leaves. Boil in a water bath for 15 minutes, cool at room temperature, strain. Drink 150 ml three times a day.

Berries Black elderberry consumed without restriction. They help with rheumatism, gout, arthritis, sciatica and especially with various neuralgia.

- Borage officinalis Pour 3 g of dried flowers or 10 g of leaves with a glass of boiling water, leave overnight in a warm place, strain. Add sugar or honey to taste and take 1 tablespoon for rheumatic pain.

Knotweed (knotweed). Pour 2 tablespoons of dry herb into 500 ml of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 1 glass three times a day before meals.

Fruit decoction horse chestnut taken orally, and the tincture of fruits or flowers and leaves is used for rubbing.

- Common barberry. Tincture (pharmaceutical preparation). Take 30 drops three times a day.

Ripe berries Red rowan put in a glass bowl and pour slightly warmed honey in a 1:1 ratio. Leave for 1 month, strain and add the same amount of water to the resulting infusion. Use 30-40 g 4 times a day.

Napar from Celery. Pour 100 g of celery along with the root with water and cook until one glass remains. Strain. Drink this portion in three doses throughout the day. You need to prepare a fresh drink every day and drink until the disease passes.

- Pine nut shells. Boil 1 cup of shell over low heat in 1 liter of water for two hours. Leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 1/2 glass three to four times a day.

You can make a tincture from pine nuts (1 glass of shell per 500 ml of vodka), which is taken 30 drops three times a day.

- Clover red. Pour 20 g of dried inflorescences into 300 ml of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 1/2 glass three times a day for prolonged rheumatism.

For joint pain, take tinctures of calamus rhizome or St. John's wort, rue officinalis, violet or celandine juice.

- Wormwood. Pour 1 teaspoon of herb into two glasses of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 2 tablespoons with honey three times a day 20 minutes before meals.

An infusion of young shoots and leaves of real Lingonberry. Fill the bottle 1/3 with lingonberries and top up with alcohol. Leave in a warm place for 12 days. Drink 50 ml twice a day.

- Physalis vulgaris(fruit). Take 10-12 fresh fruits daily for gout and articular rheumatism. A decoction is prepared from dried fruits: 20 g of dry berries are boiled in 500 ml of water for 10 minutes. Leave for 1 hour. Take 1/4 cup 4-5 times a day.

A decoction of cherries in milk is useful for joint inflammation.

- Creeping wheatgrass. Pour two tablespoons of chopped rhizomes into 300 ml of boiling water, simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 1/3 cup three times a day half an hour before meals. After pressing, the rhizomes can be used for hot compresses and poultices.

Fresh wheatgrass juice is used to treat rheumatism and joint diseases. To obtain juice, cut plant stems are washed well in running water, scalded with boiling water, passed through a meat grinder and diluted with hot water in a ratio of 1:3. The resulting liquid is squeezed out through a thick cloth and boiled for 2-3 minutes. Take 1/3 cup three times a day half an hour before meals. - Drink the juice of one lemon every day on an empty stomach, adding 1/4 cup of hot water.

Fees for rheumatism

Prepare the collection:

Oregano herb - 1 part Coltsfoot leaf - 2 parts Raspberry fruit - 2 parts Pour 2 tablespoons of the mixture with 2 cups of boiling water, boil for 5 minutes, strain. Drink 1/2 cup of hot broth 3-4 times a day.

Prepare the collection:

Buckthorn bark - 2 tbsp. spoons Birch leaves - 8 tbsp. spoons Willow bark - 10 tbsp. spoons Grind everything and mix. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture with a glass of boiling water, leave for 3 hours in a warm place, strain. Drink 2 glasses a day.

An infusion of:

Licorice glabra (root) -40 g Linden cordate (flowers) -60 g Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 3 times a day, 1 glass.

Prepare the collection:

Ledum (herb) Lingonberry (leaf) Chamomile (flowers) Serena (herb) Take equal amounts of everything and chop. Pour the collection into 500 ml of boiling water, boil for 5 minutes, leave for 1 hour. Strain. Drink 1/3 glass three times a day after meals for rheumatism and infectious polyarthritis.

Prepare the collection:

Coltsfoot leaves - 2 parts Raspberry fruits - 2 parts Oregano herb - 1 part Mix and chop everything. Pour two tablespoons of the mixture into 500 ml of boiling water, boil for 10 minutes over low heat, leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 100 ml three times a day hot.

Prepare the collection:

Marsh wild rosemary -25 g Stinging nettle herb -15 g Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture with a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 1/2 cup 4-5 times a day.

Prepare the collection:

Willow bark Elderberry flowers Parsley root Stinging nettle leaves Take everything in equal parts, mix and chop. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into a glass of boiling water, boil for five minutes, leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 100 ml 4 times a day.

Prepare the collection:

Dill fruits - 5 g Seed grass -10 g Calendula inflorescences -10 g Panzeria woolly grass - 10 g Rhizome with valerian roots -5 g Glycyrrhiza root -10 g Mix everything, chop. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into a glass of boiling water, leave overnight in a thermos, strain. Drink 1/2 glass for rheumatic and muscle pain.

Prepare the collection:

Alexandria leaf - 3 tbsp. spoons Dahlia leaves - 5 tbsp. spoons Date pits - 5 pieces Hellebore root - 6 tbsp. spoons Mix everything, chop. Pour the collection with 1 liter of water, simmer over low heat until half the liquid remains. Strain. Drink 30-50 ml twice a day (Chinese way).

Prepare the collection:

Large burdock root Walnut leaves Elecampane root Take equal amounts of everything, mix and chop. Pour 1 tablespoon of the crushed mixture into a glass of boiling water, boil for 10 minutes over low heat in a sealed container, leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 200 ml every three hours.

For articular rheumatic attack, take the following mixture:

Willow bark - 20 g Horsetail grass - 5 g Calendula officinalis flowers - 5 g Juniper fruits - 5 g Buckthorn bark - 5 g Black elderberry flowers - 10 g Stinging nettle leaves - 10 g Mix everything, chop. Pour one tablespoon of the mixture into a glass of boiling water and leave for 1 hour. Take 200 ml hot every two hours. The infusion has an antipyretic, sedative, analgesic and decongestant effect.

Prepare the collection:

Licorice root -40 g Linden flowers -60 g Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture with a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 200 ml hot three to four times a day as a diaphoretic and anti-inflammatory.

Prepare the collection:

St. John's wort herb Goldenrod herb Elderberry flowers Linden blossom Take equal amounts of everything. Mix, grind. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture with a glass of boiling water and leave for 1 hour. Strain. Take 100 ml 3-4 times a day for rheumatism and other joint diseases.

Prepare the collection:

Birch leaves - 25 g Stinging nettle leaves - 25 g, tricolor violet leaves - 25 g Mix everything, chop. Pour 2 tablespoons of the mixture into 500 ml of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 100 ml 4-5 times a day for rheumatism.

The following infusion is taken as a diuretic and diaphoretic for rheumatism:

Common raspberry fruits -40 g Coltsfoot leaves -40 g Oregano herb -20 g Pour 2 tablespoons of the mixture into 500 ml of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 200 ml three to four times a day hot.

Painkiller herbal remedies used for rheumatism

- Chamomile- anti-inflammatory, analgesic and sedative for external and internal use.

- Henbane has a strong analgesic effect both when taken orally and when used externally. The plant is poisonous! Handle with care!

- Clover And pharmaceutical camomile. Take 10 g, pour a glass of boiling water, place in a water bath for 15 minutes, leave for 1 hour, strain and squeeze out the raw materials. Cool at room temperature. Use 50-100 ml orally as an anesthetic. It is used externally in the form of warm lotions and compresses for tumors, burns and joint diseases.

- Horseradish, Radish. Fresh juice is lubricated on pain points, joints, and applied to the affected areas for neuralgic and joint pain.

- Plantain. Crushed dry leaves are applied to the sore spot. The infusion is prepared at the rate of 15 g of raw material per glass of boiling water. Take warm in sips for an hour. Acts as a pain reliever. The infusion also helps relieve pain from poisonous insect bites and swelling.

- Lily white. Two tablespoons of bulbs and the same number of flowers and leaves are poured with a glass of oil and placed in the sun for 20 days. Strain and lubricate the pain areas.

Plants such as mullein, hemp, calamus, burnet, linden, yarrow, sweet clover, birch, clover, mint, kidney grass, ephedra, nettle, etc. also have analgesic properties.

Certain foods also reduce or dull pain. These include: pomegranate, cabbage, potatoes, pear, dogwood, coriander, hemp, onions, raspberries, poppy seeds, almonds, hops, horseradish, blueberries, kombucha, apples, beets, carrots, gooseberries, etc.

See also the chapter “Pain-relieving herbal remedies for sciatica.”

Cabbage has proven itself well as an external pain reliever. Take a cabbage leaf and apply it to a painful area of ​​skin or joint. The pain immediately becomes less intense.

Take marshmallow and mallow roots, leaves with sweet clover and chamomile flowers in equal parts. Add 3 parts flax seeds. Wrap in cheesecloth and place in boiling water for 3 minutes. When warm, apply to the sore spot and bandage.

Myocarditis

Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle. This inflammation can be infectious, infectious-toxic or allergic in nature.

The basis of any myocarditis is an infectious origin. Among the diseases that cause myocarditis, rheumatism comes first, followed by sepsis, diphtheria and typhus. Recently, new forms of myocarditis caused by viruses have emerged.

Non-infectious forms of myocarditis occur when the body is exposed to a foreign protein. Thus, myocarditis can occur after taking sulfonamide drugs or administering serum, provided that the body is sensitized against these drugs, that is, when they act as allergens.

The clinical picture of myocarditis largely depends on the form of the disease. Sometimes symptoms of impaired myocardial contractility and cardiovascular failure syndrome come to the fore. Patients are concerned about shortness of breath, congestive cough, and swelling. The face of such patients is puffy, has a bluish appearance, the pulse is small and very rapid. In severe forms, very strong arrhythmias are observed (a three-part rhythm or “gallop rhythm” may occur).

If inflammation has captured a small part of the heart muscle, then disturbances in the contractility of the heart are weakly expressed, and sometimes absent, and conduction disturbances come to the fore - atrial fibrillation, tachycardia.

Blood pressure in patients with myocarditis is usually low, as is venous pressure, so such patients are prone to a sharp drop in pressure, i.e., to collapse.

Of all the types of myocarditis, we should focus on its most common form - rheumatic myocarditis.

Rheumatic myocarditis is always a consequence of a previous rheumatic attack. This form is relatively rarely accompanied by cardiovascular failure. The main complaint of patients is pain in the heart area. The pain is usually long-lasting, occurs periodically and intensifies with physical activity. They do not give the same picture as happens with angina pectoris, but are dull and permanent.

Rheumatic myocarditis occurs with rhythm and conduction disturbances. Cardiovascular failure occurs only in the most advanced cases.

Treatment acute myocarditis should be carried out only in specialized medical institutions. Treatment with medicinal plants and folk methods is only auxiliary.

In the treatment of myocarditis, traditional medicine offers the following medicinal plants and herbs.

For myocarditis, general sclerosis, hypertension, drink an infusion of flowers Arnica mountain. 2 tablespoons of flowers are poured into 300 ml of boiling water, left for 1 hour and taken 1 tablespoon (with milk) three times a day after meals.

Tincture Arnica is prepared as follows. 2 tablespoons of arnica flowers are poured into 250 ml of vodka and left for 7 days in a cool place. Strain and drink 30-40 drops according to the same indications.

- Baikal skull cap. In Chinese and Tibetan folk medicine, skullcap is used for myocarditis, rheumatism, and also as a tonic, sedative and anticonvulsant. Skullcap tincture is prepared with 70-proof alcohol in a ratio of 1:5 or 1:10. To prepare the tincture, use skullcap root: 1 tablespoon of crushed roots is poured with 100 ml of alcohol and left for 14 days in a cool, dark place. Strain and take 30 drops three times a day.

- Jaundice spreading. Jaundice juice is part of the pharmaceutical drug cardiovalen, which is used in the treatment of myocarditis, rheumatism, heart defects, chronic cardiopulmonary failure and atherosclerosis. An infusion of jaundice leaves (1:10) is also used for treatment.

- May lily of the valley. Lily of the valley tincture is drunk for heart defects, cardiopulmonary insufficiency, myocarditis and heart ailments with pronounced nervous phenomena.

Tincture. Fill the bottle with lily of the valley flowers and fill it up to the neck with 90-degree alcohol. Infuse for a week in a cool, dark place, filter. Take 20 drops three times a day.

More often, tincture of lily of the valley is used in a mixture with tincture of valerian or motherwort.

Infusion of flowers. 1 tablespoon of lily of the valley flowers is poured into 200 ml of boiling water, left for 1 hour, filtered. Drink 2 tablespoons every two hours.

For myocarditis, Bulgarian herbalists recommend the following collection:

Lily of the valley flowers - 2 tbsp. spoons Fennel fruits -4 tbsp. spoons Mint leaf - 6 tbsp. spoons Valerian root - 8 tbsp. spoon 2 tablespoons of crushed collection, pour 200 ml of boiling water, heat in a water bath for 15 minutes, cool for an hour, strain. Drink 1/3 glass three to four times a day.

For heart pain, Bulgarian experts recommend the following composition:

Valerian herb -30 g Motherwort herb - 30 g Yarrow herb -20 g Anise fruit - 20 g Preparation and use as in the previous recipe.

Prepare the collection:

Mistletoe herb Hawthorn flowers Horsetail herb - 3 tbsp. spoons Yarrow grass Vinca grass - 6 tbsp. spoons Mix everything, chop. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture with a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 1/3 glass three times a day.

Prepare the collection:

Potentilla herb - 10 g Herb fragrant rue -10 g Herb yarrow -30 g Herb horsetail - 30 g Mix everything, chop. Pour one tablespoon of the mixture into a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 2 tablespoons three to four times a day for myocarditis and atherosclerosis.

For heart pain, take spinach seeds 3 g three times a day half an hour before meals. Drink with warm water.

Motherwort tincture (pharmaceutical drug) take 25 drops three times a day for myocarditis, heart defects, cardiac weakness, cardiac neurosis.

The following recipe is popular among herbalists for myocarditis:

250 g of lemons, crushed without grains, 125 g of crushed figs, 250 g of honey, 50 g of vodka.

Mix everything thoroughly with a wooden spoon and store in the refrigerator. Take 1 teaspoon 2-3 times a day after meals.

For endocarditis, myocarditis, rheumatic heart defects, prepare the following composition:

60 g of dry crushed rosemary leaves 20 g of lemon balm leaves 1 liter of dry white wine Mix everything and leave in a dark, cool place for 21 days, shaking the contents periodically. Take 50 ml before lunch and dinner.

For cardiac arrhythmia, take calendula tincture (1:10) 20 drops three times a day.

For cardiac edema, as well as to strengthen the heart muscle, drink the following composition:

A glass of birch sap Honey - 1 tbsp. spoon Juice of a small lemon Mix and drink in one go. Course of treatment - 2 weeks - 100 g of fresh herb Astragalus fluffy-flowered pour 1 liter of dry white wine, leave in a cool, dark place for three weeks (shaking occasionally), strain. Take 1 tablespoon three times a day for chronic heart failure, coronary disease, weak heart, congestion, edema.

Heart rhythm disturbances

In a normal healthy person, the heart contracts rhythmically, i.e., pulse waves follow each other at equal intervals and have the same height. This is the rhythm of the heartbeat. This rhythm may be disrupted in the following cases.

1. In case of disorder of the conduction system of the heart.

2. When there is a change in the normal excitability of the nerves innervating the heart (sympathetic and vagus).

3. For disorders in the muscle tissue of the atria and ventricles.

The following types of cardiac arrhythmia are distinguished: tachycardia, bradycardia, respiratory arrhythmia, extrasystole.

Tachycardia. Tachycardia - increased heart rate to 100-120 beats per minute. This increase occurs when the sympathetic nervous system is excited or when the vagus nerve is depressed. Tachycardia can also occur in a healthy person during physical exertion, anxiety, fear, fever, intoxication, poisoning with morphine, caffeine, nicotine, etc.

An increase in the number of heartbeats always indicates that not everything is well in the human body and urgent measures must be taken.

Bradycardia. If the number of heartbeats decreases to 40-50 per minute, they speak of bradycardia - a decrease in heart rate.

Most often, bradycardia occurs when the tone of the vagus nerve increases (most often when it is irritated). This irritation can occur when the nerve is compressed by a tumor, dropsy, or meningitis. It can be reflexive (peritonitis, flatulence, liver and gallbladder diseases) or occur with sclerotic damage to the sinus node (a neuro-reflex node that regulates the innervation of the heart).

In some completely healthy people, bradycardia may be congenital (Napoleon's pulse throughout his life did not exceed 40 beats per minute).

As a rule, the number of heartbeats is always reduced in athletes, divers and people engaged in heavy physical labor.

Respiratory arrhythmia. More often this arrhythmia is called juvenile, as it is more common in healthy children and young men. In adults, respiratory arrhythmia can appear during neurotic conditions, severe exhaustion, or in a state of recovery from a serious illness.

The essence of arrhythmia is that when you inhale, the number of heart contractions increases, and when you exhale, it slows down. As a result, the heart contractions become arrhythmic. This type of arrhythmia goes away over time and does not require treatment.

Extrasystole. Heartbeat impulses originating in the sinus node travel through the conduction system of the heart and cause contractions of the atria and ventricles at completely regular intervals.

Extraordinary (or additional) contractions may appear in the event of receiving additional impulses, which can occur at any point in the conduction system. Extrasystoles are divided into atrioventricular, sinus and ventricular. After each extrasystole, the period of rest of the heart muscle (diastole) usually lengthens. Extrasystoles most often occur after a certain number of normal heart contractions. They can occur after every 4th, 10th, 12th blow.

Extrasystoles are usually perceived by patients as heart failure. The cause of their occurrence may be scarring or inflammatory changes in the tissue of the heart muscle (after a heart attack, myocarditis, diphtheria, typhus, etc.). Extrasystoles can also occur in completely healthy young people during puberty; they often occur in smokers and people with increased nervous excitability. This type of extrasystoles can be easily eliminated even without drug treatment (gymnastics, water procedures, etc.).

Atrial fibrillation. This is a sharp disturbance in the rhythm of heart contractions, characterized by the appearance of random contractions without any pattern. Atrial fibrillation occurs in diseases of the thyroid gland (thyrotoxicosis), in cardiosclerosis, and sometimes in hypertension.

Atrial fibrillation can be either bradycardic (the number of heart contractions up to 80 per minute) or tachycardic (the number of heart contractions reaches 100). Often with atrial fibrillation, the pulse waves are of unequal magnitude. This is explained by the fact that full contractions of the heart alternate with contractions that occur when the heart is insufficiently filled with blood. Therefore, the amount of blood released into the vascular system is insufficient, organs and tissues experience oxygen starvation, and cardiac shortness of breath occurs.

In cardiosclerosis, atrial fibrillation is permanent.

Paroxysmal tachycardia. This disease is characterized by sudden onset palpitations, when the patient feels sudden shocks at the beginning and end of a palpitation attack. The number of heart beats during paroxysmal tachycardia can reach 200 per minute while maintaining a normal rhythm. It is often impossible to count the patient's pulse. Attacks can occur 1-3 times a day. But sometimes they are rare - 1-2 times a year.

The frequency of attacks depends on the cause that caused paroxysmal tachycardia. There are often cases when an attack does not go away for several days, then the patient experiences poor circulation, swelling, and cyanosis. During an attack, patients complain of heart fluttering and experience fear of death. They are usually pale and have a cold sweat on their face. An attack of paroxysmal tachycardia ends as suddenly as it began.

The cause of the disease is a disruption of the nervous system. In this case, the normal (sinus) rhythm is disrupted and replaced by impulses arising in the conduction system located below the sinus node.

Prevention of cardiac rhythm and conduction disturbances consists mainly of the following measures.

1. Fighting neuroses and eliminating neurotic conditions.

2. Fight against rheumatism and lesions of the heart valve apparatus.

3. Prevention of atherosclerosis.

Treatment of arrhythmias

In case of heart rhythm disturbances, the underlying disease must first be treated: cardiosclerosis, rheumatism, myocarditis, cardiac neuroses, etc.

Traditional medicine offers the following herbal folk remedies to restore the disturbed rhythm.

Pour 2 teaspoons of calendula flowers into 2 cups of boiling water. Leave in a warm place for 2 hours, strain. Drink 1/2 cup of infusion 4 times a day.

Yarrow herb - 2 parts Hop cones - 2 parts Valerian root - 3 parts Melissa leaf - 3 parts 1 tablespoon of the crushed collection, pour a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 1/4 cup 4 times a day.

For palpitations, use an infusion of blue cornflower flowers. Brew 2 teaspoons of flowers with 1 glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 1/3 glass three to four times a day half an hour before meals.

For arrhythmias and sclerosis, rowan bark is brewed. 200 g of bark is crushed, poured with 500 ml of water and boiled over low heat for two hours. Strain and drink 50 ml before meals 3-4 times a day.

Meadow clover flowers Watch leaves Yarrow grass Apple peels Fennel fruits Wild strawberries (whole plant) Valerian rhizome Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water, leave in a thermos overnight. Strain. Take 50-100 ml every 4 hours.

Strawberry leaves Sweet clover herb Calendula flowers Hawthorn fruits Rose hips Chicory root Foxglove leaves Asparagus rhizome Peppermint herb Preparation and use as in the previous recipe.

Fruits of fennel Leaves of rose hips Leaves of watch Leaves of wild strawberry Leaves of foxglove Shoots of wild rosemary Take equal amounts of everything, mix, grind to a powder. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water and heat in a water bath for 10 minutes. Leave until cooled at room temperature. Strain. Drink 50 ml warm 4 times a day.

Motherwort grass Spring Adonis grass Fruits of the mountain ash Peppermint herb Apple peels Burdock root Blackberry leaves Coltsfoot leaves Cushion herb Tartar leaves Leuzea roots Take an equal amount of everything. Prepare and take as in the previous recipe.

Traditional healers advise for any arrhythmias:

1. Eat little by little, since an overfilled stomach irritates the vagus nerve, in turn inhibiting the functions of the sinus node, where cardiac impulses arise.

2. Avoid static loads (lifting weights), as they cause an increase in blood pressure, which leads to increased heart function. This can lead to disturbances in the rhythm and tempo of heart contractions.

3. Liquid extract of hawthorn. Take 30-40 drops 3 times a day before meals.

4. Prepare the collection:

Valerian root - 1 tbsp. spoon Three-leaved watch leaves - 1 tbsp. spoon Peppermint leaves - 1 tbsp. spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture pour a glass of boiling water and leave for 1 hour. Strain. Drink 1 tablespoon half an hour before meals three times a day.

5. Prepare the collection:

Fennel fruits Valerian root Peppermint leaves Chamomile flowers Caraway fruits Take 1 tablespoon in total and pour 500 ml of boiling water. Leave for 3 hours in a sealed container, strain. Take once a day, in the evening, one glass.

25 g dry chopped herb Belozora swamp pour 0.5 liters of vodka, leave in a dark place for two weeks (shaking occasionally), strain. Take 30 drops 3-4 times a day for tachycardia.

Mix motherwort juice and vodka in a 1:1 ratio. Take 1 teaspoon three times a day before meals for palpitations, tachycardia, arrhythmias and cardiac neuroses.

You can take motherwort dry herb powder 1 g (at the tip of a knife) three times a day.

For rhythm disturbances (especially if the cause is hyperthyroidism), a tincture of European sage grass is used. The tincture is prepared with vodka in a ratio of 1:5. Keep in a dark place for 7 days, strain. The patient must choose the dosage to take independently (from 5 drops three times a day to 25 drops three times a day). Although the product is harmless, the sensitivity of different people to it varies.

For arrhythmias, coronary heart disease, palpitations, hypertension, mix hawthorn fruit tincture and propolis in a 1:1 ratio. Take 25 drops three times a day.

- Peppermint is one of the most effective remedies used for heart rhythm disturbances, interruptions and fading in the work of the heart muscle. Pour a teaspoon of dry crushed mint leaves into a glass of boiling water and leave for 1 hour in a warm place. Strain.

Drink in small sips in the morning half an hour before breakfast. Drink the infusion daily, without missing a single day, for a long time.

Mix 1 tablespoon of honey in 1/2 cup of beet juice and drink three times a day an hour before meals (the product is also good for relieving blood pressure).

For many diseases of the cardiovascular system, a tincture of the following composition helps:

Forest crane -25 g Swamp Belozor -25 g Vodka - 500 ml.

Leave in a warm, dark place for 2 weeks (shaking occasionally), strain. Drink 20 drops three times a day before meals for coronary artery disease, cardiosclerosis, arrhythmias and cardiac neuroses.

It's good to eat when you have heart palpitations Figs in any form.

A salad made from fresh onion pulp and apple pulp is taken for atherosclerosis (with predominant damage to the heart vessels), tachycardia and various arrhythmias of atherosclerotic origin.

- Magnolia grandiflora. Used for palpitations, hypertension, pain in the heart area. 100 g of fresh crushed magnolia leaves are poured with 500 ml of alcohol and left for one week in a dark and warm place. Strain. Drink 10 drops with water three times a day before meals.

A mixture of beet, carrot and radish juices in a 1:1:1 ratio should be drunk daily for several months for any type of cardiac arrhythmias.

If any heart rhythm disturbances occur, you need to limit sugar, sweets, animal fats in your diet, and also avoid foods rich in cholesterol (brains, caviar, fatty meats, egg yolk). It is also necessary to sharply limit the consumption of table salt, coffee, strong tea and especially alcohol.

To prevent and treat arrhythmia, you should as often as possible eat raw foods rich in calcium, vitamins and microelements that normalize heart rhythm (vegetable tops, especially young turnips and beans, radishes, beets, carrots, kale, nuts, milk and dairy products , oranges, honey, dried apricots, apricots, currants, peaches, cherries, cherries, cranberries, apricots, raisins, lingonberries, celery, mint).

It is necessary to introduce seafood and algae, especially brown algae, into the daily diet.

To increase potassium levels in the blood, it is useful to drink apple cider vinegar (two teaspoons three times a day, 30 minutes before meals). Vinegar should be diluted with water and honey (for 1 glass of water, 2 teaspoons of vinegar and 2 teaspoons of honey).

The main emphasis in nutrition should be on porridge, cottage cheese, low-fat fish, and oatmeal. Animal oils should be replaced with vegetable oils. It is necessary to increase the amount of fruits (especially apples) and vegetables in the diet. Horseradish, garlic, onions, as well as infusions of rose hips and hawthorn should always be on the patient’s table.

If you are overweight, it is necessary to carry out fasting days: apple, cottage cheese, kefir days. It is useful to drink clean spring or well water, walk more in the fresh air, and systematically engage in physical exercise. It is imperative to get rid of smoking and alcohol.

Heart neurosis

Heart neuroses are most often a manifestation of general neurotic conditions in the body. In medical terminology, this disease is more often referred to as “neurocirculatory asthenia.” Heart neurosis is one of the most common diseases of the cardiovascular system. This can be explained by the general stressful rhythm of our lives and frequent stressful situations.

Cardiac neurosis is usually caused by disturbances of higher nervous activity, especially those occurring with disturbances in nervous tone. In neurology, such conditions are called neurasthenia. The close connection of cardiac neurosis with the higher nervous system is also evidenced by the fact that this disease most often occurs in hysterical women.

It is very easy to instill in a person with a weakened nervous system the idea that he has a diseased heart, especially since any neurotic reaction always causes a rapid heartbeat. And when a patient has palpitations quite often, then, with increased suggestibility and lability, the thought of heart disease easily arises.

The clinical picture of cardiac neurosis consists of cardiac manifestations and general symptoms. Cardiac symptoms include, first of all, pain. They can be pressing, stabbing or cutting in nature and usually occur after nervous overload. Heart pain lasts from several hours to several days, they are not associated with physical overload or walking (which distinguishes them from pain with angina) and disappear as soon as the patient’s attention switches to topics that are pleasant for him. As soon as the patient calms down and forgets the excitement he suffered, the pain disappears. But sometimes, especially in hysterical patients, it is necessary to resort to the use of medications, which usually help little.

Sometimes patients complain of pain similar to the pain of angina pectoris (pain radiates under the left shoulder blade, a feeling of pressure and burning behind the sternum is felt). But this phenomenon is most often observed in advanced cases of neurasthenia, which actually lead to the occurrence of angina.

In addition to heart pain, patients with cardiac neurosis complain of increased heartbeat. This is expressed by the fact that the patient feels every heartbeat, which is not normally perceived. This constantly worries the patient, and he is forced to see a doctor.

Heart neurosis is usually always associated with vascular neurosis, in which paleness or redness of the skin of the face, coldness of the extremities, fever, and flushing of the head are often observed. In women, all these phenomena usually intensify during menopause. In men, the phenomena of vascular neurosis are observed less frequently, but they lead to impotence and hypotension.

With a disease such as cardiac neurosis, in addition to cardiovascular disorders, patients always have functional disorders of the nervous system. They complain of fatigue, poor sleep, absent-mindedness, apathy, anxiety, and tremors in the limbs. In such patients one can often observe a depressed mental state, bad mood, and a tendency to cry. Often patients with heart neurosis complain that it is difficult for them to breathe, there is constantly not enough air and therefore they are forced to take deep breaths from time to time. Their breathing is often shallow, and their lung capacity is significantly reduced. Such patients cannot hold their breath for a long time and often complain of dizziness and general weakness. Respiratory disorders are purely neurogenic in nature and have nothing to do with shortness of breath due to cardiac or pulmonary diseases.

Heart neurosis should always be considered as a manifestation of vegetative-vascular dystonia. Therefore, its treatment completely coincides with the treatment of vegetative dystonias.

Vegetovascular dystonia

Vegetative-vascular dystonia, vegetative neurosis, vegetopathy are diseases of various organs and tissues that arise as a result of functional disorders of the autonomic nervous system. Unlike organic lesions of the autonomic nervous system, with autonomic neurosis no structural changes are found in its formations. Functional disorders can be observed at all levels of the autonomic nervous system - from the cortex to the peripheral parts. The main factors causing diseases can be acute and chronic infections, intoxication, vitamin deficiencies, physical and mental trauma, endocrinological disorders in the body.

Conventionally, autonomic neurosis can be divided into several groups. The first group includes diseases occurring against the background of general neurosis. Along with the symptoms characteristic of these diseases, autonomic disorders can also be detected: tachycardia and bradycardia (increased and decreased heart rate), shortness of breath, hiccups, cardiac arrhythmia, diarrhea, constipation, impaired sweating, sexual disorders, etc.

The second group of autonomic neuroses includes neuroses that are based on a pathological process in the subcortical centers. In these cases, disturbances manifest themselves in certain systems: vascular (hypertension, primary hypotension), respiratory (bronchial asthma), gastrointestinal (peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum), etc. The nature of the lesion in any case is determined by the initial predominance tone of the sympathetic or parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system.

The third group of vegetative neuroses includes autonomic neuroses, which are a consequence of a pathological process that primarily occurs in the periphery. Observed after local trauma. In these cases, pathological changes develop primarily in the local peripheral autonomic nervous apparatus. This group includes local angioneurosis and vegetative-trophic disorders in the area of ​​injury.

The most common autonomic neuroses are vegetative-vascular dystonia. Vegetative-vascular dystonia occurs with pronounced fluctuations in vascular tone, manifested by hypotension (decreased), hypertension (increased). There are neurocirculatory (vegetative-vascular) dystonias of the normocidal type (without a pronounced disturbance of vascular tone and changes in pressure).

Therefore, all vegetative dystonias are divided into three groups:

1) vegetative-vascular dystonia of the hypertensive type; 2) vegetative-vascular dystonia of the hypotonic type; 3) vegetative-vascular neurocirculatory dystonia of the cardiac type.

With vegetative-vascular dystonia, patients complain primarily of pain in the heart area that occurs after experiences and conflict situations. Previously, such patients were diagnosed with “cardioneurosis” or “neurosis of the heart.” This emphasized the neurotic nature of the disease, caused by a violation of vascular regulation.

Pain in the heart area can occur at a very early age. They can be caused by various reasons (osteochondrosis, spastic changes in blood vessels, intercostal neuralgia, hypertension, etc.), but they can also be a sign of a violation of the nervous regulation of the heart muscle.

Along with pain in the heart area, an increase or decrease in pressure, neurocirculatory dystonia can manifest itself as palpitations and heart rhythm disturbances.

If the main symptom of dystonia is pain in the heart area, they speak of the cardiac type; with combined variants (pain, increased or decreased pressure) they speak of the mixed type.

In addition to changes in the heart, patients with vegetative dystonia may experience: shortness of breath, general weakness, a feeling of lack of air, sweating, and increased fatigue. All these phenomena are usually functional in nature and can be eliminated. But we must not forget that the symptoms of vegetative dystonia may be the first signs of incipient hypertension or ischemic disease, which it is advisable to begin treating at the very beginning.

In the treatment of vegetative-vascular dystonia, plants and herbs that have a calming effect are widely used. These include motherwort, belladonna, hawthorn and other herbal preparations.

Pharmaceutical preparations of plant origin are used in the treatment of vegetative-vascular dystonia.

Valerian tincture. Take 30-40 drops in a glass of water three times a day.

Dry extract of valerian. Take 2 tablets 3-4 times a day.

Corvalol (valocordin). A combined drug whose active ingredients are valerian root and mint oil, as well as a small amount of phenobarbital (luminal).

Corvalol and valokvrdin take 30-40 drops each for pain in the heart area, disruption of the process of falling asleep, stressful conditions, and palpitations.

Tincture of evasive peony. Take 1 teaspoon 3-4 times a day. The course of treatment is 1 month.

Tincture of hawthorn fruits. The liquid extract in 25 ml bottles is taken 30 drops 3-4 times a day before meals.

Motherwort tincture. Drink 40-50 drops 3-4 times a day. It is more active than valerian preparations. Taken for pain in the heart, palpitations and nervous shock.

For neurocirculatory dystonia of the hypotonic type, traditional medicine recommends the following drugs:

tinctures of ginseng, zamanikha, Leuzea sofloridae, Schisandra chinensis. These tinctures are taken 30 drops three times a day.

Preparations from Manchurian aralia, gorse, and Sarepta mustard are also useful.

To improve the general condition and increase blood pressure in neurocirculatory dystonia of the hypotonic type, take:

- Sandy immortelle. Prepare the infusion: 1 tablespoon per glass of boiling water. Take 1/2 cup 3 times a day for a month.

- Prickly steelweed. Root decoction. 30 g of root is crushed and poured with 1 liter of water. Boil for 15 minutes. Drink 1/4 glass three times a day before meals.

- Elecampane tall. Root decoction. Pour 30 g of crushed root into a liter of boiling water, boil for 15 minutes over low heat, strain. Take 1/3 cup 3-4 times a day for a month.

It is very useful for hypotensive patients to eat sprouted wheat sprouts or other grains for breakfast. The method for preparing sprouts is described above.

Juices of various vegetables and fruits are very useful. The composition has particularly valuable qualities:

Carrot juice - 10 parts Spinach juice - 6 parts Drink 1 glass of the mixture daily three times a day before meals.

Oat straw baths have a good tonic effect on patients. The course of treatment is 15 baths over a month, every other day. Baths are taken at a water temperature of 38 degrees for 15 minutes each.

For vegetative neuroses, preparations from hawthorn are often used.

Brew a tablespoon of dried fruit with a glass of boiling water, leave for 2 hours in a warm place, strain. Take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day before meals for vegetative neuroses, hypertension, menopause.

Take equal parts of fruits and flowers and mix. Prepare the infusion at the rate of 1 tablespoon of the mixture per glass of boiling water. Leave in a warm place for 2 hours, strain. Drink 200 ml three times a day half an hour before meals.

Infuse 10 g of flowers for 10 days in 100 ml of vodka or alcohol, filter. Take tincture 25 drops three times a day before meals.

Grind 2 tablespoons of dried hawthorn fruits, leave in 100 ml of alcohol or vodka for 10 days, strain. Drink 20-30 drops three times a day before meals.

For neurocirculatory dystonia of the hypertensive type, it is advisable to take the following plants and herbs.

Motherwort grass. Infusion. 2 tablespoons of herb per 300 ml of boiling water. Leave for 2 hours, strain. Take 1/3 cup 3-4 times a day.

Motherwort tincture. Pour 10 g of dry herb into 100 ml of vodka or 40-proof alcohol and leave in a warm place for 7 days. Strain. Drink 30 drops 3-4 times a day.

Infusion of mistletoe herb (15 g per 200 ml of boiling water). Leave for 1 hour. Drink 1/3 glass three times a day. You can drink sips throughout the day.

Scutellaria baicalensis tincture has antihypertensive properties. Take 20-30 drops three times a day.

Magnolia extract liquid. Take 20 drops three times a day for 10 days of each month as a means of maintaining normal blood pressure.

Chokeberry (fruit). 15 g (2-3 tablespoons) per glass of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour. Drink instead of tea.

Prepare the infusion:

Baikal skullcap - 15 g Blue cornflower - 10 g Blood-red hawthorn - 15 g Horsetail - 10 g Valerian officinalis - 15 g Chokeberry -15 g Fennel (fruit) -10 g Carrot (fruit) -10 g Chop everything , mix. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture with a glass of boiling water and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, strain. Take 1/3 cup three times a day.

Marsh cudweed herb -20 g Motherwort herb -20 g Mistletoe leaves -20 g Pour 4 tablespoons of the collection with a glass of boiling water, leave for 8 hours in a warm place, strain. Drink 1/2 glass 3 times a day an hour after meals.

For hypertension and neurocirculatory dystonia of the hypertensive type, the following collection helps well:

Coltsfoot leaves - 10 g Linden flowers - 10 g Oregano herb - 10 g Raspberry fruits - 10 g Plantain leaves - 10 g Birch leaves - 5 g Echinops fruits - 5 g Licorice root - 5 g Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into a glass boiling water, leave for 8 hours in a warm place, strain. Take 1 tablespoon three to four times a day.

The fruits of blueberries, black currants, chokeberries, and barberries are brewed and drunk as tea to reduce blood pressure in neurocirculatory vegetative dystonia of the hypertensive type.

Fresh beet juice. Mix with honey (50 g of honey per 150 g of juice). Daily dose 1-2 glasses. The mixture maintains blood pressure well at a normal level and is very useful for older people.

Lesser periwinkle (leaves) - 10 g Caraway seeds (fruit) - 20 g Valerian officinalis (root) - 20 g Blood red hawthorn (flowers) - 20 g Mistletoe (herb) - 30 g Chop and mix everything. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture with a glass of boiling water and leave in a warm place for 2 hours. Strain. Take 1/3 cup 3-4 times a day.

The most simple fees are the following.

Chamomile (flowers) - 30 g Valerian officinalis (root) - 20 g Cumin (fruits) - 30 g Mix and chop. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into a glass of boiling water. Leave in a warm place for 2 hours. Strain. Take 1/4 cup 3 times a day.

Calendula flowers -40 g Valerian roots -30 g Peppermint leaves -30 g Prepare the infusion as in the previous recipe. Take 1 tablespoon three to four times a day.

The following is considered a more complex and very effective collection for high blood pressure:

Marsh grass - 2 parts Motherwort herb - 4 parts Blood red hawthorn fruit - 1 part Peppermint leaf - 1/2 part Shepherd's purse grass - 1 part Chokeberry fruit - 1 part Dill fruit - 1 part Flax seed - 1 part 1 part Wild strawberry leaf - 2 parts Chop everything and mix. Pour 3 tablespoons of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water, leave in a warm place (close tightly) for 6 hours. Strain. Take 1/3 cup of Zraz daily before meals.

When treating all types of vegetative-vascular dystonia, one should never forget about hydrotherapy, which can be the main factor in the cure. Light sports, running, physical exercise - your health is made up of this mosaic.

Heart defects

Heart defects are a very common disease. In frequency they are second only to hypertension and atherosclerosis.

Diseases such as sepsis, syphilis, and atherosclerosis contribute to the occurrence of heart defects, but rheumatism causes almost 90 percent of all cases.

Heart defects can be congenital or acquired. The ratio between these forms of the disease worldwide is estimated to be 2:1.

Congenital heart defects

Such defects most often arise either due to anomalies in the vessels approaching the heart, or due to improper formation of the septa of the heart in embryonic development.

All congenital heart defects can be divided into two main groups:

1) defects accompanied by insufficiency in the pulmonary circulation; 2) defects accompanied by blood overflow of the pulmonary circulation.

The most common developmental anomalies are the following:

1) pulmonary artery stenosis; 2) non-closure of the interatrial septum; 3) ventricular septal defect; 4) open botal duct; 5) triad and tetralogy of Fallot and some others.

Let's look at the most common of them.

Pulmonary stenosis

Stenosis of the pulmonary artery mouth leads to insufficient blood flow to the lungs, as a result of which gas exchange in the body is sharply disrupted, and this causes all the clinical manifestations of the disease. The skin of patients with pulmonary artery stenosis is usually cyanotic. With physical disturbance, this cyanosis intensifies. The nail phalanges of the fingers are especially cyanotic, which over time take on the appearance of “drumsticks.”

Patients constantly complain of severe shortness of breath, their heart is enlarged due to the right ventricle, and the cardiac impulse is increased.

The course and prognosis for this disease have always been severe. The patients were stunted in growth, mental and physical development, and easily fell ill with infectious diseases (especially tuberculosis).

Treatment of patients is only surgical. During the operation, the fused valve leaflets are dissected, which subsequently allows free passage of blood through the mouth of the pulmonary artery.

Non-closure of the interatrial septum

With this pathology, the opening between the atria does not close. Only part of the blood enters it from the right atrium to the left, bypassing the pulmonary circulation. If the defect is very large, then cyanosis of the skin may be observed, since the part of the blood that does not pass through the small circle is poorly saturated with oxygen.

If atrial septal defect is combined with congenital narrowing of the mitral valve (which occurs quite often), then patients experience an enlarged heart, pale skin, and a “heart hump” gradually grows.

Treatment is only surgical.

Ventricular septal defect

Typically this defect is located at the base of the ventricles. Since the pressure that develops in the left ventricle is much greater than in the right, during heart contraction (systole), part of the blood from the left ventricle passes into the right, which leads to its constant overflow and hypertrophy (increase). The left ventricle also enlarges. As a result, the heart greatly increases in size (more to the right), acquiring a spherical shape.

The course of the disease is usually benign. Treatment is surgical.

Acquired heart defects

There are a lot of acquired heart defects, but the most common of them is mitral valve disease, or mitral valve insufficiency, which we will focus on.

The cause of mitral disease is most often rheumatic heart disease, but often the disease occurs after myocarditis, sepsis, or is the result of atherosclerosis (which can occur in old age).

Bicuspid (mitral) valve insufficiency in its development has two stages - compensation and decompensation.

During the period of compensation, the heart copes with its work due to the inclusion of compensatory (reserve) mechanisms, and therefore patients do not have any special complaints.

The period of decompensation (when the heart stops coping with its work) begins with a change in pulse. The pulse begins to quicken, the patient experiences shortness of breath, first during physical activity, and then at rest. Blood pressure may be increased (especially lower, venous). Over time, pain appears in the heart area, shortness of breath intensifies and worries the patient even at rest.

Sometimes it reaches such a degree that the patient can only sleep while sitting. Due to increasing congestion in the lungs, the patient develops a cough, wheezing in the lungs, and the liver becomes enlarged.

Mitral valve disease usually develops and proceeds benignly and late leads to circulatory disorders. In this matter, the degree of valve insufficiency is of great importance - the greater it is, the faster decompensation develops. It should be remembered that decompensation most often develops after a repeated rheumatic attack. Stressful situations and physical activity also contribute to its occurrence.

Prevention of the disease consists of preventing rheumatism and endocarditis, as well as eliminating foci of infection in the body (oral cavity, chronic tonsillitis, sinusitis, etc.). To prevent decompensation in case of mitral valve insufficiency, physical therapy should also be used carefully for patients, and physical and nervous overload should be avoided.

Open botal duct

In the embryonic period, blood from the pulmonary artery is directed not to the lungs (since they do not function), but to the aorta through the ductus botalli. Normally, after the birth of a child, the ductus closes up and blood begins to flow into the lungs. If this does not happen and the botal duct remains open, then a defect is created in which a communication remains between the pulmonary artery and the aorta.

The pulmonary artery in such cases receives blood both from the right ventricle (the natural route) and through the ductus botallus, which is abnormal. As a result, the pressure in the pulmonary artery increases and the right atrium muscle also increases. After some time, the left ventricle also hypertrophies, since more blood enters it from the small circle than it should.

A defect in the ductus botallus does not make itself felt for a long time and is detected only in older children. It is not accompanied by heart failure, but surgical treatment is indicated for the normal development of the child.

For heart defects, traditional medicine can only be used as supportive and auxiliary means. Traditional medicine recommends:

- Lily of the valley. For heart defects, drink lily of the valley drops, which are prepared as follows: fresh lily of the valley flowers are poured into a jar with a narrow neck and filled almost to the top with 96 percent alcohol.

Leave for 14 days, then filter and drink 15-20 drops 3-4 times a day.

You can also use an infusion of lily of the valley flowers. 1 tablespoon of flowers is poured into 300 ml of boiling water and left for 1 hour. Strain and take 2 tablespoons every two hours.

Leonurus-lily of the valley drops have a good effect on patients with heart defects. To prepare them, mix 100 g of infusion or decoction of motherwort herb with 40 drops of lily of the valley tincture. Take 30 drops 3-4 times a day.

For rheumatic diseases, a pharmaceutical drug is used Cardiovalen, which contains jaundice juice, tincture of valerian roots, hawthorn extract, camphor, sodium chloride and chlorobutanol hydrate. Cardiovalen is taken 20-25 drops three to four times a day.

Pour 100 g of dry rosemary leaves into 2 liters of dry red wine, leave for one month in a cool, dark place (shake occasionally). Strain and squeeze out the remainder. Take 50 ml three to four times a day for heart defects and heart failure. The course of treatment is 1.5 months. It is advisable to carry out 4 courses of treatment within a year.

- For defects accompanied by shortness of breath, mix the gruel from fresh leaves of stinging nettle with honey in a 1:1 ratio. Leave in a dark place for 14 days, stirring the contents occasionally, then heat the mixture in a boiling water bath until liquid, strain through multi-layer cheesecloth, and squeeze out the remainder. Keep refrigerated. Honey infusion lick 4-5 times during the day.

Mix the garlic pulp with honey in equal parts and leave in a sealed container in a dark place for 7 days, stirring occasionally. Take a tablespoon 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals for coronary heart disease, obliterating endarteritis, varicose veins, heart defects and weakness of the heart muscle.

Mix motherwort herb juice and vodka in a 1:1 ratio. Take 1 teaspoon 3-4 times a day half an hour before meals for heart defects, myocarditis, incipient angina and cardiac weakness.

Prepare the composition: pour 10 g of fresh, leafless parsley stems with 1 liter of dry red or white natural wine, add 2 tablespoons of wine vinegar and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Add 300 g of honey to the mixture and boil for another 4-5 minutes. When hot, pour into bottles, seal, cool and store in the refrigerator. Take when everyone heart disease as a general tonic, 1 tablespoon 4-5 times a day.

Pour 100 g of dry crushed St. John's wort herb into 2 liters of water, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat in a sealed container for 10 minutes. Leave for 1 hour, strain, add 200 g of honey and stir well. Pour into bottles and store sealed in the refrigerator. Take 1/3 cup three times a day half an hour before meals. weakening of cardiac activity.

For heart disease, the potato diet is very useful: during the day the patient is given up to 1 kg of boiled unsalted potatoes in 5-6 doses. For taste, you can add yogurt to potatoes.

- Motherwort. Water infusion (15 g of dry herb per 200 ml of boiling water; leave for 1 hour, strain). Drink a tablespoon 4-5 times a day with honey.

An alcoholic tincture of motherwort (pharmaceutical preparation) is drunk 30 drops 3-4 times a day for heart defects and weakness of the heart muscle.

- For heart weakness prepare the collection:

Horsetail grass -10 Polygonum grass 15 Hawthorn flowers -25 Pour one tablespoon of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water and leave for one hour. Strain. Drink during the day in 5-6 doses.

- Lovage infusion. Boil 40 g of dried lovage roots in 1 liter of water for 6-7 minutes. Leave for 3 hours in a warm place, strain. Take 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day for Edema of cardiac origin and to strengthen the heart muscle.

In case of severe heart palpitations, lie on your stomach and place a heating pad with ice or a cold compress under your heart.

- For heart defects and at Weak heart Peppermint is very useful. Pour 1 teaspoon of dry leaves (or leaf powder) into 300 ml of boiling water, cover and let steep for an hour. Strain. Take 1 glass three times a day on an empty stomach. Treatment is carried out for months, without any breaks.

Beetroot juice mixed with honey in a 2:1 ratio is very useful to take for defects and to maintain the performance of a diseased heart.

Pure grape juice is also very beneficial for all cardiovascular diseases. Grape juice is especially useful in old age. The juice is drunk in the morning and evening an hour before meals according to the following scheme:

3 days - 50 ml morning and evening 5 days - 100 ml morning and evening 5 days - 150 ml morning and evening 5 days - 200 ml morning and evening 5 days - 250 ml morning and evening.

The herb of fragrant rue, the tops with valerian flowers and hawthorn leaves are taken in equal parts and brewed as tea. Drink for a long time.

It is very useful for those with hearts to breathe in the scent of lilac, hawthorn, poplar and eucalyptus.

Myocardial dystrophy

Myocardial dystrophy is not an inflammatory lesion of the heart muscle, which is based on metabolic disorders.

Myocardial dystrophy can occur with the following types of nutritional disorders.

1. Lack of vitamins.

2. Disruption of the processes of internal protein metabolism (with liver failure, uremia, nephrosis, gout).

3. Disturbance of carbohydrate metabolism processes (diabetes mellitus, hypoglycemia, thyrotoxicosis).

4. Violation of electrolyte metabolism (with a lack of potassium, calcium in the body or, conversely, with an excess of calcium).

5. Endocrine disorders (excess of steroid hormones, thyrotoxicosis, etc.).

6. Impaired oxygen delivery to the heart muscle (in diseases of the lungs and pulmonary heart failure).

7. Malnutrition of the heart muscle during intense physical work.

8. Poisoning (poisoning with carbon monoxide, digitalis, organophosphorus compounds, etc.).

The clinical picture of myocardial dystrophy is usually blurred and has no specific signs. During the course of the disease, different symptoms may prevail at different times: impaired conductivity, excitability, cardiovascular failure, mild pain, etc.

The course of the disease depends on the underlying disease leading to myocardial dystrophy. If a patient suffers, for example, from diabetes, then the more pronounced the diabetes, the more pronounced myocardial dystrophy turns out to be. Malnutrition of the heart muscle is a reversible disease and has a much more favorable course than diseases such as myocarditis, cardiosclerosis and some others.

Fasting apple diet 1 day a week. Eat only 1.5-2 kg of apples during the day.

The diet can be modified by adding cottage cheese to it. Eat only 1 kg of apples and 300 g of cottage cheese per day.

For myocardial dystrophy and other heart diseases, a potato diet is useful. The patient is given only 1 kg of freshly boiled unsalted potatoes during the day. Eat in 5-6 servings with yogurt.

Salad made from fresh onion pulp with apple pulp. Take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day for metabolic disorders in the myocardium.

Sea kale (kelp) powder is useful to take for atherosclerosis and nutritional disorders in the myocardium. Drink 1 teaspoon three to four times a day. Laminaria powder is also useful for atherosclerosis and hypertension. It lowers blood cholesterol.

An infusion of rosehip with honey is recommended by healers to treat a weakened heart and cardiac muscle malnutrition. Leave 1 tablespoon of rose hips in a glass of boiling water for 3 hours, strain, add a tablespoon of honey and drink in one go. Take 2 times a day for a month. Repeat the course after a month's break.

Carry out one “cucumber” fasting day during the week, eating only 1.5 kg of fresh cucumbers per day and drinking 1 liter of freshly prepared yogurt.

For myocardial dystrophy, traditional medicine recommends a number of treatments.

Black elderberry flowers -4 tbsp. spoons Arnica flowers -4 tbsp. spoons Rosemary leaves -6 tbsp. spoons Mix everything, chop. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 2 tablespoons three times a day half an hour before meals.

Adonis herb - 5 tbsp. spoons Valerian root -5 tbsp. spoons Melissa leaves -10 tbsp. spoons Mix everything, chop. Pour 2 teaspoons of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water and boil in a water bath for 15 minutes. Leave for 1 hour at room temperature, strain. Drink 1 tablespoon before meals 3-4 times a day.

Goldenrod herb Valerian root Viburnum bark Motherwort root Take 4 tablespoons in total, chop and mix. Preparation and use as in the previous recipe.

Yarrow herb - 20 g Hop cones - 20 g Melissa leaves - 30 g Valerian root - 30 g Mix and chop everything. Preparation and use as in the previous recipe.

Lavender flowers Fragrant rue herb Adonis herb Beaver herb Rosemary leaves Take 4 tablespoons in total, mix and chop. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water and boil in a water bath for 15 minutes. Cool at room temperature for an hour. Strain and drink 200 ml before meals.

Heather flowers Hawthorn flowers Blackthorn flowers Motherwort herb Lovage root Yarrow herb Preparation and use as in the previous recipe.

Cardiosclerosis Cardiosclerosis is a condition in which connective scar tissue develops in the heart muscle. This occurs with atherosclerosis, myocarditis, after myocardial infarction.

There are two forms of cardiosclerosis - myocardial and atherosclerotic. This chapter will focus mainly on the atherosclerotic form of cardiosclerosis.

In the development of atherosclerotic cardiosclerosis, compensatory phenomena occurring in the heart muscle are very important. If, in the presence of a general atherosclerotic process in the body, the compensatory restructuring of the coronary vessels is insufficient, then the connective and fibrous tissue in the myocardium multiplies to a greater extent. And vice versa, with good development of collateral (additional) blood circulation, the muscle tissue of the heart does not undergo cicatricial degeneration, and its mass only increases.

The clinical picture of cardiosclerosis consists of the following syndromes.

1. Rhythm and conduction disturbances.

2. Impaired contractility of the heart.

3. Cardiovascular failure.

Depending on which of these syndromes predominates, the corresponding symptoms of the disease develop.

Sometimes conduction disturbances come first, and the patient complains of palpitations, increased heart rate, extrasystole (missing a heartbeat), and tachycardia.

In other cases, the phenomena of cardiovascular failure come first - swelling, shortness of breath, pain in the heart, etc.

The disease has a progressive course with periods of relative improvement, which can sometimes last for several years. The general condition of the patient depends on the progression of the underlying disease (atherosclerosis, rheumatism, heart attack), on the frequency of rheumatic attacks and lifestyle.

Treatment of cardiosclerosis should be aimed primarily at treating the underlying disease, mitigating the symptoms of coronary insufficiency, and eliminating disturbances in the rhythm and conduction of the heart.

A patient with cardiosclerosis should avoid heavy physical activity and stressful situations. But physical inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle are also contraindicated for cardiosclerosis. Therefore, the patient must choose a middle ground. Physical therapy, sanatorium-resort treatment under the supervision of specialists, as well as moderate physical activity will always help with this disease.

Prepare the collection:

Caraway fruits - 1 teaspoon Hawthorn root - 1 tbsp. spoon Grind, mix. Pour the collection with 300 ml of boiling water, leave overnight in a thermos, strain. Drink during the day in 4-5 doses.

Prepare the collection:

Small periwinkle leaves - 1.5 teaspoons Mistletoe grass - 1.5 teaspoons Hawthorn flowers - 1.5 teaspoons Yarrow grass - 1 tbsp. spoon Mix everything, chop. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water, leave for 1 hour. Drink during the day in 3-4 doses.

Homemade cottage cheese is indispensable for both general sclerosis and cardiosclerosis. Patients need to eat at least 100 g of this healthy product daily.

- Elecampane root. Grind 300 g of dry root, pour in 500 ml of vodka. Leave for 14 days in a cool place, strain. Take 25-30 g three times a day with water.

Red currant juice, a decoction of rowan bark and an infusion of its fruits are also very useful for patients with cardiosclerosis.

Prepare the collection:

Potentilla herb - 30 g Herb fragrant rue - 30 g Lily of the valley flowers - 10 g Melissa leaves - 20 g Pour 1 tablespoon of the collection with a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 1 tablespoon three times a day before meals.

An infusion of hawthorn fruits (30 berries per glass of boiling water) is recommended to be drunk daily both for general atherosclerosis and for cardiosclerosis.

Tincture of Manchurian aralia (5 g of raw material per 50 g of alcohol; leave for 14 days in a dark and cool place). Take 30-40 drops 3 times a day for a month. It is necessary to carry out 3-4 courses of treatment per year.

Prepare the collection:

Lingonberry leaf - 3 parts Sweet clover herb - 3 parts Oregano herb - 4 parts Chicory flowers - 4 parts Calendula flowers - 2 parts Drop cap herb - 3 parts Clover herb - 2 parts Peppermint leaf - 1 part Sage leaf - 1 part 3 tablespoons of the mixture Brew overnight in 500 ml of boiling water in a thermos. In the morning, strain and take 200 ml warm three times a day half an hour before meals.

Brew a tablespoon of buckwheat flowers with 500 ml of boiling water and leave for 2 hours in a warm place. Strain. Drink 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day warm.

For patients with cardiosclerosis, it is useful to eat one lemon daily (with sugar, honey) or drink its juice.

Mix a glass of onion juice with a glass of liquid honey. Take 1 tablespoon 30 minutes before meals three times a day. Keep the mixture in the refrigerator. The remedy is also effective for cerebrosclerosis.

Peel 1/2 lemon, chop, pour a glass of pine needle decoction (1 tablespoon of pine needles per glass of boiling water). Boil for 3 minutes, leave for 3 hours, strain and take the mixture three times a day.

The course of treatment is two weeks. After a week's break, repeat the course of treatment.

Bird cherry, garlic, cranberries, blackberries and currants are useful in any form for cardiosclerosis.

Acute heart failure

Fainting

Fainting is a sudden short-term loss of consciousness that occurs as a result of impaired blood circulation in the brain.

In short, fainting is a warning from the brain that it does not have enough oxygen and a request for help. Fainting is often preceded by a feeling of lightheadedness, nausea, and dizziness. The main symptoms of fainting are tightness in the chest, weakness, “flickering in the eyes,” numbness of the limbs, nausea, vomiting, pale skin, and a drop in blood pressure. The patient suddenly “rolls” his eyes, breaks out in a cold sweat, his pulse weakens, his limbs become cold, his pupils become constricted and then dilated. Most often, this state lasts a few seconds, then gradually the patient begins to come to his senses and react to his surroundings.

Fainting occurs with severe fear, excitement, pain, the sight of blood or a weak heart. Sometimes its occurrence is facilitated by a stuffy room, overheating in the sun or in a bathhouse, as well as a rapid transition from a horizontal to a vertical position. Most often, fainting occurs in hysterical women and weakened patients.

First aid

First aid for fainting involves placing the patient in a horizontal position. Then you need to provide him with an influx of fresh air: unbutton his collar or dress, loosen his belt, open a window or window. Sprinkle cold water on the patient's face and chest, pat his cheeks with a wet towel or palm, let him smell ammonia or burnt bird feathers, rub his limbs and warm him with heating pads. When the patient regains consciousness, he should be given hot, strong tea or coffee.

Collapse

Collapse differs from fainting in that it lasts longer and is more severe. With it, the tone of the entire arterial system sharply decreases, which leads to a drop in blood pressure and impaired cardiac activity.

The cause of collapse is most often extensive blood loss, a blow to the stomach, or a sudden change in body position. Often collapse is a complication of a disease (scarlet fever, typhoid or typhus, diseases of the cardiovascular system, food poisoning, acute pancreatitis, pneumonia, etc.).

In a state of collapse, the patient is pale, motionless, and covered in cold sweat. There is a cyanosis of the extremities and nail phalanges. The patient's breathing is shallow, the pulse is threadlike, sometimes not palpable. Body temperature is reduced by 1-2 degrees, blood pressure is very low or undetectable. Consciousness is darkened and absent in severe cases.

If emergency assistance is not provided to the patient at this time, then convulsions, cardiac weakness, involuntary passage of urine and feces are added to the above phenomena, and the patient dies.

First aid First aid for collapse is aimed at eliminating the cause that caused the collapse (cessation of the action of the traumatic agent, combating blood loss, etc.), and at combating cardiovascular failure. The patient is placed in a position with his legs slightly elevated (to ensure a rush of blood to the brain), tight bandages are applied to the limbs (self-transfusion of blood) and an ambulance is urgently called.

It is imperative to provide the patient with an influx of fresh air (see fainting).

If a patient in a state of collapse has developed a terminal condition, it is necessary to begin artificial respiration and chest compressions.

Shock

A serious condition that develops when exposed to extreme painful stimuli (severe blow, myocardial infarction, perforated gastric ulcer, attack of pancreatitis, etc.), after transfusion of mixed blood, administration of serums and large blood loss.

Shock is a much more severe condition than collapse. When in shock, the patient is lethargic, apathetic, indifferent to his surroundings, and hardly complains of pain. His skin is pale, his face is covered with cold sweat, there is rare, shallow breathing, a small rapid pulse, and low blood pressure. In the initial stages of shock, consciousness is preserved. The listed symptoms can be expressed to varying degrees depending on the stage of shock.

First aid First aid is to eliminate or at least weaken the cause that caused the state of shock. The patient is given ammonia to sniff, warmed with heating pads, given tea, coffee, alcohol, vodka, analgin, amidopyrine to drink, and they always call an ambulance. If immobilization has not been performed before (for fractures), do it.

For bleeding from superficial vessels, apply a pressure bandage; for bleeding from deeper vessels, apply a tourniquet (the central site of injury over clothing). If a tourniquet was applied earlier, but the bleeding continues, you need to apply another tourniquet, slightly higher than the first, and then remove the first tourniquet.

Thus, in case of shock, the following measures must be urgently taken.

1. Eliminate traumatic factors.

2. Stop bleeding.

3. Immobilize fractures.

4. Monitor breathing and heart function. If necessary, artificial respiration and indirect cardiac massage.

5. Call an ambulance immediately.

6. Provide the victim with peace and warmth.

Chronic cardiopulmonary failure

Circulatory failure mainly depends on two factors:

1) from a decrease in the contractility of the heart muscles; 2) from a decrease in the contractile force of the muscular lining of peripheral vessels.

If the first factor predominates, we are talking about predominantly chronic heart failure. If the second factor predominates, then we are talking about predominantly vascular circulatory failure.

The state of blood circulation in the large and small circles is determined by the left and right parts of the heart. If one of these sections is predominantly affected, isolated or predominant lesions of the left or right half of the heart occur. Therefore, among the forms of heart failure, a distinction is made between left ventricular and right ventricular failure.

The heart and lungs are very closely connected functionally and anatomically, therefore, when one of these organs becomes diseased, the other is also affected. Depending on which organ, the heart or lungs, is affected to a greater extent, cardiopulmonary or pulmonary-heart failure is distinguished.

In cardiovascular failure, two phases are clearly defined - compensation and decompensation.

In the compensation stage, the heart, using the body's reserve forces, copes with its work. But a period comes when all internal reserves are exhausted; The decompensation phase begins - the heart cannot cope with the loads placed on it.

Heart failure

Chronic heart failure according to the nature of its course is divided into three types: isolated failure of the left ventricle only, isolated failure of the right ventricle only and complete heart failure.

The insufficiency of each department is characterized by congestion, localized above the location of the weakened ventricle (in case of left ventricular failure, congestion is observed in the pulmonary circulation, in case of right ventricular failure - in the large circle). The main symptom of heart failure is poor supply of arterial blood to the organs, which leads to oxygen starvation.

Left ventricular failure

It is observed in cardiosclerosis, hypertension, insufficiency of the mitral or aortic valves, as well as in heart attack in the left ventricle. Left ventricular failure can also occur with symptomatic hypertension.

With this type of deficiency, patients complain of shortness of breath during physical exertion (and then at rest), attacks of suffocation that occur most often at night (cardiac asthma), and hemoptysis. As the disease progresses, these symptoms include: tachycardia, a drop in systolic pressure and a deterioration in the blood supply to the brain (leading to dizziness, convulsions, irregular breathing and loss of consciousness).

Right ventricular failure

Right ventricular failure occurs in diseases such as pneumosclerosis, pulmonary emphysema, tuberculosis, kyphoscoliosis, i.e. in all cases when the right ventricle has to overcome increased resistance when pushing blood into the pulmonary circulation.

With right ventricular failure, the right ventricle usually enlarges, blood stagnates in the vessels of the systemic circulation, and tricuspid valve insufficiency occurs.

The main symptoms of right ventricular failure are: pulsation of the neck veins, enlarged liver, dropsy (ascites) and cirrhosis of the liver. The patient develops peripheral edema, first on the feet, legs, and then throughout the subcutaneous tissue. The patient's face is swollen, with a bluish tint, and blood pressure is most often elevated. Congestion in the brain can cause manifestations of the nervous system such as psychosis, delusional states, etc.

Complete heart failure

With this type of failure (myocarditis, cardiosclerosis, myocardial dystrophy), all the symptoms of right and left ventricular failure are present, expressed to a greater or lesser extent. There is stagnation in both the systemic and pulmonary circulation, which gives the corresponding symptoms.

Prevention of circulatory failure

One of the main measures to prevent circulatory failure is a rational attitude to physical work. Muscle load greatly influences the development of myocardial failure. But for each individual this load should be different. If the heart is well compensated, physical exercise is not only not contraindicated, but also beneficial. Therefore, “core people” must definitely move actively, perform feasible physical activity, and engage in moderate sports and exercise. Professions associated with constant overexertion (loaders, masons, porters) are not suitable for them; sports competitions, long skiing, wrestling, weightlifting, etc. are contraindicated. Dosed walking, therapeutic exercises, and swimming are more suitable for such patients.

At the first signs of heart failure, all physical activity should be sharply reduced, and as it progresses, the patient should be prescribed bed rest.

The regimen plays a very important role in the treatment of patients with heart disease. Such patients should, if possible, be protected from too strong psycho-emotional experiences, severe anxiety and stressful conditions. It has been noticed that it is emotional trauma that most often leads the heart to decompensation. Mental activities should be reduced to reasonable limits, the patient should observe days off, adhere to a certain schedule of sleep, rest, and nutrition.

It is necessary to observe moderation in food, foods should be easily digestible, which prevents a rush of blood to the abdominal cavity and protects against bloating (a tightly packed stomach puts pressure on the heart and prevents its normal functioning). Liquids should be consumed in quantities that do not disturb the body's water balance, as judged by the amount of urine excreted (the amount of urine excreted should approximately correspond to the amount of liquid drunk).

Patients with heart disease must constantly monitor their weight and avoid obesity (fat deposits and weight gain put additional stress on the heart and ultimately lead to decompensation).

Regarding the food itself, we can say that the amount of protein in it should be reduced. It is also necessary to limit the consumption of table salt (it is advisable to reduce the amount of table salt consumed to a minimum, since salt “attracts water”, which leads to the appearance of edema).

Food must contain the required amount of vitamins (especially groups B and C) and microelements.

Staying at resorts has a very positive effect on the well-being of patients. Rest in a sanatorium or boarding house improves the neuropsychic tone of a sick person, creates more perfect rest, and eliminates irregular nutrition.

Treatment of chronic cardiovascular failure

A patient with cardiovascular insufficiency first of all needs peace, both physical and emotional. All exciting moments in his life must be eliminated, it is necessary to establish a certain diet and rest. Since sleep in heart patients is often disturbed, when prescribing treatment, one must not forget about prescribing sedative and hypnotic medications.

The most important heart medicine for patients with chronic heart failure is digitalis (digitalis) and preparations made from it. Foxglove was introduced into medical practice by the physician Whitering at the end of the 18th century. “I would not want to become a doctor if digitalis did not exist,” wrote one famous French doctor.

An interesting fact is that at the beginning of the 18th century nothing was known about digitalis in official medicine. The first information about her appeared after one famous healer and witch died. Among her belongings, notes were found on the method of preparing digitalis and its medicinal properties.

Several bunches of this plant were also found. When a local doctor tried digitalis on several patients, he was amazed at the results. Since then, digitalis has been recognized by official medicine and is still the most powerful remedy in the treatment of chronic heart failure.

It should be noted that digitalis and its preparations have an effect only on a damaged and diseased heart and have almost no effect on the heart of a healthy person. As proven by experimental and clinical studies, digitalis preparations enhance the contractile function of the myocardium, as a result of which the amount of ejected blood increases sharply. The pulse beats become stronger, the speed of blood circulation increases. An increase in the contractility of the heart leads to a weakening of congestion. In patients, swelling decreases and disappears, wheezing in the lungs, cough and congestive shortness of breath disappear. Their tachycardia also decreases and their heart rate becomes normal. We can say that digitalis helps the heart “rest” from overload.

It should be noted that treatment with digitalis and its drugs does not give a positive effect only in case of vascular insufficiency.

Typically, for chronic heart failure, digitalis is used in the form of powder from dry leaves. There are full (0.1 g three times a day) and incomplete (0.05 g 1 to 3 times a day) doses of the drug.

Digitalis is rarely used in a tincture of leaves, since in solution it quickly (within 2-3 days) loses its strength and is difficult to dose.

When treating with digitalis and its drugs, the full dose of the drug is given in the first days, then it is reduced. The strength of digitalis is judged by the pulse rate. As the frequency decreases, the dose also decreases. Digitalis drugs do not act immediately on the heart. They must first accumulate (cumulate) in the heart muscle. Typically, the effect of digitalis begins to appear within a day.

The most common indication for the use of digitalis is chronic heart failure, accompanied by increased heart rate. If the drug improves the patient’s condition after one to three days, then it should be continued, but if there is no improvement, then further use of the drug is not only useless, but also harmful.

There is no addiction to digitalis preparations, but an overdose leads to intoxication. It should be noted that the development of poisoning is also facilitated by the ability of digitalis to accumulate in the heart muscle and become quite firmly fixed in it. Therefore, treatment with digitalis and its drugs should only be carried out under the supervision of a physician.

Digitalis can be used not only in the form of powders and infusions, but also in the form of suppositories (especially with liver damage and dropsy; in this case, the dose of the drug should be slightly increased).

A number of medicines are prepared from digitalis in official medicine. These are strophanthin, digitoxin, digoxin, lantoside and others.

Traditional medicine offers the following herbal medicines for the treatment of chronic cardiovascular failure.

Fry 1 tablespoon of hemp seeds in a frying pan, crush and pour in 200 ml of hot milk. Leave for 3 hours, strain and drink throughout the day in three or four doses.

Periodically consume 10 drops of iodine tincture per 200 ml of milk three times a day, half an hour before meals.

The course of treatment is 15 days. Repeated course - in two months.

Drink an infusion of hawthorn fruits 2-3 times a day instead of tea.

Drink a decoction of hawthorn flowers (10 g per 200 ml of boiling water) three times a day, 1/2 cup.

Liquid extract of hawthorn is a good remedy for chronic heart failure with symptoms of atrial fibrillation. Take 25 drops three to four times a day.

- Adonis. Two tablespoons of raw materials are poured with 300 ml of boiling water. Leave in a thermos for 2 hours, strain. Take 50 ml 3 times a day.

- Calendula. Pour 2 teaspoons of crushed flower heads into 500 ml of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour. Drink 1/2 glass 2-3 times a day. Calendula slows down the heart rate and strengthens the work of the heart muscle.

- Motherwort five-lobed(deaf nettle). Infusion. Pour 1 tablespoon of herb into 500 ml of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 1/3 glass three times a day.

Tincture. Pour 2 tablespoons of the herb into 300 ml of 70-degree alcohol and leave for 7 days in a warm place. Strain. Take 25 drops three times a day.

- Arnica montana. Arnica tincture is taken 30 drops three times a day before meals. The course of treatment is 20 days.

- Viburnum common. Drink in any form. To prepare the infusion, mix 1 tablespoon of berries with 1 tablespoon of honey and add a glass of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour. Drink the infusion before meals 2-3 times a day, 1/2 cup. The course of treatment is one month. During the year you need to take 3-4 courses.

- Peppermint. Infusion or decoction of herbs (1 tablespoon per 300 ml of boiling water). Take 2 tablespoons 3-4 times a day.

Mint tincture (pharmaceutical preparation) take 25 drops three times a day.

- Scots pine. Young red (female) cones are infused with vodka (1:10) for 14 days. Strain. Take 25 drops three times a day for a month.

- Rowan berries Both red and chokeberry are useful to take for all heart diseases. Take in any form (tea, juice, jam, tincture, etc.). These berries also lower blood pressure.

Dill (infusion of herbs and seeds) is used as a vasodilator. 2 teaspoons of the mixture per 300 ml of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 1/2 glass three times a day.

- Carrot. Carrot juice is beneficial for all heart diseases. Drink 1/2 cup daily three times a day. The following mixture is very useful:

Carrot juice - 7 parts Celery juice - 4 parts Parsley juice - 2 parts Mix everything and drink throughout the day.

Peppermint leaves Trefolia leaves Valerian root Take everything in equal parts (a tablespoon), chop and mix. Pour the mixture into 500 ml of boiling water and leave in a thermos overnight. Strain. Take 1 glass of infusion an hour before bedtime.

Prepare the collection:

Hawthorn flowers - 5 parts Polygonum grass - 3 parts Horsetail grass - 2 parts Pour two teaspoons of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 50 ml 4-5 times a day.

Prepare the collection:

Valerian root - 4 parts Blood-red hawthorn flowers - 1 part Mint leaves - 3 parts Fennel fruits - 2 parts Pour 300 ml of boiling water over a tablespoon of the mixture, leave in a thermos overnight, strain. Drink during the day in 5-6 doses.

Sloe flowers Heather flowers Hawthorn flowers Motherwort grass Take 1 tablespoon in total. Mix, grind. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take during the day in 3-4 doses. The collection is recommended for heart defects and heart failure.

Symptomatic treatment of patients with heart disease

Heartache

Heart pain can occur with many heart diseases. They can occur with angina pectoris, and with myocardial infarction, and with cardiosclerosis, and with myocarditis. The cause of heart pain may be hypertension. As soon as the pressure rises to at least 180/100, severe pressing pain appears in the area of ​​the heart, which, by the way, is not relieved by validol and nitroglycerin as by drugs that lower blood pressure. And the faster the pressure is reduced, the faster the pain will go away.

Traditional medicine offers the following herbal remedies to relieve heart pain.

A mixture of valerian tincture with hawthorn tincture (1:1). Add 25-30 drops of this mixture, add some water and drink. Hold the mixture in your mouth for a while before swallowing.

From pharmaceutical products, use carvalol, valocordin or valocormid, validol and, as a last resort, nitroglycerin. Zelenin drops also relieve pain well.

For pain in the heart, take a hot foot bath with mustard for 15 minutes; put mustard plaster on the site of the most severe pain, even in the heart area (for coronary heart disease). You can rub any irritating ointment (such as Efkamona or Bom-Benge) into the heart area for 3-5 minutes.

If you have heart pain, do not lie down, but sit down and try to breathe deeper. Forcefully stroke both hands from the little finger to the elbow (heart meridian massage). Massage the tips of the little fingers of both hands. It is not necessary to massage and squeeze the entire little finger, but only the sides of its tip.

Chewing lemon peel significantly improves heart function.

Prepare the mixture and take it for pain in the heart area:

Valerian root - 2 parts Motherwort herb - 2 parts Yarrow herb - 1 part Anise fruit - 1 part Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture with a glass of boiling water and leave for 1 hour in a thermos. Drink warm or hot, 1/3 cup.

In case of an attack of palpitations and pain in the heart area, it is recommended to take an infusion of blue cornflower flowers. Pour 1 tablespoon of flowers with a glass of boiling water and leave for 1 hour. Strain. Drink 1/3 glass before meals 3-4 times a day.

Prepare the collection:

Hawthorn flowers -4 tbsp. spoons Melissa leaves -4 tbsp. spoons Motherwort grass -6 tbsp. spoons Valerian root -6 tbsp. spoons Mix everything, chop. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water. Leave for 2 hours. Drink 50 ml for palpitations, pain in the heart area, insomnia.

Valerian root Ash root Mistletoe herb Walnut flowers Melissa flowers Take equal amounts of everything, chop and mix. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 300 ml of water, boil in a water bath for 15 minutes, cool at room temperature for an hour, strain. Drink warm 3-4 times a day, 1/3 cup for heart pain, cardiac neurosis, insomnia and hypertension.

Prepare the collection:

Valerian leaves - 15 g Trefolia leaves - 30 g Peppermint leaves - 60 g Mix. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture with a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink morning and evening to prevent heart pain.

Sometimes heart pain decreases or even stops if a person stops wearing underwear made of synthetic fabrics.

Prepare the collection:

Hop cones - 15 g Horehound grass - 15 g Hawthorn flowers - 20 g Motherwort grass - 30 g Mix everything, chop. Pour 2 teaspoons of the mixture into a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day.

Horsetail grass - 2 parts Polygonum grass - 3 parts Hawthorn flowers - 5 parts Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 300 ml of boiling water, leave in a thermos for 1 hour, strain. Take 1/3 cup for irritability, insomnia, to prevent heart pain and palpitations.

- Magnolia grandiflora leaves. Pour 100 g of fresh crushed leaves into 500 ml of alcohol. Leave for 7 days in a dark place (shaking occasionally), strain. Take 10 drops three times a day for pain in the heart, hypertension and palpitations.

- Black cohosh. Pour 50 g of dry rhizomes and roots of the plant with 500 ml of 70-proof alcohol and leave for a week, shaking occasionally. Strain. Take 20-30 drops three times a day for cardiac asthma, pain in the heart area, neuralgia and migraine.

To prevent heart pain and chest pain, it is useful to constantly eat figs in any form.

For pain in the heart and shortness of breath of cardiac origin, mix 5 heads of garlic, 5 lemons with peel (without seeds) and 500 g of honey. Leave for a week, stirring the contents occasionally. Take 1 teaspoon three times a day on an empty stomach. The course of treatment is two months.

For palpitations, dizziness, sleep disturbances and periodic pain in the heart area, a mixture of hawthorn fruits and propolis (1:1) has a good effect. Take 20 drops three times a day half an hour before meals.

An infusion of dry lemon balm leaves (2 tablespoons per 300 ml of boiling water; take 1/2 cup three times a day) relieves pain in the heart area and stops cardiac shortness of breath.

- White step. Tincture of footfoot (whole plant) relieves pain in the heart area, lowers blood pressure and improves heart function. The tincture is prepared with alcohol in a ratio of 1:10. Infuse for 7 days in a dark place, strain, take 30 drops three times a day with water.

- Tincture of skullcap Baikal(pharmacy drug). At home it is prepared in a ratio of 1:5 with 70-proof alcohol.

Take 20-30 drops three times a day for cardiovascular neuroses. As a result, sleep improves, pain in the heart area disappears, headaches and blood pressure decrease.

Edema of cardiac origin

- Calendula. Calendula preparations are used for heart diseases to relieve swelling, palpitations and shortness of breath. For preparation and use, see above.

A decoction of viburnum fruits increases urination and increases the power of the heartbeat.

Infusion. Pour 2 tablespoons of fruit into 200 ml of boiling water, heat in a water bath for 15 minutes, cool at room temperature for 45 minutes, strain. Take 1/3 cup 3-4 times a day.

Viburnum fruits are eaten with honey or in its pure form for hypertension.

- Kidney tea in the form of an infusion it has a diuretic effect. At the same time, a large amount of uric acid, urea and chlorides is released from the body. Kidney tea should be used for a long time (up to 6 months) with weekly monthly breaks.

Infusion. Pour 2 tablespoons of the herb into 300 ml of boiling water, boil in a water bath for 15 minutes, cool at room temperature for 45 minutes, strain. Take 1/2 cup warm three times a day.

The effect of kidney tea increases if it is taken in combination with horsetail herb, lingonberry leaves, and birch leaves.

- Kirkazon. Infusions, decoctions and tincture of Kirkazon are used in folk medicine as a diuretic, as well as for dropsy and shortness of breath. In small doses, Kirkazone preparations reduce blood pressure and relieve increased excitability.

Infusion. Pour 1 teaspoon of chopped roots with a glass of boiling water, leave overnight in a warm place, strain. Take the entire dose throughout the day in 3-4 doses.

Decoction. Pour 2 teaspoons of crushed root into 500 ml of boiling water and boil for 15 minutes over low heat. Leave for 2 hours, strain. Drink 1/4 cup 4 times a day.

Tincture. Pour 1 teaspoon of dry herb into a glass of vodka and leave in a dark place for 7 days. Strain. Take 20 drops 3-4 times a day.

- Lettuce And Wild lettuce. Lettuce preparations are taken as a diuretic for edema of any origin, as well as for insomnia, convulsive conditions, shortness of breath (bronchial asthma) and for some nervous diseases.

Infusion. Pour 1/2 teaspoon of herb into a glass of boiling water, leave for two hours, strain. Drink 1 tablespoon three times a day.

The plant is poisonous!

- Cornflower blue. In official medicine, an infusion of cornflower flowers is used as a diuretic for edema of cardiac and renal origin.

Infusion. Pour 1 teaspoon of flowers into 1 glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 1/2 cup three times a day.

- Astragalus wooliflorum. Infusions and decoctions of astragalus are used in folk medicine for chronic circulatory failure, accompanied by edema, hypertension and increased excitability.

Infusion. Pour 2 tablespoons of the herb into 200 ml of boiling water, heat in a water bath for 15 minutes, cool at room temperature for 45 minutes, strain. Drink 2 tablespoons three times a day.

- Common swallowtail. It is used in folk medicine as a diuretic, diaphoretic, for palpitations and high blood pressure. For preparation and use, see above.

Ascites(dropsy) Ascites translated from Greek means a skin sac, belly. In folk medicine, the disease is called abdominal dropsy.

Ascites is an accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. The reasons for this phenomenon may be different, but most often ascites occurs with cirrhosis of the liver, chronic heart failure, advanced kidney disease, tumors of the liver and gastrointestinal tract.

Treatment of ascites should be aimed primarily at treating the underlying disease, on which the course of ascites depends.

Among folk remedies that reduce the amount of fluid in the abdominal cavity and relieve swelling, we can recommend the same herbal remedies that are used for edema of cardiac origin.

- Parsley. Wash and chop 800 g of parsley and place in an enamel pan. Pour fresh homemade milk (1.5 l). Place in the oven or on the stove and let the milk melt to half its original volume. Strain. Give the patient 2 tablespoons of decoction every hour.

It is believed that this folk remedy helps relieve swelling even when official medicine is no longer able to help.

Liquid is removed from the body well with the help of a vegetable and fruit diet for 1-2 months. It is especially recommended to eat raw cabbage, eggplant, cucumbers, lemons with peel and honey, parsnips, parsley, watermelon rind powder (or a decoction of the rinds instead of tea).

For swelling of any origin, drink a decoction of cherry stalks (1 tablespoon of cherry stalks is brewed in 0.5 liters of boiling water, left for 1 hour, filtered) 150 ml three to four times a day.

- Flax-seed. 4 teaspoons of seed per 1 liter of water. Boil for 15 minutes. Leave for 1-2 hours. Take 1/2 cup 6-8 times a day hot. The results will begin to appear in 1-2 weeks. The product especially helps with internal swelling.

Nettle leaf, St. John's wort, bearberry leaf, rose hips, plantain leaf (take equal parts of everything). Leave a tablespoon of the crushed mixture in a glass of cold water for 8 hours, then boil for 10 minutes over low heat. Strain and take 1/4 cup 4 times a day.

- Oat straw decoction, collected from the beginning of earing and before the grain begins to ripen, in the amount of 40 g per liter of water, drink 3-4 times a day, 1/2 cup.

- Pumpkin and its juice are used in the treatment of edema (mainly of cardiac origin).

- Black beetle. Powder from dried crushed black cockroaches is mixed with honey or some other food and given to the patient several times a day. Of course, the patient does not need to know about this.

- Parsley(root, fruit, herb) is used not only in plant mixtures, but also separately. 1 teaspoon of seeds or 1 tablespoon of the whole plant is simmered for 10 hours in 300 ml of boiling water, filtered and drunk 1 tablespoon 4 times a day. Decoction and infusion of seeds give 1 teaspoon 4 times a day.

Pass the parsley root and greens through a meat grinder to obtain 1 cup of mass, add 0.5 liters of boiling water and wrap for 8 hours. Then filter, squeeze out the remainder, add the juice of one lemon and drink everything in three doses throughout the day. You need to drink the composition for two days in a row. Repeat again after three days.

Boil 1 tablespoon of wheatgrass root in 400 ml of water for 10 minutes, leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink 2 tablespoons three times a day.

Hemp chaff has long been considered a very good remedy for dropsy. Brew and drink like regular tea. But you need to drink a lot of it throughout the day (up to 2 liters).

Watercress, eaten in large quantities, relieves swelling well.

- Black radish juice with honey, start drinking 1/2 cup once a day. Gradually increase the dose to 2 glasses per day (in three doses).

Burn the stems from ordinary Russian beans on an iron sheet, collect the ash, grind into powder and store in a glass container. Directions: Mix 1 tablespoon of vodka with 1/2 teaspoon of ash and take three times a day.

Infusion of agave and wormwood leaves in water in equal proportions. Take a teaspoon of the mixture per glass of boiling water. Drink 1/2 glass three times a day.

Drink two tablespoons of onion juice in the morning. To do this, in the evening two medium onions are cut into thin slices, sprinkled with sugar and in the morning, after squeezing out the juice, drink.

For dropsy, especially abdominal dropsy, a powerful remedy is therapeutic fasting, systematically carried out, especially from the very beginning of the disease. You need to do a seven-day fast once every two months, drink only two glasses of tea without sugar a day - a glass at 12 noon, the second in the evening, before bed. And be sure to do enemas from clean water every evening during fasting.

But fasting must begin gradually, first you need to prepare your body for three days: reduce the amount of food consumed more and more and give an enema every day, regardless of whether there was stool or not.

After fasting, the transition to regular food should be gradual: on the first day of recovery from hunger - any vegetable or fruit juice diluted by half, on the second day - undiluted juice, 16% -2 liters, on the third day vegetables and fruits and only on the fourth day a small a quantity of any porridge with water, some bread, soup without meat. On the fifth day you can eat regular food.

When fasting and coming out of it, enemas are done every other day, regardless of whether there was stool or not. If you have severe headaches (rapada products are being absorbed from the intestines), be sure to take a shower or bath 2-3 times a day. Then fasting will be much easier to bear.

Vascular spasms - Agrimony. In folk medicine, preparations from agrimony are used to relieve vascular spasms, in the treatment of edema, and dropsy.

Powder from the dried plant is taken 0.5 g three times a day.

Infusion. Two tablespoons of the herb are poured into 600 ml of boiling water and left for 1 hour. Strain. Drink 200 ml three times a day before meals.

- Valerian officinalis. To relieve spasms of the heart vessels, valerian root is used both in preparations (valerian root, motherwort tincture, anise fruit, yarrow herb - see above) and in the form of a tincture of 30 drops three times a day.

- Periwinkle. Vinca preparations act as a vasodilator. They are used for spasms of blood vessels in the heart and brain. These drugs are also taken for hypertension and as an anticancer agent.

Infusion. 1 tablespoon of dry leaves is poured into 300 ml of boiling water, boiled in a water bath for 15 minutes, cooled for 45 minutes at room temperature, filtered. Take 1/3 cup three times a day.

The pharmaceutical preparations vincopan and devincan are obtained from periwinkle, which are used in a dosage of 0.005-0.01 2-3 times a day for the same indications.

- Gorse. The infusion of the herb has a vasodilating effect in diseases of the heart and blood vessels of the brain.

Infusion. 1 teaspoon of dry herb is poured into 500 ml of water, boiled over low heat until 1/3 of the volume has evaporated, cooled, and filtered. Drink 1 tablespoon three times a day every other day.

There is another ancient way of preparing an infusion: 15 g of dry herb is poured with 33 tablespoons of raw water and boiled until 2/3 of the water evaporates. Drink the decoction every other day until it begins to weaken and drive away urine.

Gorse preparations are also used in the treatment of dropsy, liver diseases and as a blood purifier.

Heart rhythm disturbances - European Zyuznik. An infusion of the herb is used to treat heart rhythm disorders associated with changes in thyroid function, to treat thyrotoxicosis, and for insomnia.

Infusion. 1 tablespoon of herb is poured into 200 ml of boiling water, left for 2 hours, filtered. Drink 1/4 glass 4 times a day half an hour before meals.

- Rauwolfia serpentina. A number of domestic drugs are obtained from rauwolfia, used for the treatment of atrial fibrillation and paroxysmal tachycardia (ajmaline), as well as for the treatment of hypertension (raunatin, reserpine).

Rheumatic myocarditis - Eleutherococcus. Eleutherococcus extract (pharmaceutical drug) is taken 30-40 drops for rheumatic carditis, heart neuroses, mental and physical fatigue, to improve visual acuity and hearing in old age.

At home, prepare a tincture of Eleutherococcus: crushed roots of the plant are poured with 40-degree alcohol in a 1:1 ratio and left for 10 days.

To reduce hangover symptoms, add Eleutherococcus extract to a bottle of vodka (40-50 drops per 500 ml).

- Jaundice. Jaundice juice, along with other drugs, is included in the tincture - cardiovalen, which is prescribed for cardiosclerosis, rheumatic carditis and rheumatic heart defects, for circulatory disorders and angina pectoris.

Take 20 drops three times a day.

Weakening of cardiac activity - Ephedra bispica(Kuzmicheva grass). In folk medicine it is used for chronic heart failure, rheumatism, gout and diseases of the digestive system.

Decoction. Pour 4 tablespoons of finely chopped herbs into 400 ml of water and heat over low heat (at a slight boil) until half of the water evaporates. Strain and take 1 tablespoon three times a day before meals.

- Chistets. An infusion of the plant is used for hypertension, in the initial stages of cardiovascular failure, and paralysis. Pour 1 teaspoon of herb into 400 ml of boiling water, leave for 2 hours, strain. Take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day.

- White step. Tincture of the plant (10 percent) is a pharmaceutical preparation. Improves heart function, lowers blood pressure, reduces heart pain due to coronary artery disease and cardiosclerosis.

Take 20-25 drops three times a day. The tincture is effective for paralysis, epilepsy, and bleeding.

Decoction. 20 g of crushed root per glass of water. Boil for 5 minutes, strain. Take 1 teaspoon three times a day.

Tincture. 25 g of root per 100 ml of alcohol and 200 ml of water. Leave for 14 days in a dark place, strain. Take 10 drops three times a day.

- Elf angustifolia. The essential oil of the flowers is given to smell when the heart activity is weakened.

- Magnolia macrofolia. The pharmaceutical preparation of magnolia is prescribed 30 drops three times a day for hypertension and as a cardiac tonic.

For weakened cardiac activity, preparations from birch leaves, lily of the valley, viburnum and motherwort flowers are also prescribed (for preparation and use, see above).

This is the organ without which a person’s quality life is impossible. The heart is formed in the 5th week of a woman’s pregnancy and accompanies us from this time until death, that is, it works much longer than a person lives. Under these conditions, it is clear that special attention needs to be paid to the heart, and when the first signs of a disruption in its functioning appear, consult a doctor. We bring to your attention an overview list of heart diseases, and also tell you about the main symptoms that you should definitely pay attention to in order to remain healthy and functional throughout your life.

Brief classification of heart diseases

The heart is an organ with complex anatomy and physiology; therefore, heart diseases accompanied by disruption of its structure and function are varied. They can be conditionally combined into several groups.

1. Cardiac ischemia
   • Sudden coronary death;
   • Unstable angina;
2. Arterial hypertension and hypotension
   • Symptomatic arterial hypertension;
   • Arterial hypotension.
3. Myocardial diseases
   • Myocardial damage in systemic diseases;
   • Heart tumors;
   • Cardiomyopathies.
4. Pericardial diseases
   • Tumors and malformations of the pericardium.
5. Endocardial diseases
   • Infective endocarditis;
   • Endocarditis of other etiologies (including rheumatic).
6. Heart defects
   • Congenital heart defects.
7. Rhythm and conduction disorders
8. Circulatory failure

Main symptoms of heart disease

Diseases of the cardiovascular system are varied. They may be accompanied by the following main symptoms:

• weakness and fatigue;
• headache;
• dizziness and fainting;
• heartbeat;

Chest pain

Pain to the left of the sternum or in the area of ​​the left nipple is a common complaint in patients over 40 years of age. Substernal pain is less common, but it is a serious diagnostic sign of coronary heart disease (CHD).
Pain in coronary artery disease is associated with a lack of oxygen in the heart muscle caused by insufficient blood supply. Impaired blood flow in myocardial vessels occurs as a result of the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, narrowing the lumen of the arteries. When the arteries of the heart are completely blocked, myocardial necrosis occurs - a heart attack. Oxygen starvation of the heart is accompanied by anginal pain.
Anginal pain is most often localized behind the sternum, much less often in the epigastrium (upper third of the abdomen), and very rarely in the area of ​​the left nipple (the area of ​​the apex of the heart). The patient cannot indicate the most painful point. As a rule, he covers the pain area with his palm. A very symptomatic gesture is a fist clenched at the sternum.

Typical anginal pain is of a compressive nature, less often it is pressing or burning. Sharp, stabbing, cutting pains can occur with other heart diseases, but they are not typical for ischemic heart disease. Irradiation of pain to the left shoulder or scapula is not always associated with angina pectoris; it can also be non-coronary in nature. With IHD, pain can radiate to the jaw, teeth, collarbones, right ear, right shoulder.
Anginal pain occurs suddenly, in paroxysms, most often during walking, physical activity, with excitement, as well as when exposed to cold and walking against the wind. Pain associated with moving your arms or staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time is most often not associated with heart disease. With some types of angina, pain of a typical nature occurs at night.

Anginal pain usually stops quickly, a few minutes after stopping the exercise. If an attack occurs while walking, stopping will lead to a quick cessation of the attack. Sometimes they talk about the “window display symptom,” when the patient, due to pain, is forced to stop for a short time, pretending to be looking at a store window.
Nitroglycerin taken under the tongue leads to rapid cessation of a painful attack. If the pain in the heart area does not go away completely after taking nitrates, and lasts for hours or even days, this is not angina. The exception is myocardial infarction, characterized by “insensitivity” of the pain syndrome to nitroglycerin.
If the patient makes various complaints about prolonged pain in the heart area (in the area of ​​the left nipple), writes them down for memory, remembers the details, most often his angina is not confirmed.

Weakness and fatigue

These are nonspecific complaints, but they can be observed in many cardiac patients. Weakness is one of the early signs of circulatory failure. In this case, as a result of a decrease in minute volume of blood circulation, oxygen starvation of tissues, in particular muscles, occurs.
Weakness may accompany inflammatory heart diseases (endocarditis, myocarditis). It quite often accompanies neurocirculatory dystonia.
Weakness appears with the progression of angina and myocardial infarction.

Headache

Headache may be a sign of increased blood viscosity, which occurs with secondary erythrocytosis due to heart defects. In arterial hypertension, headache is caused by spasm of cerebral vessels. Pain in neurocirculatory dystonia is associated with impaired vascular tone.
Episodes of headache in combination with transient dizziness appear with thromboembolism of the cerebral arteries against the background of atrial fibrillation, as well as with cerebral atherosclerosis.

Fainting

A short-term loss of consciousness may be a manifestation of severe bradycardia (long pauses in the heart due to atrial fibrillation, sinoatrial or atrioventricular block). Fainting also occurs with significant arterial hypotension.

Heartbeat

Rapid heartbeat is one of the early signs of heart failure. It is especially intensified after eating, drinking liquids (including alcohol), and after physical activity.
In severe cases of heart failure, the patient gets used to the heartbeat and does not complain about it. The combination of complaints about a rapid pulse and the lack of objective confirmation is a sign of a neurotic reaction.
Irregular heartbeat is most often a sign of atrial fibrillation (atrial fibrillation). Rhythm disturbances occur in various heart diseases, often complicating their course.

Dyspnea

Shortness of breath is one of the main signs of circulatory failure, which complicates the course of many heart diseases. At the onset of the disease, shortness of breath occurs only with significant physical exertion. Gradually, exercise tolerance decreases, shortness of breath appears during normal activity, and then at rest. Attacks of suffocation appear at night: cardiac asthma.
Shortness of breath caused by circulatory failure may be accompanied by flaring of the wings of the nose and the participation of the muscles of the shoulder girdle. It intensifies when talking. In some cases, shortness of breath is relieved after taking nitroglycerin, in which case it is the equivalent of anginal pain.

Channel One, “Live Healthy” program with Elena Malysheva on the topic “3 unexpected signs of a diseased heart”

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Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent the most pressing problem of modern medicine, because mortality from pathologies of the heart and blood vessels has taken first place along with tumors. Millions of new cases are registered every year, and half of all deaths are associated with some form of circulatory system damage.

Pathology of the heart and blood vessels has not only a medical, but also a social aspect. In addition to the colossal government costs for diagnosing and treating these diseases, the level of disability remains high. This means that a sick person of working age will not be able to fulfill his duties, and the burden of his maintenance will fall on the budget and relatives.

In recent decades, there has been a significant “rejuvenation” of cardiovascular pathology, which is no longer called a “disease of old age.” Increasingly, among patients there are people not only of mature age, but also of young age. According to some reports, among children the number of cases of acquired heart disease has increased up to ten times.

Mortality from cardiovascular diseases, according to the World Health Organization, reaches 31% of all deaths in the world; coronary disease and strokes account for more than half of the cases.

It has been noted that diseases of the cardiovascular system are much more common in countries with an insufficient level of socio-economic development. The reasons for this are the inaccessibility of high-quality medical care, insufficient equipment of medical institutions, staff shortages, and the lack of effective preventive work with the population, most of whom live below the poverty line.

The spread of CVD is largely due to our modern lifestyle, diet, lack of exercise and bad habits, so today all kinds of preventive programs are being actively implemented aimed at informing the population about risk factors and ways to prevent pathology of the heart and blood vessels.

Cardiovascular pathology and its varieties

The group of diseases of the cardiovascular system is quite extensive, the list includes:

• – , ;
• ( , );
• Inflammatory and infectious lesions - rheumatic or other in nature;
• Vein diseases – , ;
• Pathology.

Most of us associate CVD primarily with coronary heart disease. This is not surprising, because this pathology is the most common, affecting millions of people on the planet. Its manifestations in the form of angina pectoris, rhythm disturbances, and acute forms in the form of a heart attack are widespread among middle-aged and elderly people.

In addition to cardiac ischemia, there are other, no less dangerous and also quite common types of CVD - hypertension, which only the lazy have never heard of, strokes, peripheral vascular diseases.

In most diseases of the heart and blood vessels, the substrate of the lesion is atherosclerosis, which irreversibly changes the vascular walls and disrupts the normal movement of blood to the organs. – severe damage to the walls of blood vessels, but it appears extremely rarely in the diagnosis. This is due to the fact that clinically it is usually expressed in the form of cardiac ischemia, encephalopathy, cerebral infarction, damage to the blood vessels of the legs, etc., therefore these diseases are considered the main ones.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a condition when the coronary arteries, altered by atherosclerosis, deliver an insufficient volume of blood to the heart muscle to ensure exchange. The myocardium experiences a lack of oxygen, hypoxia occurs, followed by -. The response to poor circulation is pain, and structural changes begin in the heart itself - connective tissue grows (), cavities expand.

factors for the development of ischemic heart disease

The extreme degree of lack of nutrition of the heart muscle results in heart attack– myocardial necrosis, which is one of the most severe and dangerous types of coronary artery disease. Men are more susceptible to myocardial infarction, but in old age the gender differences gradually disappear.

Arterial hypertension can be considered an equally dangerous form of damage to the circulatory system.. It is common among people of both sexes and is diagnosed from the age of 35-40. Increased blood pressure contributes to persistent and irreversible changes in the walls of arteries and arterioles, as a result of which they become inextensible and fragile. Stroke is a direct consequence of hypertension and one of the most severe pathologies with a high mortality rate.

High pressure also affects the heart: it increases, its walls thicken due to increased load, and the blood flow in the coronary vessels remains at the same level, therefore, with a hypertensive heart, the likelihood of coronary artery disease, including myocardial infarction, increases many times over.

Cerebrovascular pathology includes acute and chronic forms of circulatory disorders in the brain. It is clear that an acute stroke in the form of a stroke is extremely dangerous, since it makes the patient disabled or leads to his death, but chronic variants of damage to the cerebral vessels also cause many problems.

typical development of ischemic brain disorders due to atherosclerosis

Encephalopathy against the background of hypertension, atherosclerosis or their simultaneous influence causes disruption of brain function, it becomes increasingly difficult for patients to perform work duties, with the progression of encephalopathy difficulties appear in everyday life, and the extreme degree of the disease is when the patient is incapable of independent existence.

Listed above diseases of the cardiovascular system are so often combined in the same patient and aggravate each other, that it is often difficult to draw a clear line between them. For example, a patient suffers from high blood pressure, complains of heart pain, has already suffered a stroke, and the reason for everything is atherosclerosis of the arteries, stress, and lifestyle. In this case, it is difficult to judge which pathology was primary; most likely, the lesions developed in parallel in different organs.

Inflammatory processes in the heart() – myocarditis, endocarditis, pericarditis – are much less common than the previous forms. Their most common cause is when the body reacts in a unique way to a streptococcal infection, attacking not only the microbe, but also its own structures with protective proteins. Rheumatic heart disease is the lot of children and adolescents; adults usually have a consequence - heart disease.

Heart defects can be congenital or acquired. Acquired defects develop against the background of the same atherosclerosis, when the valve leaflets accumulate fatty plaques, calcium salts, and become sclerotic. Another cause of acquired defect may be rheumatic endocarditis.

When the valve leaflets are damaged, both narrowing of the opening () and expansion () are possible. In both cases, circulatory disturbance occurs in the small or large circle. Stagnation in the systemic circle is manifested by typical symptoms of chronic heart failure, and with the accumulation of blood in the lungs, the first sign will be shortness of breath.

the valvular apparatus of the heart is a “target” for carditis and rheumatism, the main cause of acquired heart defects in adults

Most heart lesions ultimately result in heart failure, which can be acute or chronic. Acute heart failure possible against the background of a heart attack, hypertensive crisis, severe arrhythmia and is manifested by pulmonary edema, acute in the internal organs, cardiac arrest.

Chronic heart failure also referred to as forms of ischemic heart disease. It complicates angina pectoris, cardiosclerosis, previous myocardial necrosis, long-term arrhythmias, heart defects, dystrophic and inflammatory changes in the myocardium. Any form of cardiovascular pathology can result in heart failure.

Signs of heart failure are stereotypical: patients develop edema, the liver becomes enlarged, the skin becomes pale or bluish, shortness of breath is tormented, and fluid accumulates in the cavities. Both acute and chronic forms of heart failure can cause the death of the patient.

Vein pathology in the form of varicose veins, thrombosis, phlebitis, thrombophlebitis, it occurs both among elderly and young people. In many ways, the spread of varicose veins is facilitated by the lifestyle of modern people (diet, physical inactivity, excess weight).

Varicose veins usually affect the lower extremities, when the subcutaneous or deep veins of the legs or thighs expand, but this phenomenon is also possible in other vessels - the veins of the small pelvis (especially in women), the portal system of the liver.

A special group of vascular pathologies consists of congenital anomalies, such as aneurysms and malformations.- this is a local expansion of the vascular wall, which can form in the vessels of the brain and internal organs. In the aorta, an aneurysm is often atherosclerotic in nature, and dissection of the affected area is extremely dangerous due to the risk of rupture and sudden death.

When there is a disruption in the development of vascular walls with the formation of abnormal weaves and tangles, neurologists and neurosurgeons are faced with, since these changes pose the greatest danger when located in the brain.

Symptoms and signs of cardiovascular disease

Having very briefly touched upon the main types of pathology of the cardiovascular system, it is worth paying a little attention to the symptoms of these ailments. The most common complaints are:

1. Discomfort in the chest, heart palpitations;

Pain is the main symptom of most heart diseases. It accompanies angina pectoris, heart attack, arrhythmias, and hypertensive crises. Even slight discomfort in the chest or short-term, not intense pain should be a cause for concern, and in case of acute, “dagger” pain, you need to urgently seek qualified help.

In coronary heart disease, pain is associated with oxygen starvation of the myocardium due to atherosclerotic damage to the heart vessels. Stable angina occurs with pain in response to exercise or stress; the patient takes nitroglycerin, which eliminates the pain attack. Unstable angina is manifested by pain at rest, medications do not always help, and the risk of a heart attack or severe arrhythmia increases, so pain that arises on its own in a patient with cardiac ischemia is the basis for seeking help from specialists.

Acute, severe pain in the chest, radiating to the left arm, under the shoulder blade, or into the shoulder, may indicate a myocardial infarction. P Taking nitroglycerin does not eliminate it, and symptoms include shortness of breath, rhythm disturbances, a feeling of fear of death, and severe anxiety.

Most patients with pathology of the heart and blood vessels experience weakness and get tired quickly. This is due to insufficient oxygen supply to tissues. As chronic heart failure increases, resistance to physical activity sharply decreases; it is difficult for the patient to walk even a short distance or climb a couple of floors.

symptoms of advanced heart failure

Almost all cardiac patients experience shortness of breath. It is especially characteristic of heart failure with damage to the heart valves. Defects, both congenital and acquired, can be accompanied by stagnation of blood in the pulmonary circulation, resulting in difficulty breathing. A dangerous complication of such heart damage can be pulmonary edema, requiring immediate medical attention.

Edema accompanies congestive heart failure. First, they appear in the evening on the lower extremities, then the patient notes their spread upward, the arms, tissues of the abdominal wall, and face begin to swell. In severe heart failure, fluid accumulates in the cavities - the abdomen increases in volume, shortness of breath and a feeling of heaviness in the chest intensify.

Arrhythmias can manifest as a feeling of palpitations or freezing. Bradycardia, when the pulse slows down, contributes to fainting, headaches, and dizziness. Rhythm changes are more pronounced during physical activity, anxiety, after a heavy meal and drinking alcohol.

Cerebrovascular diseases with damage to cerebral vessels, manifested by headaches, dizziness, changes in memory, attention, and intellectual performance. Against the background of hypertensive crises, in addition to headaches, palpitations, flickering “spots” before the eyes, and noise in the head are disturbing.

An acute circulatory disorder in the brain - a stroke - is manifested not only by pain in the head, but also by a variety of neurological symptoms. The patient may lose consciousness, paresis and paralysis develop, sensitivity is impaired, etc.

Treatment of cardiovascular diseases

Cardiologists, therapists, and vascular surgeons treat cardiovascular diseases. Conservative therapy is prescribed by the clinic doctor, and if necessary, the patient is sent to the hospital. Surgical treatment of certain types of pathology is also possible.

The basic principles of therapy for cardiac patients are:

• Normalization of the regime, excluding excessive physical and emotional stress;
• A diet aimed at correcting lipid metabolism, because atherosclerosis is the main mechanism of many diseases; in case of congestive heart failure, fluid intake is limited, in case of hypertension - salt, etc.;
• Giving up bad habits and physical activity - the heart must carry out the load it needs, otherwise the muscle will suffer even more from “underutilization”, so cardiologists recommend walking and feasible exercises even for those patients who have had a heart attack or heart surgery;
• Drug therapy;
• Surgical interventions.

Drug therapy includes the prescription of drugs of various groups depending on the patient’s condition and the type of cardiac pathology. Most often used:

1. (atenolol, metoprolol);
3. Different kinds ;
4. , indicated for severe defects, cardiomyopathies, myocardial dystrophies.

Diagnosis and treatment of pathology of the heart and blood vessels are always very expensive activities, and chronic forms require lifelong therapy and observation, therefore it is an important part of the work of cardiologists. To reduce the number of patients with pathology of the heart and blood vessels, early diagnosis of changes in these organs and their timely treatment by doctors in most countries of the world, preventive work is actively carried out.



It is necessary to inform as many people as possible about the role of a healthy lifestyle and nutrition, movements in maintaining the health of the cardiovascular system. With the active participation of the World Health Organization, various programs are being implemented aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality from this pathology.