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Cardiovascular Health and Pulse Dynamics: Lessons from Eastern Medicine

Context: Vascular health is important for the optimal functioning of human body. The aging process and the correlated status of silent inflammation influence vascular function, which can be assessed by measuring arterial stiffness through pulse wave velocity. Pulse wave analysis by feeling several pulses in the radial arteries is the major diagnostic means in Traditional Tibetan medicine, which since ancient times links pulse characteristics to disease states such as chronic inflammation. In Tibetan Medicine chronic or silent inflammation is known as the concept called hidden fever. Herbal compounds have been developed to reduce the effects of inflammation on vascular (dys-) function. The Tibetan multi compound formula Padma 28 has been shown effective in different conditions associated with silent inflammation and chronic inflammatory processes. It has numerous anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and cell-protecting activities, suggesting a multi-target mode of action. Aims: To monitor and assess the vascular health status possibly using a portable device with finger electrocardiogram and photoplethysmograph sensors measuring the pulse wave velocity. Results: Two different subjects equipped with finger photoplethysmogram and electrocardiograms were recorded while performing mental stress tasks and slow breathing. Pulse wave velocity dynamic across the protocol showed increase during stress and decrease during slow breathing in most subjects. Conclusions: The aging and vessels inflammation processes are proposed to be assessed by pulse wave velocity measurements using a finger-based sensor. Slow deep breathing is a potential means to control the inflammation mostly in vessels together with ad-hoc multi-compound Tibetan medicine formula such as Padma 28. *Correspondence: Herbert Schwabl, SATHeart SA, Rue Galilée 15, CH-1400 Yverdon-les-Bains, Padma AG, Haldenstrasse 30, CH-8620 Wetzikon, Switzerland; E-mail: h.schwabl@padma.ch. Received: 16 December 2020; Accepted: 10 January 2021