The Heart is Electric: Give it the Energy it Needs

It is imperative for optimal health that we remember that the heart is the most electrical of all the parts of the body; even more electrical than the brain. In addition, we need to remember for optimal health that the cell is where all health begins. If the cells of the body are unhealthy then the whole body and mind shall become unhealthy.

Needless to say, it's difficult getting the right amount of nutrition to feed the cells sufficiently and keep the heart healthy. Food is abundant, and people with access to the cheap food in great abundance tend to be more vivacious and live longer than those people without such access; but, most of us who are surrounded by the abundance could still do much better, living longer and healthier.

This is because abundance in and of itself is necessary, but not sufficient for, optimal health and vitality.

Heart disease is the number one killer now of both females and males. Cancer and stress-related illness are rampant. Things don't need to be this way, and shouldn't be this way, especially as we are poised at the edge of being able to routinely live vigorously to the age of 150.

What are we lacking?

One thing is magnesium. Without sufficient amounts of magnesium in the body, people are prone to the ravages of Type II diabetes, post-menopause weight gain (in females), and overall "accelerated aging". Magnesium is the driver of the enzymatic reactions within the cells' mitochondria, analogous to a car engine's spark plug.

Magnesium usually needs to be taken in some form of supplement by people, because it's not found all over the place like many other vitamins and minerals. A magnesium-alone supplement typically should be taken because the amounts provided in "multivitamin" supplements are rarely sufficient.

One excellent multi-supplement for obtaining magnesium and other vital nutrients is blue-green algae, because within the chlorophyll found in blue-green algae the core atom is magnesium.

A second supplemental need for the body's cellular health is coenzyme Q10, or Co-Q10 for short. Co-Q10 is also known as "ubiquinone", which means "found everywhere", and it is found in every cell of the body. Co-Q10 is an electron-donor, which makes possible the mitochondria's metabolic chemistry; in other words, it is cellular fuel, which the magnesium spark sets a-burning.

Unfortunately, while it is everywhere, Co-Q10 is also used up quickly. As we age, the body's stores and ability to naturally replicate Co-Q10 both diminish, especially once we are into our 40s. This condition is usually more severe in vegetarians, because Co-Q10 is found in abundance in the animal kingdom, meaning meat eaters are taking in more of it through their foods. However, both meat eaters and vegetarians are usually in need of taking a Co-Q10 supplement.

A third necessity of the body electric is carnitene. Like Co-Q10, carnitene is found throughout most of the cells of the body. Carnitene is responsible for the beta-oxidation of fats, and as such is the transporter of fat into the mitochondria.

Keep in mind that the heart relies on fats just as the brain relies on sugars, or glucose. This is why, among other reasons, low-fat diets are so prone to failing and can even damage one's health. The point of being healthy is not to avoid fats, but to eat a balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fats (Western civilizations' diets strongly tend to be weighted much too heavily toward the omega-6) and to make sure the fats are being metabolized, or burned into usable fuel.

In addition, carnitene removes metabolic wastes from the mitochondria after the usable part of the fats are burned.

The body tends to make sufficient carnitene, which is synthesized from amino acids found in foods, but people who have been suffering from high blood pressure, heart trouble, or low levels of energy should seek a supplemental form of it as well.

A fourth necessity is ribose. Ribose is a pentagonal glucose molecule which lies at the heart of the ATP molecule, which is what the mitochondria produce and which is responsible for maintaining, at base, all of the electrical processes of the body, which as has been stated above are centered on and most concentrated in the heart. Indeed, a heart that is diseased is "leaking" ATP.

Ribose is a very popular supplement taken by serious athletes, as it allows for a never-ending supply of ATP to the muscles and vital organs and as such facilitates faster recovery times and greater speed and endurance. All people can benefit from energy boosts and greater resistance to illness with ribose supplements.

Finally, any diet should have a sufficient balance of seafood in it. This is difficult for people who don't like the taste of seafood, so they should either learn to like the taste of it or at least take omega-3 supplements.

The Omega-3 fatty acids found in such abundance in seafood significantly balance the heart's rhythmic variability, thereby reducing heart stress and potentially harmful arrhythmia. These fatty acids also scrape out the arterial walls, removing the fat-plaque that builds up and causes arteriosclerosis, the precursor to not only a loss of energy but heart attacks or high blood pressure. All cell membranes are strengthened by omega-3s.

It is said by some health practitioners that eating just two fish meals per month sufficiently provides the health benefits mentioned above.

Finally, there are a few healthy behaviors people need to make habits.

One, avoid pharmaceuticals as often as possible. Look to them only as a last resort, and try to make use of them limited and, if at all possible, temporary.

Two, take up some form of vigorous exercise. Raking leaves or walking to do some local errands isn't good enough. You have to sweat.

And finally: remember that the greatest of all virtues is love