My client has told me that he has Cardiomyopathy. Does anyone have it and what are they doing to remedy the si

Cardiomyopathy is a serious disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesn't work as well as it should. There may be multiple causes including viral infections.

The usual treatment involves taking a drug known as a beta blocker (such as propranolol) or a calcium channel blocker. If a person has an arrhythmia, an antiarrhythmic drug may also be used. Surgical treatment of the obstructive form is possible in some cases if the drug treatment fails.

Alcohol ablation is another nonsurgical treatment being developed for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. It involves injecting alcohol down a small branch of one of the heart arteries to the extra heart muscle. This destroys the extra heart muscle without having to cut it out surgically.

People undergoing this procedure usually suffer chest pain during the alcohol injection. The alcohol can also disrupt normal heart rhythms and require the insertion of a pacemaker. Alcohol ablation is a relatively new procedure being performed at only a few specialized centers in the United States. It's too soon to know whether this treatment will result in long-term benefit. It's still considered experimental