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Your entire body is immersed in a fluid called lymph that travels through its own complex vessel system much like your vascular (blood vessel) system. Within our blood is plasma, which is the watery part containing the oxygen, proteins, glucose and white blood cells. This "leaks" out through the capillary walls holding the blood and flows around all the cells in your tissues. The pores in the capillaries are too small to let red blood cells through, which is why lymph fluid is clear rather than red.

 

 

 

If you look at the second photo, you can see that blood flows to an area through the red arteriole and then branches to the left into smaller capillaries (tiny blood vessels). Those capillaries merge and become lymphatic capillaries, which is where you see the red turn into blue. At this point of merging is where lymph fluid "leaks" into the tissues and delivers the nutrients needed. Lymph fluid can enter lymphatic vessels, which you see in yellow, and travel to all the local tissues to deliver nutrients. These lymph vessels also pick up waste and debris, which can re-enter the lymph capillaries (where blue merge with red vessels) and carry back to the arteriols (blue vessels on left) so the waste can be eliminated and blood can be restocked with nutrients.

The lymph capillaries and vessels pick up the lymph fluid and start pumping it away from the cells, but lymph vessels do not have an active pump like the heart. Instead, lymph vessels have one-way valves and muscle motion pumps the lymph. That's right, the only way lymph fluid can move around and tissues get what they need is by physical movement! Your heart and your lungs operate without you having to think about it, but the lymphatic system actually needs your help.

Lymph vessels have lymph nodes built into them. Lymph nodes filter the lymph and also contain large numbers of white blood cells (a big part of the immune system) which remove foreign cells and debris from the lymph. When you get certain infections, the lymph nodes swell with billions of white blood cells working to clear the foreign cells causing the infection. The filtered lymph then flows back into the blood stream at certain points. These lymph nodes commonly swell up and are detectable by touch when we have a sore throat. You can feel them under the chin as two tender lumps on your neck just below your jaw bone. There are several places in the body where lymph nodes are strategically located for immunological purposes. These include areas such as the neck, groin, axillae, mediastinum, and abdominal cavities because antigens, or foreign pathogens, are commonly encountered in these places. We are the most familiar with the lymph nodes located in our neck area.

In addition to moving waste, excess proteins and water out of surrounding tissues, the lymph also absorbs and transports fatty acids and fats as chyle from the digestive system, transports white blood cells to and from the lymph nodes into the bones, and transports antigen-presenting cells (APCs), such as dendritic cells, to the lymph nodes where an immune response is stimulated. It can also be the transport method for cancer cells that spread from one location to another, called metastasis.

Fun Facts

• You have just as many lymph vessels as you have blood vessels and capillaries.
• As much as 80% of those fatty dimples you call cellulite are caused by stagnated lymph fluid, not fat.
• Human lymph nodes are bean-shaped and range in size from a few millimeters to about 1-2 cm in their normal state.

Health Conditions

• Lymphadenopathy is an increase in the size of a lymph node or nodes. The most common reason is the result of a nearby infection (for example, lymphadenopathy in the neck might be the result of an infection of the throat). Less commonly (particularly in children), swelling of the lymph nodes can be due to an infiltration of cancerous cells. If lymphadenopathy is generalized (meaning that the swelling is present in several lymph node groups throughout the body), it usually indicates that the person has a systemic disease.
• Lymphadenitis, also known as adenitis, is an inflammation (swelling, tenderness, and sometimes redness and warmth of the overlying skin) of the lymph node due to an infection of the tissue in the node itself. In children, this condition most commonly involves the lymph nodes of the neck.
• Tonsillitis occurs when the tonsils, the collections of lymphoid tissue in the back of the mouth at the top of the throat, are involved in a bacterial or viral infection that causes them to become swollen and inflamed.
• Lymphomas are a group of cancers that arise from the lymph nodes. These diseases result when lymphocytes undergo changes and start to multiply out of control. The involved lymph nodes enlarge and the cancer cells crowd out healthy cells. They can also form tumors (solid growths) in other parts of the body.
• Hodgkin's disease causes the cells in the lymphatic system to abnormally reproduce, eventually making the body less able to fight infection. Hodgkin's diseases cells can also spread to other organs.

Suggestions To Strengthen

• Consistent physical movement - exercise is essential for health of the lymphatic system. If you cannot exercise, regular massage should be considered with specialized lymph drainage massage being the most effective.
• Jumping on mini trampolines initiates some of the most effective lymphatic drainage.
• Make sure you are addressing any low grade infections that might keep the lymph nodes overworked.
• Plenty of water ensures there is enough fluid in the body to have a healthy blood/lymphatic exchange.
• Hydrotherapy, the exchange of hot and cold water on the body, or on the area of need forces blood and circulation to an area and helps the lymphatic system drain.
• Emotionally, confront any feelings of obsession you might have. Obsessed with how you look, making money, jealousy, any emotion that may be to the point of obsession will congest the lymphatic system.

There are two lungs, one on each side of the chest. The right lung is slightly larger than the left. A slice of normal lung looks like a pink sponge filled with tiny bubbles or holes. These bubbles, surrounded by a fine network of tiny blood vessels, give the lungs a large surface to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. This process is called gas exchange. Healthy lungs do this very well.

Breathing starts at the nose and mouth. You inhale air into your nose or mouth and it travels down the back of your throat and into your windpipe, or trachea. Your trachea then divides into air passages called bronchial tubes. As the bronchial tubes pass through the lungs, they divide into smaller air passages called bronchioles. The bronchioles end in tiny balloon-like air sacs called alveoli. Your body has over 300 million alveoli.

The alveoli are surrounded by a mesh of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. Oxygen from the inhaled air passes through the alveoli walls and into the blood. After absorbing oxygen, the blood leaves the lungs and is carried to your heart. Your heart then pumps it through your body to provide oxygen to the cells of your tissues and organs.

As the cells use the oxygen, carbon dioxide is produced and absorbed into the blood. Your blood then carries the carbon dioxide back to your lungs through the capillaries, where it is removed from the body when you exhale.

Mucus produced by cells in the trachea and bronchial tubes keeps air passages moist and aids in stopping dust, bacteria and viruses, allergy-causing substances, and other substances from entering the lungs. Impurities that do reach the deeper parts of the lungs can be moved up through mucous and coughed out or swallowed.

Fun Facts

• The left lung is slightly smaller, allowing room for your heart.
• When resting, the average adult breathes around 12 to 20 times a minute.
• An average person breathes in around 11,000 liters of air every day.
• If you breathe properly, your belly should expand, not your chest…watch a baby breathe.

Health Conditions

• Asthma occurs when the inside walls of your airways are inflamed (swollen) making them so narrow it is difficult for air to enter.
• Bronchitis occurs when the lining of the bronchial tubes becomes inflamed and produces excess mucus that clogs the airways.
• Emphysema is a lung disease that reduces the ability of the lungs to expel air, a process which depends upon the natural rubber-band-like quality or elastic properties of the lungs.
• COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, when the airflow in and out of the lungs is reduced due to chronic bronchitis or emphysema, or a combination of both.
• Influenza (the flu) is caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract.
• Pneumonia occurs when symptoms of a cold escalate to include a high fever, shaking chills, and a cough with sputum production.
• Tuberculosis is spread (transmitted) primarily from person to person by breathing infected air during close contact. Active TB is usually accompanied by symptoms such as a cough, fever, weight loss, and fatigue.

Suggestions To Strengthen

• Drink plenty of pure, clean water.
• Make sure oxygen is high and avoid air pollution.
• Keep the colon and elimination healthy and constant.
• One calorie of fat produces less C02 than a calorie of carbohydrates. Ingesting lots of healthy fats and less carbs is helpful in minimizing the extra work of eliminating all the C02 out of lungs which are already weak.
• Deal with old feelings of grief. The inability to grieve or process grief is very often a trigger for Lung conditions like asthma.

The liver is the largest internal organ and has more than 500 functions. It can be found on the right side of the rib cage in the front, under the last couple of ribs.

The intestine absorbs nutrients and whatever junk you ingested. All of that gets transported straight to the liver. It's job is to take a good look at what is about to be subjected to your body before it allows that to feed your tissues. That means it is the liver's responsibility to catch all the scum, waste and toxins that were absorbed into your blood and tag them as waste so the kidneys will remove them in the urine. You can imagine that the liver becomes quite over loaded with the refined sugars, medications, street drugs, alcohol, chemical preservatives, fillers, dyes, colors and other products used to keep modern food looking seductive.

In addition to cleaning up waste material, the liver makes and releases bile secretion into hepatic ducts which eventually form the common bile duct and empty into the duodenum of the small intestine through the hepatopancreatic sphincter shared by the pancreas.

The Liver's other functions are:

• Manufacture (synthesize) proteins, including albumin (to help maintain the volume of blood) and blood clotting factors.
• Synthesize, store, and process (metabolize) fats, including fatty acids (used for energy) and cholesterol.
• Metabolize and store carbohydrates, which are used as the source for the sugar (glucose) in blood that red blood cells and the brain use.
• Form and secrete bile that contain bile acids to aid in the intestinal absorption (taking in) of fats and the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.
• Eliminate, by metabolizing and/or secreting, the potentially harmful biochemical products produced by the body, such as bilirubin from the breakdown of old red blood cells, and ammonia from the breakdown of proteins.

Fun Facts

• About 80% of the cholesterol in your body is made by the liver.
• Your liver consists of 96% water, stored in cells and blood.
• If just 25% of your liver is healthy, it can regenerate itself!

Health Conditions

• Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, usually caused by viruses like hepatitis A, B, and C, but Hepatitis can have non-infectious causes too like alcohol, drugs, allergic reactions, or obesity.
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with obesity and characterized as an abundance of fat in the liver, this can lead to hepatitis, inflammation and/or cirrhosis.
• Cirrhosis occurs when normal liver cells are damaged and replaced by dead cells and scar tissue.
• Ascites: As cirrhosis develops, the liver leaks fluid (ascites) into the belly, which becomes distended and heavy.
• Gallstones: If a gallstone becomes stuck in the bile duct draining the liver, hepatitis and bile duct infection (cholangitis) can result.
• Hemochromatosis is an inherited disorder that allows accumulation of iron in the body which leads to liver damage.
• Primary biliary cirrhosis: In this rare disorder, an unclear process slowly destroys the bile ducts in the liver. Permanent liver scarring (cirrhosis) eventually develops.
• Wilson's disease is a hereditary disease which causes the body to retain copper.
• Primary sclerosing cholangitis is an inflammatory disease of the bile duct.
• Primary biliary cirrhosis is an autoimmune disease of small bile ducts.
• Budd-Chiari syndrome is an obstruction of the hepatic vein.
• Gilbert's syndrome is a genetic disorder of bilirubin metabolism.
• Glycogen storage disease type II is the build-up of glycogen which causes progressive muscle weakness (myopathy) throughout the body and affects various body tissues, particularly in the heart, skeletal muscles, liver and nervous system.

Suggestions To Strengthen

• Eat less animal and dairy protein; a vegetarian diet and daily vegetable juicing is essential for serious liver disease.
• Eat more complex carbohydrates.
• Make sure digestion and assimilation are healthy.
• Focus on happy things, not the negative or problems.
• Get your temper under control and bring awareness to the areas in your past that cause you to feel anger so you can begin resolution.

The large intestine, also called the bowel or colon, was named due to its diameter being greater than that of the small intestine. The colon, which is 5-8 feet long, connects the small intestine with the rectum and anus. The major function of the colon is to absorb water, nutrients, and salts from the partially digested food that enters from the small intestine. Two pints of liquid matter enter the colon from the small intestine each day. Stool volume is a third of a pint. The difference in volume represents what the colon absorbs each day.

The contraction of the colon muscles and the movement of its contents are controlled by nerves, hormones and electrical activity in the colon muscle. A portion of these impulses come from the Brain, but the majority rely on abdominal movement to work well. Contractions called peristalsis move the contents in the colon slowly back and forth, then toward the rectum. During this passage, water and nutrients are absorbed into the body. The remnants are stool. A few times each day, strong muscle contractions move down the colon, pushing the stool ahead of them. Some of these strong contractions result in a bowel movement. The muscles of the pelvis and anal sphincters have to relax at the right time to allow the stool to be expelled. A normal, healthy large intestine should have at least one bowel movement every day or it is considered constipation (although your medical doctor was not taught this fact).

The appendix is located near the junction of the small intestine and the large intestine. It is rich in cells that help fight infection and keep good bacteria in the colon nourished. It is much more important that modern medicine gives it credit for.

Fun Facts

• You should have a bowel movement once for every meal eaten.
• If your feces smells, you may be eating too much meat, the wrong foods, or have bacterial issues.
• If you are eating enough fiber, your feces should float in the toilet.

Health Conditions

• Appendicitis represents an inflamed or infected appendix.
• Constipation is when the bowels do not move waste out.
• Crohn's disease, also known as ileitis, is an inflammation of the small and/or large intestine.
• Diarrhea is characterized by loose, watery bowel movements.
• Diverticulosis is a condition marked by alternating constipation and diarrhea.
• Flatulence, or intestinal gas is the result of fermentation in the intestine.
• Hemorrhoids occur when the colon is unhealthy and there is a history of constipation.
• Hirschsprung's disease occurs when some of the nerve cells that are normally present in the intestine do not form properly while a baby is developing during pregnancy.
• Intestinal polyps are abnormal growths that may occur anywhere in the GI tract.
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is marked by an abnormally active, even spastic, lower bowel.
• Proctitis is an inflammation of the rectum.
• Ulcerative colitis is an inflammation of the colon which produces ulceration of the inside wall.

Suggestions To Strengthen

• Drink plenty of water.
• Eat plenty of fiber, the best source is generally from raw vegetables.
• Exercise, remember the colon is a muscle and needs activity.
• Make sure bowels are regular, or start taking IC-1.
• Express how you feel, holding on to things is unhealthy for the colon.

The larynx is the portion of the breathing or respiratory tract containing the vocal cords which produce vocal sound. It is located between the pharynx and the trachea. The larynx, also called the voice box, is a 2-inch-long, tube-shaped organ in the neck. We use the larynx when we breathe, talk, or swallow. Its outer wall of cartilage forms the area of the front of the neck referred to as the "Adams apple."

When we breathe, the vocal cords are relaxed, and air moves through the space between them without making any sound. When we talk, the vocal cords tighten up and move closer together. Air from the lungs is forced between them and makes them vibrate, producing the sound of our voice. The tongue, lips, and teeth form this sound into words.

The esophagus, a tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach, is just behind the trachea and the larynx. The openings of the esophagus and the larynx are very close together in the throat. When we swallow, a flap called the epiglottis moves down over the larynx to keep food out of the windpipe.

Fun Facts

• The shorter your vocal cords are and the faster they vibrate, the higher the sound you produce.
• In both girls and boys the voice box and vocal cords grow during puberty and cause their voices to deepen. Boys' voice boxes grow considerably, which is why boy's voices can drop by as much as an octave.
• The voice box also tilts to a different angle in the neck causing it to stick out as a prominent 'Adam's Apple'.

Health Conditions

• Nodules (actually are calluses) occur with improper voice use or overuse.
• Polyps can interfere with voice production and may produce a hoarse, breathy voice that tires easily. Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease, or LPRD, refers to retrograde flow of gastric contents to the upper aero-digestive tract, which causes a variety of symptoms such as cough, hoarseness, and asthma, among others.
• Presbylaryngis is a condition that is caused by the thinning of the vocal fold muscle and tissues with aging.
• Laryngitis sicca is caused by inadequate hydration of the vocal folds. Thick, sticky mucus prevents the folds from vibrating in a fluid, uniform manner.
• Vocal fold hemmorhage is a very rare occurrence that usually is caused by aggressive or improper use of vocal folds (e.g. cheerleading). It is the result of a ruptured blood vessel on the true vocal fold, with bleeding into the tissues of the fold.
• Vocal fold paralysis leaves the patient with a very breathy voice, and sometimes with no voice.

Suggestions To Strengthen

• Drink plenty of water. Hydration is required to keep thin secretions flowing to lubricate your vocal cords.
• Try not to scream or yell. These are abusive practices for your voice, and put great strain on the lining of your vocal cords.
• Warm up your voice before heavy use. Warm-ups can be simple, such as gently gliding from low to high tones on different vowel sounds, doing lip trills (like the motorboat sound that kids make), or tongue trills.
• Don't smoke. In addition to being a potent risk factor for laryngeal (voice box) cancer, smoking also causes inflammation and polyps of the vocal cords that can make the voice very husky, hoarse, and weak.
• Use good breath support. Breath flow is the power for voice. Take time to fill your lungs before starting to talk, and don't wait until you are almost out of air before taking another breath to power your voice.
• Know that you need to modify and decrease your voice use if you become hoarse in order to allow your vocal cords to recover. Pushing your voice when it's already hoarse can lead to significant problems.

Your kidneys (also called the Renal glands) are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of your fist. They are located in the middle of your back, just below your rib cage, on either side of your spine. Although the kidneys are small organs by weight, they process about 200 quarts of blood to sift out about 2 quarts of waste products (urea, ammonia, drugs, toxic substances) and extra water. Each kidney contains more than one million little filtering units called nephrons. Your kidneys (nephrons) receive the blood from the renal artery, process it, return the processed blood to the body through the renal vein and remove the wastes and other unwanted substances in the urine. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the bladder.

After the body has taken what it needs from food, wastes are sent to the blood. If the kidneys did not remove them, these wastes would build up in the blood and damage the body. At first, the tubules receive a combination of waste materials and chemicals the body can still use. The kidneys measure out chemicals like sodium, phosphorus, calcium, chloride and potassium and release them back to the blood to return to the body. This is how the kidneys regulate the body's level of these substances. The right balance is necessary for life.

The Kidneys also keep the acid/base concentration of your blood constant, they help regulate your blood pressure, stimulate the making of red blood cells and maintain your body's calcium levels.

In addition to removing waste, the kidneys release three important hormones:

• Erythropoietin stimulates the bone marrow to make red blood cells.
• Renin regulates blood pressure.
• Calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, helps maintain calcium.

Serious health problems occur when people have less than 25 percent of their kidney function. When kidney function drops below 10 to 15 percent, a person needs some form of renal replacement therapy-either blood-cleansing treatments called dialysis or a kidney transplant to sustain life.

There are at least six warning signs that may indicate kidney disease:

• Burning or difficulty during urination
• An increase in the frequency of urination
• Passage of blood in the urine
• Puffiness around the eyes, swelling of the hands and feet
• Pain in the small of the back just below the ribs
• High blood pressure

Fun Facts

• The kidneys have a higher blood flow than even the brain, liver or heart.
• Placed end to end, the nephrons of one kidney would stretch about 5 miles.
• Half of one kidney could do the work that two kidneys usually do.

Health Conditions

• Hereditary kidney condition includes polycystic kidney disease, Alport's syndrome, hereditary nephritis, primary hyperoxaluria and cystinuria.
• Congenital Disease usually involves some malformation of the genitourinary tract, usually leading to some type of obstruction which subsequently produces infection and/or destruction of kidney tissue. The destruction can eventually progress to chronic kidney failure.
• Nephritis, or glomerulonephritis means inflammation of the kidney.
• Kidney Stones are very common, and when they pass, the pain can be extremely severe in the sides of your abdomen and back.
• Nephrotic Syndrome refers to a large protein loss in the urine.
• Hypertension is chronically elevated or High Blood Pressure.
• Diabetes and uncontrolled blood glucose levels can lead to kidney failure.

Suggestions To Strengthen

• Eat less animal protein.
• Drink more water, and/or eat lots of watermelon, it helps flush the kidney.
• The emotion connected to the kidneys is fear so overcome some of your fears. Begin to confront them instead of running from them.
• Keep the liver clean and healthy.

Joints, Ligaments and Tendons are the intricate parts of the body that allow for movements like pulling, pushing and provide mechanical support. A joint is where two or more bones make contact. Joints hold bones together and allow for movement of the skeleton. All bones, except the hyoid bone in the neck, form a joint. Joints are often categorized by the amount of motion they allow. Some of the joints are fixed, like those in the skull and do not allow movement. Other joints, like those between the vertebrae of the spine, allow for some movement. Most joints are free moving synovial joints.

Ligament most commonly refers to a band of tough, fibrous, dense regular connective tissue comprising attenuated collagenous fibers. Ligaments connect bones to other bones to form a joint. They do not connect muscles to bones; that is the job of tendons. Some ligaments limit the mobility of articulations or prevent certain movements altogether.

A tendon (or sinew) is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae as they are all made of collagen except that ligaments join one bone to another bone, fasciae connect muscles to other muscles, and tendons connect muscles to bones. Tendons and muscles work together.

Fun Facts

• Ligaments also support various organs, including the liver, bladder and uterus (womb).
• Women's breasts are held in place by bundles of ligaments.
• Your fingers are moved mainly by muscles in the forearm, which are connected to the fingers by long tendons.

Health Conditions

• Sprain/Strain: Ligaments always sprain (more of an over stretch), tendons always strain (more of a tear).
• Arthritis, describes more than 100 different diseases and conditions that affect joints, the tissues that surround joints, and other connective tissue. It simply means "joint inflammation".
• Osteoarthritis (OA) occurs when cartilage in joints breaks down over time.
• Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease.
• Injuries: When a ligament is overstretched or torn it is called a sprain; when completely separated from the bone, it is called an avulsion. Most ligament injuries are caused by accidents and are sports related and can be seen as a result of taking a joint beyond the normal physiological range of motion.

Suggestions To Strengthen

• Sugar, sweet drinks, processed foods, tea and coffee will all strip magnesium, calcium and vitamin C from the body. These elements are vital for the formation and repair of bone, muscle, cartilage and synovial fluid.
• Joints and connective tissue can become inflamed when allergies are present even if allergy tests do not reveal allergies. You may want to try the elimination diet.

The Hypothalamus is a portion of the brain with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions of the hypothalamus is to link the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland (hypophysis). Roughly the size of an almond, the hypothalamus can be found nestled just above the pituitary, in the center of the head.

The hypothalamus produces releasing and inhibiting hormones, which stop and start the production of other hormones throughout the body. The hypothalamus is involved in many functions of the autonomic nervous system as it receives information from nearly all parts of the nervous system. It is considered the link between the nervous system and the endocrine system.

The hypothalamus synthesizes and secretes certain neurohormones, often called hypothalamic-releasing hormones, and these stimulate or inhibit the secretion of pituitary hormones. Secretion of hormones from the anterior pituitary is under strict control by hypothalamic hormones. The hypothalamus helps control the pituitary gland, particularly in response to stress. The pituitary controls the: Adrenal glands, Ovaries, Testes, Thyroid gland, and it also helps regulate: Childbirth, Emotions, Growth, Milk production, Salt and water balance, Sleep, Weight and appetite. The hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, sleep, and circadian cycles.

Fun Facts

• The Hypothalamus regulates body temperature much like a thermostat. If your body is too hot, the hypothalamus tells it to sweat. If you're too cold, the hypothalamus makes you start shivering. Shivering and sweating helps get your body's temperature back to normal.

Health Conditions

• Hypothalamic diseases can include appetite and sleep disorders, but because the hypothalamus affects so many different parts of the endocrine system, it can be hard to pinpoint whether the root cause of the disorder is actually related to another gland.
• It is unlikely that the hypothalamus is at the root of the problem unless a head trauma occurred or there is a tumor in the local area.

Suggestions To Strengthen

• Focus on relaxing the mind, mindfully doing chores and other things that need to get done (at a practical pace) and one at a time instead of always multi-tasking.
• Be okay knowing that everything doesn't need to be done right this minute; there is a time for everything.
• Balance the energy between physical exercise and diet rather than mental activity.

The heart is one of the most important organs in the entire human body. The heart pumps the blood, which carries all the vital materials that help our body's function. That same blood also removes the waste products that we do not need. For example, the brain requires oxygen and glucose and when not received continuously, will cause it to lose consciousness. Muscles need oxygen, glucose and amino acids, as well as the proper ratio of sodium, calcium and potassium salts in order to contract normally. The glands need sufficient supplies of raw materials from which to manufacture the specific secretions, etc. If the heart ever ceases to pump blood the body begins to shut down and after a very short period of time, the body will die.

The heart is essentially a muscle, a little larger than the fist. Like any other muscle in the human body, it contracts and expands. However, unlike skeletal muscles each time the heart contracts it is with all its force. In skeletal muscles, the principle of "gradation" is present. The pumping of the heart is called the Cardiac Cycle, which occurs about 72 times per minute. This means that each cycle lasts about eight-tenths of a second. During this cycle the entire heart actually rests for about four-tenths of a second.

Fun Facts

• Every day the heart creates enough energy to drive a truck 20 miles. In a lifetime, that is equivalent to driving to the moon and back.
• A kitchen faucet would need to be turned on all the way for at least 45 years to equal the amount of blood pumped by the heart in an average lifetime.

Health Conditions

• Arrhythmia (dysrhythmia): An abnormal heart rhythm due to changes in the conduction of electrical impulses through the heart.
• Atrial fibrillation: Abnormal electrical impulses in the atria cause an irregular heartbeat.
• Cardiac arrest: Sudden loss of heart function.
• Cardiomyopathy: A disease of heart muscle in which the heart is abnormally enlarged, thickened, and/or stiffened.
• Congestive heart failure: The heart is either too weak or too stiff to effectively pump blood through the body.
• Coronary artery disease: Over the years, cholesterol plaques can narrow the arteries supplying blood to the heart.
• Endocarditis: Inflammation of the inner lining or heart valves of the heart.
• Heart murmur: An abnormal sound heard when listening to the heart with a stethoscope.
• Mitral valve prolapse: The mitral valve is forced backward slightly after blood has passed through the valve.
• Myocardial infarction (heart attack): A coronary artery is suddenly blocked. Starved of oxygen, part of the heart muscle dies.
• Myocarditis: Inflammation of the heart muscle.
• Pericardial effusion: Fluid between the lining of the heart (pericardium) and the heart itself.
• Pericarditis: Inflammation of the lining of the heart (pericardium).
• Pulmonary embolism: Typically a blood clot travels through the heart to the lungs.
• Stable angina pectoris: Narrowed coronary arteries cause predictable chest pain or discomfort with exertion.
• Sudden cardiac death: Death caused by a sudden loss of heart function (cardiac arrest).
• Unstable angina pectoris: Chest pain or discomfort that is new, worsening, or occurs at rest.

NOTE on chest pain…a Hiatal Hernia can put pressure on the heart muscle and mimic the feelings of a heart attack, but there is no danger to the heart.

Suggestions To Strengthen

• Be happy and joyful.
• Find something to give you purpose.
• Love yourself. God made you just the way you are. You can always improve yourself, but not until you first accept who you are now.
• Accept love in the way others can offer it.
• Love others so it will attract love to you.
• Keep your liver healthy, it maintains the blood's health and heart has but one function - to pump blood. Dirty, infected blood is bad for the heart and its internal valves.
• Cardiovascular exercise, the heart needs oxygen.
• Give things away with no expectation in return.
• Do not be a pack rat, get rid of stuff you don't use.

Healthy gums are a rare thing if you consider that 75% of Americans have some form of gum disease. While gums help to hold your teeth in place, they have a much deeper use in helping to indicate health of the digestive system, specifically the history of body acidity. Acid/alkaline levels are vital to health and maintenance of health and the health of your gums gives you that reflective indication.

If you have gum disease, it is your body's way of showing you that you are overly acidic and headed for more chronic health issues. The most important issue in restoring gum disease is to restore alkalinity, it actually has nothing to do with brushing and flossing! Toothbrushes are a modern invention, so what was mankind designed to do since toothbrushes don't grow on trees? The primitive diet consisted of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and meats. No refined foods, no sugar, no chemicals, not a lot of things that would make the body excessively acid which leads to gum disease. Obviously smoking and recreational drug use are seriously destructive as well.

Fun Facts

• What we munch on, the germs in our mouths lunch on.
• Gums should not bleed upon brushing. This is an indication of a gum inflammation and slight infection;. Sore bleeding gums and pink in the sink are not normal.

Health Conditions

• Gingivitis is the mildest form of periodontal disease. It causes the gums to become red, swollen, and bleed easily.
• Periodontitis occurs when gums pull away from the teeth and form spaces (called "pockets") that become infected.

Suggestions To Strengthen

• The most important issue in restoring gum disease is to restore alkalinity. PH of the Stomach is especially important. Make sure you are getting sufficient Enzymes (supplementally or in a diet of raw fruits and vegetables). Consume sufficient water and fiber. If you have a serious gum disorder, you should eat an alkaline diet and ensure all elimination channels are working. Feel free to use fiber supplements to encourage this.
• In addition to working on alkalinity, reports have shown that the gums can be reconnected to the teeth by taking a Vitamin C and Baking Soda solution. Mix one-half teaspoon of ascorbic acid Vitamin C with one-half teaspoon of Arm and Hammer baking soda in a cup with only one inch of water. Let it fizz and then fill the rest of the cup with water and drink that each day. The resulting sodium ascorbate is non-acid, very pure and a thousand times more soluble than vitamin C. Sodium ascorbate is more active than ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in building connective tissue and antibody structures and more effective in killing some viruses and bacteria.
• Receding gums and plaque are stopped when soap is used for brushing (in place of tooth paste) and vitamin C is taken daily.