There are simple things that you can do to ensure that you live free from the common ailments that afflict much of the world today, such as heart disease and stroke. Just like taking care of your car, preventive maintenance for your body is an important component of living a healthy lifestyle.

One of the greatest ways that you can keep your body tuned up is to optimize your circulation system. The easiest way to do this is to move your body. We are all descendants of cave men that had to “use it or lose it” if they wanted to stay alive.  Although we don’t have to run after our food to catch it these days, we are not much different from them in that our bodies are built to move vigorously and consistently.

Another way to help your circulation system is to include lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet and if you’re going to eat meat and dairy products make sure they are organic and not full of pesticides, antibiotics and hormones.

A third way to keep your circulation system free from all blockages is to take a great herbal heart tincture as a regular tonic, such as MFC’s  “Heart Health”.  From the description: “The herbs in this formula have been known to help reduce the risk of heart attack, regulate cardiac rhythm and generally tone the circulatory system.”
 
Remember, maintenance is what you do on a regular basis, even when nothing’s wrong with your car — or your body.

Information on the herbs in Heart Health:

-Hawthorne, known to ancients as the traditional “heart herb”, helps to promote a steady heartbeat and is coupled with other powerful heart-healthy herbs to help reduce cholesterol as well. Hawthorne strengthens the heart and promotes a strong, regular heartbeat. In addition, Hawthorne may help reduce chest pain and arrhythmia and prevent stress-related heart attacks.
-Garlic affects the circulatory system by lowering blood levels of sugar and LDL (harmful cholesterol). Garlic may also reduce blood pressure and raise the level of HDL (good cholesterol).
-Motherwort is an all-purpose heart tonic, helping to regulate the heartbeat.
-Gingko leaf has antioxidant properties, enhances heart efficiency and gradually tones blood vessels.
-Red clover blossoms have an inherent ability to remove toxic waste from the blood.
-Ginger root and Cayenne pepper are two of the best-known circulatory and herbal cardiac tonics.
-Cactus grandiflora, a cardiac tonic and regulator, increases the heart s ability to pump stronger without increasing the heart’s oxygen demand.

Most people know that Vitamin C is great for colds, but did you also know that it plays a tremendous role in heart health? With our focus this month on healthy hearts I thought it would be fun to share a few facts regarding this incredible supplement.

- Vitamin C helps prevent arterial inflammation and plaque.

- It helps enhance the body’s level of natural glutathione (glutathione is a potent free-radical scavenger known to prevent coronary artery disease.)

 - Vitamin C is crucial for the synthesis of collagen, a part of the connective tissue that strengthens your blood vessel walls. When these walls become irritated they are more likely to allow plaque build-up, permitting noxious toxins to cause inflammatory reactions in the vascular lining.

- Helps repair connective tissue and cartilage thereby contributing to healthy blood vessels.

- At higher doses Vitamin C can help patients coping with arterial fibrillation (AF), the most common kind of arrhythmia.

So, how much Vitamin C is safe to take on a daily basis?

- Most research supports Vitamin C intake of around 200 to 300 mg per day, which for the average person is definitely in the safe zone. In fact, for many people doses below 1,000 mg are probably safe although the research is not as conclusive for this intake level.

- Some researchers, such as the great Linus Pauling, suggest 10,000 mg or more daily for optimum health.  For instructions on determining your own need see our blog on the Vitamin C Flush.

Excellent food sources of vitamin C include: parsley, broccoli, bell pepper, strawberries, oranges, lemon juice, papaya, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, and Brussels sprouts. Marilyn Farms also offers Vitamin C in a variety of formulas including chewable, powder, and Vitamin C 1000. tablets. Visit our website to learn more and take advantage of our February special on this heart-healthy supplement.

Red yeast rice is a type of yeast that has been found to be, in many cases, as effective as statins to lower cholesterol without the negative side effects.  Below is a link to a Discovery Health article that discusses the benefits of red yeast rice in more detail. 

http://health.discovery.com/centers/althealth/cholesterol/cholesterol.html

Red yeast rice can be found in Omega LDL, along with Coenzyme Q10 and fish oil, two compounds that are vital to heart health!