Fortify Your Heart With Complementary Therapy!

Amy Taylor February 11, 2013

Deaths from heart and circulatory disease are falling faster than for other diseases, but it remains one of the UK’s biggest killers. – British Heart Foundation

Stress management alone is not enough to keep your heart healthy. If you want to improve your cardiovascular health and reduce your risk of developing serious illnesses, incorporating the following powerful, mind-and-body healing therapies will surely help!

Acupuncture

Research found that undergoing acupuncture weekly can reduce your systolic blood pressure by up to 20 points – an effect that can be achieved by taking prescription medications. Stimulating a few key points in the body, such as the elbows, knees, forearm, and along the wrist helps release neurotransmitters involved in regulating your cardiovascular system. There are plenty of acupuncture techniques but electroacupuncture (which uses battery-driven needles) is especially effective.

However, just as medications, acupuncture doesn’t give you long-term protection from high blood pressure. It’s because hypertension is a life-long condition that requires ongoing management. Nevertheless, regular acupuncture sessions can keep your blood pressure low without unpleasant side effects! So go regularly!

Positive Thinking

The way you think has a direct impact on your cardiovascular health. Negative emotions trigger stress – a major factor of heart disease. So aside from watching over your blood pressure levels, you also need to keep an eye over your emotions. In a study by the Institute of HeartMath, researchers suggest that practising ‘positive-emotion refocusing’, a technique designed to interrupt your usual stress response by redirecting your attention, can significantly lower blood pressure in patients with heart disease after just three months of daily practise.

So how do you observe positive-emotion refocusing during highly stressful situations? This technique involves simple steps. First, you have to identify the cause of your anxiety and hold that thought in your mind like the freeze-frame of a movie. While doing this, breathe in and out deeply, focusing your attention to your heartbeat. Next, determine a positive emotion, such as the memory of a loved one or your dream vacation. You will slowly feel more calm and relaxed.

Tai Chi

The best thing about this Chinese martial art (also known as the ‘meditation in motion’) is that it can be practised by the elderly, as well as by people who have mobility issues. When combined with Qigong – the Chinese yoga, Tai Chi becomes a very powerful therapy for heart health. Research shows that regular practise of this ancient slow-phase exercise lowers the risk of metabolic syndrome and alleviates stress. The study, which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, suggests that Tai Chi helps you burn as many calories as moderate physical exercises such as walking. Plus, this therapy promotes mental health too!

According to experts, Tai Chi is a very sustainable prevention strategy for heart disease because people find meditation to be a relaxing and enjoyable activity. As a result, they tend to stick to it.

Quality Sleep

Quality sleep has a crucial role in maintaining good cardiovascular health. Poor sleep has been linked to atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, and heart attack. Sleeping for less than eight hours can substantially increase your risk of developing any of these diseases.

Your heart is responsible for regulating the supply of blood and oxygen throughout your body. It is therefore important that you take good care of it. By observing healthy lifestyle and proper diet, and by following the alternative therapies provided here, you can take your heart health to the next level!

Dear Readers,

Can you suggest other natural therapies for a healthy heart?

Feel free to post a comment below.