Causes of Coronary Heart Disease Based on TCM:
According to traditional Chinese medical literature, heart disease was classified into a number of categories including chest pain, true heart pain and heart pain with chilled limbs. The causes were attributed to diet, environmental stress, imbalance of the emotions and aging. There is also a special category which is translated as "unregulated stillness". This equates to the modern day equivalent of  lack of exercise. One should be able to see that ancient Chinese physicians were very on to the ball as to what factors actually contributed to  heart disease, all of which has been confirmed by modern medicine.


Causes of Coronary Heart Disease in Western Medicine:
Coronary heart disease occurs when the coronary arteries which deliver oxygen to the heart muscle become narrowed or blocked as a result of the build up of fat/cholesterol within the artery wall. If the build-up is only mild, symptoms may include a feeling of pressure or tightness in the chest at times of increased activity or stress.  When the blood supply to the heart muscle is severely reduced, chest pain (angina), heart attack (myocardial infarction) or rhythm disturbances (arrhythmia) may occur.
 
Causes and risk factors
The heart is a muscle that pumps blood to all parts of the body. When the heart chambers contract, blood is pumped out of the heart through the aorta (the main artery from the heart) carrying oxygen and nutrients to the rest of the body.  The heart itself also needs oxygen to function. It’s the job of the coronary arteries to deliver oxygen-filled blood to the heart muscle. Coronary heart disease is also known as atherosclerotic heart disease, ischaemic heart disease and coronary artery disease.  Its the result of the narrowing or blockage of coronary arteries by plaque formed by fat/cholesterol on the artery walls (a process known as atherosclerosis).

There are many risk factors related to coronary heart disease. Some of these risk factors can be controlled through lifestyle changes and/or medications, while others cannot. Controllable factors include:
High blood cholesterol
Smoking
High blood pressure
Diabetes
Physical inactivity
Obesity
Poor diet