Is Heart Dis-Ease Only About Genetics and Poor Lifestyle or is there More Going on then there Seems

Date:   8/16/2005 2:47:10 PM ( 19 y ago)

Heart disease and the effects it has on the human body have been important issues in my family for literally generations. There is a clear family history of heart disease going back on my father’s side to my great-grandmother. She died of a sudden heart attack when she was in her late 50’s, her son and my grandfather died of a heart attack when he was in his 40’s, my own father had quintuple bypass surgery at 57 and I just recently learned that my uncle may require open heart surgery.

Now I know that most doctors or others in the medical profession would simple look at this situation and say that this is evidence of a genetic disposition mixed in with poor lifestyle choices. So the answers for prevention are usually the following: make sure that you don’t smoke, drink alcohol in moderation, don’t overeat and make sure you have plenty of exercise. As the inheritors of this legacy, my siblings and I have tried to heed the lessons of these former generations and follow these guidelines. But there is a part of me that wonders if there is another dimension to all of this which should not be overlooked and is as vital to our health as a healthy and well maintained body.

So in order to come to greater understanding of this, I tried to think about what the heart often represents. Many say that the heart is the center of our emotions especially love. So if we are disconnected from those emotions and don’t allow ourselves the chance to fully embrace love, then we are in essence blocking those emotions from our experiences. It is a matter of being emotionally disconnected. The blocking of these emotions forces our emotional body into imbalance and disharmony. Thus this system can no longer operate efficiently. Not only do you wind up not being able to express the feelings you are trying to block, but eventually you become disconnected from even the good feelings. This is why some people have a hard time allowing themselves to feel happiness, joy and love. The emotional body is imbalanced and cannot work properly.

So it stands to reason that an emotional blockage in the heart could then take on a physical dimension and manifest itself as a blockage in our actual heart which we term heart disease. This blockage prevents the heart from operating efficiently thus putting greater stress on the body. Eventually, the heart becomes so damaged and out of balance that it can no longer perform its job. This is what leads to the inevitable heart attack.

In the same regard, this emotional blockage of the heart could be manifested within the mind. It puts the mind into disharmony and eventually leads the person to have a mental breakdown. The mind simple cannot operate as it once did. The pressures become too much.

So now I wonder if it is a genetic legacy that has been passed down from my great-grandmother or an emotional/behavioral legacy. Put another way, was it her genetic disposition to heart disease or her inability to connect with her emotions and feelings that was passed on to the generations that followed her. It really becomes an interesting question. For me, I would rather see it is a behavioral or emotional legacy which can be changed if I so choose rather than a genetic one which is already set and predetermined. The idea that we are victims of our genetics just doesn’t ring true with me.

Unfortunately I cannot go back to the beginning to see if this emotional pattern existed as both my great-grandmother and my grandfather passed away way before I was born. However, I am able to look at my father, my uncles, my siblings and even myself. Looking at each one of us, I can definitely see a pattern which differs in degrees but is still present. There is in each of us an inability to express ourselves emotionally. To share with each other on a deeper level how we feel. I can definitely see that in my father and in my uncles. Each one of them has tried to be strong and not allow anyone to see what they consider to be their weaker side. Yet, that is the illusion. To express your feelings and to show emotions is not weakness. Actually, it is a sign of a well balanced emotional body. It’s a good thing.

I can also see how, my siblings and I have also learned this behavior of being emotionally disconnected. And that is why I think it is so important for us to look at this history of heart disease not just from the physical standpoint but from an emotional and spiritual one as well. Maybe through learning to be more expressive and better connected to our emotions along with maintaining our physical health, we can finally end the cycle of heart disease that has plagued our family. This would allow us to release all of these blockages before they take on a physical dimension.

Interestingly enough, my family and I have definitely noticed that since my father’s operation he has been more emotionally expressive then ever before. I guess it is possible that the physical removal of those blockages helped to release some of the emotional blockages that existed within him.

 

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