The emotional storm hammered Gabriel in a way he never thought possible. Gale force winds of fear and anxiety perpetuated by the COVID-19 pandemic had brought the whole world and him specifically to their knees in a matter of weeks.

“Why is this happening?” he said to himself, holding his
face in his hands. … Read More

I lived with a saint.
 
My Moroccan mother-in-law, Oum El-Khiat Hiba (translation: The Mother of the Brothers and Sisters), was a saint. I don’t mean this metaphorically but quite literally. Her actions, demeanor, and profound spirituality set her apart from 99.9% of the people I have ever known.
 
Only a … Read More

Is anxiety choking you, snuffing the life out of your existence?

It can do that.

Anxiety can constrict our breath, jumble our thoughts, and make moving through life seem overwhelming.  Medical studies have shown that anxiety can have a damaging effect on our heart health.  It can lead to chest pain, palpitations, … Read More

Life is a great mystery.  Of this, we can be certain.  We cannot explain or understand the “why” or “what” of its rhythms and flows.  Not long ago a heart patient came in for a follow-up visit.  I’ll call the man, Pete, but I’ve changed his name for this writing.  … Read More

Life today is chaotic and uncertain. If we spend too much time absorbing life in thirty-second helpings of social media, we can get caught up in anger, judgment, and a powerful anxiety.At times, our lives may seem hopeless, and we may question whether inner peace is even possible.

Emotional turmoil is … Read More

The light is gone. Her light. A light that spilled from one to one through the blood of the most Holy Mercy into her heart.

It left on a cloudy Sunday morning, stole away unexpectedly.

Perhaps her refusal of food and water, should have shouted it to us, shook us enough to … Read More

“Life’s gentle breeze has abandoned me. Its mighty wind no longer fills my sails, propelling and sustaining my journey.”

My mother-in-law, an ancient woman laced with crepe paper skin and mounds of sagging flesh lay thinking to herself.

As we sat together, I planted one hand on her head and the other … Read More

Anxiety can shock the system. It can pummel and paralyze us. It’s all too easy to feel angry or frustrated when life doesn’t go the direction we want it to go.

My take on the root cause of anxiety is just this: we want life to be how we want it. … Read More

Our hearts have layers and layers of anguish. When something in life troubles us, often we hold onto it. These negative feelings and experiences accumulate like rust in our hearts. All of us have these layers of struggle and pain.

The good news is that you can break through the layers … Read More

My sister passed away unexpectedly this week. She was 62 years old. Strangely I didn’t feel much. As a cardiologist who encourages people to live from the heart, who helps people learn to connect to their heart for healing, my heart was silent. A vacuum cavernous and intensely occupied the … Read More

Our hearts are stuffed with wisdom. They are designed to lead us.

Too often we lead with our minds. The mind is important sure we can’t deny it. But our minds dart randomly like a dandelion seed blown in the wind. Our mind latches onto fear and doubt. Our fears can … Read More

Heart’s ache. In these modern times, in this seemingly never-ending season of Covid- our heart’s feel stretched to the point of breaking. It’s as if a black, villainous balloon is being blown up inside our chests. And with each pump of air the emotional cords that are holding our heart’s … Read More

Are you mired in a pit of Covid Anxiety? Does walking through a store unmasked give you the willies? Much of the world is still rehabbing from the clutches of Covid-19. States have opened up. Yet, even though we have left behind the facial protection and six foot distancing the … Read More

Your heart needs to be healthy. It needs to be healthy so that you can move and live in the way that you want.

Normally, when we think of our heart health we think only of our outer heart–the physical heart. All of us know that our physical heart is important. … Read More

“How would your life be different if you stopped worrying about things that you can’t control and started focusing on the things you can?

Let today be the day…You free yourself from fruitless worry, seize the day and take effective action on things you can change.” ― Steve Maraboli
Control is often … Read More

 
Life can kick us in the stomach sometimes, but did you know that even when life seems brutal you don’t have to be unhappy.
Medical research has shown that happiness is within everyone’s grasp.  Recenty I came across an interesting book, “The How of Happiness,”  look at what the author, psychologist Dr. Sonja … Read More

A storm is brewing. The wind may be howling and the waves crashing.  Perhaps the trees are bent nearly to the ground, stretched to their limit.
Just when it seems the darkest, you have to grab onto hope.  You have to hope that relief is in site.  The storm will pass … Read More

We tend to think of stress as something that affects us psychologically or mentally, but stress also has a physical side? What we eat, how we exercise, and the quality of our sleep are important physical factors that can influence our ability to deal with the stress in our … Read More

“Can you help me doc? I’ Feel so stressed out?” She wanted help with a real heart condition. Learning how to connect more deeply to her heart was the answer to her prayers. Learn how to connect to your heart. Get the stress relief you … Read More

Have you ever found yourself feeling like you want to explode inside? It’s that feeling of just having too much to do and not enough time to do it. We all feel this at times. But you can catch yourself before you explode with three little steps.

Acceptance can be a powerful stress busting technique. Richard Carlson has said, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.” We need to acknowledge that sometimes we can’t change the events in our life. We have to just accept our life the way it is- in that moment.

What is it about a mothers love that it so special? What is it about her love that can be a balm for our wounds, diminish our pain, and lift our hearts? So what is it that makes a mother’s love so unique? I believe it comes from … Read More

The new year is here. Time to begin working on a new you. It’s a new you that can be stress free.

What’s great about the new year is that it opens up new possibilities. The new year is a time for renewal. It’s a time when we can decide … Read More

What is the best way to overcome your daily stress? Focusing on your heart and learning a method for heart centered stress relief can be a powerful tool.

We all want life to be easy. But life can be filled with stress. Malcom Gladwell in his book Outliers- suggests we need to spend some time getting good at becoming successful. We need to to do this if we want to overcome stress.

Is stress making your life seem more and more hectic? Perhaps it’s causing your performance to lag at work, leaving you feeling exhausted at the end of the day? Tuning Into Your Heart is a skill that can help you begin to overcome your stress.

Stress can be overwhelming. It can lead to a Dark Night of the Soul. Luckily you can find a light at the end of the tunnel.

How Long will You Wait to Start Reducing Your Stress. Learn techniques for getting started.

What is Stress? Stress is an overreaction by our bodies. A simple skill for dealing with stress is to become aware of how stress manifests in your body.

Life sometimes gets in the way of Life.  What do I mean by that?  Sometimes we get so busy, that we don’t seem to have time for anything but running.  As I write this on a Friday night after having my computer crash.  Spending hours loading software, recreating files, etc.

It … Read More

We live in a pill society.  People want a quick fix.  They don’t want to walk, do yoga, or change their eating habits.

Mostly they want a pill to keep them well.

Yet, Illness didn’t come from a pill.  For the most part people are ill because of what they eat and … Read More

People want to be well. Overcoming such trauma requires digging deep. You have to dive in, head and heart first

Healing the emotion illness- the other illness of the heart is more challenging. And what about the spiritual illness?

Many American’s are in denial. They refuse to acknowledge that they have a problem with their health, particularly their heart health. Honesty about our heart health is essential if we want to be well.

Our hearts want to be connected. They need to be connected. Discovering an “open heart” is essential for preventing heart disease. Medical Research by Dean Ornish, M.D. has proven the benefits of open heart living.

Do you want to live a life free from Heart Disease?  Would you like to have someone you love reduce their chances of having heart disease.  Are you interested in heart disease prevention?

If you answered “yes” to either of these two questions then you should consider adopting the Mediterranean Diet.

Medical … Read More

The Mediterranean Diet has been shown to be extremely beneficial in preventing heart disease. The Nurses Health Study showed that following a Mediterranean Diet could dramatically reduce a woman’s chances of having heart disease.

America is overweight. It’s easy enough to see. But did you a know a Big Belly puts you at risk of dying.

You want to lose weight. You want to quit smoking or exercise more, but your habits are keeping you from making these changes. Is it possible to get different results and not make changes in life style habits.

Hearts can be broken. We all know this. Most of us have had our heart broken by a relationship that has fallen apart. Our hearts can be broken by illness. If a person’s physical heart is damaged, it also affects them emotionally and psychologically. We … Read More

Modern life is filled with stress. Lifting our heart can be a way to reduce damaging stress. Lifting means opening and expanding. You can indeed lift your heart with these simple steps.

An old saying used to be, “No one ever died of a broken heart.”   Now medical science has proven this to be untrue.  You can indeed suffer a serious heart problem because of a broken heart.  In fact, a broken heart can be lethal!

In the last 10 years medical research … Read More

What motivates you? I know what motivates me. And sometimes its easy to be motivated to make changes in your health lifestyle. Other times it is difficult.

What am I talking about? I’m talking about doing the things your body needs to be healthy. Why is it so difficult to make … Read More

Vertigo.  A spinning sensation has been troubling me for 3 weeks.  I woke up in the middle of the night and it was like someone had placed me on a merry-go-round.  I had an acute viral vestibulitis.  My inner ear had become inflamed, and it was affecting my balance.

I couldn’t … Read More

Laughter can be good for your heart health. Medical studies show it can even prevent a heart attack. If you haven’t laughed in a while consider checking out Chris Rock’s movie, “Death at a Funeral.”

A viral vertigo struck me this week. It made me think about how life can be an incredible learning experience.

Hearts are made to soar.  They are destined to fly.  Do you know what I mean?

A few years ago, I saw woman in my cardiology practice (identity changed but a true story)  who was caught in an incredible rut.  Fear dominated her life.  She was afraid to move past what … Read More

Patience is a virtue. We’ve all heard this phrase. Many people say it in response to some difficulty or troubling event. But patience is more than just a virtue, it is a powerful medicinal for healing the heart.

Sugar is bad for your heart health.

Ah, this should come as no surprise.  We’ve all been told this.  But a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA 2010;303:1490-1497.)  confirms what we all knew deep down.  Sugar isn’t good for you.

A lot of sugar is very bad … Read More

Just back from vacationing in Florida.  We left Michigan’s cold weather for a few days in the sunny confines of Orlando.  Vacations are like a medicine.  They can be a real medicine for the heart.

We often think that medicine is a pill that we take, but medicine- something that can … Read More

Our hearts need nourishment. They need to receive the proper ingredients for becoming well. We need to follow the proper diet but we also need to give ourselves what we need emotionally and spiritually.

Even when the inevitable is staring us in the face, loved ones have trouble letting go. It’s normal. It’s natural to think someone will live forever, should live forever. But they don’t. Everyone dies. Our health care system needs to address this question- “When should … Read More

Our heart holds the key. It holds the key to health, particularly emotional and psychological health.

Our heart also knows the answers to what we need. Many people have written about this phenomenon- that the heart has a great intelligence.

Are you looking for peace in a work gone crazy?  Sometimes it feels like there’s no hope.  Life seems to be spiraling out of control.  Our own lives can seem that way.
Most of what people want comes down to a sense of peace in their lives.  They may define it … Read More

I see many people with heart disease. Sometimes its hard for me to understand how they let themselves get to the condition they are in.

But then I see my own frailties. I see at times my lack of will power.

 
Do you feel good?  Are you happy?
Most of us go through spells where we feel up and then other times when we feel down.  Its a natural phenomenon, but did you know that how you feel can affect your physical heart health?
It’s true most of us tend to think that … Read More

A patient’s heart stops in the Emergency Room. Her near death experience gives her comfort. Our heart’s need comfort. They need reassurance.

Why is it so hard to be consistent? Why is it so hard to do the things you know you need to do. We know if we have health problems we should eat better, exercise, and reduce our stress. Why aren’t we consistent?

“Can’t I just take a pill to get my cholesterol down?”
A middle aged man said this to me recently in the office.  He has cravings for double chocolate ice cream sundies 3-4 times a week.  He has known heart disease with a previous stent placed in one of his coronary … Read More

Not long ago I had a young patient that I saw in the Emergency Room with a heart attack. He was a heavy man in his early forties. He worked full time at Walmart but had no health care insurance. He said he was trying to raise 4 kids and … Read More

The past is gone, like a soap bubble burst. And the future? Its a mysterious dream, not yet real. All we really have is the present, this touchable moment.
We’ve all heard the phrase: live in the present. And while this is important, we also have to consider how are we … Read More

What is real health. If a person can exercise to a high level, does this mean their heart is healthy? Do any other factors play a role in true heart health?

Some people think age plays a role in health. If a person is young then they must be healthy? Right?

In … Read More

Human beings worry. They fret over the changes and happenings of life, Money woes, illness, separation and divorce- our hearts struggle with these difficulties.

When hearts struggle they can become sick. It is a well known medical fact that stress produces heart disease. Notice I said produces. As doctors we no … Read More

Life is interesting. It is like clouds. It moves this way and that. But you can’t keep your finger on it. You can’t control it.

Just the moment you think you’ve got it where you want it and then it shifts. The cumulus clouds come piling in, their lower edges tinted, … Read More

Life is complex. Often times it is mysterious. Sometimes things look fine on the outside but deeper troubles lurk beneath the surface. The unexpected death of Tim Russert is a good example of how something can be “more than meets the eye.”
On the outside Tim’s health seemed OK. According … Read More

Our hearts can be disfigured.
They can be troubled and tormented. Our hearts can be squeezed and distressed emotionally and psychologically to such a degree that finally they begin to whither under the strain.
They crack or even break. The experience of having a “Broken Heart” is real.
Losing a loved one, struggling … Read More

Your heart knows.  It knows what you need to be healthy, wealthy, and wise.  The trouble is most of us rarely listen to our hearts.  We’re too busy.  We go here.  We run there.  We look everywhere for the answers, but we ignore our real intelligence.
Did you know that your … Read More

Our steps are important.  Where we choose to go does make a difference.  Just look at what happened to Eliot Spitzer the Former Governor of New York these past two weeks:  http://extra.msn.com/news.aspx?GT1=34122
Talk about taking the wrong steps.  Have you thought about where you’ve been stepping lately?
I have.  As often happens … Read More

I just got back this past week from a seminar called, The Language of Impact given by Joel Roberts.  Joel previously hosted a talk show program with KABC Radio Los Angeles for ten years. He has worked with Stephen Covey, author of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, as … Read More

Do you have difficulty with letting go?  I know I do at times.  I get one thing in my head and have difficulty gettting past the thoughts.
Thoughts can be problematic.  They can keep us locked in a vicious cycle of endless rumination.
Our heart’s can also become locked in one thing.  We … Read More

Fitness is an obsession with people in America.  We run, bike, and do a host of activities.  All with the idea of getting into shape.  We want our muscle to be in shape, and even our hearts.  Yet being in shape doesn’t fit into just one package.  We can be … Read More

Are you experiencing the effects of the recession?  If you haven’t noticed its been in the news everywhere.  A recession is brewing!  The real estate market is in shambles.  Many people have been laid off of their jobs.
A recent MSN report suggests that the economy has really been heading south … Read More

Our hearts get clouded.
They fill up with sticky, troublesome feelings and images. You know what I’m talking about.
We’ve all experienced those negative emotions- anger, fear, sadness, grief, frustration, anxiety, depression, and many others. Swirling emotions veil us.  They create a wall that keeps us from feeling the way we want … Read More

A spring cleaning of the heart- its something we all need. Although it’s not spring yet, we can all find value in cleaning out our hearts now and then.
What do I mean by this.  It seems that life tends to clutter our hearts.  We hold onto things we shouldn’t hold … Read More

Tonight the big ball is going to come falling down at midnight in Times Square. It’s New Years Eve, and I happened to read one of my favorite blogs: Zen habits.
As always it’s filled with insightful writing. 5 Powerful Reason’s to Make Reflection a Daily Habit, and How to Do … Read More

Peace of mind-We’ve all heard this phrase.  It means turning off the mental chatter, slamming the door to the wayward run-away thoughts.

You know what I’m talking about.  Who can ignore it what with the frenzied:  shop-till-you-drop, fight to find a mall parking stall, bowel over your neighbor for the last sale- … Read More

Miracles happen. They’re not that uncommon, but we have to look for them. We have to be open to the possibility that they exist.
Take something as seemingly insignificant as a simple act of kindness. We might brush off random acts of kindness such as another car letting us merge more … Read More

Just spoke at the Ann Arbor women’s expo- “Overcoming Stress Through Heart Centered Living.” I was amazed at what I learn each time I speak. The talk was an introduction to eliminating stress, but what struck me was how the the little things in life could be stressful.We like to … Read More

Health care costs are exploding.  Medicare costs are growning at a double digit rate. Our system is overtaxed.  We all know this.  We read about it in the newspaper nearly everyday.
Because I pay for my own health insurance I see it in my pay stub.  This year I’m paying nearly $1200 a … Read More

Take a look at what you’re eating, smoking, and your activity level.

Letting go is an active process. It also is an energy releaser. So often it seems we want to hold onto things- people, situations, and just things. Why is it so much easier to hold onto the ruts we find ourselves in than to just let go?

The idea of letting … Read More

Life has causes and effects.  What we do matters, particularly when it comes to our health care.  Recently, I had a patient who saw me in the office with significant risk factors for heart disease.  He was a diabetic and his blood sugars were very out of control.
I had to … Read More

Feelings are important. We all know this to be true. No one likes to have their feelings hurt. Yet, we often think feelings aren’t real- not like a cold or an illness is real. Meaning- we tend to dismiss feelings as being less important when compared to something we know … Read More

Freedom is a great blessing. Most Americans believe deeply in the concept of freedom, and while to Bill of Rights guarantees certain freedoms- the vast majority of American’s still find themselves imprisoned.
What do I mean by this? What I mean is that although a great many people assume they are … Read More

Everyone knows about the circus-balancing act. A wire is stretched taught between two poles high above the ground. A circus performer makes their way across the wire, often precariously. The trick is not to fall, to maintain balance throughout the journey.

Finding balance for our heart is a similar feat. Like … Read More