抗うつ剤 SSRIやSNRIによる攻撃性や他害行為について
Recently, I have seen a succession of patients with heart failure. Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in the lower limbs, loss of appetite, and nausea. Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle weakens, impairing the heart's ability to pump blood throughout the body. In the elderly, heart failure is often caused by conditions such as myocardial infarction (heart attack), valvular heart disease, or hypertension. About three years ago, a 99-year-old woman visited my clinic after developing heart failure following a heart attack; however, she made a remarkable recovery after being treated with a traditional Chinese herbal formula designed to strengthen heart function. Recently, there has been an increase in younger people developing heart failure, even in the absence of any specific underlying medical conditions. Common subjective symptoms of heart failure include palpitations, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and edema (often accompanied by sudden weight gain). Initially, palpitations and shortness of breath occur when climbing slopes or stairs, but as the condition progresses, breathing becomes difficult even when walking on flat ground. Other potential symptoms include easy fatigability, a sense of weakness, low blood pressure, cold sweats, cyanosis of the extremities (bluish discoloration of the hands and feet due to poor circulation), mental fogginess, forgetfulness (caused by insufficient oxygen reaching the brain), loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and constipation. In the elderly, the condition is more likely to develop in those with pre-existing conditions such as ischemic heart disease (e.g., myocardial infarction or angina), hypertension, arrhythmia, or valvular heart disease. However, an increasing number of young people—even those considered healthy and who have never been diagnosed with heart failure during health checkups—are developing the condition. This is attributed to lifestyle factors, such as sympathetic nervous system abnormalities caused by mental stress, sleep deprivation, lack of exercise, and excessive salt intake. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, treatment formulas are created by combining various medicinal herbs—such as those that strengthen the heart muscle and those with diuretic properties—tailored to the specific causes of an individual's heart failure. Cardiac-strengthening herbs are particularly effective, often yielding results within a month. Unlike Western cardiac stimulants, they do not cause side effects. In this respect, the treatment of heart failure is an area of particular strength for Traditional Chinese Medicine.
