PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION – HERBAL TREATMENT

OVERVIEW

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a medical condition in which there is high blood pressure in the arteries which go from heart to the lungs. The muscle wall in the arteries become thick and they become narrow or blocked. The heart pumps blood to the lungs for oxygenation of the deoxygenated blood. Due to increased blood pressure in these pulmonary arteries, they got damaged with time. This slows the blood flow through the lungs and the heart needs to work harder to pump the blood through lungs. This extra work by the heart causes the heart muscle to get eventually weak with time.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension has no permanent cure but with medicines and some dietary and lifestyle modifications, the symptoms can be managed. This helps in improving the quality of life of an individual. However, if not treated at time, it can lead to serious health implications.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION?

Heart consists of four chambers – two upper atria and two lower ventricles. The left side of the heart contains oxygenated blood and pumps this blood to the entire body. The right side of the heart pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs for purification purpose. But due to some reasons, the pressure in the pulmonary arteries gets increased causing wear and tear of the arteries. The arteries become stiff and thick and their lumen becomes narrow. This causes increased blood pressure in the blood vessels leading to pulmonary hypertension.

Following are the different causes of pulmonary arterial hypertension:

• Having a genetic predisposition to pulmonary hypertension
• Having heart disease from birth
• Liver cirrhosis
• Drug abuse
• Connective tissue disorders such as scleroderma, lupus, etc
• Mitral valve or aortic valve disease
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Scarring of alveoli of lungs called pulmonary fibrosis
• Left ventricle failure
• Sleep apnea
• Blood disorders such as thrombocytopenia, polycythemia vera
• Sarcoidosis
• Vasculitis
• Presence of blood clots in lungs
• Metabolic disorder
• High altitudes
• Emphysema

WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS FOR PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION?

Some factors increase the risk of person developing pulmonary hypertension:

• Increasing age
• Women are more prone in comparison to men
• People of 75 years or above
• Obese persons
• Intake of certain medicines such as anti-depressants, etc

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS FOR PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION?

The symptoms of pulmonary hypertension develop gradually and may not get noticed for the first few months or years. As the disease progresses, the symptoms develop.

Following are the common signs and symptoms of pulmonary arterial hypertension:

• Pain in chest
• Heaviness and tightness in chest
• Shortness of breath
• Blue discoloration of lips and skin
• Feeling tired
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Increased heart rate
• Swelling in legs and ankles
• Irregular heart rate

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS OF PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION

Following are the complications which arise with pulmonary arterial hypertension:

• Enlargement of right side of heart
• Blood clots in arteries of lungs
• Arrhythmia
• Bleeding in lungs
• Heart failure
• Hemoptysis
• Difficulty in pregnancy

MANAGEMENT OF PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION WITH THE MEDICINES OF CHANDIGARH AYURVED CENTRE

Here are some of the medicines of Chandigarh ayurved center which are used for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension:

1. Nerve up tablet

These tablets are pure ayurvedic formulation. Nerve up tablets help in balancing the vata doshas and kapha dosha. It acts as nervine stimulant. It shows effective results in improving the central nervous system. It contains natural ingredients like shudha kuchala, shudha shilajeet, abhrak bhasma, praval pishti, shankh bhasma etc. This tablet helps in Backache, knee pain, headache, bronchitis, depression. It shows carminative, analgesics, and anti-inflammatory medicinal properties to prevent several health problems. It reduces the cholesterol level in the body naturally especially triglycerides & provide good results in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Recommended Dosage– Take 1 tablet twice daily.

2. Cough Go Tablets

These herbal tablets are beneficial in cough, cold, bronchitis, & other respiratory disorders. Cough Go Tablets are ayurvedic formulation containing Sonth (Zingiber officinale), Mulethi (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Pippali (Piper longum), Kali mirch (Piper nigrum), etc. All these ingredients show antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, bronchodilator, & expectorant properties. This is very beneficial in fever due to phlegm and treats the chronic cough. It helps in reducing cough, headache, rhinitis, etc.

Recommended Dosage– Take 1 tablet twice daily with normal water.

3. Panchasakar Churna

This is an ayurvedic remedy that mainly consists of five ingredients like Shunti, Haritaki, Pippali, Trivrit, and Sauvarchala lavana. It mainly acts as a Vata-kaphahara. By its detoxification properties it helps in elimination of the toxins from the body and reduces swelling of ankles, legs, etc.

Recommended Dosage –Take 1 teaspoonful daily with warm water at bedtime.

4. Kapha Powder

This powder contains a mixture of natural herbs that are very beneficial in reducing the symptoms of pulmonary hypertension. The powder contains – Gandhak rasayan, Yavakshar, Shwet parpati, Sudhyog, Jahar mohra etc. This formulation mainly helps in reducing the chest pain, fatigue, dizziness, chronic cough, etc.

Recommended Dosage– Take 1 sachet twice daily with normal water.

5. Trikatu Tablet

Trikatu tablet stimulates the enzyme activity that is responsible for healthy digestio. This tablet is made up of equal parts of three herbs such as Pippali (Piper longum), Shunthi (Zingiber officinale), & Marich (Piper nigrum) that maintains the metabolism in the body. Ayurveda for enhancing effects and increasing the absorption of Ayurvedic medicine. Other properties of the tablet have an anti-inflammatory, fat burner, hypolipidemic, etc.

Recommended Dosage– Take 1 tablet twice daily before meal.

6. Makar Rasayan

It contains natural ingredients like shudha kuchla, guduchi satva, shudha shilajeet, abhrak bhasma, ras sindoor, moonga bhasma, shankh bhasma, praval pishti etc. These ingredients shows antioxidant, aphrodisiac, analgesic and immune modulator properties. It helps to rejuvenate body tissues and act as an immune modulator, Immunity booster, Improves vitality, improves the overall health of an individual, Act on Central Nervous System, Help reduces stress and anxiety.

Recommended Dosage– Take 1 tablet twice daily.