Complementary Alternative Cardiovascular Medicine

226 Alternative Cardiovascular Medicine
be true in illnesses for which flare-ups are common, such as multiple
sclerosis, migraine headache, and premenstrual syndrome, but can also be
found in those with upper respiratory tract infection, sinusitis, cystitis, or
digestive complaints. Differentiating at this juncture informs treatment
options and affects both the homeopathic remedy choice and the dosage.
For illnesses that are more chronic in nature, including most cardiovascular
complaints, homeopathic practitioners prescribe constitutional
remedies, which are based on the whole person, including his or her
cardiac symptoms. There are many homeopathic remedies to be considered,
although certain constitutional remedies are thought about more
readily for patients with heart conditions. Homeopathic remedies are
given for particular people, as opposed to particular diagnoses. One
could have five patients with intermittent claudication, and they might
receive five different remedies depending on how they experience the
problem, i.e., how it actually feels, the type of pain or discomfort, what
makes it better, what makes it worse, was there a clear initial etiology,
does anything bring on each episode, are there any other simultaneous
symptoms. The homeopath is interested in how the intermittent claudication
fits into the rest of the person’s physical health. In addition, it is
central to perceive how those physical characteristics sit vis-à-vis the
patient’s mental and emotional health.
To the homeopath, all symptoms are context-dependent: one cannot
see a symptom in isolation, rather the homeopath seeks to understand
each symptom a patient reports as it relates to the whole person. The
typical intake for a homeopathic physician is 1–2 h, allowing enough
time to fully understand the patient and all aspects of his or her lifestyle
and health.
This individualized approach would be used whether the presenting
complaint was cardiovascular in nature, such as an arrhythmia, degenerative
heart disease, valvular problem, peripheral vascular disease, or
a condition relating to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, urinary system, or
the skin. For some patients, there are few outward symptoms related to
their pathology (i.e., some patients with hypertension or those with poor
cholesterol profiles), making it difficult for the homeopath to prescribe
on such a chief complaint. However, the homeopath can prescribe based
on presenting symptoms from all systems of the body and from general
physical characteristics of the patient, as well as from his or her mental
and emotional makeup. Homeopathic physicians give a remedy for the
patient and expect his or her overall health to improve, including cardiac
symptoms.
Many patients who present with heart symptoms are being simultaneously
treated by cardiologists. For some of these patients, the problem