Dr. Weyrich's Naturopathic Functional Medicine Notebook is a collection of information on topics of interest to Dr. Weyrich that may be of interest to the world wide audience. Due to limitations of time, not all information that Dr. Weyrich knows or would like to further research is published here. Dr. Weyrich welcomes financial contributions to support specific research topics, as well as copies of non-free access journal articles for him to review on a topic. Constructive criticism is also welcome.

Overview of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

Congestive heart failure arises when one side of the heart fails to adequately pump blood, resulting in a build-up of fluid in either the extremities or lungs. If the right side of the heart fails, then peripheral (e.g. feet) edema may be observed. If the left side of the heart fails, then pulmonary (lung) edema may be observed.

Complimentary and alternative treatments for congestive heart failure that are considered below include:

  • Neurotransmitter Balancing

Etiology of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

While damage to the heart caused by myocardial infarction may lead to congestive heart failure, hypertension and hypothyroidism [Starr2005] also play a prominent role. According to one writer, "pulse rate and stroke volume are diminished in hypothyroidism, and cardiac output is accordingly decreased, often to one-half the normal value" [DeGroot1996].

Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

Please see conventional, complimentary and alternative medical treatments for important background information regarding the different types of medical treatments discussed below.

Naturopathic, Complimentary and Alternative Treatments

Thyroid Hormone Replacement

Various practitioners have reported success treating CHF associated with concurrent hypothyroidism, with shrinkage of enlarged heart within weeks of treatment for hypothyroidism. In these cases, shrinkage of the enlargement is attributed to resolution of myxedema of the myocardium [Zondek1918], [Fahr1925], [Starr2005, pg 129].

Neurotransmitter Balancing

Neuro Research [Hinz2015] reports that chronic diseases such as heart failure can be benefited by balancing neurotransmitter levels in the body.

Dr. Weyrich has been trained in neurotransmitter balancing protocols, but has not treated heart failure using this technique.

Please see What is Neurotransmitter Balancing? for more information.

References for Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)