Coronary artery disease
The most common cause is years of arterial narrowing, reducing blood supply to the heart muscle until it can no longer function at full capacity
Reverse & Manage Heart Failure Naturally with Madhavbaug
Discover how Madhavbaug’s clinical care helps you address the root cause of your heart failure symptoms.
Reverse & Manage Heart Failure Naturally
OverviewWhat Is Heart Failure?
Heart failure (HF), as defined by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA), is a complex clinical syndrome that results from any structural or functional impairment of ventricular filling or ejection of blood. In easy words, it is a complex clinical syndrome characterised by the heart’s inability to pump blood effectively due to structural or functional impairments. The most common cause of HF is ischaemic heart disease, but other factors, such as hypertension, valvular disease, diabetes, obesity and myocarditis, also contribute to its development.
Heart Failure & AyurvedaHeart Failure: From the Lens of Ayurveda
In Ayurveda, heart diseases fall under the category of Hridroga, which is a disease of Marma (vital organ), which controls many vital activities. According to Ayurveda, symptoms of Hridroga differ depending upon involvement of Dosha (Dosha predominance). Patients with Vataja hridroga might feel shosha (excessive dryness or muscle wasting), bheda (tearing pain), stambha (stiffness), etc., while patients with Pittaja hridroga might feel burning chest pain and Kaphaja hridroga patients might present with Gaurava (heaviness in chest).
CausesWhat Are The Causes Of Heart Failure?
Previous heart attack
Scar tissue left behind after a heart attack does not contract and permanently reduces the heart's pumping efficiency if left unmanaged
Uncontrolled hypertension
The heart, working against persistently high pressure, gradually thickens and stiffens and eventually loses the ability to pump effectively
Diabetes and metabolic disease
Chronic high blood sugar damages the heart muscle directly and accelerates the vascular disease that leads to failure
TypesWhat Are The Types Of Heart Failure?
Acute Heart Failure
It is characterised by a rapid onset of symptoms requiring immediate intervention. It can be immediately life-threatening due to lack of time to undergo compensatory adaptations. Symptoms include Dyspnoea (difficulty in breathing), fatigue and symptoms of congestion.
Chronic Heart Failure
It is characterised by a relatively gradual onset of symptoms. The heart undergoes adaptive responses, e.g., dilatation and hypertrophy, to a precipitating cause which can be deleterious in the long term and can lead to worsening of the condition. Symptoms include dyspnoea (difficulty in breathing), nocturia (frequent urination during night), peripheral edema, fatigue etc.
Heart Failure can also be classified as:
Left-sided Heart failure
Occurs when the left side of the heart cannot pump enough bload to the body, this prevents the body from getting enough oxygen rich blood. Blood Backs up into the lungs. It is the most common type of heart failure.
Right-Sided Heart Failure
Right Heart failure usually occurs as a result of left sided heart failure. When the left side of the heart fails, increased fluid pressure is transferred back through the lungs, damaging right side of the heart, this forces the blood back into the body's veins.
SymptomsWhat Are The Symptoms of Heart Failure?
Heart failure makes the body work harder to compensate for what the heart can no longer do. The symptoms reflect that strain, and they tend to worsen gradually over time.
Starts during exertion, gradually creeps into lighter activity, and eventually shows up at rest. Many people cannot lie flat without feeling short of breath, waking through the night as fluid settles in the lungs.
Fluid backs up in the body because the heart cannot move it forward efficiently, causing swelling in the legs, ankles, and feet. Gaining several kilograms over a few days with no dietary explanation is a key warning sign.
The body's organs receive less blood than they need. Energy drops, everyday tasks become harder, and physical tolerance narrows progressively over time.
Fluid in the lungs causes a chronic wet cough, which can often worsen when lying down.
A weakening heart delivers less blood to the digestive system. Digestion slows, meals feel heavy even when portions are small, and nausea after eating becomes increasingly common.
Some people live with mild CHF for years without realising it and attribute the symptoms to age or deconditioning. By the time a diagnosis is made, the heart has often been declining for some time.
StagesStages of Heart Failure
As mentioned earlier, chronic heart failure occurs as a result of gradual onset. Following are the stages as given by New York Heart Association.
Note: In the early stages (Stage A and Stage B), heart failure can often be asymptomatic (without noticeable symptoms). During Stage B, structural changes in the heart may be detected through tests like an ECG and other cardiac evaluations, helping identify problems early.
DiagnosesHow to Diagnose Heart Failure?
An exercise tolerance test (ETT) on a treadmill is commonly used for stress testing. The patient's heart function is monitored using an electrocardiogram (ECG) alone or in conjunction with a cardiac imaging test (SPECT, PET, or echocardiography imaging). The irregularities in the signals are then analysed to diagnose CHF.
If a patient is contraindicated for stress test, a "Six-minute Walk
Test" is advised which can assess the patient's heart's effort tolerance capacity. The patient is asked to walk for 6 minutes. Before that, parameters such as ECG, BP, Pulse and Sp02 are checked and recorded. All these parameters are repeated and analyzed after the walk test to determine CHF.
If a patient is contraindicated for stress test, a "Six-minute Walk
Test" is advised which can assess the patient's heart's effort tolerance capacity. The patient is asked to walk for 6 minutes. Before that, parameters such as ECG, BP, Pulse and Sp02 are checked and recorded. All these parameters are repeated and analyzed after the walk test to determine CHF.
2D echocardiography, also known as 2D echo, is a non-invasive investigation used to evaluate the functioning and assess the sections of the heart. It creates images of the various parts of the heart using sound vibrations and makes it easy to check for damages, blockages, and blood flow rate.
With this, blood investigations like haemoglobin, liver function tests, and renal function tests are required. These can further help determine the cause or any associated conditions.
RisksWhat Are The Risks Of Untreated Heart Failure?
Emergency hospitalisation
Fluid builds up rapidly, causing breathlessness severe enough to require emergency care.
Irregular heartbeat
A weakened, enlarged heart is prone to electrical instability, and irregular heartbeat (arrhythmias) in CHF can be sudden and life-threatening.
Pulmonary hypertension
Chronic fluid backup in the lungs raises pressure in the pulmonary arteries and adds further strain to the heart
Severe muscle and weight loss
In advanced heart failure, the body begins breaking down muscle and fat, which significantly worsens overall health and recovery prospects.
Our ApproachMadhavbaug's Approach To Heart Failure
HFRT is Madhavbaug’s dedicated heart failure management programme, with outcomes published in peer-reviewed research.
HFRT runs over 3 months of intense treatment, followed by 9 months of follow-up at a clinic and 7 days of intensive treatment at a hospital, followed by 11 months of structured follow-up care.
- Significant reduction in NT-proBNP levels – a key clinical marker of heart failure severity
- Meaningful improvement in VO2peak – reflecting restored cardiac output and functional capacity
- Reduction in body weight and BMI from fluid and metabolic load
HFRT uses a specific combination of Snehana, Swedana, Basti, and a unique procedure called Hrudaydhara, a therapeutic concoction drip directly targeting the heart.
It helps clear metabolic toxins burdening the cardiac muscle, reduces inflammation, and restores circulation to exhausted heart tissue.
Arj Kadha, Endoguard Capsule, and the Hriday Swasthya Kit support the heart through recovery.
It reduces oxidative stress, protects against further muscle damage, and supports improvement in ejection fraction under medical supervision.
A low-sodium, anti-inflammatory diet reduces the fluid and metabolic burden on the failing heart. Supervised physiotherapy and cardiac rehabilitation for heart failure patients rebuilds physical tolerance gradually and safely.
Why Choose UsWhy Choose Madhavbaug for Heart Failure?
FAQsFrequently Asked Questions
Breathlessness during activity or at rest, swelling in the legs and ankles, persistent fatigue, and waking at night unable to lie flat are the most common signs. Some people also notice rapid weight gain from fluid retention and a persistent cough when lying down. The signs build gradually, which is why heart failure is frequently caught late.
With the right heart failure treatment and lifestyle support in place, many people live active, meaningful lives for years. How well and how long someone lives with heart failure depends on how early it is caught, how well the underlying causes are controlled, and how consistently the condition is managed.
In some cases, yes. When heart failure is caused by a treatable condition, reversing that cause can restore normal heart function. Madhavbaug’s Heart Failure Reversal Therapy has documented a 92% improvement in ejection fraction and a greater overall improvement in patients receiving HFRT alongside routine treatment.
Breathlessness becomes more frequent and occurs with less exertion. Fluid builds up faster, swelling spreads, and fatigue deepens to the point where basic daily tasks become difficult. The heart places growing strain on the kidneys, liver, and lungs. Catching deterioration early is critical as advanced heart failure significantly limits treatment options.
No. A heart attack is a sudden event, a blocked artery cutting off blood supply to heart muscle. Heart failure is a chronic condition where the heart muscle has gradually lost its ability to pump effectively. A heart attack can cause heart failure, but the two are distinct.
Start Your Journey to a Medicine-Free Life with Madhavbaug
Don't just manage your condition. Overcome it. Take the first step toward sustainable, evidence-based chronic disease reversal.