....Is aspirin the only heart attack deterrent?

If you have been diagnosed as being at risk for heart attack or stroke, your doctor has probably prescribed aspirin. Aspirin was mostly likely in your medicine cabinet already, or in your first aid kit.

The use of aspirin in the event of a heart attack is well known now and even backed by the American Heart Association.

However, not everyone can take aspirin. In some, it causes allergic reaction or ringing in the ears. Also, longterm use of aspirin can cause internal bleeding. Drinking alcohol with aspirin adds additional risks. More on aspirin use from the FDA

Cayenne Tea - Can It Save Your Life?

© 2006, Neva J Howell, All Rights Reserved, Updated 2007 Wellness Library Home ~*~ Search for more Heart Care Info
Profile in Natural Healing: Hawthorn and Your Heart
If you have wondered about what you might do, or what you'd want your family to do, in the event you had a heart attack and while waiting for the ambulance to arrive, please read about cayenne, the warming herb the father of herbalism swore by in such cases.

Read this disclaimer! I am not a doctor. I do not diagnose or prescribe. This health care article is for the purpose of education only. If under a doctor's care for heart disease, stroke, or heart attack, you should check with your doctor before adding anything new to your wellness regime.

Heart Disease; It runs in the family

When almost everyone in your family, on both sides, has some type of heart problem, you look for every heart health builder and cardiovascular protector with any validity to it. That is the case in my family so I have researched a LOT of heart health ideas.

A heart-healthy regimen I came across when doing my herbology studies involved the use of hot cayenne tea. In fact, a master herbalist used it more than once to stop a heart attack.

These days, an herbalist cannot make a claim about an herb, period. They will be sued or their business shut down. It is a harsh reality.

Meanwhile, pharmacies can make claims about drugs all day long, despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of people die every year from prescription drug complications and despite the fact that there seems to be a new drug recalled every few months because what the FDA approved as safe, suddenly is not safe anymore.

In any case, long before herbal doctors were outlawed and herbal benefits were actively kept from public knowledge, there was a pioneer named Dr. John Raymond Christopher. This is a man who dedicated his whole life to helping others, with herbs. He traveled to people's homes in emergency. He treated all types of health challenges, including heart problems and heart attacks.

Dr. Christopher wrote that he had seen hot cayenne tea stop a heart attack on more than one occasion. In fact, he swore by cayenne it was one of his two favorite herbs for helping the body heal itself. The other was lobelia.

Hot Cayenne Tea - Won't that Burn?

This is a question I get a lot. I can only speak for myself. I use a capsule of cayenne, 40,000 units, in hot water. It burns my mouth a little when I drink it but it actually feels very good in my system. I cannot say it would feel good for everyone.

Truth is, even if it burned like hades, I would still use it if I was having a heart attack. Can I prove hot cayenne tea will stop a heart attack? No. Should you call the ambulance too? Yes.

The legacy of Dr. Christopher convinces me that it can't hurt to have warming herbs like cayenne tea around.

If you are wondering what "warming herbs" are, they herbs known for their circulation balancing properties. As a warming herb, cayenne is good for colds and flu too. I have successfully used hot cayenne tea to stop a cold or the flu. It works great if I can remember to drink it and go to bed, when I first feel the symptoms coming on.

I found a website that actually offers the biography of Dr. Christopher, for anyone wishing to know more about this remarkable man. He is considered, by most, to be the father of modern herbalism. I respect his body of work tremendously.

This herbalist never lost a patient to a heart attack!

How amazing is that? Dr. Christopher practiced herbal medicine for 35 years and never lost one patient to heart attack. How many doctors do you know who can say that they never lost a patient to heart attack, in 35 years of practice? And Dr. Christopher did not have the technology we have today. To me, his work deserves to be up there with the most brilliant medical minds of our time. Maybe one day, he will get the credit he deserves.

Related cardiovascular health information: Can Cayenne Tea Stop a Heart Attack?

Victim thinking; it runs in the family

How many times have you heard someone say "there's nothing I can do because it runs in my family.

As I mentioned earlier, every single person in my immediate family has had some sort of heart or blood pressure issue. While I'd be foolish to ignore such statistics, if I had accepted the fate of that "nothing I can do" prognosis, which would be "it runs in my family and so it's inevitable that I'll have it too", I would have probably died before 50 like my father did. I am the only person in my family that has typically had low blood pressure.

So, did I escape the legacy? Not completely.

I still have high cholesterol and have had to be very aggressive in taking care of my own heart but when I look at how my condition developed, I can see that it was my inability to handle stress and heartbreak in my life that was primary cause. I believe these learned behaviors were far more a factor than any genetic predisposition although obviously, our cells record everything and my childhood taught me a lot about disfunctional ways to deal with stress.

The spiritual significance of physical illness:

Although I believe that accepting a legacy of ill health just because it is prevalent in your bloodline is not spiritually beneficial, common health issues within a family point to common spiritual issues to be addressed. The bottom line is that physical illness has underlying mental, emotional and spiritual precursers to that illness.

If a person with heart disease works to become spiritually grounded, more mentally clear and more emotionally stable, there is a direct physiological effect on the body that is very beneficial. In other words, you can just treat the body and have the conditon recur, or you can treat the whole being, and heal yourself for life.

Related cardiovascular health information:
What are the symptoms of high cholesterol? Health Care Disclaimer: Heart disease is the top killer in this country and never a condition to take lightly. Even the person who elects to self-treat will be better served by seeing a doctor, getting the medical tests, being aware of the risks and the severity of the condition.

This natural healing article on preventing heart attacks is shared, strictly for educational purposes. Nothing in this article is intended to replace needed medical attention. If you have a heart condition, you should always check with your doctor before adding anything new to your health regimen.

And remember, it's far easier to prevent a heart attack than to stop a heart attack. Eat well, exercise, reduce stress, and laugh a lot.