The coronary cardiac vessels, their disease and the treatment of, as our particular interest in his discussion. This condition is one of the most vital problems which comfort the physician of today. It is vital because it precedes the demise of the afflicted, as a rule, only in the course of a few months or a few years, regardless of the age.
There are about nine million people in the U.S. who have some form of heart disease. This disease was the cause of death of 54 percent of people who died after the age of sixty-five in 1948, and it cannot be much less at present. that is three times more than cancer, five times more than accidents, eleven times more than pneumonia and influenza, fourteen times more than tuberculosis, and sixteen times more than diabetes. A vast number of people (one in seventeen) suffer from cardiovascular disease, which is not limited to the aged as our believed. but we know today that all ages are affected thereby.
We do not know what causes high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis, but we do know that it has a hereditary tendency. Rony states that a relationship may exist between glandular disturbance causing hypertension and glandular disturbance causing obesity. He thinks this is probably the case in Causing obesity.
He thinks this is probably the case in Causing syndrome, where adrenal hyperactivity may be the basic factor in the production of both. He says there is no doubt of the existence of an obesity center in the hypothalamic- hypophyseal area.A number of investigators have presented experimental evidence of cerebral hypertension. We have seen that obesity may be genetically determined, and the same is true for essential hypertension, and it appears that certain constitutional types are predisposed to both obesity and hypertension.
Arteriosclerosis involving the brain, heart, and kidneys is a major cause of disability and death, and particularly are we concerned about angina pectoris, coronary heart disease and coronary thrombosis.
Mackenzie noted that the earliest symptom of heart failure was shown in response to effort. Health is shown by the harmonious working of all the organs. The disordered or impaired function of one organ upsets the others. The disordered or impaired function of one organ upsets the others, and the signs of ill health are found not in the inefficient organ hut in the others. The sensations of distress which indicate the limits of heart power are of two kinds, breathlessness and pain, each with its associated phenomena.
The most important form of arteriosclerosis is coronary heart disease. This leads to narrowing of the arteries and arterioles that carry blood to the heart muscle and then to the formation of clots within the lumen, both of which block the circulation and cause an ischemia of the heart muscle. with heart muscle inability to comply with its required duties.
Consequently a variety of symptoms occur, such as pain,substernal, anginal in type, which may extended down the left or right arm,. or which may be in the hypogastric area or between the scapula or even in the neck, or tingling and numbness in the arms and legs. Here in its incipiency, a few doses of Cactus, Arnica or Crataegus may relieve your patient immensely. After the disease has fully developed, of course,nothing can be done but palliate or relieve your patient by the use of the indicated remedy, control of diet and exercise.
Diet and living habits in relation to metabolic changes are every essential and important in the developments of arterio- sclerosis and coronary heart disease. We do not know just when and in what form and under what circumstances is the deposit of cholesterol in the walls of the blood vessels instituted or developed to the point or producing a symptomatology.
Beginning of an essential hypertension must be an early state in the development of this condition, and the use of Phenobarbital, Aminophyllin, etc., of course, is only a suppression and a temporary nervous relief of the oncoming condition. Snake and insect venoms have a metabolic status in these coronary conditions which are unable to estimate or determine, other than by their symptomatology and the effect of their indicated homoeopathic use.
Angina pectoris is a paroxysmal pain of psychosomatic origin characterized by a sense of oppression and severe constriction about the chest. The pain radiates from the precordium to the left shoulder and down the arm along the ulna nerve. Associated is a sense of apprehension of impending death, The pain is caused by myocardial ischemia and occurs suddenly because of emotional stress and physical exertion.
The diagnosis of coronary disease associated with angina pectoris is usually made on the basis of history alone and in some atypical cases is very difficult, the E.K.G. and roentgenographic and physical examination often being of little help, but a prescription based on total symptomatology may be a live saver to your patient. In my opinion the homoeopathic remedy when applied according to the totality of symptoms will give a relief, both physically and mentally, that cannot be obtained by any other method of palliation and when given early enough will cure coronary heart disease, it amenable to cure. The following remedies are suggested in this condition,but their use is based not on diagnosis but on the symptom picture presented by the patient.
Mercurius corrosivus-Pain in precordial region, heart sounds are dull and intermittent, tremulous undulating motion of heart precordial anxiety, palpitation of heart in sleep. Pulse is intermittent, small, irregular and uneven, week and sometimes trembling.
Mercurius-Weakness of heart as if dying. Awakens with trembling at heart and agitation as if frightened. Aching pain at apex of heart extending upwards towards base; cardiac oppression. Palpitation; with fear, worse at night and on slight exertion, with cough bloody expectoration.
Medorrhinum-Difficulty of breathing because of oppression of chest. Fluttering about heart, palpitation after slight exercise, heavy heart throbbings. Pain in heart, acute, sharp, quick, dull; sharp pain at apex, worse on movement. Burning in heart though to back ad down left arm.
Lycopodium-Palpitation,even in bed, anxious at night on turning give in bed worse after eating during distention heart action muffled and indistinct. Albuminuria. Cramp and constriction in chest, can not get breath.; Stitches beneath short ribs.
Lilium tigrinum-Sensation as if heart was grasped or squeezed in advise, as if blood had all gone to heart producing feeling as if he must bend double, inability to walk straight. Heart as if violently grasped then suddenly released, alternately. Constrictive pain about heart through to scapula. Dull, pressing pain in region of heart, nearly constant, worse by eating,no matter how little; frequent palpitation, apprehension. Arnica-Horrors at night, sudden fear of death. Shock; sore bruised feeling over body; offensiveness is a future of Arnica: body cold and head hot. Arnica, in coronary heart disease, is very useful and outstanding. The patient wants to be let alone, is morose, irritable, sad, fearful, easily frightened, imagines all sorts of things, horrors in the night, sudden fear of death, often coming on at night, restless. Substernal tightness, constriction after overexertion or tiredness, Arnica will relieve and heal affected lesion.
Secale cornutum-“Secale has numbness and coldness of extremities anginal pain and hypertension,boring in chest, pectoral tenderness.” (Garth Boericke)
Sassafras-A remedy that seems to work with women. Its use was discovered accidentally in the Middle West where Sassafras tea was given as a spring tonic. Such cases exhibit a drop in blood pressure. May be given in 10 drop doses, t.i.d.
Latrodectus mactans shows a clear picture of angina.
Spigelia, left chest pain aggravated by emotional upsets.
PANDORA, OHIO.
DISCUSSION.
DR.CHARLES A.DIXON [Akron, Ohio]: If you folks dont think this paper is apropos. just read the notices in our journals and see how many coronary cases there are among the physicians every month.I have been watching-I guess we old men do sort of watch the obituaries-it is astounding how many of those cases are coronaries.
DR.SUTHERLAND: Our biggest trouble is we dont have good homoeopaths looking after us.
DR.BELLOKOSSY; These coronaries are just one part of it.
DR.DIXON: I know, everyone doesnt eat raw meat.
DR.F.K.BELLOKOSSY [Denver, Colo]: It is all on account of wrong eating and you are so stubborn you wont admit it,and that is why Homoeopathic doctors die too early., Today many have died that wouldnt have died if they had eaten raw meat. It is not only homoeopathy; it is also good correct diet.
DR.SUTHERLAND;Not only homoeopaths die.
DR.WHITMONT:Even some of the naturopaths die.
DR.LUCY SWANTON CLARK [Cleveland, Ohio]; One of the great surgeons of Cleveland fell over dead while scrubbing for an operation. It was interesting that the routines of the hospital were then changed. The doctors were ordered to take the elevators from one floor to the next, not to run up the stairs. They scheduled fewer operations per day and saw to it that they had a little more rest between.
