The 'hearty' affair

Understanding the ‘beats’ of human lifeline

The workings of the human heart are the profoundest mysteries of the universe. One moment they make us despair of our kind, and the next we see in them the reflection of the divine image. Charles W. Chestnut (1858-1899)


Pumping tirelessly day in and day out, our heart is definitely one of the unsolvable mysterious miracles. The rhythmic contractions and expansions help the organ pump blood through the blood vessels and keep the lifeline going on. It is a muscular organ that is responsible for the continuous supply of blood and consequently, transport oxygen throughout the body.

The right portion of the heart receives blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs, whereas, the left part receives blood from the lungs and supplies it to the rest of the body parts.

There are a number of factors that have an effect on the well working of your heart. Studies have confirmed that stress and depression shoot up the chances of heart failures. Over 5 million Americans carry a weak, unhealthy heart. Depression raises the risk of heart failure among these heart patients.

It has already been conformed that depression becomes almost three times more common after heart disease and depressed patients are more prone to get a second heart attack.

Diet that follow a Mediterranean pattern with plenty of fruits and fish are said to lower the risk of heart failure to a large extent.

A new and much optimistic research has revealed that a particular molecule called Thymosin beta-4 (TB4) produced by the heart during its embryonic development can be quite useful in encouraging new cell growth after a heart attack. It can also repair the heart cells.

Pacemakers are also being developed naturally. That certainly means that with the induction of a natural pacemaker there could be a permanent biological solution for the heart problems. Sinoatrial (SA), the body’s natural pacemaker gets generally damaged during heart attacks.

It has also been found that a person’s waist size is a reflection of the health of his heart. Larger waist circumference means greater risk of heart failure. So it’s better to keep oneself fit and fine by following a strict heart care regime i.e. regularly working the excess fat out and by keeping a watch on the day to day diet.