Stay Naturally Heart Smart This Summer

Summertime is traditionally vacation and fun-in-the-sun time, but don’t let the bright days fool you into vacating attention to your health. You need proper, all-natural care for your heart and cardiovascular well-being to keep you in circulation and your outlook sunny.

This season can be a very energetic time of year, a time when many of us head to the outdoors for increased activities during the longer, warmer days. All the extra movement, time in nature and fresh air can do wonders for your health; but at the same time, it’s important to pay close attention to your body’s vulnerabilities during the “season of heat.”

Summer And Fire

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), summer relates to the fire element — and on a physical level, TCM emphasizes the health of your heart and circulatory system during this season. As daylight increases, your energy and activity naturally expand, reaching farther away from your core and calling on strong circulation to keep up with the increased demands.

Even more critical, however, is the fact that poor circulation creates a condition of stagnation. Stagnant blood, in turn, generates heat in the form of inflammation — the hallmark of a wide variety of chronic illnesses, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer. Inflammation and poor circulation also contribute to hyperviscosity, which is thickness of the blood. This condition is sometimes due to genetic tendency (about 25 percent of the population exhibits one or more “defects” — such as elevated Lp(a), PAI-1 or homocysteine), but hyperviscosity can also be caused by lifestyle, dietary habits, infections or traumas. When inflammation and hyperviscosity come together, they negatively affect every system in the body — especially the heart and cardiovascular system.

Heat Waves And Heart Attacks

During summer, the combination of hot weather, chronic inflammation and lack of circulation can turn deadly, increasing the risk for heart attack, stroke and other serious cardiovascular events. Additional summer health risks such as heat stroke/heat exhaustion, burns and dehydration are all related to excess inflammation, causing our engines to “overheat.”

So the most important step you can take to protect your health during summer is to keep chronic inflammation in check. This degenerative process of continuous overheating degrades your body through wear, tear and oxidative stress, serving as a primary function of the aging process as well as degenerative, life-threatening diseases.

Keeping Your Cool

What can you do this season to make sure your heart stays strong and your body cool and hydrated? Here are some steps you can take to protect your health in the heat:

• Take advantage of the increase in fresh produce available this time of year, emphasizing leafy greens, hydrating fruits and vegetables with high water and mineral content.
• Drink lots of fresh, filtered water (about 64 ounces per day).
• Replenish electrolytes with a healthy electrolyte and mineral supplement.
• Take cooling, anti-inflammatory supplements.
• Slow down.
• Get adequate sleep.
• Engage in gentle, regular exercise (especially walking) whenever you can, without overheating in the midday sun.
• Schedule a vacation and take plenty of time to recharge your batteries every chance you get.
• Use meditation and mindful relaxation practices to keep your heart (and your entire body) healthy and protected.

Slowing down and making sure that you allow your body to cool down, regulate internal temperatures, and regenerate fluids are necessary preventive measures for a long and healthy life. These simple steps are even more important for your health and vitality during periods of prolonged heat.

Botanicals And Nutrients

Cardiovascular and circulatory health are a big focus in my clinical practice. For my patients, I use a Tibetan-based herbal formula that embraces the principles of both Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine for a unique, natural and very effective approach to maintaining cardiovascular health. Its positive effects on circulation are well-documented and are the subject of numerous published clinical trials. Additional circulation boosting botanicals and enzymes include:

• Hawthorn berry
• Ginger
• Turmeric
• Chinese salvia
• L-carnitine
• Omega-3 oils
• Enzymes such as nattokinase, lumbrokinase and others

Repairing Chronic Heat Damage

We know from basic physics that heat is a manifestation of an increase in kinetic movement and when you live a high-paced lifestyle with no time to relax, “cool,” rehydrate and lubricate your body, your engine is going to heat up. Sometimes, this damage from chronic excess heat can be more serious, requiring replenishment not just in the form of extra fluids and electrolytes, but also fluid-generating herbs and botanicals that can help hydrate and maintain moisture in tissues and organs.

This type of heat damage can be addressed by a group of botanicals called “body fluid regenerators” (or YIN regeneration herbs, as they are classified in TCM) that work on different parts of the body:

• Tian Men Dong (asparagus tuber) and Mai Men Dong (Ophipogon tuber) work to promote blood and fluids in the heart, the lungs and the stomach.
• Shu Hu (Dendrobium stem) helps maintain moisture in the lungs, the stomach and the eyes.
• Zhi Mu (Anemarrhenae root) is another herb that’s very important for the stomach when you have severe dryness.
• Sheng Di Huang (Rehmmania) is also very important for nourishing the blood, which moisturizes all organs.

Sometimes, you have to balance between clearing the heat and nourishing the body fluids.

Reaping Rewards

A whole-foods diet rich in fruits, vegetables, unprocessed whole grains and essential fatty acids (found in nuts and fish) is also a crucial part of a strong, healthy circulatory system. The antioxidants, fiber and omega-3s provided by this type of diet serve to minimize the effects of free radicals, promote healthy arteries and soothe excessive heat.

Summer can be an exciting and rewarding time of year, offering more time in nature, new adventure, an abundance of healthy fresh produce, summer celebrations and more. If we take the right steps to promote our health in the midst of this season’s warmth and activity, we can reap the benefits of increased vitality and energy rather than wilting away under the scorching heat.