Congestive Heart Failure

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Other names for Congestive Heart Failure

Heart Failure
Chronic Heart Failure
Cardiac Decompensation
Left-Sided or Right-Sided Heart Failure

Synopsis of Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a chronic progressive condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. It does not mean the heart has stopped working, but rather that it functions less efficiently, leading to a buildup ("congestion") of fluid in the lungs, abdomen, legs, and feet. CHF can affect either the left side, the right side, or both sides of the heart.

There are two major types of CHF:

  • Systolic Heart Failure: The heart can't pump (eject) blood effectively.

  • Diastolic Heart Failure: The heart can pump, but it can't fill properly due to stiffness.

CHF often results from conditions that damage or weaken the heart muscle, including coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, previous heart attacks, diabetes, or cardiomyopathies. Managing CHF requires lifelong attention to lifestyle, medication adherence, and sometimes advanced interventions.

Types of Congestive Heart Failure:

  • Left-Sided Heart Failure: Leads to fluid buildup in the lungs (pulmonary edema).

  • Right-Sided Heart Failure: Causes swelling in the legs, ankles, and abdomen.

  • Biventricular Failure: Both sides of the heart are affected.

Common Causes:

  • Coronary artery disease (blockages in heart arteries)

  • Hypertension (chronic high blood pressure)

  • Heart attacks (myocardial infarction)

  • Cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)

  • Valvular heart disease

  • Diabetes

  • Obesity

  • Arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms)

Severity Factors:

  • CHF is progressive: early stages may have few symptoms, but later stages severely limit quality of life.

  • Without proper management, CHF can lead to major complications such as kidney failure, pulmonary hypertension, and fatal arrhythmias.

  • Frequent hospitalizations for fluid overload indicate severe disease.

When to See a Doctor:

  • Shortness of breath (especially lying down or during exertion)

  • Persistent coughing or wheezing (may produce white or pink-tinged mucus)

  • Swelling in legs, ankles, abdomen

  • Rapid weight gain from fluid retention (2–3 pounds in a day or 5+ pounds in a week)

  • Extreme fatigue or weakness

  • Rapid or irregular heartbeat

  • Difficulty concentrating or confusion

  • New or worsening symptoms of heart failure

Natural remedies for Congestive Heart Failure

Low-sodium diet: Reduces fluid buildup and blood pressure strain.

Fluid management: Monitor and sometimes restrict fluid intake as advised.

Daily weight monitoring: Helps detect early signs of fluid retention.

Light physical activity: Walking or gentle exercises, if cleared by a doctor.

Elevate legs: Reduces swelling in the lower body.

Smoking cessation and alcohol moderation: Critical for slowing heart damage.

Manage underlying conditions: Diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol.

Stress reduction: Yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises reduce heart strain.

Ingredients

These raw ingredients are often used in alternative medicine to treat Congestive Heart Failure

adenosine 5-triphosphate disodium (ATP)
algal oil
aloe vera
alpha d-ribofuranose
alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
anthocyanins
arjun tree
astaxanthin
astragalus
beta caryophyllene
beta-tocopherol
bilberry
black currant
black garlic
blueberry
coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
turmeric
d-alpha tocopherol
DHA (docosahexaeonic acid)
DPA (docosapentaenoic acid)
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid)
fish oil
flavonols
garlic bulb
ginger
ginseng
grape
green tea
hawthorn
hesperetin
hesperidin
krill oil
l-arginine
l-carnitine
l-citrulline
l-glycine
l-taurine
marine lipid
n-acetyl-cysteine (NAC)
nattokinase
nattozimes
nicotinamide riboside
olive
omega-3 fatty acids
omega-9 fatty acids
ophiopogon root
policosanol
pomegranate
potassium
quercetin
resveratrol
shiitake mushroom
specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs)
spirulina
thiamin (vitamin B1)
tocotrienols
tomato
ubiquinol
vitamin C
vitamin D
watercress
zinc
β-nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN)
hypothalamus
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)
thyroid substance
17-Hydroxydocosahexaenoic Acid
16 carbon alkyl
14-Hydroxydocosahexaenoic Acid
2-(nitrooxy)ethyl 2-amino-3-methylbutanoate
3-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid
3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-enoic acid
3-Ketosteroid
Alcohol
algal oil
Astragalus
Arginine
Arjuna
Arginine Alpha Ketoglutarate
Adenosine monophosphate
Arginine Creatine
Arginine nitrate
Allicin
Arginine aspartate
Alpha-Glycosyl Isoquercetin
Adenosine diphosphate
Arginine orotate
Algal Oil
Astragaloside IV
Acacetin
Alkyl (unspecified)
Anthocyanin
Apigenin
Astragaloside
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Adrenaline
Algae
Alkoxyglycerols
anthocyanin
anthocyanidins
Adenosine
Alpha Glucans
Acetylsalicylic acid
Alpha-Linolenic Acid
Arjunic Acid
Alkylglycerols
Anthocyanins
Adenosine triphosphate
Antioxidant (unspecified)
Acetyl-L-Carnitine-L-Arginine
Apocynin
Arginine
Arginine silicate
Black Seed
Bifidobacterium longum
Benzopyran
Beta-Glucans
Bioflavonoid
Bioflavonoids (mixed)
Black garlic
Bioflavonoids (mixture)
Basidiomycota
beta-cyclodextrin
Blend (Dietary substance used by man to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake)
Bicarbonate (unspecified)
Beet nitrate
Biogenic amine
Chinese Silkvine
Carbon Dioxide
Creatinol-O-Phosphate
Carnitine Silicate
Creatine nitrate
Cod Liver Oil
Cordyceps
Citrulline
Curcuminoid
Cat's Claw
Cod Liver Oil
Catecholamine
Citrulline aspartate
Cowherb
Citrus Bioflavonoids
Coenzyme Q-10
Citrulline nitrate
Coenzyme Q10
Carotene (unspecified)
Carnitine
Coenzyme Q-10
Cysteine compounds (unspecified)
Curcumin
Calcium 2-aminoethylphosphate
Carnitine Orotate
Citrulline alpha-ketoglutarate
CoQ10
Carbon dioxide
Docosahexaenoic Acid
DHA
Danshen
Diiodothyronine
DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid)
Docosapentaenoic acid
Diterpenes
Dissolved Oxygen
Digitalis
epicatechin
Ethyl Esters (unspecified)
Exphedrine HCl
Eicosatetraenoic acid
Eicosapentaenoic Acid
EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid)
epicatechin
Ferulic Acid
Flavanol (mixture)
Fish roe
Foxglove
Flavonoid (mixture)
Fatty acids
Flavonoid (unspecified)
Fatty Acid (unspecified)
Flavanones
Fish
Fish Liver oil
Fish
Flavanones (various)
Flavonols
Fish Oil
Ferulic acid derivative
Flavans
Fish Oil
Fish (including shell)
Flavanols
flavanols (various)
Fish peptides (unspecified)
Fish (including shell)
Flavanoid (mixture)
Gallbladder
Glycoside
Gland (unspecified)
Glycine propionyl-l-carnitine
Ginseng (unspecified)
Ginsenosides
Hawthorn
Heneicosapentaenoic acid
Hesperidin
Hesperitin
Holy Basil
Hydrogen
Hesperidin
Irish Moss
Jiaogulan
Krill Oil
Linolenic Acids
L-Acetyl n-Cysteine
Ligustilide
L-Carnitine
L-Citrulline
Linolenic acid
L-Cysteine
L-Arginine
Lycopene
L-Taurine
L-Carnitine
Ligustrazin
Lovastatin
Lily of the Valley
Monounsaturated fatty acid (unspecified)
Monacolin
Marine fat (unspecified)
Magnesium ascorbate
Magnesium ascorbate
Mevinolin
Mitoquinone mesylate
Marine oil (unspecified)
Marine lipid (unspecified)
Monounsaturated Fat
Marine fat
Methoxylated flavones
Mushroom (unspecified)
Nitric Oxide
Niacinamide ascorbate
N-Acetyl Cysteine
N-acetylcysteine
N-Acetyl Cysteine
Norepinephrine
Nigella Seed
Nitrates
Nattokinase
Nitrate
Night-Blooming Cereus
Nitrate
Niacin ascorbate
Nitrate (unspecified)
Ophiopogon
Oxygen
Omega-3 fatty acids
Oxygen
Omega-9
Omega Blend
Osthol
Osthole
Omega-3
Omega-3
Phosphocreatine
Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)
Potassium Chloride
peptides (unspecified)
Puerarin
Perilla Oil
Proanthocyanidins (unspecified)
Pangamic Acid
Polyphenols
Peptide (unspecified)
Phenolic Acid
Polar Lipids (unspecified)
Peptides (unspecified)
Phlorotannins
Phycocyanin
Potassium
Potassium aspartate-citrate
Propionyl-L-Carnitine
Polyunsaturated Fat
Propionyl-L-Carnitine
Phthalides
Policosanol
Polyphenols (unspecified)
Polyunsaturated fatty acid
Potassium
Panax Notoginseng
Paeoniflorin
polyphenols (various)
Polypeptide (unspecified)
Poly-thyronine
Polyphenols (npt specified)
Peptides
Rutaecarpine
Ribose-l-cysteine
Resveratrol
Ribose
Reishi
Ribose
Shark Liver Oil
Schizochytrium
Sodium Bicarbonate
Safflower
Serum
Salmon Oil
Sulforophane
Salvianolic acid
Stenabolic
SOD (Superoxide Dismutase, antioxidant activity)
Sodium Nitrate
Stem Cells
Sulfated polysaccharide
Schizochytrium
Sodium nitrate
Tonka Bean
Triterpenes
Transforming growth factor beta
Theophylline
Tanshinone
Thiamine (Vitamin B1)
Taurine
Thiamin
Taurine
Unsaturated Fat
Ursane-type triterpenoid
Unsaturated fatty acid
Vitamin E (unspecified)
Vitamin B1
Vitamin E (Alpha-Tocomonoenol)
Vitamin E (natural tocopherols)
Vitamin E (tocopherol ascorbyl palmitate)
Vitamin E (tocopheryl acetate)
Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols)
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol succinate)
Vitamin E (alpha tocopheryl)
Vitamin E
Vitamin B1 (thiamin pyrophosphate)
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxamine)
Vitamin E (alpha tocopheryl acetate)
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate)
Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols
Vitamin E (tocotrienol unspecified)
Vitamin K mixed)
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopheryl acetate)
Vitamin E (delta tocopherol)
Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol)
Vitamin D (ergocalciferol)
Vitamin C (unspecified)
Vitamin E (beta and delta tocopherols)
Vitamin E (beta-tocopherol)
Vitamin E (mixied tocopherols and tocotrienols)
Vitamin E (gamma tocopherol)
Vitamin B3 (unspecified)
Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols and Tocotrienols)
Viramin E (mixed tocopherols)
Vitamin E (mixed alpha-tocopherol)
Vitamin E (mixed tocotrienols/tocopherols)
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B
Vitamin D (unspecified)
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
Vitamin B3 (Nicotinamide riboside)
Vitamin B1 (thiamine hydrochloride)
Vitamin E (alpha tocopheryl succinate)
Vitamin E (delta-tocopherol)
Vitamin E (tocofersolan)
Vitamine E (mixed tocotrienols)
Withanolide
Xanthine (unspecified)
Zeaxanthin