Today's Heart Inspiration~

The heart of every human being
Can leave behind a legacy
Of world-illumining compassion

~~Sri Chinmoy
Garden of the Soul
Lessons on living in Peace,
Happiness, and Harmony

I (Heart) Red Wine~

Based on the 'French Paradox'.....red wine is good for your heart! As per research by Serge Renaud ...suggested that wine was the decisive factor in protecting the people in southern France from their very high fat diets and ultimately coronary heart disease. Even if these people do eat large quantities of high fat cheese, pâté, and salami they have some of the lowest rates of heart disease in the world. Hmmmm.

Red wine has a wide variety of flavanoids and flavanoids act as antioxidants. Antioxidants purge free radicals. Free radicals attack healthy cells membrame through the process called oxidation. So to wage war on these villains we have to anti-oxidate!

So what does oxidation and free radicals have to do with heart disease?

Low density lipoproteins, commonly know as “bad” LDL, can penetrate and gather against the inner walls of our arteries, under certain conditions, forming fatty streaks and plaque. Taken alone, LDL particles aren’t so dangerous it seems, however, when attacked by free radicals they turn into dangerous and somewhat aggressive cells, capable of actually penetrating and harming the smooth inner walls of our arteries. This process is called oxidation. Oxidized LDL is known to be the culprit in stimulating atherosclerosis, heart disease and stroke.

So here is a toast to my new friend..........CHEERS!!!

Mom has a Caddy and I have CAD!

What is CAD? Well it is not a car..like my mommy's KITKAD (that's what her vanity license plates say) CAD is the acronym for Coronary Artery Disease. Yup! Pretty fancy eh? If you google CAD the first hit is Control/Alt/Delete...I had to laugh! Well I found a beautiful : ) picture (above) of CAD on the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and a TO THE POINT description of CAD (below). Coronary Artery Disease is the most common disease in the USA...and it is the leading cause of death in both men and women.
The good news....through lifestyle changes, medicine, and /or medical procedures can effctively prevent or treat this disease. I believe that we are natural healers and that by adding the power of healing to our life...Miracles Do Happen!!! You go Raphael!

What Is Coronary Artery Disease? from the website http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov

Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease, is a condition in which plaque (plak) builds up inside the coronary arteries. These arteries supply your heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood.

Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol (ko-LES-ter-ol), calcium, and other substances found in the blood. When plaque builds up in the arteries, the condition is called atherosclerosis (ATH-er-o-skler-O-sis).
Atherosclerosis

Illustration of a normal artery with normal blood flow and an artery with plaque buildup.

Figure A shows a normal artery with normal blood flow. Figure B shows an artery with plaque buildup.

Desiree's heart note: Since my MI and researching heart disease....I read somewhere that plaque can start building up in our arteries as early in life as the age of 8 years old! So...assisting your children and grand children at a young age to be conscious of what they eat ....is a very loving thing to do!

Goddess Salad~ I love my heart!

Here is an incredible quick fix salad that ROCKS! I call it the 'Goddess' salad because I use the Annie's Natural Original Goddess Dressing....OMG...this dressing is absolutely tart and tangy to the palette! If Annie's dressing is not in your budget...Trader Joe's makes an awesome Goddess Dressing for a buck ninety nine...and it passed the taste test! I also buy the organic mixed spring salad mix at TJ's!

1 bag of organic salad (mixed spring is my fave!)
1 cup of sliced unsalted almonds
1 cup of cranberries (fresh is best..but TJ's has a nice packaged CB)
1 cup of feta cheese
Mix in dressing to your liking...I like my greens drenched!!!

Sesame seeds/ walnuts / or pecans can be replaced for the almonds! Nut are heart smart..and top it off with a glass of white wine....chard or sauvignon blanc~

Nuts help prevent Coronary Artery Disease..please read on.....

Say Nuts to Heart Disease
Adding nuts to your diet may reduce the risk of heart disease

By Richard N. Fogoros, M.D., About.com

In a recent issue of Nutrition Reviews, researchers from Penn State University report that regularly eating nuts significantly reduces the incidence of coronary artery disease.

The researchers, led by Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition, conducted a formal review of 16 studies that have been conducted over the years examining the question of whether nuts can help prevent heart disease. They concluded that, based on this large amount of available data, eating an ounce of nuts more than five times a week can reduce the risk of coronary artery disease by an astounding 25 – 39%. (An ounce is 3 – 4 tablespoons of nuts.)

Do the Hoki Pokey??

Okay....when it comes to doses of the Omega 3 the best source is fish BUT you can not eat too much fish because of the mercury and dioxins........so what is a girl to do??

Well after researching.. the safest fish to eat is .....Hoki. Pretty fish...no. Kosher....I guess not. However it has a line of fat that runs through the center of each filet that is rich in Omega 3 and Omega 3 promotes good heart health. Hoki is a close relation to cod and is abundant in New Zealand waters. Sources tell me that I can hit MickyD's and order a Filet-O-Fish! Extra tarter sauce Pleeeeze!

About Omega 3- by Dr. Omega (no kidding!)
It's Good For You -- Body and Soul

From healthy hearts to healthy minds, Omega 3 has been helping people improve their quality of life. The problem is that getting Omega 3 from diet alone isn't the easiest thing to do -- nor is it the safest.

Omega 3 Sources #2 -- Fish (Dr. Omega lists the #1 source is through Omega 3 fish oil supplements and the #3 would be flax seed oil).

Fish is another great source of Omega 3 fatty acids. However, you need to be careful what fish you eat and how much of it you eat.

Fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel are all rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, but they may also be high in contaminants like mercury and dioxin. However, fish like Hoki are high in Omega 3 with little risk of toxins.

When looking at consuming fish for your Omega 3 sources, just be sure that you don’t ingest too many toxins along with your meals.

My Meds- diary of my medicine cabinet

Isordil (gif to the left>>)

When I cam home from the hospital after my MI....I was of course a little paranoid and waiting around for another heart attack....nothing better to do? I was on Plavix, 325 mg of aspirin daily, metoprolol, and simvastatin. Scary huh? I had no idea what all this stuff was doing...but I trusted that my cardiologist new what he was doing....and that was keeping me from dying!!! After passing my stress test (6 hour test!!) he took me off of Plavix! yeah!!!! and cut me back to 81 mg on my aspirin regimen. Huge goal to get off some of the meds. Goal met. Well..then I started dealing with some stress in my life 2 months after my event and I started having angina attacks. Dr. Yi Po Wu my GP put me on isordil (check out below) to help relieve the chest pain. I asked him if I would have to be on this forever....and he smiled and said...NO....music to my ears!!!!! I just love him!! Well I took them 3 times daily for 3 months and then when I lost my medical benefits due to cut back in hours....I made the executive decision to stop taking them. I am still alive and I while I still have the attacks....I am able to get through them with my new medicine ......Quan Yin. I still had the attacks with the isordil....but it helps the heart pump the blood easier...so the attacks are not as severe. I am doing fine!!! I use to cry when I would have an attack...because I just hated how I felt and my hands would go numb....but I am over that now. I am making progress! Real progress.


refers to the chart above:

Isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) is 1,4:3,6-dianhydro-D-glucitol 2,5-dinitrate, an organic nitrate whose structural formula is

Isordil (isosorbide dinitrate) structural formula illustration

and whose molecular weight is 236.14. The organic nitrates are vasodilators, active on both arteries and veins.

Isosorbide dinitrate is a white, crystalline, odorless compound which is stable in air and in solution, has a melting point of 70°C and has an optical rotation of +134° (c=1.0, alcohol, 20°C). Isosorbide dinitrate is freely soluble in organic solvents such as acetone, alcohol, and ether, but is only sparingly soluble in water.

~Daily Inspiration for Body, Mind, & Soul~ ..and heart!

Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.


~John Quincy Adams~

Celebrate a healthy heart~

I sent out a boat load of invites to this blog and if you received one ...please feel free to comment at the bottom of any of the blogs...where it says 'comment'. I will approve them to be made public unless you want it to be private...then your wish is my command! Thank you for celebrating life with me! I hope that you pass this blog onto anyone whom needs a place to hang ..after a cardiovascular event~ Many Many Blessings!

My CoQ 10~ Liquid Gold!!!

Mayo Clinic- Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is produced by the human body and is necessary for the basic functioning of cells. CoQ10 levels are reported to decrease with age and to be low in patients with some chronic diseases such as heart conditions, muscular dystrophies, Parkinson's disease, cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. Some prescription drugs may also lower CoQ10 levels.

Well when I started taking my heart meds I started researching what it was that I was putting into my body. I am not a 'pill person' so to speak so it was really hard for me to ingest this stuff. Well I was alarmed at what I learned. Statins (cholesterol lowering drugs) deplete the CoQ10 in your system. This enzyme already starts to deplete with age...with the statins on top of the natural depletion...well I think your getting the picture. CoQ10 is SO critical to the functioning of every vital organ. The depletion of this enzyme could be fatal!

So I started taking CoQ10 about 4 months ago. I also do the Omega3 and I was taking a tablespoon of cold pressed organic Flax Seed daily (I have been lax in doing that one!) I started some other things like PhytoMega and ProvexCV. I will talk about all of these on this blog! It is my ultimate goal to get off of my heart meds. Event though I am a CAD patient....I believe this can be done. At the spiritual healing level I reiki my meds and I work with AA Raphael and Quan Yin on my heart. Raphael works with me while I am sleeping. Sometimes I wake up and there is a wet circle all around my heart center. I go to sleep visualizing him with this tiny scrub brush and a spray can of green healing foam and he scrubs my arteries while I am sleeping. Quan Yin really helps me with my angina attacks. Her loving energy gets me through an attack. She also helps me with forgiveness and any other emotions that create blockage in my heart. I can feel my chi flowing in harmony instantly after I call on her. It is so beautiful and amazing! It sure beats NITRO!!!!

Prime The Pump

The Heart works as a pump moving blood around in our bodies to nourish every cell. Used blood, that is blood that has already been to the cells and has given up its nutrients to them, is drawn from the body by the right half of the heart, and then sent to the lungs to be reoxygenated. Blood that has been reoxygenated by the lungs is drawn into the left side of the heart and then pumped into the blood stream. It is the atria that draw the blood from the lungs and body, and the ventricles that pump it to the lungs and body. The output of each ventricle per beat is about 70 ml, or about 2 tablespoons. In a trained athlete this amount is about double. With the average heart rate of 72 beats per minute the heart will pump about 5 litres per ventricle, or about 10 litres total per minute. This is called the cardiac output. In a trained athlete the total cardiac output is about 20 litres. If we multiply the normal, non-athlete output by the average age of 70 years, we see that the cardiac output of the average human heart over a life time would be about 1 million litres, or about 250,000 gallons(US)!

The All or Nothing LAW

The heart is essentially a muscle(a little larger than the fist). Like any other muscle in the human body, it contracts and expands. Unlike skeletal muscles, however, the heart works on the "All -or-Nothing Law". That is, each time the heart contracts it does so with all its force. In skeletal muscles, the principle of "gradation" is present. The pumping of the heart is called the Cardiac Cycle, which occurs about 72 times per minute. This means that each cycle lasts about eight-tenths of a second. During this cycle the entire heart actually rests for about four-tenths of a second.
Make-up of the Heart.

The Human Heart ` Facts

The heart is one of the most important organs in the entire human body. It is really nothing more than a pump, composed of muscle which pumps blood throughout the body, beating approximately 72 times per minute of our lives. The heart pumps the blood, which carries all the vital materials which help our bodies function and removes the waste products that we do not need. For example, the brain requires oxygen and glucose, which, if not received continuously, will cause it to loose consciousness. Muscles need oxygen, glucose and amino acids, as well as the proper ratio of sodium, calcium and potassium salts in order to contract normally. The glands need sufficient supplies of raw materials from which to manufacture the specific secretions. If the heart ever ceases to pump blood the body begins to shut down and after a very short period of time will die.



The walls of the heart are made up of three layers, while the cavity is divided into four parts. There are two upper chambers, called the right and left atria, and two lower chambers, called the right and left ventricles. The Right Atrium, as it is called, receives blood from the upper and lower body through the superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava, respectively, and from the heart muscle itself through the coronary sinus. The right atrium is the larger of the two atria, having very thin walls. The right atrium opens into the right ventricle through the right atrioventicular valve(tricuspid), which only allows the blood to flow from the atria into the ventricle, but not in the reverse direction. The right ventricle pumps the blood to the lungs to be reoxygenated. The left atrium receives blood from the lungs via the four pulmonary veins. It is smaller than the right atrium, but has thicker walls. The valve between the left atrium and the left ventricle, the left atrioventicular valve(bicuspid), is smaller than the tricuspid. It opens into the left ventricle and again is a one way valve. The left ventricle pumps the blood throughout the body. It is the Aorta, the largest artery in the body, which originates from the left ventricle.