Does the Heart Have a Brain?

Have you ever wondered why the heart is considered the source of all forms of human emotion? The good (love, wisdom, gratitude) and the bad (fear, anger, jealousy)? Throughout the ages we have believed that these feelings come more from the heart than the brain.

Why Do You Suppose That Is?

The answer possibly lies in the fact that the heart radiates more electromagnetic energy than any other part of the body. In fact the heart is like the body’s sun in that it can radiate energy up to ten feet out from the skin. And who hasn’t felt the shine of a person, or the gloom, the moment he or she entered a room? The physical clues are obvious: a happy person generally moves faster and more upright while a depressed person often lowers the head and shuffles. Yet beyond these physical cues we all possess the ability to sense another person’s mood through the energy they radiate.

The Institute of HeartMath has done extensive research on the heart’s relationship to emotions and especially the negative effects stress has on the heart. Through their studies they have discovered the heart and brain are in constant communication with each other. The heart is more than just a pump; it actually has 40,000 neurons of its own with which it is able to send messages. The heart’s neurons allow it some freedom for independent action. This may explain why a brain dead person’s heart can keep beating. The heart has the ability to both remember and learn from its experiences.

So yes, the heart does have a brain, but this fact does not totally answer the question of why we attribute feelings to the heart? Another part of the answer lies in the fact that our emotions strongly effect the health of the heart. HeartMath’s studies have proven that stressful emotions significantly increase a person’s risk for developing heart disease.

When a person expresses frustration or anger, the body makes a hormone that constricts blood vessels, fatigues the immune system and causes the body’s blood pressure to escalate. If a person does this enough times, the heart will weaken under the strain and this can lead to organ damage.

A Way To Control Your Stress

HeartMath has turned this knowledge into a practical application. It is called the emWave Personal Stress Reliever. The emWave is able to calculate how well your cardiovascular, nervous, immune and hormonal systems are working together by analyzing the beat-to-beat changes of your heart. Through deep breathing you can learn to control your heart’s rhythmic pattern which will have a calming effect on your body. The emWave achieves this by attaching a sensor to either the thumb or the ear. The unit will display a green light when breathing becomes less strained. In essence the emWave will teach you how to control your breathing so you can maintain your cool in those fiery situations.

The physical purpose of the heart isn’t to be a stress guage, but instead
has the job of providing the various systems of the body with nourishment and oxygen.

The Heart’s Work And Needs

Pumping blood throughout the body is of course the main function of the heart. It has two chambers (ventricles) which move the blood through the body and two chambers (atria) which hold the blood that returns to the heart. There are a host of problems that can develop in the heart, everything from Coronary Heart Disease to Congestive Heart Failure. There are four major steps you can take to help your heart remain healthy:

• Keep your Body Mass Index (BMI) at or below 25,
• Eat five to seven fruits or vegetables a day,
• Exercise two to three hours a week,
• Stop taking poisons into your body (i.e. cigarettes, junk food,
  etc.).

Losing Weight

In order to get your BMI to 25 you may need to lose weight. A far infrared sauna is a great tool to help you lose weight. Of course you will need to do the work of eating less and working out, but a far infrared sauna can help you in your quest of achieving the ideal BMI. The deep penetrating heat of far infrared helps the body to release toxins that fat cells have been holding onto. Far infrared heat also aids in blood circulation which will directly help the heart maintain its health.

Eating Quality Food

This is a no brainer, even a heart no brainer. Even though we are born with the instinct to eat earth-made foods, in today’s rush it is just easier to race to a fast food place for a quick fix for our hunger.

Exercise 30 Minutes A Day

You may be asking, when do I have a spare half hour? The better question to ask is, do you want to live a quality life for as long as possible? There are easy ways to exercise. The VibraSlim offers an effective workout in just ten minutes. The Resistance Chair provides a low-impact workout that will help to strengthen your heart muscle. And if you are able, walking is not only an excellent exercise but also helps to relieve stress.

A handy tool to have when exercising is a fitness monitor. The Hudson Sport Heart Rate Monitor can track your cardiovascular levels so that you can stay within the heart rate zone you desire.

Halt Your Intake Of Toxins

The main toxic act that causes so many heart problems is smoking. One of the best ways to help a person stop smoking is to get professional help in the form of hypnosis. The Non-Smoker’s Edge is a hypnotherapy program that can help you break this habit. Because nicotine is physically addicting withdrawal symptoms often happen when a person stops smoking. This fact exacerbates the difficulty of quitting. The Non-Smoker’s Edge combines hypnosis with solutions to help you handle these withdrawal symptoms.

So the next time you hear that little voice inside say something like, “You shouldn’t eat those french fries,” or “Get up and move,” think about the fact that this little voice may not be coming from your brain. It may be coming from your heart. Help it out by listening to it.