Calming techniques such as yoga could play a key role in helping patients with irregular heart rhythms, experts say today.
Cardiologists from across Europe will be discussing the latest research and medical innovations at a conference in Glasgow this weekend.
And the benefits and risks of patients using alternative treatments are taking centres stage.
Among the topics to be discussed at the European Society of Cardiology’s EuroHeart Care Congress, which takes place in Glasgow, today (22 March) and Saturday, is how yoga and acupressure could both play an important role in helping patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).
“One of the overall aims of treatment for AF is lowering heart rate because high and irregular heart rates can lead to emboli forming and result in stroke,” says Professor Ozlem Ceyhan, a nurse trainer from Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey.
“In these studies both acupressure and yoga are reducing heart rate, which should have a really beneficial effect. Furthermore, both approaches have the advantage of being easy to administer and cost effective, with no serious side effects.”
Maria Nilsson, a nurse from Danderyd Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, who has practised yoga for 10 years, found that medical yoga – a form of yoga that involves deep breathing, light movements, meditation and relaxation – had significant results on 80 patients with paroxysmal AF (PAF), which are recurrent episodes that self-terminate in under seven days.
“Our study suggests doctors could do worse than prescribing yoga for all patients with hypertension and fast heart rates,” she will tell delegates.
A second study by Prof Ceyhan investigated the use of acupressure among 60 patients hospitalised for persistent AF. A randomised study found that the 30 patients who underwent acupuncture in the intervention group had significant lower pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure than those in the control group.
However, Professor Stephen Leslie and colleagues, from the University of Stirling, Scotland, will take to the stage to urge cardiology teams to quiz patients about their use of complementary and alternative therapies after their survey found that the use popular herbal remedies, such as ginger, ginkgo biloba, ginseng and St John’s wort, which affect medication, are not being disclosed to medical teams.
“This would enable the balance between risks, benefits and efficacy of various CATs and CAMs to be honestly discussed with cardiac patients,” explains Dr Jenny Jones.
The conference will also hear how Scotland, which has one of the highest rates of heart disease in western Europe, is taking action to tackle the relationship between deprivation and heart disease and stroke.
Statistics for Scotland have shown a big difference for the richest and poorest members of society, with those in the top 10% having a standardised mortality ratio for heart disease and stroke of 65 compared to 140 for those in the bottom 10%.
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