Heart and Circulation
The most important point here is the knowledge possessed by a medical herbalist in assessing when there needs to be assistance for the heart either directly, or indirectly as demonstrated with the examples shown below. This approach ensures that the heart is given the attention it deserves and needs to provide optimal overall health. The heart should not be ignored until the point that it is diseased, but understood and nurtured. This is healthcare as it should be practiced
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More than just a pump
The heart and circulation: so much more than a pump and series of tubes to push blood around the body and provide oxygen to cells. While it is still impressive to quote the statistics, beating 100,000 times per day and moving almost 7,500 litres of blood, the heart is far more than that.
The seat of our emotional being
The heart is without doubt the seat of our emotional being. Just thinking of the heart creates that sense of warmth and comfort, and this is mirrored in many of the sayings used to convey depth of emotion “I give heartfelt thanks”, “My heart goes out to you”, and on to a hearty meal and get to the heart of the matter. This is from the ancient recognition of the true nature of the heart.
Now this all sounds very nice and perhaps a little new age. However, the science of neuro-cardiology is discovering the direct links between emotion and heart health, and is unravelling the complex neurological systems within the heart, which are sufficient to classify as a small brain in their own right. This means that the heart can have influence over the brain as well as vice versa. This is fundamentally important to a herbalist’s approach to the heart. It means that when dealing with specific conditions, which may not appear to be directly heart related, that the heart must be considered.
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Always consider the heart
Naturally there are also approaches to specific syndromes affecting the heart and circulation as a whole. We have in our possession many herbs that will lower cholesterol and homocysteine levels for example. There is also a significant body of research demonstrating the effects of Ginkgo for those suffering from vascular disease. Hawthorn is well known as a heart tonic. Such tools are all incredibly useful and will likely be used by a medical herbalist, as will other less known herbs that are not generally available over the counter.
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