The Sunlight Experiment

Condition

Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease is the narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries by atherosclerotic plaque, reducing blood flow to the heart muscle.

Cardiovascular System
Justin Cooke, BHSc Clinical Herbalist · March 16, 2018 4 Herbs // 1 Differentials

Overview

Aetiology

Dislipidemia

Abnormal concentrations of blood lipids can lead to the development of atherosclerosis, coronary artery plaques, and eventually coronary artery disease.

Risk Factors

  • Smoking
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Diabetes or insulin resistance
  • Sedentary lifestyle
  • Genetic polymorphisms
  • Age
  • Gender (most common in males)
  • Diet (high saturated fats and processed carbohydrates)
  • Chronic stress

Presentation

Symptoms

The classic symptom is angina, a tight or heavy chest pain or discomfort that may radiate to the arm, neck, or jaw and is typically brought on by exertion or stress. Breathlessness and fatigue may also occur, and the disease can be silent until a heart attack develops.

Assessment

Diagnostic Considerations

Coronary artery calcification was shown to be the most reliable predictor of coronary heart disease over risk factor measures such as the Framingham Risk Score 1Reference 1Taylor et al. · 2005Coronary calcium independently predicts incident premature coronary heart disease over measured cardiovascular risk factors: mean three-year outcomes in the Prospective Army Coronary Calcium (PACC) project.

Assessment

Differential Diagnosis

  • Myocardial infarction

Context

Comorbidities

  • Diabetes
  • Angina pectoris
  • Stress
  • heart attack
  • Heart dysrhythmias
  • Chronic heart failure

The Herbs

Materia Medica (4)

Herbs traditionally or clinically used for coronary artery disease.

Codonopsis

Codonopsis pilosula

Campanulaceae
AdaptogenNootropicHypolipidemicNutritive +3

Dan Shen

Salvia miltiorrhiza

Lamiaceae
CardioprotectiveAntihypertensiveAntiplateletHepatoprotective +4

Hawthorn

Crataegus oxyacantha

Rosaceae
CardiotonicAstringentAntihypertensiveAntioxidant +5

Motherwort

Leonurus cardiaca

Lamiaceae
CardiotonicNervineAntispasmodicFemale-Tonic +2

Supplementation

Supplementation (3)

Supplements, nutrients and compounds used for coronary artery disease.

Caution

Liraglutide (Victoza / Saxenda)

GLP-1 receptor agonist

A prescription once-daily GLP-1 receptor agonist for type 2 diabetes and chronic weight management — the drug that established the class.

PeptideGlp-1IncretinMetabolic
Caution

Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy / Rybelsus)

GLP-1 receptor agonist

A prescription GLP-1 receptor agonist approved for type 2 diabetes, chronic weight management, and cardiovascular, renal and liver (MASH) risk reduction.

PeptideGlp-1MetabolicIncretin
Caution

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound)

Dual GIP / GLP-1 receptor agonist ("twincretin")

A prescription dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist approved for type 2 diabetes, chronic weight management, and obstructive sleep apnea with obesity.

PeptideGlp-1GipIncretin

References:

  1. Taylor, A. J., Bindeman, J., Feuerstein, I., Cao, F., Brazaitis, M., & O’Malley, P. G. (2005). Coronary calcium independently predicts incident premature coronary heart disease over measured cardiovascular risk factors: mean three-year outcomes in the Prospective Army Coronary Calcium (PACC) project. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 46(5), 807-814.