If you live from the heart, it’s good for the heart

When I was growing up, I had a belief that people with compassion and kindness in their hearts could change the world. I learned it from watching my mom and dad, because they were generous people. We didn’t have much money, but they would do little things for people that would light up their day. Bring happiness into the lives that the poor people in Scotland had to endure in those days. As a small child I thought it was fascinating.

We didn’t have things like Christian Aid, but I remember that mum was her own charity foundation, or “operation smile,” as I heard her being referred to when I was a teenager. Generosity, kindness, compassion and understanding was what she had in spades; and she taught it to her children too. In our little town, anyone who would donate furniture was sought by mum, because she always knew of someone who needed it. She was delivering happiness. These days, I am sure that she would feature in the World Happiness Report, if there is such a thing.

When I grew older, I would go down the harbour in the little town where we lived in the west of Scotland. Old men would sit fishing from the quay-side. I would talk to them about the fish they caught. They would tell tales of when they were younger and were away at sea; sometimes for years at a time. One of them told me that “if you live from the heart, it’s good for the heart.” I didn’t really know what that meant, but it stuck in my mind.

One thing that I am interested inthese days is longevity. Reading about longevity science, is part of my culture, and preventing cardiovascular disease is part of this.  It’s a disease that we can help prevent if we exercise, eat the right diet, meditate and so on. On a daily basis (on the advice of a York cardiologist), I take a Magnesium Taurate tablet for heart health, and I will explain why in an article in the coming weeks why I do this; but there are other, simple things we can do to help us and our families, and our hearts.

These days, I am very aware that kindness and compassion are ultra important, and its kindness I would like to explain first, because being kind to someone makes us happier. Charity, giving, donation and self-compassion therapy, are words that I use often, but happiness has a very interesting side-effect.

Taking five pieces of fruit, and vegetables every day is supposed to be really good for your health and your longevity, but how about setting up our own “five a day kindness study?” Imagine we were to pick one day of the week. We could make it Thursday. That would be our designated kindness day, where for the next six weeks, on every Thursday we all do five acts of kindness on that day. Simple little things like opening a door for somebody. Giving a stranger a smile. Seeing an old person safely across the street. Feed a child. Be like Sheila (my wife) and make pyjamas for children in the Ukraine out of old, cleaned washed and ironed duvet covers that she finds in charity shops. Things that cost us little but our time.

Just imagine what would happen if everyone in the world did it? What would it do to the world? How would it change it? After the six-weeks initial trial, we could make it for ever. Wouldn’t this form of kindness make us all happy?

But why would we do it? Well, in my opinion, rather than the greed that rules the world these days, it’s the right thing to do!! It’s as simple as that, in my book. A spiritual act from the heart.

In my opinion kindness is innate.  We’re genetically wired to be that way. Selfishness, on the other hand is something that I find difficult to swallow. Maybe it’s in the gene? “Selfish by Nature” is how I have heard some people described. But we can all change for the better you know. Even the current US president. And how would we do this? All we have to do is chose a World Kindness to Trump day. Then at the same time on a selected day, world-wide, we all send him our love. Hard for some to stomach, but I reckon, out there in the big wide beyond, somebody will listen – and make a change.

Kindness and compassion change our brain chemistry. That’s a fact. Buddhist monks, such as the very special Thick Nhat Hanh, practice a meditation called loving kindness. I was born a Christian, but these days, I have adopted Buddhist beliefs as well, because they have never started war – rather they have tried to stop lots of them. However, when we are filled with love and kindness, we are peaceful, happy and at ease.

Then the magic happens. Structural, psychological and chemical changes occur in our brain, affecting our hormones and neuropeptides. Our focus is on just one – oxytocin. Known for its role in child birth and breastfeeding, it is often given to induce labour. But we can all make it by simply hugging or holding hands. Interacting with a dog for a period of time increases oxytocin levels in the human as well as the dog. Women who are breastfeeding have really high oxytocin levels and their blood pressure is lower, but it’s inside our bodies at a molecular level, where the magic happens.

Oxytocin is inside our entire cardiovascular system. This is where our veins, arteries and capillaries have binding sites, or better named receptor sites. Docking ports for the oxytocin that we make when we have kindness and happiness within. It flows in the blood and binds to the receptors, and when it does, it causes the production of

nitric oxide. Our arteries expand and it’s this dilation drops our blood pressure. A cardioprotective effect that costs us so little, yet has such life-giving benefits.

One pilot study I read about was where scientists put our immune cells into test tubes, cultured them, and put them under a lot of stress. This was meant to simulate the type of mental and emotional stress in our lifestyles. In this state, the cells created free radicals. The culprits of cardiovascular disease. The worst of which are oxidative stress and inflammation. Then they did another experiment, but this time in the presence of oxytocin (created through warm contact), and what they found, depending on which cell type they used, was that there was 24 to 48% reduction in free radicals and oxidative stress, and near a 56% reduction in inflammation.

The problem here is as always that there is no money for Big Pharma to test the benefits of giving and cuddles, but don’t you think our government should be supporting such an important study? Indeed, what a difference it could make to the health of all of us.

And before I finish this story, I’m sure that many of you have heard of the Rosetto effect? Rosetto is a small town the east coast of the United States, where during a 1960 census they found that hardly anyone in Rosetto had ever died of heart disease. The death rate was substantially lower than anywhere else in the United States. Scientists were intrigued and started to examine what was going on. Why no-one was getting sick. They sampled the water, looked at the diets, but then discovered that the residents of Rosetto (just like my mum in our little town) had a high degree of social interconnectedness. Everyone knew everyone else. everyone connected and bonded, and it was this that protected them from cardiovascular disease. Their levels of oxytocin were high.

Food for thought, or what?

Last but not least

Have a look at Essence of Egypt where we make the most monderful products, to help our lovely customers.