Valentine’s Day for Healthy Hearts

What wild and wonderful times we live in! I think it’s incredible how we can now access information that can help us choose how to live our lives in healthier and more conscious ways ever. And what better way to start than by keeping our hearts healthy.

There is a belief in some circles that the heart actually is another ‘brain’ of the body. And considering where we would be without one, that might be more than some obscure belief.

Basic research at the Institute of HeartMath shows that information pertaining to a person’s emotional state is also communicated throughout the body via the heart’s electromagnetic field. The rhythmic beating patterns of the heart change significantly as we experience different emotions. Negative emotions, such as anger or frustration, are associated with an erratic, disordered, incoherent pattern in the heart’s rhythms. In contrast, positive emotions, such as love or appreciation, are associated with a smooth, ordered, coherent pattern in the heart’s rhythmic activity. In turn, these changes in the heart’s beating patterns create corresponding changes in the structure of the electromagnetic field radiated by the heart, measurable by a technique called spectral analysis. You can read more fascinating information at: www.mindfulmuscleblog.com/heart-has-consciousness

Today we can choose many ways to keep this amazing organ of the body healthy, whether we choose proper diet, exercise, meditation or a perhaps a combination of techniques, it all points to living a healthier, fuller life that we can then share with others.

Hawthorne Berry, a Heart Herb

A wonderful herb to help regulate and strengthen the heart is Hawthorne. It is used to treat angina and coronary artery disease. Hawthorn normalizes the heart and circulation, lowering or raising blood pressure according to need. It is found in most herbal preparations for heart weakness, irregular heart beat, hardening of the arteries, artery spasms, and angina. Hawthorn lowers blood pressure by dilating surface blood vessels, as opposed to directly acting on the heart as does digitalis. This also means it takes longer to work but there is also no cumulative effect on the heart tissue. It does make the body more sensitive to digitalis, so the prescribed dose of digitalis may eventually be cut in half.

Hummingbird Creations makes a potent extract of Hawthorne Berry. We use wild-crafted plants and extract them in a 50/50 alcohol base, allowing three to six months for the extraction process, to insure maximum strength.

Also see our article on motherwort, another herb for the heart. 

Happy Valentine’s Day with Much Love!
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Farmer’s Markets

Crocker Park Farmers Market – indoor and outdoor year around.

Check for more events and updates.

Thank you for supporting your local farmers and businesses and I’ll see you at the markets this season! And bring a friend if you can. Your support encourages more local farmers and even better markets. Peace! – Judi