In celebration of the lovely month of February, we not only have the opportunity to express our love to those in our lives, view the beautiful creations depicting love in coffee shops, galleries and living rooms all around, but also emphasize the evaluation and support of heart health in the healthcare world.
More than just a pump, the heart is the electromagnetic center of the body, existing with the rhythm that drives our every moment and interaction. Stop for a moment, feel alongside the neck below the jaw line or feel the thumb side of the wrist for the familiar beat of your pulse. Take a minute to feel the rhythm within you and appreciate the good fortune that one beat continues to follow the next.
Influenced greatly by feelings, the heart acts as a regulator of the emotions and physical body. Step into the room where you’re long lost loved one just happens to be sitting and you’re sure everyone is going to stare at you with astonishment of the loud bursting in your chest! Participate in a deeply calming and relaxing experience and the rhythm becomes almost imperceptible. Check out the latest horror flick in the theaters or just on the evening news and you may miss a phrase or two as the pounding in ears drowns out the details.
The heart is one of our most metabolically dense tissues of the body. It requires constant energy production in order to perform its daily task of contracting and relaxing more than 100,000 times per day without stopping or tiring! The heart must constantly adjust its force and pace in order to meet the ever-changing needs of the body in its environment.
Keys to heart health:
Live Your Passion – Keep dreaming and pursuing the desires that speak to you as vital, worthwhile ventures in your life. Connecting your daily life purpose with your passion is an important part of optimal health.
Express Your Emotions – Explore the spectrum of emotion, to not be stuck in any one pattern but instead to freely move through all the various feelings life offers. Learning to appropriately express anger, sadness, worry, fear and hatred allows us the opportunity to better know growth, inspiration, contentment, hope and joy.
Get What You Need - Learning to recognize what you truly need can be a lifelong process. Finding the courage to ask for it is the next challenge!
Make Your Peace – Set aside regular time in your life for any variety of practices that cultivate peace in your heart. Find teachers to inspire you and help guide you through the onion-like layers of life’s challenges.
Magnesium – Fuel your daily rhythm with adequate nutrients but especially magnesium. This nutrient assists the proper muscle function of the heart and blood vessels. Playing a crucial role in muscle relaxation, it is essential for the whole body.
Coenzyme Q10 – This nutrient is helpful for preventing the progression of heart disease by providing adequate energy to the cells of the heart. Many pharmaceuticals create a deficiency in this nutrient.
Hawthorne Berry – Antioxidant rich, this herb can be used as a tea, tincture, capsule or a solid extract. This herb has countless studies recognizing its benefit for cardiovascular health. Safe for long-term use and delicious too.
Eat Healthy Fats – The health of the blood and blood vessels is influenced by the quality of fats that we ingest. Most Americans can benefit from increasing the levels of Omega 3 fatty acids in their diets by eating more wild fish and less red meat, especially those animals raised on feed lots. Some seeds are very high in omega 3 such as flax but others are extremely low like sunflower seeds. Get familiar with your balance of healthy oils in your diet.
Live a Non-Toxic Life – Anything absorbed through the skin, lungs or digestive system can have a negative effect on heart health. Choose non-toxic products for your food, cosmetics and environment.
Oral Hygeine - The way to the heart is through the mouth. The microflora that resides in the mouth and around the teeth are directly related to the inflammation level of the heart and cardiovascular tissue. Learn more with my herbal mouthwash heart healing tools here:
According to Chinese medicine, the heart acts as the emperor of the kingdom of our bodies. It does it’s best when every chore and task is tended to by the other components (organs) of the kingdom. Then, the emperor is allowed to sit peacefully in its throne receiving the adoration of a proud and vital kingdom with no worries in the world. The more peaceful we are within, the greater our outlook, happiness and contagious bliss that we share with our world.
Photo by Amber Janssens from Pexels