Other Names : CAD, Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), Heart Disease, Ischemic Heart Disease.

Although most doctors focus on the use of prescription heart medications and surgery (which, of course, have their proper role), many physicians do not take advantage of the various natural methods to reduce the risk for heart disease and to effectively treat this condition.

Natural supplements for those with coronary artery disease, alternative therapy, food and diet
It's a good idea to take a daily multivitamin and mineral capsule that provides the RDA for the B vitamins with additional antioxidants such as Vitamins C and E. Very high doses of multivitamins are not recommended. See heart disease for a list of natural and alternative methods to improve health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Psyllium fiber is of benefit, use half a teaspoon in water with one or two meals a day.
Garlic and onion have compounds that dilate blood vessels.
Berries have wonderful substances that thin the blood.
Fish oils, flax seed oil, and krill oil can be of benefit as natural and alternative treatments.
Grape seed extract could be helpful.

Coronary artery disease and mental stress
Patients with coronary artery disease who have normal exercise- or adenosine-induced stress test results may still develop perfusion deficits when under mental stress. There have been reports of mental stress causing ischemia in CAD patients with exercise-induced ischemia. Positive exercise stress tests are related to major narrowing of epicardial coronary arteries. During mental stress, patients experience a spasm or decreased blood flow in the smaller vessels related to endothelial dysfunction.

Periodontitis and CAD
Patients with periodontitis, especially infections causing a high concentration of pathogens in the blood, have an increased risk of CHD. Chronic inflammation from any source iincreases cardiovascular risk and periodontitis is a possible trigger of chronic inflammation. Pathogens that cause periodontal disease may include the following: Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Tannerella forsythensis, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, and Treponema denticola. There is a significant association between high levels of periodontal pathogen and the presence of coronary artery disease. High levels of A. actinomycetemcomitans antibodies also predict an increased risk of stroke. The Archives of Internal Medicine, 2006.

Drug therapy for coronary artery disease
Apart from aspirin, many patients with stable angina are considered by the medical establishment to start statin treatment. Although statins may reduce coronary events by about one third in patients with vascular disease, the absolute benefit depends on the absolute risk. Many patients may benefit from natural lifestyle changes or natural supplements.
     Some patients may benefit from angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors. The concept that beta blockers are protective from future coronary events is disputed.

Coronary artery disease diagnosis
Coronary heart disease is one of the most serious medical conditions in the United States and stable angina pectoris is one of its more common presentations. Three major controversies are risk factor management, drug therapy, and intervention. As well as the major risk factors stated by the Framingham study and European guidelines, other factors include abdominal obesity, metabolic syndrome, and psychological stress.
Stress cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) "demonstrates overall good sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

Racial Differences
Racial and ethnic minorities in the United States have a risk for CHD equivalent to that in the white majority. African Americans have greater cardiovascular mortality rates and greater risk for early mortality caused by coronary artery disease. Risk may be associated with a greater clustering of risk factors in African Americans and other minority groups and may be associated with inadequate screening and evidence-based treatment of these groups in clinical practice. African Americans have a higher level of the inflammatory marker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein than whites.

Coronary artery disease is a type of atherosclerosis in which plaque builds up inside the arteries that carry blood to the heart. As the artery walls thicken, the passageway for blood narrows. Sometimes platelets gather at the narrowing, forming a clot that decreases or prevents blood flow to the region of the heart supplied by the artery. Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States each year.