While I was at the Institute for Functional Medicine Convention
a couple of weeks ago, I got to listen to Dr. Mimi Guarneri, a cardiologist
from Southern California and the winner of the Linus Pauling award this year
for her outstanding work. I just
finished reading her book, The Heart
Speaks, in which she talks about her journey from being a type A, by-the-book
cardiologist to someone who has grown to appreciate and respect the power and
influence that thoughts, feelings, emotions, and a sense of belonging have on
heart health. Because of this, she began support
groups for her heart patients that included yoga and meditation, and she was
initially laughed at by her peers.
Today, her classes are full and her programs are a success. In fact, in her book, she quotes Larry
Dossey who said:
“Scientists working in the new field of psychoneuroimmunology have
demonstrated the existence of infinite links between parts of the brain
concerned with thought and emotion and the neurological and immune
systems. Based on these
discoveries, we know beyond doubt that thought can become biology.”
I’m always talking about the
importance of a healthy diet, but if you’ve ever been to one of my talks, then
you’ve heard me speak about ‘primary food’, which is everything in our life
except food (which is considered secondary food). This may include career, relationships, your spiritual
practice, etc. Whatever balance
may look like for you in these areas, that is to say, whatever combination of
factors in your area of primary food make you happy or feel a sense of
well-being, if they’re not being fulfilled, then the negative impact they have
on you emotionally in some ways can be just as bad as eating fast food everyday
for lunch.
Eating all the kale and quinoa in
the world will not prevent an unhealthy balance of hormones that can arise from
constant anger, frustration, or despair.
And of course, living under
a cloud of constant negative emotions will eventually influence the steps we
take–or don’t take–to maintain our health.
Dr. Guarneri tells remarkable
stories about some of her patients and how it wasn’t until they overcame emotional
issues, opened the lines of communication with their spouses, or found a reason
to live (one elderly woman got herself a small dog and it changed her world)
that they were able to get on the road to recovery. She also described a high-powered,
female executive patient who had no signs of heart disease or risk factors yet
who had suffered a heart attack that was brought on by intense anger and an
emotional outburst.
And, she tells some fascinating stories about the power of prayer
and how one of her patients was transformed by a healer. Not something that you would hear most doctors talk about or
even believe in. She certainly didn’t until she saw a
miraculous recovery. She even uses
the power of healing touch herself on her patients that helped spare one from
surgery.
Overall, this book has me taking
a look at my life, my relationships, and anywhere I may be harboring negativity
or other low energy emotions that could be harming me physically. It has reminded me of the importance of
primary food in my life, in addition to diet and exercise.
One night at the conference, I
met Dr. Guarneri. A small group of
women were talking, and she mentioned to us half jokingly that she would like
to give up her practice and start farming. I told her if she wanted some tips on how to get
started to go visit my daughter in Northern California. She smiled…
Think about all the ways you may be hurting
your heart and the impact it is having on your life or of those around you.
Then, commit to turning those actions around to something positive.
You may be surprised how far-reaching your actions go.
