The flow of blood in the heart is uni-directional because of the valves present in the heart. The heart has four main valves out of which the mitral valve and the aortic valve have special clinical significance. Stenosis of the valves is related to a narrowing of the flow inlet through the valves, because of which blood flow is at a higher velocity through a narrow opening, leading to increase workload on the previous injecting chamber of the heart. On the other hand, regurgitation relates to backflow of the blood because of incompetence in the closure of the valves. The clinical condition associated with this regurgitation is named after the affected valves, in this case, it is known as either mitral valves regurgitation or aortic valve regurgitation. These conditions lead to an increase in size of the heart, which in the longer run can cause heart failure.
The treatment of mitral valve regurgitation and aortic valve regurgitation in the modern system of medicine is mainly surgical, which usually involves replacement of the defective valve. Ayurvedic medicines can be utilised to treat mitral valve regurgitation and aortic valve regurgitation either before surgery or in patients who cannot be operated upon for various reasons. The Ayurvedic medicines which are useful in these clinical conditions act upon the heart muscle as well as the tendons connecting the heart muscles to the valve leaves. The overall effect of these medicines is that the regurgitation of blood reduces significantly and the overall pumping action of the heart improves to such an extent that the major clinical symptoms of the affected individual can be controlled very well. In addition, these medicines have a corrective action on the heart, so that symptoms do not recur even after stopping the treatment.
Ayurvedic treatment for the management of mitral valve regurgitation and aortic valve regurgitation can therefore be considered to be quite effective in a majority of the patients. Most people affected with these conditions require Ayurvedic medicines for a period of four to six months. The important thing is that Ayurvedic treatment can significantly alter the lives of people affected with mitral valve regurgitation and aortic valve regurgitation.
The writer, Dr. A. A. Mundewadi, is available as an online Ayurvedic Consultant at www.ayurvedaphysician.com