Angina Treatment.

Heart disease has you in its grip-and it's squeezing.
That's what a bout of angina feels like: A pressure like pain in your chest, perhaps flaring to your left shoulder blade and arm, neck, jaws, or back. The pain tends to be more constant for men, while women may experience chest discomfort that comes and goes or have shortness of breath.
Angina occurs when the heart muscle temporarily doesn't get enough blood and oxygen. It's usually triggered by emotional stress, extreme temperatures, heavy meals, alcohol, cigarette smoking, or physical exertion, all of which increase the heart's demand for oxygen.

The oxygen supply is limited, however, when the arteries leading to the heart are narrowed by buildups of plaque, the substance that signals heart disease. The result is pain-l to 20 minutes of scary discomfort, as if a heart attack were sending you a telegram from the future.

Angina is the edge of a cliff, and you need a guardrail. In other words, medical treatment is a must. You will probably need to take a prescription drug such as nitroglycerin (Nitrolingual) to keep your angina attacks under control. But alternative doctors say that you should also use nutritional remedies that can gradually reduce angina attacks by improving blood flow to the heart and infusing the heart muscle with extra energy, says Julian Whitaker,"M.D., founder and director of the Whitaker Wellness Institute in Newport Beach, California.

COENZYME QlO: A Heart-Rejuvenating Supplement
Alternative practitioners believe that the first and most important natural remedy for angina is probably coenzyme QI0 (COQlO) . It's found in every cell and is as essential as oxygen. Without it, you'd quickly die, because it helps the body manufacture ATP, the chemical that generates most of the energy that powers the cells of the body, including those of the heart muscle.

Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D., a cardiologist and director of the New England Heart Center in Manchester, Connecticut, also strongly recommends COQI0' He cites a study in which the supplement allowed people with angina to decrease their nitroglycerin intake. Dr. Sinatra treats people with angina with a daily dose of 90 to 180 milligrams of COQIQ1 taken with or after meals.
"There are no significant adverse effects from coQ1Q1" he adds. "It's
an exciting additional strategy for patients with angina that they should utilize indefinitely."

CARNITINE: Boosts the Power of COQlO
People with angina who take carnitine (a vitamin-like amino acid) along with COQlO are much more likely to have reductions in angina pain and frequency of attacks than those who take COQI0 alone, says Michael Janson, M.D., consultant physician at Path to Health in Burlington, Massachusetts.
Alternative practitioners believe that without enough COQI0 and carnitine, the cells of the heart can't make energy from fats. Instead, they burn sugar, or glucose, for energy. This, in combination with narrowed vessels that deprive the heart of oxygen, leads to lactic acid buildup, which in turn causes the pain of angina.
So, along with COQ1O Dr. Janson advises his angina patients to take anywhere from 500 milligrams of carnitine twice a day to 1,000 milligrams three or four times a day, depending on the severity and frequency of their angina.

TOCOTRIENOL: Strong Protection against Heart Attack

Tocotrienol is a super-powerful form of vitamin E. Study after study shows that vitamin E can help prevent or reverse heart disease, says Donald Carrow, M.D., founder and director of the Florida Institute of Health in Tampa.
Vitamin E actually refers to a variety of chemically similar nutrients, the tocopherols and the tocotrienols. Scientists used to think that the tocotrienols were the weaker of the two groups. Now they've begun to realize they're stronger.

In fact, based on his experience, Dr. Carrow believes that the tocotrienols are 30 to 60 times more powerful than tocopherol-containing vitamin E, making the nutrient one of the best ways to treat and reverse angina. Tocotrienols, he explains, are thought to act like a blood-thinning drug. They help stop the formation of blood clots at the spot where an artery is clogged-the usual cause of heart attacks in people with angina. Dr. Carrow advises his angina patients to take 50 milligrams of mixed tocotrienols (a product that includes forms of tocotrienol called alpha, beta, delta, and gamma) three times a day.

MAGNESIUM CITRATE: Instantly Improves Blood Flow
Magnesium citrate is an inexpensive liquid product often used as a laxative. It also works for angina because magnesium opens the arteries of the heart and strengthens the heart muscle, Dr. Carrow says. He recommends that people with angina take 1 ounce of magnesium citrate (a nonlaxative dose) once a day on an empty stomach.

People in the midst of minor angina attacks may even be able to abort the attacks by taking an extra ounce of magnesium citrate, says Dr. Carrow. Talk to your doctor before using magnesium citrate for angina, however, and never use it as a substitute for any prescribed drug treatment.

HOMEOPATHY: Cactus Stops Pain Fast

This homeopathic remedy works well to stop the pain of an angina attack, says Mark Stengler, N.D., a naturopathic physician in San Diego. .
But, he adds, homeopathic Cactus must be taken with-not instead of-any drug prescribed by a physician for treating angina. Take a 30C potency of the remedy, dissolving two pellets in your mouth every 5 minutes until the pain is gone.


Shower Away The Pain.
Taking a very warm shower or bath dilates blood vessels throughout your body, including the arteries leading to the heart. This can help stop the pain of repeated episodes of minor angina, says Donald Carrow, M.D., founder and director of the Florida Institute of Health in Tampa. "I tell all of my patients with angina to take very warm showers or baths when they're having minor attacks, and many of them get instant relief:' he says.

One caution, however: Be sure that the bathroom has a good exhaust fan, and turn it on before you get in the shower or tub. Steam can reduce the amount of oxygen in a room, making angina worse.
If angina pain persists for more than
5 to 10 minutes after trying this remedy, go to the nearest hospital immediately. While this treatment may temporarily relieve angina pain, it should never take the place of prescribed medications.