While I was at the Functional Medicine Convention Institute a couple of weeks ago, I had to listen to Dr. Mimi Guarneri, a cardiologist from Southern California and Linus Pauling Award winner this year for her outstanding work. I just finished reading her book, Heart speaks in which she talks about her journey from type A, a book cardiologist to someone who grew up to appreciate and respect power and influence what thoughts, feelings, emotions and feelings of faith have on heart health. Because of this, she started a support group for her heart patients, which included yoga and meditation, and her peers initially made her laugh. Today her classes are full and her programs are successful. In fact, in her book she quotes Larry Dossey, who said:
“Scientists working in the new field of psychoneuroimmunology have demonstrated the existence of infinite connections between parts of the brain associated with thought and emotion, as well as with the neurological and immune systems.
I always talk about the importance of healthy eating, but if you have ever been to one of my conversations, you have heard me speak of the primary food, which is everything in our life, except food (which is considered secondary food). This may include a career, relationship, your spiritual practice, etc. Whatever balance you look for in these areas, then any combination of factors in your primary food area makes you happy or feels - if they are not negative, then The negative impact that they have on you emotionally in some way can be as bad as a daily meal of fast food for lunch.
Eating whole cabbage and quinoa in the world will not prevent an unhealthy hormone balance that can grow out of constant anger, frustration or despair. And, of course, life under a cloud of constant negative emotions will always influence the steps that we take - or do not accept - to maintain our health.
Dr. Guarneri tells wonderful stories about some of her patients and how this happened before they overcome emotional problems, open lines of communication with their spouses, or find a reason for living (one elderly woman got herself a small dog and she changed her the world) that they were able to get on the road to recovery. She also described a powerful female female performer who had not yet had signs of heart disease or risk factors, who had a heart attack, which was met with strong anger and an emotional outburst.
And She tells some fascinating stories about the power of prayer and how one of her patients was transformed by a healer. Not what you would hear from most doctors who say or even believe. She certainly did not, until she saw a miraculous recovery. She even uses the power of healing to touch herself on her patients, which helped get rid of the operation.
In general, this book made me look at my life, my relationships, and anywhere, I can hide negative or other low-energy emotions that can harm me physically. It reminded me of the importance of primary food in my life, besides diet and exercise.
One evening at the conference I met with Dr. Guarneri. A small group of women spoke, and she told us half jokingly that she would like to give up her practice and start farming. I told her that she needed advice on how to start visiting my daughter in Northern California. She smoked ...
Think about how you can hurt your heart and the impact it has on your life or those around you. Then, commit to turning these actions into something positive. You may be surprised how far your actions go.
