TCM Perspective On Coronary Heart Disease
TCM recognizes coronary artery disease as being symptomatic of a condition known as heart blood stasis, characterized by sharp pains in the chest, palpitations, an irregular heart rhythm and a darkened tongue. The condition is caused by stagnation of blood in the heart or a deficiency of heart yang, heart blood and/or heart fire. It can be complicated by an accumulation of phlegm, the name given to congealed dampness in the body, which can combine with other conditions to produce lumps and masses. For example, an accumulation of plaque, a sticky, semisolid material consisting of cholesterol, calcium, fatty materials and other substances, as part of arteriosclerosis would be considered phlegm. This condition leads to an insufficient flow of blood and qi, the life energy that circulates through the body,into and through the heart, leading to the symptoms associated with arteriosclerosis.


Western Point of View
Coronary heart disease is a condition in which fatty deposits build up in the walls of the arteries that run to your heart. This causes them to narrow, which can reduce the supply of oxygen to your heart. This may lead to angina (pain in your chest) or a heart attack (myocardial infarction). Your heart is a muscular pump that circulates blood to your lungs and the rest of your body. In this way blood supplies your body with oxygen and nutrients and takes away carbon dioxide and waste products. Your heart also needs a supply of blood and it gets this from your coronary arteries.

Coronary heart disease happens when fat and cholesterol in your blood build up in your artery walls and form a plaque (atheroma). This process is known as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis narrows the artery and reduces the blood flow so that your heart muscle doesn’t get all the oxygen it needs. This can damage your heart muscle and lead to a range of symptoms, which can be serious. In the UK, more people die from coronary heart disease than any other cause.