ADVERTISING: Advertorial — Heart Health: Surprising insights, Part I

Most people know how important exercise and nutrition is for the heart. But there is more you can do to improve your heart health. It is my goal to expand your knowledge in such a way that applying some simple tweaks, can positively impact the health of your heart.

To quote William Harvey, considered the father of cardiology in 1628 “The heart…is the beginning of life; the sun of the microcosm…for it is the heart by whose virtue and pulse the blood is moved, perfected, made apt to nourish, and is preserved from corruption and coagulation; it is the household divinity which, discharging its function, nourishes, cherishes, quickens the whole body, and is indeed the foundation of life, the source of all action.” 

In order for our cardiovascular (CV) system to nourish us, we have to nourish it. I will discuss nutrition in Part II, so watch for that article. In Part I, I will cover other things that can really support our heart health.

A person dies from cardiovascular disease every 34 seconds! Wow! What can we do so that we aren’t part of that statistic? 

Rest: We work too hard and rest too little. All of nature has a pattern — they rest twice as long as they work. Most of nature doesn’t have cardiovascular disease. It is said that it takes 2 hours of sleep after midnight to equal one hour of sleep before midnight. Get to bed early.

Dental Health: If you have gum disease — bleeding or receding gums, you are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease. Bad breath can be an indication of poor gum health. Get it checked out and resolved.

The thyroid regulates the life forces in the body. It is important in CV health. The thyroid hormones regulate the body’s metabolism and movement. They influence how the body uses energy, which can affect heart rate and rhythm, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It is instrumental in normal growth and development of the heart muscle. Thyroid disease increases the risk of blood clot formation as well. Get any thyroid issues resolved. 

More and more we are recognizing the role of “broken heart syndrome” in cardiovascular health. "Broken heart syndrome," also known as stress cardiomyopathy, is a condition where extreme emotional or physical stress can lead to heart muscle weakness or failure. It is too common that after the death of a spouse or loved one, that the person remaining starts to develop CV disease themselves and die soon after the loved-one’s death. To potentially help overcome or manage broken heart syndrome, don’t drink alcohol excessively, manage stress, improve the nutrition in the foods you eat, exercise regularly, stay connected to other loved ones and friends, and seek medical help if you get symptomatic, and not just pass it off as “sympathy” symptoms. 

In Part II of Heart Health: Surprising Insights, I will discuss nutrition for heart health.

Want to hear more from Holly Carling? Check out our podcast. Search for VitalHealth4You on your favorite podcast listening app or go to vitalhealthcda.com/podcasts/.

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Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with over four decades of experience. Carling is a “Health Detective.” She looks beyond your symptom picture and investigates WHY you are experiencing your symptoms in the first place.

Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d’Alene clinic. Visit Carling’s website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles.

Carling can be reached at 208-765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.