The Heart of the Matter 

Let's get to the heart of the matter: In all things you do in life, you've gotta have heart. You will excel if you approach every thing you do whole-heartedly. But be careful of becoming so sensitive that you wind up wearing your heart on your sleeve. Also remember that a kind-hearted person does not break someone else's heart. Speaking of love, be ever true because your cheatin' heart will tell on you. Most important of all, practice compassion so your heart doesn't become like a stone. Having frequent heart-to-heart talks with your loved one keeps a relationship vital and energized.  How many more heart-focused expressions can you think of?

The nuances and usage of the word 'heart' are but one aspect of the total picture. The graphic depiction of the heart is one of humankind's most evocative symbols. Rising provocatively in opposite directions from a deep cavern in its upper mid-point, it smoothly curves into two, sensuously-rounded upper lobes, then recklessly plunges inward and downward until climaxing in an emotionally satisfying lobular bottom. The heart graphic is full of so much positive symbolism it never fails to provoke a response on some level of awareness. Sex, romance, courage, strength, intimacy -- the heart symbol communicates the magical power of the individual person or entity to rise above the odds and shine. The symbol is almost never trite, no matter how it is used. It's not surprising why the heart graphic is employed by the advertising industry with such frequency.

With its life-sustaining power, the heart has been veiled in a cloak of metaphysical mystery throughout the ages. The heart was first depicted as a small, red shape that was drawn on the wall of a cave in Spain more than 12,000 years ago. Shamans of various cultures would pluck the still beating hearts from animals (and others) and use it in magic, rituals and medicine. Modern technology has given a new slant to much of the mystery, but there remains an atmosphere of reverence, fascination and curiosity when talking about the heart. It is the symbol we use to describe that whole range of human experience for which there are no other words.

The heart muscle itself is a miracle. From the moment it begins beating until the moment it stops, the human heart works tirelessly. It beats 100,000 times a day; that's 35 million times a year. In an average lifetime, the heart beats more than two and a half billion times, without ever pausing to rest. The heart pumps about 1 million barrels of blood during an average lifetime -- that's enough to fill more than 3 super tankers.

If you squeezed a tennis ball as hard as you could, you'd be using about the same amount of force your heart uses to pump blood throughout the body. Even during their very short rests, the muscles of the heart work about twice as hard as the leg muscles of a runner.

Now, at this moment, put your hand on your heart. Aha! Like most people, you probably placed your hand on the left side of your chest. The heart is actually located almost in the center of the chest, between the lungs. It's tipped slightly so that a part of it sticks out and taps against the left side of the chest, which is what makes it seem as though it is located there.

Your heart is designed to last many years, but you have to do your bit to help ensure it stays in good working order. Everyone knows that exercising, not smoking, eating a healthy diet and staying slim promote good heart health. But you've also got to have the right attitude. Best to follow the advice given in an old Frank Sinatra song,

Fairy tales can come true

It can happen to you

If you're young at heart...

For it's hard you will find

To be narrow of mind

If you're young at heart...

Have a heart-filled Valentine's Day!

Find out more about Dr. Marcel's work with men at:

There's so much more to heart health than lowering cholesterol numbers. As we stress in naturopathic practice, cholesterol is a necessary precursor to all the steroid hormones in our bodies. Total cholesterol is not a particularly useful index, unless broken down into HDLs and LDLs, which then must be broken down into particle sizes and abnormalities to truly understand cardiac risk. Beyond that, functional risk variables of cardiovascular disease such as homocysteine, c reactive protein and fibrinogen bring clarity to the interpretation of cardiac risk, through assessment of inflammation. All of these values are provided in conventional VAP profiles, and, in our office, through specialty lab testing from Spectra Cell Labs or Genova Diagnostics.  Keep in mind that, useful as the numbers may be, they say much less about the heart per se than about the cardiovascular system and the body as a whole.

Thinking of the heart itself, one of our favorite references is to cardiologist Stephen Sinatra M.D., who writes of healthy heart function and rhythm in his two books, Metabolic Cardiology and Earthing.  Previously a heart surgeon, Dr. Sinatra realized that surgery wasn't resulting in healthier hearts, but rather that the heart functions best when replete with essential nutrients, specifically carnitine, magnesium, ribose, and coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinol).  Heart rhythm, often stabilized with magnesium, is also stabilized through resonance with the magnetic field of the earth, a feat accomplished through walking barefoot on the earth, and termed "earthing" by Dr. Sinatra.

On yet another level, emotional energy and the physical heart affect each other.  In subtle anatomy, an energy center called the Anahata, the Dorsal Center, or the heart chakra is generally in the same location as the heart and regulates the physiologic functions of the heart. At this level, energy medicines such as homeopathy and flower and gem essences can be directed either at imbalanced emotions or dysfunctions of the heart and circulatory system to bring the heart back into balance. Affirmation, chanting, music and color are also effective energy medicines for the heart.  Directly working to address the issues of the heart chakra can have similar effect.

At whatever level you choose to begin your journey towards a healthy heart, know that no part of us is disconnected from the whole of who we are, and any work that makes you better on any level will have healthy repercussions on all levels. Here's to your healthy heart!

Health and wellness are two entirely different concepts, and importantly so for those aspiring to take charge of their lives.

Health simply implies the state of the physical body or the  mind.

Wellness is a state of being that transcends this, as well as the ups and downs of life. It is an attitude, a state of mind to be cultivated. It is the opposite of living unconsciously. It demands courage to be willing to change and courage to be willing to be well.

Sound silly? Not at all! How easy it is for us to become attached to our illnesses, to identify with them. This doesn't make us weak, or 'bad', it simply means we have not yet awakened to all of the possibilities that life holds for us. That we are following the path most often travelled, not the one 'less travelled'. It is common, for all of us, because rarely do we learn about all of the choices that we actually have in life, and most often we feel that what we need to feel better is more of what we already have. We resist change because, after all, 'change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better' (anonymous).

Wake up! Start thinking about things like positivism, right-mindedness, belief, joy, forgiveness, compassion.  Start a spiritual practice of your choosing, even if just for minutes a day. These are the tools of living well. It sounds so simple that it is hard to believe, yet this is an experiment you can carry on right within yourself. You are the laboratory, and what is there to lose?

A great spiritual teacher once said, "A room may be in darkness for thousands of years, but as soon as a light is shined in it the darkness disappears".  Begin to think of ways to shine a light into/onto your life. Do health problems disappear? Maybe, or maybe not. But our whole attitude and the effect any illness has on us changes dramatically. This is the state of wellness.

Dr. Shanti Rubenstone, M.D., practices Transformational Medicine at Pacific Naturopathic.  To schedule an appointment with her, please phone 650-209-5813.

Next month: Wellness vs. Health

Lifestyle Medicine: A Call to Action 

I beg to differ. To me the issue is rather that Medicare should scramble to change their policies and reimburse the services of naturopathic doctors for whom "lifestyle medicine" is neither a new concept nor a new discipline, and for which our patients are not just ready, but clamorfor. As our patients know, lifestyle medicine has always been fundamental to naturopathic practice.  Treatment plans, whether for treatment of acute or chronic conditions, or for prevention,  commonly include advice on diet, nutritional supplementation, exercise, emotional health and balanced living.

Throughout the "health care" debate, it has boggled my mind that, for most politicians, health care is sickness care. The concept of preventive medicine is limited to hand washing and flu shots, and prevention of cardiovascular events involves lifetime statin prescriptions. This at a time when Time tells us 75% of the $2.47 trillion in annual U.S. health care costs stem from chronic diseases which can be prevented or modulated by lifestyle choices.

Title 5 of the new health care act uses the words "integrative health care practitioners" to define qualified providers that are trained to treat the whole person, providing wellness and prevention services. If you'd like to see naturopathic doctors be included in government programs moving in this direction, go to the following URL, and register your comments with Secretary Sebelius.

http://capwiz.com/naturopathic/issues/alert/?alertid=23219511

Since February 14 is Valentine's Day, this article is about that most wonderful of human qualities-Love-from a more divine point of view.

As the Beatles sang, "All you need is Love." What more can we ask for when all that is Real, all that is Good is really pure and absolute Love.

Love is a synonym for God, as is the word Good in many languages. Love is Truth. Truth is Love. Love is truthful and Truth is loving.

Love is the underlying reason behind all creation. Wherever you are, whatever and whoever you are, you are love. Love is all there is. Supreme Love is the amalgam that holds together all of God's thoughts into the multitudinous forms that populate the world. Without Love, these forms would be formless, unexpressed, and devoid of identity. Without Love as the expressive cohesive force behind creation, all form would be in the latent state, embryonic in nature and void of progressive capabilities.

The only poverty that truly exists is the false idea there is not enough love or goodness of Divine Mind to supply everyone. The supply of Love is inexhaustible, like the rays of the sun that can never be used up. There is always enough for everybody and more to go around continuously.

Infinite Love is the motivating force behind creation. It is the eternal

dance of the good.Love is never still, continuously seeking to do good. The principle of Love will either transmute anything unlike Itself into love or indiscriminately destroy it, the way that light will annihilate any shadow without hesitation. When night ends and dawn comes over the horizon, the rays of the sun sweep away any remnants of the dark, filling the shadows with revealing light.

Love governs all with supreme equanimity. No one and nothing is immune to Love's government. There is only one governor in all of Reality and this is God. God's laws are supreme and there are none other. Every force, legislation, king, army, or country are under the rulership of Love, which is God. When this principle is not readily recognized as the sole motivating force, then the ruling body is out of harmony with the eternal laws of Truth.

As Father and as Mother, God's laws are immutable, omnipresent, and indelibly compassionate. "As one whom his mother loves, so will I love you," God tell us in Isaiah in the Old Testament.

Love saves everything. A situation cannot occur in which Love is incapable of healing, invoking the principle of deliverance into fiery action. The flame of love consumes the hungry heart in the fires of realization of pure Truth. Love is the way, the path, the leader, the healer, and the final destination.

So with this in mind-have a happy Valentine's Day.

Elijah Free is a Master Herbalist who designs and produces all of his own herbal products for his healing practice. He is an herbal product designer for Ridgecrest Herb Co. Elijah also holds a patent for his herbal fibromyalgia formula. To contact Elijah, please either call the clinic at 650-917-1121 or e-mail at [email protected].

Breathe, Let Go, Relax

By Tushti Conti

 

As some of you may know, I also teach yoga classes as well as private sessions. My students' favorite pose is Savasana ~ "corpse pose." The name is a dead giveaway ~ you rest on your mat, close your eyes and do nothing ~ other than letting go! Meanwhile, you are guided into a deep state of relaxation. This prepares the body to be comfortable for meditation.  I have noticed that many students often have a hard time at first "letting go" ~ as if the body has forgotten how to relax, deeply relax.

Our bodies must be taken care of ~ they are the vehicle of the soul. They require nourishing foods, fresh air, exercise, and adequate rest. A good night's sleep eludes many people because their daily schedule is so demanding that the mind never quiets, and the body continues to "hold on tight" even when supposedly at rest. Over time, like any machine, the body will simply break down, beginning with any one of our vital systems ~ digestive, respiratory, immune, circulatory or nervous. This breakdown may manifest as hypertension, anxiety, poor absorption of nutrients, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia or some combination of these.

I have also observed that people forget to Breathe! The breath is a key to good health. It seems so simple, but when the body is tense the breath is shallow. Our breath is more than the air we breathe, it is the vital force that sustains us. Our relationship to it is the most intimate in human experience of the body.

A session on the Biomat is the perfect way to learn how to let go, how to deeply relax. While resting on the Biomat the body receives all the healing benefits of far infrared light waves and negative ions as well as the healing vibration of amethyst crystals. While the warmth of the mat penetrates deeply into the internal organs, muscles and joints, you will be guided into a deeper and deeper state of relaxation, a state that is natural and restorative to your body, mind and spirit.

Pacific Naturopathic Hawaii Retreat:  Renew, Revitalize, Heal

The Perfect Place for Respite From the Cold Weather

View From Your Private Deck at Pacific Naturopathic Retreat

Although guests stay with us for as few as 3 nights, virtually all of our guests wish they had spent a longer time in Hawaii... less frantic sightseeing, and more simple rest and relaxation. Wake and whale watch from the hot tub. Wander the property and harvest bananas, papayas, starfruit, or Surinam cherries. Meditate in the peace garden. Chat with locals at one of the farmer's markets.  Receive a massage or other treatment from one of the local healers. That sort of time is the time people most wish they had taken time for.

 

In order to make times like this possible, we have some very special rates for guests who stay for 7 days or longer. If interested, give us a call at 808-775-1505, and we'll see what kind of a plan we can come up with for you.

See our websites for more details. Phone 808-775-1505 for reservations, or email    

[email protected]

 www.hawaiipeacegardenvacationhouses.com   

www.naturopathicretreatcenter.com

Click HERE to Visit Our Hawaii Retreat on  

Because we would like to make this newsletter responsive to you and your needs, you are invited to send health questions you would like to see addressed to us at

[email protected]   

We would also like to invite you to share with other readers your experiences of health remedies that have worked surprisingly well for you.