No beauty shines brighter than that of a good heart.
— Shanina Shaik
Did you think about your heart today? Did you stop to think about the miracle that beats in your chest roughly sixty times a minute. Assuming that your life is going well – that you and your family are safe and healthy – the answer is probably no. Now…stop and think about our most vital organ. In Traditional Medicine the heart is the indisputable King of Organs. Our heart drives every other system in our body…without it we would literally cease to exist.
The importance of the heart has been handed down in history for eons. It was once considered the seat of consciousness and intelligence before science revealed our brains were responsible for our thoughts. The importance of our heart lingers to this day…let’s face it…when we are suffering what do we say? Our brain is broken? No…our heart breaks. In many ways we still view our heart as the essence of who and what we are or strive to be.
Traditional Medicine tells us that as a general rule…if we keep our heart healthy the rest of our body and mind will follow. Traditional Medicine differs from Western medicine in that we tend to view the body as a whole instead of individual parts. If your heart hurts the rest of your body can never achieve peace and the flow of Qi will be interrupted. So…how do we keep our heart (and by extension the rest of our body) healthy?
Stay active. Inactivity is bad for your heart and therefore bad for your body. By getting up and moving every day you work the muscle that is your heart and keep it purring along like a finely tuned engine. Activity is also good for your mind. It’s hard to feel sorry for yourself when your blood is pumping and your mind is sharp.
If you smoke…knock it off! Smoking is bad for every organ in your body. There is nothing good about smoking!!! And think of the money you’ll save. If you stop your pack-a-day habit at the end of the year you’ll have and extra $8,710!!!
Eat healthy and eat for the season. In summer that means fresh fruit and lots of salads, lean meats and whole grains. Try it…you might just like it and your heart will certainly thank you.
Sleep more. There is almost nothing you can do for your body that will help it more than good quality sleep. Sleep is our natural healing mechanism. Respect it and sleep will help your heart heal itself day in and day out.
Stop the stress. We live in a stressful world but mitigate that stress by forgiving yourself when you miss deadlines or fail to follow through. Life finds a way to even things out so let go of what you can’t control and watch your heart beat steadier and happier for a lifetime.