Treatments in Conventional Medicine and Their Limitations
When an electrical storm occurs, conventional medicine sedates the patient, performs repeated defibrillation, and administers potent antiarrhythmic drugs (chemical drugs) such as amiodarone and lidocaine.
If not controlled by medication, a sympathetic nerve block or Catheter Ablation is attempted, and in the worst case, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is used.
[Limitations and Critical Perspective]
An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) saves lives in the immediate term, but repeated electric shocks destroy the patient's quality of life and worsen the heart function itself.
Since our body is organically connected, if the overall environment of the heart muscle and the extreme sympathetic nervous system excitation of the autonomic nervous system are not calmed down, a terrifying electrical storm where the defibrillator frequently triggers will return at any time.
In addition, potent antiarrhythmic drugs administered to suppress tachycardia can paradoxically worsen the arrhythmia, inducing 'incessant ventricular tachycardia' (Proarrhythmic effect), and cause severe organ toxicity when taken long-term.
In particular, Statins, which are conventionally prescribed under the pretext of preventing cardiovascular disease, can deplete Coenzyme Q10, the core energy source of the heart muscle, further reducing the heart's contractility and vitality in the long term, so they should not be blindly trusted.
BM's Integrative Solution: Cardiopulmonary Stability Design Encompassing Chemical Drugs and Natural Substances
We do not divide medicine by the old dichotomy of 'Western medicine and herbal medicine.'
There are only artificially synthesized chemical drugs and natural substances derived from nature.
Based on Korean Medicine diagnosis theory, BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic provides true integrative treatment by operating and controlling the actions of chemical drugs according to Korean Medicine theory to protect life in ultra-emergency situations with a risk of chain cardiac arrest, and subsequently utilizing natural substances and acupuncture to improve the heart muscle's environment and prevent the recurrence of electrical storms.
- Invigorating Blood and Removing Stasis (Hwal-hyeol-geo-eo / 活血祛瘀): Using core natural substances like Nardostachys, Salvia, and Notoginseng to gently soothe ischemic damage and scars in the heart muscle, and fundamentally stabilizing the environment where electrical signals run amok by regulating multi-ion channels.
- Tonifying Heart and Lung (Bo-ik-sim-pye / 補益心肺): Replenishing the exhausted energy of the heart and lungs from deep within using herbs like Ginseng, Astragalus, and Ophiopogon, building the heart's strength to withstand external stimuli and the side effects of chemical drugs.
- Acupuncture: Stimulating acupoints directly connected to the heart, such as Neiguan and Shenmen, to calm the runaway sympathetic nervous system and deeply resolve the patient's extreme fear and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by frequent ICD shocks.
- Lifestyle Redesign (Health Freedom Camp): Through the HF Camp, we completely correct systemic risk factors that stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and diets that worsen the heart environment.
Completely improving the conditions around the heart to create a body environment where electrical storms cannot occur is the completion of treatment.
Global Research Results Based on Modern Korean Medicine (Scientific Evidence)
Modern Korean Medicine does not stay in the past but actively embraces global clinical data to integrate conventional medicine.
The following are research results demonstrating that Korean Medicine procedures and core drugs serve as better alternatives or powerful adjunctive therapies compared to the chemical drugs or procedures of the existing universal medical system.
- Efficacy and Safety of Traditional Natural Substances on Severe Arrhythmia Diseases (Systematic Review and Meta-analysis) According to the latest 2024 research synthesizing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that administered natural substances to arrhythmia patients, the group that was co-administered natural substances and conventional chemical drugs showed a statistically highly significant increase in the total clinical efficacy rate, including ECG recovery and subjective symptom improvement, compared to the group administered only chemical drugs. It was excellent in improving objective indicators such as fatal ventricular tachycardia, and the incidence of side effects like gastrointestinal disorders and bradycardia common when administering single-target chemical drugs was 56 percent lower (RR=0.44), proving overwhelming safety and synergistic effects.
- Ahn JY, Chu H, Leem J, Yun JM. Effectiveness and safety of traditional herbal medicine on cardiac arrhythmic condition: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control clinical trial. Medicine. 2024;103(23):e38441. doi:10.1097/md.0000000000038441
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- Chemical Drug Replacement and Myocardial Protection Effects of Core Natural Substances Regulating Multi-Ion Channels According to a study analyzing 2,469 patients, the treatment group based on core natural substances like Nardostachys and Notoginseng showed no difference in treatment efficacy compared to potent conventional chemical drugs (such as Amiodarone) in suppressing ventricular arrhythmias. Unlike chemical drugs that can rather worsen arrhythmias or cause fatal long-term toxicity, natural substances proved their excellent safety by gently regulating multi-ion channels to stabilize the environment around myocardial scars without side effects.
- Wang X, Wang Y, Feng XY, et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on Wenxin keli. Drug Design Development and Therapy. 2016;Volume 10:3725-3736. doi:10.2147/dddt.s112333
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- Clinical Efficacy and Autonomic Stabilization Effect of Acupuncture on Ventricular Arrhythmias and Tachycardia A meta-analysis of 797 patients, including those with paroxysmal tachycardia and ventricular arrhythmias, showed that the group receiving acupuncture at points like Neiguan and Shenmen had an arrhythmia suppression and recurrence prevention effect equivalent to the group taking the most potent chemical drugs. Acupuncture was proven to be a very safe and effective alternative procedure that protects normal rhythm by stabilizing the sympathetic nervous system at a deep level without the risk of fatal organ toxicity seen with long-term chemical drug use.
- Li Y, Barajas-Martinez H, Li B, et al. Comparative effectiveness of acupuncture and antiarrhythmic drugs for the prevention of cardiac arrhythmias: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Frontiers in Physiology. 2017;8:358. doi:10.3389/fphys.2017.00358
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