5 Reasons Why "Men's Hearts Shall Fail Them" Physically

I have often reflected on the scripture passage that says, “And men’s hearts shall fail them”. This is a scripture found in Luke explaining the fear that will grip people’s hearts as we witness the unsettling signs of the times in the last days.

I have wondered if this scripture could also be warning us of our “hearts failing us” in other ways…

Men’s Hearts Shall Fail Them: Depression
Depression involves persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest in life or, in far too many instances, in being alive at all. Although research explains that depression is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain or altered neuron circuits in the brain, the feelings associated with this condition are feelings that are related to the heart – sadness, feelings of grief, of loss, of impending doom, of loneliness, and feeling lifeless.

It’s now being said that depression is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. More than 19 million Americans are suffering with the debilitating effects of depression. Could this widespread issue of depression also be a part of “men’s hearts failing them”?

Men’s Hearts Shall Fail Them: Stress and Heart Disease
Fear, which is basically another way of saying stress, has been proven by health experts to be detrimental to our health for over 30 years. Stress has been found to increase the risk of heart disease. It reduces blood flow to the heart, increases blood pressure, it triggers inflammation which also contributes to heart disease. One out of every 4 deaths is due to heart disease.

Heart disease has been found to be the number one cause of death in the U.S. for both men and women. Could heart disease – something that is a direct result of fear/stress (along with poor lifestyle choices) - also be included in the phrase, “And men’s hearts shall fail them”?

Men’s Hearts Shall Fail Them: Heart Attacks and Heart Failure
Strange incidents where professional athletes, football players, swimmers, or runners who are seemingly in tip-top shape, at the top of their game, drop dead in seconds is becoming more common. Strangely, sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in young athletes. Most often, the death occurs during athletic training or competition.

Not only are heart attacks becoming more prevalent in older people but new studies now show that those who are younger are no longer free of worrying about the health of their heart. New research has shown that heart disease and heart failure are no longer an “old man’s disease” but that it’s increasingly occurring in younger people from ages 35 to 54.

Both of these conditions – heart attacks and heart failure – are troubling. Yet the one topic that is unsettling to me is the literal failing of “men’s” hearts due to heart failure. I’ve heard of a hand full of teenager’s who are currently experiencing heart failure.

We are now living in a world where people as young as twenty and even teenagers are experiencing heart disease and heart failure. Heart failure doesn’t mean heart attacks necessarily (where arteries to the heart are blocked and cut off blood flow which can also contribute to heart failure and which is also becoming more prevalent) but it’s where the heart muscles become weaker and struggles to pump blood to nourish the body or suddenly stops pumping altogether.

Stress/fear are more than likely contributors to heart failure but I believe that we are dealing with some physical deficiencies and/or weaknesses that’s making this problem even worse that are causing our hearts to not only be sick but to fail us altogether.

This leaves me wondering why? Why are our hearts failing to thrive today? Where are we headed? And, maybe more importantly, what can we do about it?

There are several thoughts that come to mind…

1. MODERN DAY MALNUTRITION

Some people think that malnutrition only occurs in third world countries but our food, especially our produce here in the U.S., no longer contains the same nutrition that it used to due to nutrient and microbe deficient soils that the produce comes from. Harvesting the produce before it’s ripe, having photon-deficient produce because it’s been out of the sun and ground for days to weeks before we eat it, and having it be exposed to pesticide and/or fungicide chemicals which alters the fruit from the inside out are also contributing factors to the malnutrition problem as well.

When you couple that with high numbers of poorly working digestive systems that are unable to uptake nutrients as efficiently as possible and the “SAD” (Standard American Diet) – all of these contribute to a very real malnutrition problem within the U.S.

2. MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY AND OVERCONSUMPTION OF CALCIUM

Dr. Thomas Levy has shared that excess calcium in non-bone tissues have been shown to increase mortality from all causes. The reason for this is due to the calcium excess everywhere in the body. With too much calcium (which we already have due to calcium-fortified foods and high dairy diets) and too little magnesium in our diets (due to magnesium-deficient soils) this imbalance fuels calcium excess everywhere in the body. In fact it’s now being found that those who take calcium supplements have an increased risk of heart attacks, kidney failure and strokes. Vitamin C and magnesium supplementation are the best supplements we can take for our overall health (heart health included) - and for our bones.

3. CHRONIC STRESS

Stress that's left unchecked can contribute too many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Some stress management strategies include:

• Getting regular physical activity doing something you like to do, as simple as it may be, whether it be going for walks, hiking, jump roping, jumping on a mini-tramp, aerobic exercising, running, dancing, riding a bike, roller skating/blading, etc. There are many ways to exercise. Do what is enjoyable for your personality and spirit!
   
• Practicing relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, tai chi or massage or simply sipping a cup of tea inside or outside while keeping your mind clear from today’s worries.
   
• Keeping a sense of humor. Laughter is known to decrease stress hormones and increase immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies - improving ones resistance to disease. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins create an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
   
• Spending time with family and friends. There’s a long-term study that was done on a large group of people to see what factors contributed to living a longer life. This study found that those who lived the longest were those who had close connections, family or friends, that they connected with regularly.
   
• Setting aside time for hobbies, such as reading a book, listening to music, painting, sculpting, singing – doing things that bring you bits of joy. Even if you’re not experienced at doing these things – get your hands and heart in the moment and do the best you can with creative / enjoyable activities that bring you that bit of laughter in your heart, lightness in your spirit, and sparkle in your eyes and life.

Note:  Inactive ways to manage stress — such as watching television, surfing the internet or playing video games — may seem relaxing, but they may increase your stress over the long term. The best way to manage stress isn’t just to do things that allow you to shut off and do nothing (aside from getting enough sleep) but, taking it up a notch, it’s doing things that bring you joy!

Dr. Masaru Emoto has taught that by combining two opposite waves, the negative emotion disappears. I believe this is the same with eliminating stress – if we instead to the opposite of stress, doing something that brings us joy – even if just for 20 minutes – it will greatly counteract, not just numb or ignore, the effects of chronic stress.

4. PATHOGENS AND TOXINS – body unable to rid these toxins efficiently due to weak immune system and/or weak liver functions.  

We should all make some purposeful efforts in taking care of our liver. In today’s world, because we’re constantly exposed to toxins and pathogens of all kinds, our liver is our best defense against these toxins and pathogens. One of the simplest things we can do is drink a liver healing tea daily. Equal parts of dried burdock root, dandelion root (optional – it’s rather bitter), red clover flowers, milk thistle seeds, and plantain leaf is a great mix! Use 1 tsp for every cup of boiled water. Drink 1 cup 3 x day. Can make 3 cups at the beginning of the day. Can be taken every day for however long we’d like to take it.

5. EMF EXPOSURE
   
   I believe that more evidence will come out in the next few years that will show how detrimental the constant exposure of EMF waves are to our health – including our cellular and heart health. Electromagnetic fields (EMF) are generated by power lines, mobile phones, mobile phone towers, broadcast towers and similar transmitters.
   
   Some effective ways to combat this problem is to ground regularly by stepping outside on the grass or dirt without shoes – for 5-10 minutes each day, drink re-vitalized, re-structured water (I’ll have more info. coming about that soon), using EMF reducing devices that attach to phones (Green Smoothie Girl sells one’s that I like), using phones held away from head (use the speaker when talking to someone on the phone), and turning off the Wi-Fi at night to help get a better night’s sleep.
   
   Most ideally, it’d be best to turn off the electricity to the whole house at night – as long as it doesn’t cause food to go bad in the fridge. This allows our body to get the rest that it needs – with less rays and waves affecting us throughout the night.

Steps that come to mind to help us keep our hearts strong are these:

1. Trust the Lord. Give him our fears. Ask Him to replace those fears with faith, joy, light, love, etc.
2. Slow down. Take on less. Stop and enjoy life more – spending at least 15-20 minutes doing something calming and enjoyable (like sipping a cup of tea outdoors or listening to relaxing music) twice a day.
3. Take a magnesium supplement daily. Or rub magnesium oil onto bottom of feet 2 x day.
4. Help the liver function optimally. (Drink liver cleansing tea 3 x time).
5. Take a multi-vitamin and vitamin C daily. (A multi-vitamin containing methyl-folate NOT synthetic “folic acid”.)
6. If depressed, make sure nutrient needs are met: St. John’s Wort Perika brand is effective with helping to increase the levels of chemical messengers in the brain, along with Vitamin D3 (5,000 IU per day), a good multi-vitamin (containing methyl-folate not folic acid), an anti-inflammatory supplement, vitamin C – 500mg, 2-3 x day, and BlueBonnet Brewer’s Yeast to supply the body with needed amino acids.
7. Once it comes to what we eat – We should eat plenty of fruits and veggies (home grown is best). STOP consuming bad fats – to keep it simple, only (mostly) consume extra virgin olive oil, omega 3 fats like fish oils or flaxseed oil, coconut oil and use butter as needed.
   
   Stay away from fats high in omega 6’s which tend to cause inflammation throughout the body which negatively affects the heart like Vegetable oils, sunflower, corn, soybean and cottonseed oils. Avoid fried foods and most potato chips. When cooking, use extra virgin olive oil. It’s usually necessary to learn how to make your own salad dressings seeing as how most salad dressing contain unhealthy oils.
8. Drink clay daily to help ease body’s burden of toxins. DO NOT ingest clay if using life-saving prescription medications. (Add 1/8 cup of bentonite clay gel to 1 pitcher of water. Stir. Let sit for 20 minutes and stir again. Allow sediment to drop to bottom of pitcher. Drink water on top.)
9. And do some or all of the steps I listed in the EMF section above.
10. Exercise regularly – even if just for a few 5 minute increments throughout the day or for 15-20 minutes at a time.
11. Be led and guided by the Spirit as to what else you can and should do for your health – to protect and strengthen your heart.

Here’s to our health - and the health of our amazing, hard-working hearts!

~Claudia