Did you know that your heart beats around 100,000 times in a day?
It’s a hard-working part of the body…and not just on Valentine’s Day. The heart is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood to the different cells, tissues, and organs. Without oxygen, the body simply shuts down. It can’t perform even the most basic metabolic processes like digestion or cell repair and maintenance without oxygen.
The heart is central to sustaining life.
In this post, we learn the secrets from early cultures on how to keep this vital organ healthy. We’ll look at Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Greek traditions that lead to longevity and a healthy heart.
(This is particularly important for Filipinos because according to the Department of Health, hypertension and heart diseases are the 4th and 10th leading causes of morbidity in the country.)
So here are some ancient secrets to that wholesome chest beat:
1) The Chinese Secret: Move (Or take up farming!)
In the Guangxi Province of China lies Bapan Village—also known as “Longevity Village”—because of the number of residents there who live to be a hundred.
Their secret?
Healthy food? Check!
Exercise? Nope.
The elders will laugh you out of the village because there are no exercise routines in Bapan. What you have instead is a lifestyle that requires them to move all the time. The village is remote and doesn’t enjoy the blessings of technology that we take for granted.
Virtually everything is done by hand.
The main source of food and livelihood is farming so people wake up early and tend to their farm and livestock. This involves lugging heavy loads, walking considerable distances, bending down every so often. It’s a lifestyle of exercise. Movement is part of every process.
There’s rarely ever a reason to sit down because, until recently, the village did not have televisions or computers.
The opposite of all this, inactivity, increases the risk of heart disease.
Modern humans tend to think that, to offset our sedentary lifestyles, spending 1 hour in the gym 3x times a week is enough. While that beats not having any exercise, it’s not enough. An active lifestyle involving frequent movement and physical exertions is important.
Studies have found that movement improves circulation, keeps the heart muscle conditioned, and slows down the calcification of arteries. Aging involves the natural wear-and-tear of our blood vessels, but an active lifestyle tends to keep the body in excellent running condition. One way this happens is that movement, paired with general resistance training like lifting heavy loads, can increase good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol.
2) The Indian Secret: Sit Still (Meditate!)
Stress has become a common and expected feature of Filipino life. The hustle and bustle of 21st-century living place a toll on cardiovascular health.
The Indians hold the key to the most cost-effective way to ward-off stress and protect the heart from the ravages of pressure, anxiety, and trauma.
Meditation.
Meditation is simply a set of methods used to achieve mental, physical, emotional, and mental calmness.
Some of the earliest records about meditation come from Indian sacred texts knowns as the Vedas, and for centuries, Indian monks have been practicing it as part of their religious traditions.
There are many different types of meditation, but most involve mindfulness, breath control, and physical relaxation. These, in turn, have been proven to be very good for cardiovascular health.
Numerous studies point to the beneficial effects of meditation in lowering the risk of heart disease and conditions like anxiety, depression, and even diabetes. In a study cited by the British Heart Foundation, it was found that 15 minutes of transcendental meditation can lower the risk of death through a heart attack and stroke by 48%.
Meditation promotes cardiovascular health by improving blood/oxygen circulation, as well as reducing the production of the “stress hormone” called cortisol.
In the same vein, we can ward off stress by engaging in other activities. You don’t have to sit still and recite some mantra for hours. Activities like baking a cake, gardening, restoring an old car can be perfectly stress-busting and, therefore, meditative.
3) The Greek Secret: Eat from the ground
East of the Mediterranean sits the Greek island of Ikaria—one of those places that are called “blue zones,” or specific regions in the world where people are interestingly living up to 100 years. (Okinawa in Japan, for example, is also called a “blue zone.”)
Researchers have been looking at the diet of the folks living in these areas and discovered that much of their sustenance is plant-based, with minimal meats and carbs. They eat what is immediately available in their surroundings, and in Ikaria, that means lots of greens, beans and legumes, tomatoes, olives, chickpeas, arugula, chicory, and fennel.
If you’ve heard of the Mediterranean Diet, then this would be the strictest form of that.
Ikarians also love drinking teas, which they make every day. They make it from oregano, dandelion, sage, and rosemary. It’s important to note that these plants are both anti-inflammatories and mild diuretics.
Inflammation is our body’s reply to infection. It means your body is dealing with the problem—so it’s a good thing. However, low levels of inflammation can cause a build-up of plaque in the arteries—leading to partial blockage. Or, when a piece of plaque is loosened, it can travel to one of the arteries of the heart and get lodged there. This would then be experienced as a heart attack.
In addition to being fresh and healthy, Ikarian’s diets, being anti-inflammatories, help keep the arteries clear and protect against cardiovascular conditions.
Another thing about the tea that Ikarians take is that they are mild diuretics. Diuretics are often prescribed by doctors as a standard treatment for heart conditions. With their natural diet consisting of mild diuretics, Ikarians have daily protection from cardiovascular diseases.
4) The Japanese Secret: “Ikigai”
Speaking of Okinawa Japan, another “blue zone” on this blue planet, the Japanese have a concept of “ikigai” which is said to be one of the reasons why so many Okinawans are said to have a healthy heart.
“Ikigai” means “a reason for being.”
What makes you wake up in the morning? What is the highest goal and purpose of your life?
Studies have shown that a sense of purpose lowers the risk of heart diseases. Ikigai protects the person from the toxic effects of stress and anxiety.
Regardless of one’s job/profession—you can be a craftsman who makes earthen pots or a salaryman who faces a computer screen all day, but waking up to a sense of purpose, a meaningful reason for doing what it is you are doing gives you the stability to weather the vicissitudes of life.
Finding your ikigai doesn’t mean freedom from the struggles of 21st-century living, but knowing it puts everything else in perspective. It sets your priorities straight and becomes your North Star. You have a source of inspiration and hope—and that is good for your heart and soul.
And in Okinawa, centenarians don’t just have a reason for being. They are surrounded by loving family, close friends, and relatives who treat them with kindness and respect. In Japan, elders are given the utmost deference and esteem. They are seen as wellsprings of wisdom and insight. This type of ethos ballasts their self-esteem and well-being.
Their hearts are well cared for.
The ancients have spoken: movement, meditation, greens, and a reason for being. These are the secrets to a healthy heart. They can help you live longer, healthier, and fuller lives.
Speaking of healthier lives, Bloodworks is your partner in staying fit and healthy. As a medical testing laboratory, we have different packages geared for different individuals.
We have the “Well-being Package” to help monitor your health status. This is for those who want to know their lipid profile, cholesterol level, and blood sugar level. Also included is a CBC (Complete Blood Count) which gives you a closer look “under the hood.” This package is your first step in disease prevention.
As a one-stop-shop for all your testing needs, Bloodworks also has other services like the “Senior Citizen’s Checkup” and the “Weight Management Package.”
In addition, we are also proud to be the first laboratory in the Philippines to offer the Anti Acetylcholine Receptor (lgG) Antibody Test and the Anti N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor (Anti NMDA Receptor) Antibody Test.
Our branches are in Alabang, Katipunan, and Cebu.