Heart failure

Complementary therapies

At present, the most successful way of treating heart failure is by medication such as beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, diuretics, aldosterone antagonists and warfarin, digoxin, asprin, and statins, though some studies have suggested that complementary therapies such as transcendental meditation, yoga, and other relaxation techniques can help to reduce blood pressure and increase people's sense of well-being.

Research is also being carried out into the possible benefits of tai chi.

Relaxation therapies for heart failure

NICE (The National Institute for Clinical Excellence's) guidelines on the treatment of high blood pressure in 2011 stated that relaxation therapies could have a modest effect on reducing blood pressure, but these recommendations have since been reconsidered and removed due to ‘insufficient evidence of benefit to recommend that people pursue this option themselves’.

On their guide for relaxation therapies for high blood pressure (hypertension), NICE now states that

'It is not the intention of the committee to stop people from trying relaxation therapies if they wish to, but to make people aware that there is less evidence for benefit of this intervention compared with other lifestyle interventions or pharmacological treatment’

(NICE guideline NG136, 21 November 2023).

Though many people thought that learning relaxation tools and 'concentrating on things that took them out of themselves' would be beneficial, few had actively tried new techniques for relaxation, and most said that they preferred to talk to their family or their doctors instead.

Feels she does not need alternative therapies because she gets her support from medical staff and her friends.

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Age at interview: 66

Sex: Female

Age at diagnosis: 65

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I've never tried alternative therapies at all. I decided this is quite enough and I didn't feel that it was a suitable thing. Maybe it is for some people, it's not for me. I'm taking the medication, I've had two lots of surgery, there's a third, there's an option for later on. I'm watching my diet, I'm doing what exercises I can I feel I'm coping better mentally now, so that's quite enough to be on board, I don't feel I need to try anything else. I've got people who listen to me, people who help me medically as well, that's enough.

Complementary herbal remedies and heart failure

Most people said they had not tried complementary medication such as herbal remedies in case they might interfere with their usual medicines or have dangerous interactions with them.

It is recommended that you discuss any changes to medications or plans to try herbal remedies with a health practitioner before trying them.

Others speculated that their doctors would not like them to 'experiment' with other remedies.

A woman who had tried valerian root to help her sleep found that it interfered with warfarin, though she said she always checked with her chemist before buying anything.

Homoeopathy and other complementary therapies

Someone who had tried homoeopathy and cranial osteopathy said that though they might work for other people, they had not worked for her.

She said that she started feeling better once doctors had got her medication right.

A man who tried Reiki healing said that it gave him a set time outside his usual routine when he could relax and reflect.

She tried various complementary practices - homoeopathy and osteopathy - but found they didn't help her.

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Age at interview: 53

Sex: Female

Age at diagnosis: 49

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Yes, my sister is very much into homoeopathy. And she asks me to try it, and I did try it and... it does help some people, it didn't help me. And I tried lots of things before I got onto the right dose of medicine but no, nothing helped me not like the doctor's tablets, I don't think anything does, not for a heart.

Did your sister try any particular treatment or any particular pills or?

Yeah I forget what they were now. But I know homoeopathy is, is very good and it does suit some people and I also went to an osteopath..a cranial osteopath I think they're called. Yeah, and I had massage and it was very nice but it still didn't do me any good. I still think that it's just the doctor's tablet's that have made me feel better. But some people it might, I'm not saying it's no good you know. And my sister gave me aromatherapy and reflexology as well because she can do all that, and it's very nice having it done, but no just the doctor's tablets make me better.

He describes Reiki healing which helped him to relax and reflect.

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He describes Reiki healing which helped him to relax and reflect.

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Age at interview: 39

Sex: Male

Age at diagnosis: 37

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The person I went to see was actually a Reiki master as well, a Reiki healer [pause] and she did one Reiki exercise on me, mainly where I laid down and put the hands over the face and you can feel the warmth. Whether that's this magical transference from A to B or the fact that you've got a small amount of air between A and B and of course it heats up between the two, body heat, is what I think it is.

You still feel that, but for me it doesn't matter where you think necessarily the energy comes from, whether it's a mystical being or whether it's from somewhere you can see, you can understand, it's about feeling relaxed and can you think deep and get in a relaxed state and I can. I've always been able to do that before, so I was okay with that, but it didn't, wasn't as if oh this was now hocus pocus, it makes no difference, it was just another technique, somebody else being able to do it to you. Just like massages, those sort of things can deeply relax you.

And, and some of the sessions were okay in that it, I think that what was good about it was it was a set time to think, time out of here if you will, just to sit and perhaps just chat a little bit and then just reflect. So that was probably the biggest benefit. There wasn't anything that I came away thinking, 'Oh, I'm glad I did that because now I feel better about this', I don't think there was anything so startling about what came out of it.

Religion and faith

Several people talked about how their religious faith helped them during their recovery, and many said they 'put themselves in God's hands'.

Others said they prayed regularly and attended places of worship, and one man was pleased to have led a service and preached at his local church.

A woman who saw her priest regularly for home communion said she also valued being able to talk to him because he was such a good listener.

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Therapeutic activities and relaxation techniques

Many activities were said to be therapeutic including keeping a reflective diary, painting, yoga and meditation (see 'Sports, hobbies and activities').

Others said they had tried listening to relaxation tapes and several people were thinking about joining relaxation and yoga classes.

A woman who had been bereaved said that looking after herself helped her look and feel better and was helping restore her self-confidence.

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There were a number of techniques that people used to unwind or to overcome some of the strain of heart failure, and these techniques included watching television and old films.

Someone else said his own mantra ('it really doesn't matter') whenever he found himself stressed or upset (see 'Stress and heart failure').

Last reviewed: August 2025.
Last updated: March 2012.