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a chest film of a patient with congestiv

Dilated cardiomyopathy

Progressive heart enlargement and weakness

Dill alternative cardiomyopathy has various causes. It can arise from acute myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), be genetic or idiopathic, ie occur without a recognizable cause. Excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to this. That is why one spoke of the Bocksbeutel heart of the beer coachmen who consumed a lot of beer. The heart can expand in the X-ray image in such a way that it resembles the Franconian Bocksbeutel bottle. Chemotherapy drugs or cocaine are also considered triggers. It can also rarely be caused by pregnancy (about 1 in 10,000)

Image: the significantly enlarged heart is easily recognizable for the doctor in the X-ray image

symptoms

 

The symptoms are the same as in acute myocarditis. Patients rarely have heart pain. But they suffer from shortness of breath and often from cardiac arrhythmias, which not all patients feel themselves. Some experience increased heart palpitations or dizziness. The patient perceives the symptoms as threatening, which understandably triggers fear. If the left heart is particularly affected, water builds up in the lungs, pulmonary edema, which causes shortness of breath. If the right heart is affected, the blood backs up in the systemic circulation, resulting in water retention (oedema), initially in the legs and later also in higher parts of the body such as the back, liver or abdomen. If the cardiomyopathy was caused by viruses or bacteria, this does not mean that the pathogens must still be present. The immune reaction to the pathogens can result in cardiomyopathy as part of an autoimmune disease.

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Diagnosis

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Dilated cardiomyopathy must be differentiated from other heart diseases that also lead to cardiac insufficiency. However, the disease is easy to diagnose with the help of cardiac ultrasound. It is sometimes frightening how conspicuous the heart is in the ultrasound. The heart chambers are huge and the musculature is far removed from the typical effective pumping movements. The walls of the heart seem to tremble rather than contract. This impression occurs because the heart is beating fast and the heart muscle moves very little. In fact, coronary heart disease can also be present at the same time. Therefore, the cervical arteries should be examined for arteriosclerotic changes using ultrasound. If these vessels are "clean", coronary heart disease is unlikely. Otherwise, a cardio-CT or cardiac catheter should be performed for clarification. A laboratory value that is very easy to determine with regard to cardiac insufficiency and its course is the NT per BNP value. In old age, the normal range is slightly higher than in younger people. Elevated values clearly indicate cardiac insufficiency. The progress control can therefore be carried out well via the NT Pro BNP value and the heart ultrasound.

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therapy

 

How to treat acute dilated cardiomyopathymyocarditisI have described on the relevant page. In my opinion, conventional medical therapies leave a lot to be desired. a large number of allopathic medicines are used here with moderate success. ACE inhibitors, AT1 blockers, beta blockers and diuretics are mainly used for drainage.

All of these drugs lower blood pressure. This can be very problematic in a heart that already has a pumping weakness. The diuretics are the most acceptable because of their effectiveness and minimal effect on blood pressure. However, attention must be paid to the potassium, as there are various diuretics. Some decrease potassium excretion and others increase it. I heard about a man who went into cardiac arrest due to a drug-induced potassium deficiency. Fortunately, one of the neighbors was an anesthesiologist and was able to revive him. There are definitely heart-strengthening remedies from naturopathy: hawthorn (Crataegutt) and strophanthin. I have observed the greatest effect with cell-specific therapy. Here, cell components from the heart of a young animal are injected into the buttocks. These repair substances are able to regenerate the heart. The effect is not exactly clear. According to my observations, however, the information in the RNA seems to mediate the effect. Somehow this coding is used in the diseased cells to regenerate them. The effect of relatively fast. I have often used these substances for heart failure and the patients reported reduced shortness of breath on the same day.

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I have treated some patients in this way and I would like to present you with an impressive case:

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A 42-year-old man with hereditary heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy received cell-specific therapy. He could barely stand on his feet. He had just been discharged from the university hospital and his blood pressure was extremely low due to the extensive drug therapy.  (85/60). His NT-Pro BNP dropped from 15,907 to 207 as a result of the heart cell injection. He regained his previous level of performance and passed the stress ECG at 125 watts. Many medications have been discontinued. The doctors at the university hospital were very surprised by the success in 2015, because they advised the patient to have an ICD (defibrillator) implanted and a heart transplant. The 30,000 arrhythmias have almost disappeared as a result of the therapy. The sleep apnea syndrome had also disappeared. The patient has been doing well for 5 years bis  without surgery and is running his business again.  

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