CARDIAC THERAPEUTICS


Magnolia grandiflora Alternating pain between the spleen and the heart; oppression of the chest with inability to expand the lungs; suffocated feeling when walking fast or lying on left side; crampy pain in heart; tendency to faint; sensation as if the heart had stopped (Dig.); pain around heart with itching feeling. John M. Pain in back over spleen, shooting to chest, worse on exertion, causing cramp in heart.


Adonis vernalis is a remedy to be thought of where the muscles of the heart are in a stage of degeneration following rheumatism influence or other inflammatory disease. It regulates the pulse and increases the power of the contractions of the heart. Cardiac dropsy with increased urinary secretion; ascites; aortitis (chronic) anasarca; mitral and aortic regurgitation; rheumatic endocarditis (Kalmia) precordial pain, palpitation; and dyspnoea; marked venous congestion; rapid irregular pulse.

Mrs. K. 48 yrs. diabetes m. last three or four years (blood sugar 174), for three months has had ascites and general oedema below waist; very little dyspnoea. Had Digitalis and Anedemin with little or no results. I gave Solidago, likewise no results. Now on Adonis for one week. Urinary secretion has increased. Swelling has subsided somewhat and feels better.

Cactus grandiflora acts on the circular muscle-fibres, hence constrictions are present. Sensation in the heart as of an iron band. The cactus patient is pulseless, panting and prostrated. It acts best in the beginning of cardiac incompetence; worse lying on left side. Angina pectoris with suffocation, cold sweats and ever-present iron-band feeling.

Convallaria maj. increases the energy of the hearts action and renders it more regular. When the ventricles are overdistended and dilation begins; when there is absence of compensatory hypertrophy and when venous stasis is marked; dyspnoea, dropsy and an anuric tendency.

Mrs. L. 77 yrs., beginning left-sided decompensation, with extreme breathlessness, much anxiety and restlessness, but very little dyspnoea. She had been taking Digitalis, with little help. Convallaria gave great relief for some time.

Crataegus (Hawthorn) produces giddiness, lowered pulse rate, and air-hunger. It is supposed to reduce the blood pressure. No influence on the endocardium. Insomnia of heart patients.

Digitalis (much abused) slow pulse in recumbent posture, but irregular and dicrotic on sitting up. Least movements cause violent palpitation (Iberous) sudden sensation as if the heart stood still (Magn. g.).

Mrs. V. Post-operative, cholecystectomy; pale, anxious face with cyanotic lips having a sharp demarcation. Pulse irregular, slow and dragging. Afraid to move. Nauseated, sick feeling all over. Digitalis one dose.

Glonoine Any exertion brings on rush of blood to the head with fainting spells. Throbbing throughout whole body even to finger- tips. Sun headaches.

Mrs. L. Parkinsonian syndrome; had profound, bursting headaches, with pulsations through legs to toes, bounding heart. Glon. 3x relieved him greatly.

Hydrocyanic acid. Spasmodic constriction in the larynx with feeling of suffocation, pain and tightness in chest; palpitation; cold extremities with paralysis; catalepsy.

Iberous controls vascular excitement in hypertrophy, with thickening of the hearts walls; darting pain through heart; palpitation at 2 a.m. worse by least motion and warm room (Digitalis).

Kalmia latifolia A rheumatic remedy rich in cardiac symptoms. Dyspnoea and pressure from epigastrium toward heart. Pains from joints to the heart. Left side heart; right neuralgias.

Laurocerasus Spasmodic tickling cough in cardiac patients, especially in mitral regurgitation. Clutching at the heart.

Lycopus virg. is useful in the rapid heart of smokers.

Latrodectus. Angina pectoris, constriction of the chest muscles, with radiation to shoulders and neck; sinking sensation at and cramping pain from chest to abdomen.

A man bitten by a black widow spider, in less than one-half hour he suffered nausea followed by severe abdominal pains, soon after there was violent precordial pain extending to axilla, then down left arm and forearm to fingers, with great numbness of the whole extremity; also apnoea. (Clarkes Dictionary).

Mrs. K. Suffering from intermittent attacks of severe precordial pain, with dyspnoea, at times extending to left shoulder and arm. Several remedies were given without relief. On taking one tablet of Latrodectus 6x she almost immediately felt “very badly distressed throughout abdomen, very hard to breathe because of the awful constricted feeling.” She also had a sensation as if the head was being blown up and would burst.

Lilium tigrinum Sensation as if heart was grasped in a vice (Cact.). Feels full to bursting. Pulsations over whole body; pain in cardiac region, with feeling of a load on chest. Cold feeling about the heart. Angina pectoris with pain down right arm. Palpitation before or during menstruation. A squeak in the heart.

Mrs. L. D. N. age 52 yrs. menopause normal. Haemoglobin 55 percent, sallow complexion, extreme weakness with breathlessness, heart at times pounding, at other times, palpitating, pulse irregular and rapid. Cardiac enlargement. She has received Digitalis and other cardiac treatment for six or eight months before she consulted me.

She complains of a constant squeak in the heart, it annoys her greatly. She was given liver extract for anaemia. The haemoglobin increased rapidly to 75 percent but the dyspnoea, palpitation and squeak did not improve to any extent. After two or three months treatment she was given Lilium 3x, all symptoms improved immediately, the squeak disappeared completely.

Mrs. G. C. Y. age 35 yrs., wt. 130, 5ft. 3in. Severe palpitation lasting 2 or 3 days at the time of ovulation, about two weeks before each menstruation. The pulse rate during these attacks was from 140 to 160 per m. Worse on lying at night, had to get up for relief. Lilium completely removed the trouble.

Magnolia grandiflora Alternating pain between the spleen and the heart; oppression of the chest with inability to expand the lungs; suffocated feeling when walking fast or lying on left side; crampy pain in heart; tendency to faint; sensation as if the heart had stopped (Dig.); pain around heart with itching feeling. John M. Pain in back over spleen, shooting to chest, worse on exertion, causing cramp in heart. Magnolia completely relieved. Naja tripudian is another great heart remedy.

It differs from Lachesis and Crotalus in that it is not a haemorrhagic or septic drug. It is useful where, following infectious diseases, the heart is damaged. There are anginal pains extending to the nape of neck, left shoulder and arm with anxiety and fear of death. In cases where there is threatened paralysis of the heart, the body is cold, the pulse slow, weak, irregular and tremulous. Acon. does not have the severe damaged valvular heart disease.

Oleander. Active principle, thevetin; Dr. C. Sibthorpe (Indian Med. Gaz., 1881), reported the case of an adult Hindu, who took Oleander root for the purpose of suicide. He first vomited. Later the pupils were dilated and fixed, the small pulse, very slow 36 per minute. Two hours later epileptiform convulsions occurred and semi-coma developed. Pulse still slow and remained so for five days.

Hale gives the following symptoms: “Distress at the heart and anxiety; anxiety about the heart without anxious thought, with trembling of the whole body. Quick pulse, sinking to a thread. Pulse small, irregular, periodically intermitting. Pulse weak and slow. Intermission every 4 or 5 beats. Obliged to loosen the neck-band a suffocating, choking feeling.”.

When thevetin is administered to the cat the essential cardiac changes to be noted are bradycardia, inversion of the T-wave, P-R prolongation, ventricular rhythm. A-V dissociation, secondary tachycardia and finally ventricular fibrillation which is the cause of death.

Passiflora I have used this remedy with good results in many cases of anxious, irritable hearts worse at night, causing insomnia. Either in potency or 5 to 10 m. doses.

Mr. W. P. T. Had ventricular decompensation; violent palpitation at night; could not lie on left side. I gave Lycopodium with marked improvement, but he was still afraid to go to bed, he was nervous and anxious, could not sleep. I gave him drop doses of Passiflora and later the 3x with complete recovery.

Scoparius Broom, it contains spartein. Increases the strength of the heart, slows it, and reduces blood pressure. Hinsdale states that it continues the good effects of Verat v. and Dig. without the undesirable qualities of either. It is serviceable in the tobacco-heart when found in cases of angina. Spartein, 2 grains, hypodermically, is used in so-called “water-logged” cases. Cannot lie down.

Solidago (Golden Rod) A drainage remedy used in anasarca, with the characteristic “stove-pipe legs”.

Mrs. A.M. age 60, mitral regurgitation. She has been in the sitting position for months. Bluish, cyanotic, dyspnoeic woman with much gastric distress. Her legs, from the hips down, were of one size. The feet were only enlarged masses. There was a very large bleb (3 or 4 inches) in diameter) just above the right ankle. Solidago caused the bleb to break, followed by profuse serous drainage and then a rapid disappearance of the anasarca. She was under treatment for several months.

Spigelia (Pink Root) Left-sided neuralgias and angina pectoris. Pericarditis with stabbing pains, very sensitive to touch. Severe anginal pains of left chest and shoulder (Latro., Glon., HCN., Iber., Kalmia, Naja, etc.). Violent palpitation on every movement. Pain radiates from chest to left shoulder, left side of neck, and left arm, left facial neuralgia. Craving for hot water, which relieves. Must lie on right side, with head high. Heart symptoms in exophthalmus.

I. C. Gobar