Healthy Heart
In the East, the organ associated with summer is the Heart.
First, let's see some amazing facts about the heart.
The heart beats about 100000 times a day.
35 million times a year.
And on average, 2.5 billion times in life time!!
The body has about 6 quarts(5.6 liters) of blood.
And the blood circulates throughout the body 3 times a day, which
amounts to 12000 miles (19000km) a day!
Can you imagine how hard the heart has to work day and night?
Squeeze a tennis ball tight.
That's about the force that the heart uses to pump the blood out to
the body, twice as hard as the muscle of legs work while sprinting!
Heart and coronary diseases are by far the leading cause of death in
most developed countries.
And it was the first major degenerative diseases linked by medical,
scientific research to the modern way of life, especially diet.
Today, average Americans spend one -seventh of all their food
money on fast food, such as hamburgers, fried chicken, beef tacos
etc etc.
In the US, average person lives within 3 miles of a McDonalds'.
By the way, did you know that NYC is the most MacDonalds
concentrated city in the world?
It is clear that many people are adding extra burden to this already
hard working organ each and everyday.
No wonder why 1 in 2 Americans are high risk of developing
heart/coronary diseases!!
Causes
1 Excess fat, cholesterol, sugar, liquid and stimulants
Foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol such as meat, poultry,
eggs, dairy are all well-known contributors to the problem, hardening
and clogging arteries, blood vessels, and the heart itself.
In fact, in other cultures where these foods are consumed little or
rarely, these health issues are almost unknown, or at least until this
modern diet was introduced.
But here are some not-so-well-known causes.
Recent studies have shown that sugar contributes to the heart
diseases.
Also, excessive intake of liquid and even fruits/juice can be the
problem.
These foods/drink thin the blood, and loosen and weaken the muscle
of the heart, making the pumping work extra hard.
The problem of the modern diet is that it's high in both categories
you can tell what is happening to the heart.
Banana and the heart
Today, banana is the most consumed fruit in the country, followed by
apples.
Nutritionists and mass medias are encouraging that people eat this
potassium rich food to combat heart diseases and other health issues.
But for the heart to function properly, it needs certain amount of
sodium.
Sodium keeps the heart muscle strong, and the ratio of
sodium/potassium in the blood has to be maintained about 1 to 10.
But banana's S/P ratio is about 1 to 400-600!
Excessive consumption of banana will disturb this balance, and the
blood becomes too thin, weakens the heart muscle, thus burden the
heart.(also becomes susceptible virus and bacteria)
After all, bananas are from tropical climates. It is not natural for
people in North America to eat regularly.
Signs of heart problems
1 Red coloring
Red color on the skin, face, palms all indicate elevated blood
pressure.
A swollen, puffy face with reddish color shows the heart muscle is
expanded and weakened.
2 Pale color
This indicates the heart is becoming tight, low blood pressure is
developing.
3 Nose
The nose develops in unison with the heart in embryo, so it shows a
lot about the heart conditions.
Swollen nose shows the heart is swollen, sign of developing heart
failure.
Hardened tip on the nose shows a build up of saturated fat and
cholesterol in arteries and the heart, warning sign of heart attack and
stroke.
If it's purple, the danger is imminent.
Clinton's nose
Take a look at former president Clinton's old picture. His nose before
the heart problem was very swollen and the tip was clearly hardened.
He was known for poor dietary habit. Now he has finally become
vegan!
4 Hands
The center of the palm also shows the condition of the heart.
Swelling, discoloration or feeling pain when pressed, all show
looseness or weakness of the heart valves.
Hold the palms together and press. if the hands cannot bend
perpendicular at 90 degree and more, arteries are hardening.
For healthy, happy heart
As we observed, the heart is working so hard non stop night and day.
Let's appreciate its amazing job first.
1 Don't add extra burden
First thing we should do is not to add extra burden to the organ.
Meat, chicken, eggs, dairy (cheese, butter, milk, cream, yogurt) etc,
all high in fat and cholesterol should be cut down.
Sugar, liquid, fruits (especially of tropical origins), stimulants (coffee,
spices, alcohol) should also be limited.
Needless to say, smoking is a huge no-no.
2 Heart-healthy foods
Studies have shown that eating whole grains reduce the risk of
coronary/heart diseases.
Let's develop a dietary foundation by eating whole grains and variety
of vegetables.
There are some foods that are especially nourishing for the heart.
The heart is constantly generating "heat" by this extraordinary
pumping job.
Foods that have natural cooling effect are beneficial.
Summer grains and veggies such as corn, leafy greens are all
beneficial.
Naturally bitter taste is also nourishing to this organ.
Mustard greens, dandelion greens, burdock root(gobo),radish, daikon
radish, twig tea, etc
Tofu, tempeh and natto are also shown to lower cholesterol.
Foods with good quality of sodium and other minerals also helps
strengthen the heart
Miso, umeboshi, ume vinegar, sea vegetables etc. But in moderation.
To help discharge excess accumulated fat, barley, daikon, shitake,
are good.
For home remedy, carrot-daikon drink can be taken (recipe click)
Global warming and heart diseases
As we are cutting down trees and eliminating greens, more heat is
getting trapped and the temperature is going up.
The body is the same.
As we eat more meat and less plants, the “heat” generated by the
heart is trapped inside, and the organ becomes "overheated".
The solution for both problems?
More plants!
3 Pinky
Heart meridians are running through inside the arm to the tip of little
fingers.
Any abnormality in this area also shows the possible heart problems.
But stimulating this part is good for the heart, too.
In fact, still now some CPR practitioners bite or massage little fingers
to stimulate the heart in the event of stroke or cardiac arrest as a first
aid technique.
Meaning of “healthy heart”
From Eastern point of view, nothing is isolated, and all are
interrelated.
Heart problem is not just about the heart.
When the heart is not functioning properly, the blood does not travel
to each cell, thus less oxygen and nutrients.
As a result, all organs are affected, including brain.
So not just physically, but emotional/mental health will be affected, too.
Developing the healthy heart is therefore developing overall health
and well-being : )
In the East, the organ associated with summer is the Heart.
First, let's see some amazing facts about the heart.
The heart beats about 100000 times a day.
35 million times a year.
And on average, 2.5 billion times in life time!!
The body has about 6 quarts(5.6 liters) of blood.
And the blood circulates throughout the body 3 times a day, which
amounts to 12000 miles (19000km) a day!
Can you imagine how hard the heart has to work day and night?
Squeeze a tennis ball tight.
That's about the force that the heart uses to pump the blood out to
the body, twice as hard as the muscle of legs work while sprinting!
Heart and coronary diseases are by far the leading cause of death in
most developed countries.
And it was the first major degenerative diseases linked by medical,
scientific research to the modern way of life, especially diet.
Today, average Americans spend one -seventh of all their food
money on fast food, such as hamburgers, fried chicken, beef tacos
etc etc.
In the US, average person lives within 3 miles of a McDonalds'.
By the way, did you know that NYC is the most MacDonalds
concentrated city in the world?
It is clear that many people are adding extra burden to this already
hard working organ each and everyday.
No wonder why 1 in 2 Americans are high risk of developing
heart/coronary diseases!!
Causes
1 Excess fat, cholesterol, sugar, liquid and stimulants
Foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol such as meat, poultry,
eggs, dairy are all well-known contributors to the problem, hardening
and clogging arteries, blood vessels, and the heart itself.
In fact, in other cultures where these foods are consumed little or
rarely, these health issues are almost unknown, or at least until this
modern diet was introduced.
But here are some not-so-well-known causes.
Recent studies have shown that sugar contributes to the heart
diseases.
Also, excessive intake of liquid and even fruits/juice can be the
problem.
These foods/drink thin the blood, and loosen and weaken the muscle
of the heart, making the pumping work extra hard.
The problem of the modern diet is that it's high in both categories
you can tell what is happening to the heart.
Banana and the heart
Today, banana is the most consumed fruit in the country, followed by
apples.
Nutritionists and mass medias are encouraging that people eat this
potassium rich food to combat heart diseases and other health issues.
But for the heart to function properly, it needs certain amount of
sodium.
Sodium keeps the heart muscle strong, and the ratio of
sodium/potassium in the blood has to be maintained about 1 to 10.
But banana's S/P ratio is about 1 to 400-600!
Excessive consumption of banana will disturb this balance, and the
blood becomes too thin, weakens the heart muscle, thus burden the
heart.(also becomes susceptible virus and bacteria)
After all, bananas are from tropical climates. It is not natural for
people in North America to eat regularly.
Signs of heart problems
1 Red coloring
Red color on the skin, face, palms all indicate elevated blood
pressure.
A swollen, puffy face with reddish color shows the heart muscle is
expanded and weakened.
2 Pale color
This indicates the heart is becoming tight, low blood pressure is
developing.
3 Nose
The nose develops in unison with the heart in embryo, so it shows a
lot about the heart conditions.
Swollen nose shows the heart is swollen, sign of developing heart
failure.
Hardened tip on the nose shows a build up of saturated fat and
cholesterol in arteries and the heart, warning sign of heart attack and
stroke.
If it's purple, the danger is imminent.
Clinton's nose
Take a look at former president Clinton's old picture. His nose before
the heart problem was very swollen and the tip was clearly hardened.
He was known for poor dietary habit. Now he has finally become
vegan!
4 Hands
The center of the palm also shows the condition of the heart.
Swelling, discoloration or feeling pain when pressed, all show
looseness or weakness of the heart valves.
Hold the palms together and press. if the hands cannot bend
perpendicular at 90 degree and more, arteries are hardening.
For healthy, happy heart
As we observed, the heart is working so hard non stop night and day.
Let's appreciate its amazing job first.
1 Don't add extra burden
First thing we should do is not to add extra burden to the organ.
Meat, chicken, eggs, dairy (cheese, butter, milk, cream, yogurt) etc,
all high in fat and cholesterol should be cut down.
Sugar, liquid, fruits (especially of tropical origins), stimulants (coffee,
spices, alcohol) should also be limited.
Needless to say, smoking is a huge no-no.
2 Heart-healthy foods
Studies have shown that eating whole grains reduce the risk of
coronary/heart diseases.
Let's develop a dietary foundation by eating whole grains and variety
of vegetables.
There are some foods that are especially nourishing for the heart.
The heart is constantly generating "heat" by this extraordinary
pumping job.
Foods that have natural cooling effect are beneficial.
Summer grains and veggies such as corn, leafy greens are all
beneficial.
Naturally bitter taste is also nourishing to this organ.
Mustard greens, dandelion greens, burdock root(gobo),radish, daikon
radish, twig tea, etc
Tofu, tempeh and natto are also shown to lower cholesterol.
Foods with good quality of sodium and other minerals also helps
strengthen the heart
Miso, umeboshi, ume vinegar, sea vegetables etc. But in moderation.
To help discharge excess accumulated fat, barley, daikon, shitake,
are good.
For home remedy, carrot-daikon drink can be taken (recipe click)
Global warming and heart diseases
As we are cutting down trees and eliminating greens, more heat is
getting trapped and the temperature is going up.
The body is the same.
As we eat more meat and less plants, the “heat” generated by the
heart is trapped inside, and the organ becomes "overheated".
The solution for both problems?
More plants!
3 Pinky
Heart meridians are running through inside the arm to the tip of little
fingers.
Any abnormality in this area also shows the possible heart problems.
But stimulating this part is good for the heart, too.
In fact, still now some CPR practitioners bite or massage little fingers
to stimulate the heart in the event of stroke or cardiac arrest as a first
aid technique.
Meaning of “healthy heart”
From Eastern point of view, nothing is isolated, and all are
interrelated.
Heart problem is not just about the heart.
When the heart is not functioning properly, the blood does not travel
to each cell, thus less oxygen and nutrients.
As a result, all organs are affected, including brain.
So not just physically, but emotional/mental health will be affected, too.
Developing the healthy heart is therefore developing overall health
and well-being : )
Whole Life with Jin
I strongly recommend
this movie. And check out
how his nose became
swollen overtime!
this movie. And check out
how his nose became
swollen overtime!