Fact Check: Can home workout cure heart failure?

Claim: In an Instagram reel, it is claimed that home workout can cure heart failure in winter. The reel posted by yoga_with_dr_rajan is titled as “Home workout for cure heart failure in winters.” The user claims that home workout improves blood circulation in winters and cures heart failure. The video has 783 likes

The reel can be accessed here.

Fact Check: This claim is FALSE.

What is Heart Failure?

As per National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute “Heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, is a condition that develops when heart doesn’t pump enough blood for your body’s needs. This can happen if heart can’t fill up with enough blood. It can also happen when heart is too weak to pump properly.” (1)

Risk Factors Associated with Heart Failure

Several factors can elevate the risk of heart failure. While some of these factors, such as lifestyle choices, can be managed, others, including age, race, and ethnicity, are beyond one's control. The following are the primary risk factors:

Age: Aging can weaken and stiffen the heart muscle. Individuals aged 65 years or older are at a higher risk of heart failure. This population is also more likely to have comorbid conditions that contribute to heart failure.

Family History: A family history of heart failure increases the likelihood of developing the condition. Genetic predispositions, including specific gene mutations, can result in weaker or less flexible heart tissue.

Lifestyle Habits: Unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as poor dietary habits, smoking, illicit drug use, excessive alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity, significantly increase the risk of heart failure.

Medical Conditions: Cardiovascular diseases, severe pulmonary conditions, and infections like HIV or SARS-CoV-2 can elevate the risk. Chronic health conditions, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, chronic kidney disease, anemia, thyroid disorders, and iron overload, are also contributory factors. Additionally, cancer treatments, including radiation and chemotherapy, can damage the heart. Atrial fibrillation, a common arrhythmia, is another risk factor. (1)

Is it Possible to Cure Health failure?

Heart failure as a condition cannot be completely cured, it can be only managed

Explaining this fact, Dr. Prem Agarwal, Cardiologist, Founder and at Sanjeevan Hospital, New Delhi explained, "Heart failure is  a condition where the heart can't pump blood efficiently. It is not curable, but it can be managed. As a cardiologist, I emphasize that with proper care, patients can lead fulfilling lives. Treatment includes medications, which help improve heart function. Lifestyle changes are also crucial: eating a heart-healthy diet, exercising regularly, quitting smoking, and limiting alcohol intake can make a big difference. Regular check-ups are essential to adjust treatments as needed. Sometimes, devices like pacemakers or surgical procedures may be required. Managing other health issues, such as diabetes and hypertension, is also vital. While heart failure is serious, many patients live well with the right treatment and lifestyle adjustments. If you have concerns about heart failure, it is important consult a healthcare professional for a personalized plan and then only go ahead with it."

Health Benefits of Home Workout

Home exercise refers to physical activities and workouts that can be performed at home without the need for a gym membership or specialized equipment. These exercises are designed to improve fitness, health, and well-being and can be tailored to various fitness levels and goals.

Home workouts offer numerous health benefits, including enhanced muscle strength, better mental well-being, increased flexibility, effective weight management, convenience, cost-effectiveness, personalization, stress relief, and improved sleep quality.

Can home workout cure heart failure?

Scientific evidence suggests that there are benefits of workouts on cardiovascular health but we were not able to trace any evidence that home workouts can cure heart failure. Even doctors and clinical guidelines including that of the American Heart Association, ESC  etc have recommended exercise in case of heart failure

The American Heart Association guidelines suggest that Exercise training or regular physical activity is considered safe and beneficial for heart failure patients capable of participating, as it helps enhance functional status. Cardiac rehabilitation is recommended for clinically stable heart failure patients to boost functional capacity, increase exercise duration, enhance health-related quality of life, and reduce mortality. (2)

According to the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, regular exercise is recommended for all heart failure patients to enhance their exercise capacity, alleviate symptoms, and improve their quality of life. Additionally, for Heart Failure patients with reduced ejection fraction, regular physical activity is advised to help reduce hospital admissions. (3)

The European Society of Cardiology advises that regular aerobic exercise be promoted for patients with heart failure to help improve symptoms and functional capacity. For those with stable heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, maintaining a routine of aerobic exercise is recommended to decrease the chance of hospitalization from heart failure. (4)

A review study by Jacqueline H. Morris et. al. published in Cardiac Failure Review, highlighted that exercise training and cardiac rehabilitation offer several advantages for individuals with Congestive Heart Failure. The benefits include enhanced exercise capacity and quality of life, as well as improved clinical outcomes. (5)

Research published in the Cochrane Library by Rod S Taylor et al. found that exercise-based rehabilitation, when compared to no exercise, does not affect the risk of all-cause mortality in the short term (up to 12 months). Nevertheless, it reduces hospital admission rates and significantly enhances health-related quality of life. It was also concluded that exercise training might lower long-term mortality and that its benefits are consistent across various participant characteristics, including age, gender, and the severity of heart failure. (6)

Having said that while regular exercise, including home workouts, can be beneficial for managing heart failure, improving overall cardiovascular health, and enhancing the quality of life, it is not classified as a cure. There was no evidence or consensus that terms exercise or home exercise as a cure for heart failure 

What do experts say?

The Medical Dialogues Fact Check Team spoke with Dr. Manav Aggarwal, Interventional Cardiologist, at Sanjeevan Hospital he said, "

The importance of exercise in case of heart failure patients cannot be undermined, yet its capacity differs in each patient based on their condition. Exercise training should be viewed as a complementary rather than an alternative treatment in stable heart failure. However, it is not the only factor in the treatment of heart failure. While regular exercise, including home workouts, can significantly improve symptoms and quality of life for heart failure patients, it cannot cure the condition. Heart failure requires a comprehensive treatment plan that includes medications, lifestyle changes, and sometimes surgical interventions. It's crucial to work closely with your healthcare provider to ensure any exercise regimen is safe and effective. Reputable sources like the American Heart Association and Mayo Clinic stress the importance of a multifaceted approach to managing heart failure, emphasizing that exercise alone is not a cure.

Medical Dialogues Final Take

Regular exercise can contribute to managing and enhancing cardiac health. Nevertheless, no medical consensus or scientific evidence supports that home workouts in winter improve blood circulation and cure heart failure. According to experts, effectively managing a heart attack involves a combination of medical treatments, lifestyle changes including exercise and a healthy diet, and regular monitoring by healthcare professionals.

Hence, the claim that home workout can cure heart failure is FALSE.

References

1. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart-failure 
2. Yancy CW, Jessup M, Bozkurt B et al. 2013 ACCF/AHA guideline for the management of heart failure: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013;62:e147–239. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2013.05.019
3. Ezekowitz JA, O’Meara E, McDonald MA et al. 2017 Comprehensive update of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society guidelines for the management of heart failure. Can J Cardiol. 2017;33:1342–33. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2017.08.022.
4. Ponikowski P, Voors AA, Anker SD et al. 2016 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure: The Task Force for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Developed with the special contribution of the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the ESC. Eur Heart J. 2016;37:2129–200. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehw128. 
5. Morris JH, Chen L. Exercise Training and Heart Failure: A Review of the Literature. Card Fail Rev. 2019 Feb;5(1):57-61. doi: 10.15420/cfr.2018.31.1. PMID: 30847247; PMCID: PMC6396064.
6. Taylor RS, Sagar VA, Davies EJ, Briscoe S, Coats AJ, Dalal H, Lough F, Rees K, Singh S. Exercise-based rehabilitation for heart failure. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Apr 27;2014(4):CD003331. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003331.pub4. Update in: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Jan 29;1:CD003331. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003331.pub5. PMID: 24771460; PMCID: PMC6485909.