The Heart
August 16, 2007<column title>
Healthbeat
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The Heart
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Loralyn Sandoval
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We know that it is an organ hidden between the lungs. We hear about it anywhere we go. Books have been written about it. Poems have been made to immortalize its worth. We sometimes even discuss our emotions in connection with our heart although we know that emotions come from the brain. Its importance in the body cannot be understated. The heart provides the power needed for life. So what really is the heart of the matter? Here are some facts:
- The heart is really a muscle. In fact it is a muscle pump.
- From the moment it begins to work until the moment it stops, the human heart works tirelessly.
- Your heart is about the same size as your fist.
- An average adult body contains about five quarts of blood.
- All the blood vessels in the body joined end to end would stretch 62,000 miles or two and a half times around the earth.
- The heart circulates the body's blood supply about 1,000 times each day.
- The heart pumps the equivalent of 5,000 to 6,000 quarts of blood each day.
- A healthy heart makes a lub-dub sound with each beat.
- One of the best known devices is the "Jarvik-7" artificial heart, named for its designer Robert K. Jarvik, an American physician. Designed to function like the natural heart, the Jarvik-7 has two pumps (like the ventricles), each with a disk-shaped mechanism that pushes the blood from the inlet valve to the outlet valve.
A recently published, internationally circulated magazine has on its pages a list of things you can do to keep your heart healthier. Top on the list is to exercise, observe proper diet and keep watch of one’s blood pressure and cholesterol levels. One cannot help but notice the growing popularity of researches and TV ads promoting the care of one’s health in reference to our hearts. Even the Bible makes reference to the heart a number of times. Philippians 4:7 states that “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts. . . ”
Our church stands for the upliftment of our spiritual, mental and physical powers. Our health is a battle zone that needs to be protected fiercely from external corruption to keep ourselves focused on God’s truth. Take heed. Take heart.
Reference:
- The Nelson Study Bible © 1997
- Habits of the Heart. http://www.smm.org/heart/heart/top/html
- The Matter of the Heart. www.fi.edu/biosci/structure/structure/html
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