What Is Congestive Heart Failure?

Congestive heart failure is a failure of the heart to pump blood effectively. This is due to the heart muscle not working as it should to push blood through the arterial system. There are many reasons why this develops, but it commonly occurs in people who have had high blood pressure, a history of heart attacks or coronary artery disease, damage from a viral infection, or accumulation of substances that hinder heart muscle function. Conditions such as diabetes or high cholesterol often occur with CHF.

Prescription Medications Your Physician Might Prescribe.
Treatment usually includes drugs often used for high blood pressure treatment such as diuretics which include Lasix, ACE inhibitors (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors) such as Altace, Zestril, or Vasotec, beta blockers such as Coreg or Toprol XL, Lanoxin, and various nitroglycerin products.  Statin drugs (Lipitor, Zocor, Vytorin, Crestor, Pravachol, Lescol and others) are often used because of associated high cholesterol levels or a previous heart attack.  Unfortunately, as with every known drug that is effective, there are desired effects that make the drugs effective, and there are undesired effects that cause side effects. Side effects may be related to intrinsic activity of the drug, or may be secondary to nutrient deficiencies that the drug causes. 

What Unexpected Side Effects Might These Prescription Mediations Cause?
It is well documented in the medical literature that diuretics such as Lasix deplete magnesium, potassium, calcium, zinc, vitamin C and B vitamins from the body. Lack of these nutrients at the cellular level can weaken muscle function and deplete cellular energy production, and may make the heart more prone to fatal arrhythmias, which is a common cause of death with congestive heart failure. It is somewhat ironic that drugs that help congestive heart failure systemically may also undermine the muscle function of the heart at the cellular level, and increase the risk of a common cause of death with the disease. ACE inhibitors may deplete the cells of CoQ10, a critical enzyme in the mitochondria which is essential in producing cellular energy.  Beta blockers and statin drugs may deplete CoQ10 as well. The combination of all these drugs and the associated nutrient depletions, has led some medical researchers to worry that the rise in incidence of congestive heart failure may be in part be a result of long term use of these medications long before the heart failure has been recognized. As mentioned, these drugs are commonly used for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and even in diabetes. The question has not been satisfactorily resolved, and yet failure to treat congestive heart failure with the standard of care surely results in greatly increased mortality.

I Have to Take My Medication, So What Should I Do?
So what should someone do if they have congestive heart failure and are prescribed some or all of these drugs for their condition? First, one should not stop the prescription medications, but it would seem prudent to replace the nutrient deficiencies that may be produced by use of these drugs, and thereby replenish them at the cellular level. To do this requires larger than average doses of these nutrients, and forms of the nutrients that are more available to the cell. Not all forms of each nutrient are the same, and some forms are much more easily taken up by the cell than others.  NutraMD has thoroughly researched these issues and markets a single product that replaces the nutrient deficiencies caused by the drug treatments for this medical condition. High Blood Pressure Essential Nutrients© replenish the nutrient deficiencies mentioned above. 

About the Author:
Dr. Donald Ford, MD is a Diplomate of the American Board Internal Medicine.
He has practiced general internal medicine for the past 22 years and is a Clinical Assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He is also a partner in Nutra-MD Essential Nutrients which features high-quality, safe nutritional supplements  that address the nutritional deficiencies that  occur as a result or consequence of certain medications, be it an over the counter or a prescription product.
To contact Dr. Ford: info@essential-nutrients.net