Show Your Heart Some Love – It Needs To Last Your Whole Life

Your heart gets its nerve supply from your spinal column, especially the upper back (thoracic – T1, T2, T3) levels and the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (relax & calm) branches of the autonomic nervous system and the Vagus nerve.

So having good nerve flow from the spine in the upper back is crucial for heart function! So look at your posture! Does your upper back slump forward with your head hanging out in space (instead of over your spine)? Computer work and desk work sets us up for this posture. You can get adjusted and do easy exercises to reverse this and keep good nerve flow to your heart.

I encourage everyone to monitor their own heart health. I recommend:

Get your own blood pressure cuff. The wrist ones are easy to operate and quite accurate. I have had several, my favorite brand is Homedics. So if you have white coat syndrome and your blood pressure goes up in their office, you can check your own at home. Hold your arm bent so it’s at the level of your heart and don’t talk.
Get an oxometer. That will show you your blood oxygen level. Goal is 97-100, if you are below 97, your doctor needs to figure out why.
Smart watch or ring so you can monitor heartrate, whether or not you have a-fib (arterial fibrillation). Many people can’t really tell when they have a-fib so they never mention it to their doctor. It needs attention if you have it. Some people go into a-fib due to certain triggers, if you monitor yourself, you can figure out your triggers and correct the problem. The allopathic approach seems to be drugs only to control heart rate, nothing to figure out why your body is doing that.

I resisted getting an Apple watch for years. Now I have one and I love it! I can go swimming and it tells me my heartrate in the pool!
Monitor your activity. What gets measured gets attention. Do you know how much activity you did yesterday? Probably not unless you monitor. When you monitor, people tend to increase to beat their own last goal. All for your health benefits!
Exercise – 30 minutes of walking 6 times per week will give you 3 hours of exercise. You don’t have to run, just comfortable moving forward.
Supplements – there are many supplements that help the heart. The numero uno is Co-Q-10. We can all use some Co-Q-10. I prefer it with PQQ added which encourages new mitochondria (our energy powerhouse in each cell). Take 300 mg/day. If you have current heart problems, you will need more.
Diet – The Mediterranean diet is a heart healthy diet. Moderate protein, lots of vegetables, pure olive oil. It is just as important to notice what you don’t eat. No trans-fats, no deep fried or rancid foods. Avoid cottonseed oil and canola oil. I will do an email blast on what are the healthiest oils in the future.