Introduction

The cardiovascular system is the complex organ of heart and vascular system that transfers blood to each and every part, organ and cell of the body carrying oxygen and nutrition and then transfers from each cell of the body the waste products of gas exchange, including carbon dioxide and waste products of cell life (cell metabolism).

The health of the cardiovascular system is intrinsic to the health and well-being of each cell and the complete body system. Broadly the cardiovascular system can be considered as comprising 2 elements of;

1. The heart 2. The arterial and venous system

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1. The Heart

The heart has both a primary physiological role as a complex organic pump controlled and regulated both neuro biochemically but importantly neuro electrically-a combination of chemistry and electrical signal. Significant disruption to either control or regulating pathways can translate to cardiac or heart disease.

Important to heart health is the quality of the blood supply to the heart and the first branch of the main body’s artery (the aorta) directly serves the heart muscle (the myocardium). It is an inadequacy in blood supply to sections of the heart via the cardiac arteries that serve the myocardial muscle, that often translates to significant symptoms of heart pain (angina) or a blockage to a major cardiac artery or a tributary to a cardiac artery via a clot that completely interrupts the blood supply to the heart muscle - beyond the clot and precipitates a heart attack (coronary infarct).

Significantly, although not entirely exclusively is damage to narrowing of, hardening of and/or weakening of the walls of the cardiac arteries that translate either to reduced blood supply or that the artery wall is so weakened that it ruptures at a particular point and the clotting mechanisms engage and a clot forms.

2. The Arterial and Venous System

The arterial and venous system then lies beyond, and is served by the heart. Both sets of `blood pipework’ comprise strong, flexible, muscular material that should serve the body and all the cells of the body effectively across the years of physical life. Remembering that like the heart all of the vascular pipework is a complex organ and separate from the blood supply transported in the system and around the body. Like the heart and the heart muscle the vascular system also requires an adequate blood supply from the blood products it actually carries around the body.

Damage to the system results often from the improper use of the cardio vascular system. Apart from the potentially life-threatening conditions of angina and heart attack. (myocardial infarct), the lack of vascular health reflects in fatigue, progressive degrees of breathlessness, muscular weakness, peripheral pain and discomfort (particularly in the lower extremities of feet and legs) eczema, fluid collection (oedema) nail bed infection, clot formation (thrombus) and the development and appearance of ulceration.

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Importantly for many an inadequate cardiovascular system translates to accelerated ageing.

Particularly vascular, like cardiac health is reflective of the individual’s quality of diet and an acknowledgement of the body systems need for regular periods of significant exercise (enhanced cardiovascular metabolism). If one imagines the cardiovascular system like a complex river system and tributaries, then unless the water flow is strong and powerful from time to time, a number of the side streams can become progressively silted up, overgrown with vegetation and eddies of festering bacterially rich swamp. Therefore the cardio vascular system requires an appropriate individual diet, but one that significantly reflects living food (as opposed to dead food or carrion) and provides significant quality to maintain the health, strength and dynamic of the system. This coupled with regular cardiovascular exercise will help to build and sustain the physical/physiological structure of the system.

Additionally, appreciated almost intrinsically by many, and as represented in literature across time, the heart is also a centre of emotion. Hearts that harbour anger, resentment, envy and fear are hearts that will inevitably suffer damage or failure. If in doubt think for a moment how the heart responds to stress, to passion, to fear, or to love. Importantly also therefore for cardiovascular health is the quality of our individual lives, lives that should be reasonably filled with joy with purpose with fulfilment and hopefully with some degree of love.

Concern about heart or vascular health or the quality of one’s diet and lifestyle can be addressed and detailed and personal advice and guidance given there.

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