modern physiology

modern physiology has tended to see hearts

importance mainly in term of its action as a
circulatory pump .however ,contemporary
research shows that the heart is also an
endocrine gland, producing neurotransmitters
in response to emotional stimuli. The heart
produces adrenaline and dopamine as well as
oxytocin the “love hormone”
 the Ayurveda classics describes the heart as the
seat of par-ojas, vyan vayu, sadhak pitta,avalambhak
kapha and mana. Hence their normal function
maintains the normal health of the heart and their
vitiation leads to various hridrogas.”
 heart functions, according to Ayurveda: heart is key
organ of rasa- vaha srotas (rasa circulatory system)
means rasa and heart is the base of this system.
Sushruta postulates that this rasa vaha srotas also
has concern with prana –vaha srotas (respiratory
system) .the heart creates equilibrium between both
systems for normal life. If we put side by side this
theory with the science ,we found that rasa-dhatu is
salubrious and oxygenated blood
Anatomy
 VITIATION OF
PRINCIPLESOF DIET
AND OTHER NIDANA

MANDAGNI

AMOTPATTI

SAAMA RASA

VITIATED RASA+ KAPHA +

VITIATED RASA+VAYU
PITTA

RUJA IN HEART STROTORODHA

OBSTUCTION OF PRANA VAYU

HRIDA BADHA
BREAKING NEWS
• INDIA WOULD BECOME NO. 1 KILLER OF HEART
DISEASES BY 2015.
• 1 IN EVERY 4 INDIANS WILL DIE OF HEART ATTACK.
• PRESENTLY, 60 MILLION PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED BY
HEART DISEASES.
• 20 MILLION PEOPLE ARE OF RISK IN NEXT DECADE.
• RISK FOR WOMEN IS UP BY 200%.
• 10% OF THE PATIENTS OF HEART ARE UNDER 30
YEARS.
• THERE HAVEN’T BEEN ANY PREVIOUS SYMPTOMS
IN 50% OF DEATHS.
RISK FACTORS
A] RISK FACTORS FOR WHICH TREATMENT
REDUCES C.V.D. RISK.

B] RISK FACTORS FOR WHICH TREATMENT IS

LIKELY TO REDUCE RISK OF C.V.D.

C] RISK FACTORS FOR WHICH TREATMENT MAY

REDUCE C.V.D. RISK.

D] RISK FACTORS FOR WHICH TREATMENT IS

UNLIKELY TO REDUCE RISK OF C.V.D.
A] RISK FACTORS FOR WHICH
TREATMENT REDUCES C.V.D. RISK.
 SMOKING-
• Research has shown that smoking increases heart rate
and can create irregularities in the timing of heartbeats,
all of which make your heart work harder.
• Smoking also raises blood pressure, which increases the
risk of stroke in people.
• Carbon monoxide is the active agents in cigarette smoke,
which lead to build up of fatty plaque in the arteries,
possibly by injuring the vessel walls.
• They also affect the levels of fibrinogen, which is a blood
clotting material. This increases the risk of a blood clot
that can lead to heart attack.
CHOLESTEROL
• Cholesterol, a fat like substance carried in the blood is found
in all of your body cells.
• Our liver produces all of the cholesterol our body needs to
form cell membranes and to make certain hormones.
• Extra cholesterol enters your body through animal foodstuffs.
The main culprit for risking heart disorders is the saturated fat
in food.
• Foods containing saturated fat include butter, fat in milk
products, fat from red meat, coconut oil etc.
• Too much of Low-Density-Lipoprotein (LDL or bad
cholesterol) in the blood causes plaque to from on artery
walls, which starts a disease process called Atherosclerosis.
• When plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, you are at a
greater of having Heart Attack.
HYPERTENSION
• Elevation of Blood pressure is clinically referred to as
Hypertension.
• With the continual pressure in the arterial system, the
heart must work harder to over come this pressure, each
time it beats.
• With the continual resistance, to each beat, heart
gradually suffers.
• The left ventricle, which pumps blood out into the aorta,
wearies of this continual strain.
• It tends to enlarge and as this occurs, it gradually
weakens and becomes less effective.
• As this continues, a situation develops in which the Heart
is unable to process the volume of blood being delivered
to it by the system. Gradually, it results into Heart Failure.
THROMBOGENIC
FACTORS
• Fibrinogen increases risk for CVD i.e.
Cardiovascular Disorders by promoting
hemostasis and complex atherosclerotic
plaque formation.
• Because of their role in atherogenesis
and acute arterial thrombosis,
thrombogenic factors have emerged as
important risk factors for Heart Diseases.
B] RISK FACTORS FOR WHICH
TREATMENT IS LIKELY TO
REDUCE RISK OF C.V.D.

 DIABETES MELLITUS.
• The risk factor associated with Diabetes Mellitus
type II are particular strong because a number of
other risk factors for CVD (hyperlipidemia, obesity)
tend to cluster among such persons.
• Hyperglycemia at the time of CVD event may
portend a worse prognosis, perhaps because on
adverse anaerobic metabolism may help extend an
area of ischemia.
PHYSICAL INACTIVITY

• People who are not active have a greater risk

of heart attack than do people who exercise
regularly.
• Exercise burns calories to control cholesterol
levels and diabetes and may lower blood
pressure.
• Exercise also strengthens the heart muscles
and makes arteries more flexible.
OBESITY

• Extra weight is thought to lead to

increase in cholesterol levels, high blood
pressure and an increased risk of plaque
formation and thus coronary disease.
• Obesity increases your chances of
developing other factors for heart
disease, especially high blood pressure,
high blood cholesterol and diabetes.
C] RISK FACTORS FOR WHICH
TREATMENT MAY REDUCE C.V.D. RISK.

 ESTROGEN DEFICIENCY.
• The Sex hormone, Estrogen appears to play a role in
heart diseases.
• In women younger than 40, heart disease is rare.
• But between the ages 40 to 65, around the time when
most women go through menopause, those women will
have heart attack risk greatly increased.
• From 65 onwards, women make up about half of all heart
attack victims.
• So, women are no longer stranger to heart attacks.
STRESS
• Researchers have identified several reasons why stress may
affect the functioning of Heart.
• Stressful situations raise your heart rate and Blood pressure,
increases your heart’s need for oxygen. The difference between
demand and supply to heart muscles can lead to ISCHEMIA and
ANGINA PECTORIS (i.e. Severe chest pain),
• During times of stress, the nervous system releases extra
hormones, often adrenalin. These hormones raise blood
pressure, which can damage, the linings of the arteries leading
to plaque formation.
• Stress also increases the amount of blood clotting factors that
circulate in the blood and the increasing the chances of clot
formation in the arteries, thus blocking a coronary artery
narrowed by plaque and causing a Heart attack.
BIRTH CONTROL PILLS
• Early types of birth control pills contained high
levels of estrogen and progestin, and taking these
pills increased the chances of Heart disease and
stroke, especially in women older than 35 who
smoked.
• Birth control pills today contain much lower doses
of Hormones.
• But they will increase the risk of Heart diseases &
blood clots, especially, if the women is old and if
she smokes and has other risk factors.
ALCOHOL INTAKE.
• Light – moderate alcohol consumption of up to
21 units/week for men and up to 14 unit/week for
women of alcohol is not a problem and may
provide some protection against CVD by
reducing stress but heavy drinking raises blood
pressure and triglycerides, adds to obesity,
stroke, irregular heart beats and Cardiomyopathy
i.e. Degeneration of heart muscle.
• Calories from alcohol often add to the body fat,
which increases risk of heart disease.
D] RISK FACTORS FOR WHICH
TREATMENT IS UNLIKELY TO REDUCE
RISK OF C.V.D.
 AGE-
• As we age, our heart tends to not work as well. The
heart’s walls and coronary muscles and coronary arteries
may stiffen and harden and heart is less able to pump
blood to the muscles of the body.
• Because of these changes, the risk of developing
cardiovascular diseases increases with age.
• Because of their sex hormones, women are usually
protected form heart diseases until menopause.
• After that their risk increases.
GENDER

• Over all, men have a higher risk of heart

attack than women, due to their peculiar
lifestyle and hormonal pattern, however
the difference narrows after women
reach menopause.
• After the age of 65, the risk of heart
disease is about the same between the
sexes when other factors are similar.
HEREDITY.

 Heart disease tends to run in families due to

the genetic factor attached to it.
 Risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes
etc. may also be passed from one generation
to another.
 Also researchers have found that some forms
of cardiovascular diseases are more common
among certain ethnic group due to mutated,
gene inheritance.
CAUSES ACCORDING TO
AYURVED
 AAHAR - DIETARY CAUSES.
 Ait ]pvaasa - Excessive fasting.
 Ait $xa Anna saovana - Consuming excessively dry
food .
 Ait ]YNa Anna saovana - Consuming excessively hot
food.
 Ait gau$ - Excessive heavy food.
 Ait isnagQa - Excessive slimy or fatty diet.
 Ait Baaojana - Consuming food
hard to
digest.
 Ait Amla rsa - Excessive sour food.
 Ait lavaNa rsa - Excessive salty food.
 Ait kTu rsa - Excessive spicy food.
 maV Aitsaovana - Excessive alcohol
consumption.
 Ait Alp Baaojana - Consuming very less
quantity of food.
 VIHAR - LIFE STYLE CAUSES.
• Aitvyaayaama - Excess of exercising and
straining body.
• AcaoYTnama\ - Sedentary life
• Aatpsaovana - Exposure to heat.
• inad`aiQa@ya - Excessive sleeping.
 MANAS PSYCHOLOGICAL
CAUSES.
• Saaok - Grief.
• icaMta - Worry.
• k`aoQa - Anger.
• Baya - Fear.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES

 ACC. TO AYURVED-
• BRAHME MUHURATE UTISHTHETA.
• DANTMANJAN.
• ABHYANGA.
• VYAYAM
• UDAVARTAN.
• SNAN.
• BHOJAN.
ACC. TO MODERN-
 EAT RIGHT-
• Eat in moderation and a variety of food.
• It is advised that one should have food of all seven
colours and six tastes.
• Keep a check on salt intake.
• Avoid eating foods, which are high in LDL such as
animal meats, egg yolk, prawns, crabs etc.
• Avoid canned vegetables and canned fruit syrups.
NO SMOKING , LESS
ALCOHOL-
• Just three cigarettes a day increases your
chances of a heart attack by 5 times, this is
what the latest research says.
• It is for a fact that nicotine in cigarettes
increases the rate at which plaque forms on
your arteries
• Nicotine in cigarette smoke makes your heart
work harder by constricting blood vessels and
increasing your heart rate and blood pressure.
WATCH YOUR
WAISTILINE !
• A large waist increases your risk of Heart disease
threefold. While the fat around your hips and
thighs is inert, abdominal fat spews out
inflammatory and clotting chemicals that increase
the risk of heart problems.
• It has been studied that loosing just 2 cm around
your waist cuts your risk of heart disease by 60%.
• A healthy diet is particularly effective for fighting
belly fat and so is walking.
CONTROL BLOOD
SUGAR.
• Keep a check on your blood sugar levels
over the last three months more so if you
have a family history of diabetes.
• A Diabetic should follow strict diet control
and go in for regular check ups because
some patients can develop hidden heart
disease.
SEE YOUR DOCTOR

• Also those over 20 who have a family

history of heart disease, diabetes, and
blood pressure.
• One should go for regulars screening of
blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Ideally a healthy B.P. is 140/80 and for
diabetes it is 130/80.
HAVE FUN!

• According to scientists many a laugh

keeps heart disease away. Hence one
should join laughing clubs.
• Laughing may reduce B.P. if practiced
often enough; by helping you get rid of
all that anger and frustration that make
you stressed.
STRESSED?
TIME FOR TIME OUT !
• Relaxation methods like Yoga, Meditation, ‘PRANAYAM’
decreases electrical changes associated with poor
circulation to the heart and has also shown to lower
cholesterol.
• Meditation caused a fall in oxygen consumption, plasma
lactate concentration and a decrease in cardiac out put
and blood pressure.
• Yogic postures or Asanas like Sirsana, Sarwangasan,
Paschimottanasan, Dhaanurasan etc. recondition the
hypothalamus- pituitary – adrenal axis with control of
Insulin secretion and its metabolism. Thus helping
diabetic patients.
GET MORE SLEEP

 Too little sleep may increase your risk of

developing high B.P.
 Sleep allows heart to slow down and
B.P. to drop for a significant part of the
day.
 Try to get 6-8 hours of undisturbed sleep
TREATMENT
Use of snehan in heart diseases

 By, massaging with oils

the vitiated vata gets
pacified , it helps in
microcirculation ,reduces
peripheral resistance &
increases muscular tone
of heart .In abhyantara
sneha, administration of
ghrita , brings the lipid
soluble toxins into the
koshtha in much more
acceptable form .
Use of swedan in heart diseases

 As Hruddaya is
Aswedya organ, if
necessary Sweden is
given by
Hands/pearls / Lotus
leaves .
 Sarvanga swedan is
indicated.
Dietary changes- Indian traditional diet pattern causes low risk
factors. Rational practice of Aaharvidhiviseshayatana
Aaharvidhividhan and AaharPariNaamakarBaava
helps in reducing Aama
Swasthahitakar drayvas- e.g.ractashali,mudga etc.
Milk - Godugdha is Jeevaniya, low in fats.Goat milk is best for
prevention of hrudroga
Ghrut – Home made Goghrut provides unction to srotasas and
especially Hrudya. (i.e.Essential LDL). It acts as antioxidant
for vital tissues
Oil – Til oil is supposed to be the best for heart.
Shak varga – Jeevanti , Kantoli, Bharngi, Patol, Kohala, Vidarikand,
are cardio protactor.
Kanda – Shrungataka, Kasheruk , Kachara.
Takra , shuddha Lashuna , Haridra and Garlic are proven drugs
to reduce atherosclerosis.

Saidhav –Is Hruddya , can be used in hypertension & Heart

Disease
 . Following Rules of Dinacharya:
Vyayam - Surya Namaskar , daily 40 min. walk, jogging, aerobics,
power
Yoga.

Abhyanga and Swedan – Oil massage followed by steaming

reduces
peripheral resistance

Udwartan - Increases microcirculation

Yoga can increase microcirulation and ejection factor of heart.
Vedic Mantras shows positive effect on autonomic
cardiovascular rhythm

Omkar chanting shows reduction in heart and breathing rate.

c. Following Rules Of Rutucharya:
‘Rutukalin Saushodhana` advocated in Bruhattrayi should
be followed to remove Sanchit Doshas.
e.g. Basti in Varsha Rutu, Virechana – Raktamokshana in
Sharad Rutu, Vamana in Vasanta Rutu.