Angina

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Angina

It’s not a heart attack,” you tell yourself. Maybe not—but whatever it is, it’s grabbing your chest like a massive fist and squeezing hard enough to get juice from a golf ball.

If you’re one of the three million Americans who have experienced the terror of an angina attack, you probably remember it as the longest ten minutes of your life. angina is the heart’s not-too-subtle way of telling you that it isn’t getting enough oxygen.

If you’ve ever suffered an angina attack, it’s crucial that you see your medical doctor. But—in conjunction with your medical treatment and with your doctor’s approval—the natural remedies in this chapter may help decrease angina pain and possibly prevent future attacks, according to some health professionals.

See Your Medical Doctor When... You’re beginning to get angina pain after moderate exercise or physical exertion, even though you used to be able to function at that level with no problem. You’re experiencing pain with even less activity than before. You used to have pain only after exerting yourself but now experience pain even when you’re resting.

Food Therapy

“The most powerful treatment seems to be a very low fat vegetarian diet,” says Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder and president of the Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California. He says to be sure to include plenty of dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, mustard greens and turnip greens. “They’re good sources of magnesium, which relaxes the heart muscle and establishes function, so the heart can perform better,” says Dr. Whitaker. (For other good sources of magnesium, see “Getting What You Need” on page 142.)

Studies by cardiologist Dean Ornish, M.D., director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, and the author of Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease, found that when people follow a diet that includes no animal sources except for skim milk, egg whites and low-fat yogurt, angina pain diminishes in just a few weeks.

Juice Therapy

Those prone to angina attacks may benefit from regular doses of cantaloupe juice, suggests Michael Murray, N.D., a naturopathic physician and author of The Complete Book of Juicing. Cantaloupe contains the compound adenosine, which is used in heart patients to thin the blood and prevent angina attacks, according to Dr. Murray. Along with proper medical treatment, he recommends drinking two eight-ounce glasses of canteloupe juice a day.

For more information about juicing techniques, see page 93.

Reflexology

Try working these reflexes on your hands or feet, suggests Laura Norman, a New York City reflexologist and author of Feet First: A Guide to Foot Reflexology: solar plexus; diaphragm and chest; lung, heart and shoulder; arm; neck; thoracic and cervical spine; intestine, with emphasis on sigmoid colon; and adrenal gland.

To help you locate these points, consult the hand and foot reflex charts beginning on page 582. For instructions on how to work the points, see “Your Reflexology Session” on page 110.

Relaxation and Meditation

Progressive relaxation, meditation and other relaxation techniques, used in conjunction with medication and with the knowledge and approval of your doctor, may help prevent angina, says Robert S. Eliot, M.D., director of the Institute of Stress Medicine in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and author of From Stress to Strength: How to Lighten Your Load and Save Your Life. “Relaxation techniques may raise the threshold so that it takes more anxiety to provoke angina,” Dr. Eliot says. “Secondly, if an individual practices a relaxation technique, he may be less likely to have a severe case of angina.” For more on progressive relaxation, see page 122. To try a simple meditation, see page 117. Dr. Eliot suggests practicing either of these techniques twice a day, preferably before breakfast and before dinner, for 10 to 20 minutes a session.

Sound Therapy

Listening to at least 10 to 20 minutes of relaxing music each day can help ease the pain of angina for some people, says Steven Halpern, Ph.D., composer, researcher and author of Sound Health: The Music and Sounds That Make Us Whole. To get started, turn on the music, then sit or lie comfortably, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Dr. Halpern suggests that you wear headphones to focus your full attention and avoid distraction. He recommends, however, that you keep the speakers playing, so your body absorbs the sound energy. While the music plays, let your breath slow down and become steady. Listen not just to the notes but to the silence between the notes. Dr. Halpern says this will keep you from analyzing the music, which will allow it to relax you.

For suggested pieces to relax by, see “Sailing Away to Key Largo” on page 129. Many of these pieces are available in music stores. For mail-order information, refer to the resource list on page 642.

Vitamin and Mineral Therapy

“I recommend that people with angina take the following supplements each day to help control pain: 5,000 milligrams of vitamin C, 3,000 milligrams of the amino acid lysine and 800 milligrams of elemental magnesium,” says Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder and director of the Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California.