Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of death worldwide, and its prevalence continues to rise. As a result, alternative treatments, such as Chinese medicine, are gaining interest for their potential benefits. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) focuses on balancing the body's energy, or qi, and uses herbal formulas and food combinations to address specific health issues. This article explores TCM treatment options for CHD, including heart-blood coagulations, chest congestion, liver-kidneys yin deficiency, and simultaneous deficiency of yin and yang.
- Heart-Blood Coagulations
Symptoms: Chest congestion, chronic backache, cold hands and feet, excessive perspiration, pain in the chest, pain in the heart and chest as if being pricked with a needle, pale complexion, palpitations, perspiration, poor appetite, and shortness of breath.
Treatment: To warm the heart yang and promote blood circulation, use Gua-Lou-Xie-Bai-Gui-Zhi-Tang.
Recommended Foods: Ambergris, brown sugar, chestnut, eggplant, peach, black soybean, sturgeon, sweet basil, crab, distillers' grains, papaya, and saffron.
- Simultaneous Energy Congestion and Blood Coagulations
Symptoms: Abdominal swelling, chest pain affecting the back, chest pain that comes and goes as if being pricked by a needle, congested chest, liver disease, love of sighing, lump in the abdomen that stays in the same region, shortness of breath, and ulcers.
Treatment: To activate the blood and promote energy circulation, use Xue-Fu-Zhu-Yu-Tang.
Recommended Foods: Beef, cherry, bird's nest, butterfish, chicken, coconut meat, date, tofu, mustard seed, sweet rice, goose meat, mutton, jackfruit, squash, sweet potato, red and black date, rice, rock sugar, caraway seed, spearmint, common button mushroom, oregano, red bean, ambergris, dill seed, garlic, sweet basil, saffron, brown sugar, chestnut, eggplant, peach, black soybean, sturgeon, sweet basil, crab, distillers' grains, papaya, and saffron.
- Liver-Kidneys Yin Deficiency
Symptoms: Chest pain particularly at night, difficulty with both defecation and urination, dizziness, dry eyes, throat, or mouth, fatigue, headache with pain in the brow, lumbago, menstrual pain, night blindness, night sweats, pain in the upper abdomen, palms of hands and soles of feet are both hot, paralysis, sleeplessness with forgetfulness, weak loins and tibia, and withering complexion.
Treatment: To strengthen the kidneys and liver yin and to activate the blood and transform blood coagulations, use Yang-Yiri-Tong-Bi-Tang.
Recommended Foods: Bird's nest, cheese, chicken egg, kidney bean, brown sugar, mussel, abalone, asparagus, chicken egg, cuttlefish, duck, duck egg, white fungus, oyster, pork, royal jelly, chestnut, chicken liver, and pork kidneys.
- Simultaneous Deficiency of Yin and Yang
Symptoms: Cold limbs and cold sensations in the body, fatigue, frequent urination at night, low energy, pain in the heart, palpitations, perspiration with hot sensations in the body easily triggered by physical activities, poor appetite, poor spirits, ringing in ears, too tired to talk, underweight, and waking
up at night due to pain.
Treatment: To regulate and strengthen both the yin and yang and to strengthen the energy and the blood simultaneously, use Zhi-Gan-Cao-Tang.
Recommended Foods: Beef, cherry, bird's nest, butterfish, chicken, coconut meat, date, tofu, mustard seed, sweet rice, goose meat, mutton, jackfruit, squash, sweet potato, red and black date, rice, rock sugar, caraway seed, spearmint, common button mushroom, oregano, red bean, ambergris, dill seed, garlic, sweet basil, saffron, abalone, asparagus, cuttlefish, chicken egg, duck egg, white fungus, beef liver, grape, mandarin fish, oyster, milk, beef, blood clam, and longan nuts.
Conclusion
Traditional Chinese Medicine offers a holistic approach to treating coronary heart disease, focusing on the root cause of the condition and addressing the body's imbalances. By using herbal formulas and incorporating specific food combinations into one's diet, TCM aims to restore harmony and promote healing. As always, it is essential to consult with a qualified TCM practitioner to receive an accurate diagnosis and personalized treatment plan.