The Heart

Oriental medicine refers to it as the Emperor.

Natural Medicine views this as 50% of the immune system.

Art and literature see this as the source of love and compassion.

We call it the heart and this is the topic of this blog. The heart is considered to be the most important of all the internal organs. Its functions include the following:

1. Governs the blood. The heart is the major organ that circulates the blood throughout the 70,000 miles of blood vessels (yes, that is seventy thousand miles). (The lungs are the second.)

2. Controls the blood vessels. The state of the heart's energy is reflected in the state of the blood vessels. If strong, the vessels will be in good shape and the pulse will be strong and steady. Frequent bruising point to a heart weakness. 3. The heart is said to manifest in the complexion. Since one of the heart's functions is to distribute the blood throughout the body, the state of the heart can be viewed in the complexion.

If the blood is abundant and the heart strong, the complexion will be viewed as rosy and lustrous. If deficient, the face will be pale. If stagnant, the complexion will be purplish or even blue.

4. The heart "houses" the mind. Traditionally, the heart is the residence of the mind and governs the mental activities of emotions (particularly joy and sadness), memory, thinking and sleep.

5. The tongue is considered to be the "offshoot" of the heart. The tip of the tongue is a diagnostic tool for the heart. If excessively red or swollen, this can indicate problems with the heart itself. Redness indicates excess heat. Swelling points to spleen and/or lung related issues with the heart. Also, continual bitter taste in the mouth is usually heart related issues.

6. The heart correlates with sleep and dreams. When the heart is strong, the person falls asleep quickly and sleeps soundly. The reverse is also true. In addition, traditionally dreams involving fire or related components correlate with problems of the heart. Remember - the heart does not like excessive heat.

7. Finally, the heart controls speech. Problems such as stuttering and aphasia can be traced to the heart.

In terms of treatments, several volumes can be written on this subject with ease. I am going to narrow the choices down to the 2 that I have used the most with great success. They are:

1. Cardio Plus. This is a glandular-based formula from Standard Process. It can assist the body in rebuilding the heart muscle itself. From high blood pressure to angina to constipation (the heart muscle being too weak is the #2 reasons for constipation; dehydration is reason #1), Cario Plus address these.

2. Of the multitude of herbs available, I use Ren Shen the most. It is perhaps the most powerful herb in the materia medica and is pinpoint specific for the heart. Also address emotional aspect of the heart.