Hi there! On Valentine’s Day, the temptation may be to think of your heart in terms of love. After all, that’s what the heart symbol stands for on this day which aims to celebrate couples and make everyone who isn’t part of one feel more alone than usual. But your heart isn’t just the organ most associated with falling in love, it’s actually also one of the most important organs to help your body pump blood and oxygen where it needs and hence to help you stay alive. So this Valentine’s Day, why not be kinder to your heart than ever, especially if you’re guilty of over-indulging on processed foods or beverages or in particularly heart-unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking too much or eating too much meat, too much salt (and too few vegetables) on a regular basis. These bad habits, combined with low exercise or too much stress (or both) can lead to issues such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and high cholesterol. Normally, when these issues get really bad, your doctor will then prescribe some kind of pill: either statins to lower your cholesterol or anti-hypertensives to reduce blood pressure. The problem is that every medication you take will come with some kind of not so great side effect (which your doctor will often prescribe another pill to relieve). The end result can hence become (as we see often in many elderly) a polypharmacy situation of perpetual pills to control or reduce the side-effects of other pills. There are many reasons why this isn’t particularly great for your health (and especially not for your liver, which is almost as important as your heart in keeping you alive). Luckily, there’s quite a lot you can do naturally by changing your diet and lifestyle either before you’re on this road to multiple pills and even if you’re already partially there. For more information as to how you can help yourself, watch this video below. Want more help to get your heart into gear the healthy way? |