It’s that time of year again, my friends—American Heart Month. If you’re interested in keeping your heart healthy all year long, this is a good reminder in case you’ve slacked off since last February. After all, a whole lot happened in the world in 2020 that may have thrown you off your self-health game. Let’s get back on track, shall we?
Sure, you can search for heart health information online, but sifting through all that biased material might not be the best way to upgrade your self-health knowledge. For tried-and-true wisdom that will never go out of style, the perfect starting point is right here at Selene River Press.
At the SRP Historical Archives, you’ll find copious amounts of useful information that will help your heart keep beating at a healthy rhythm. When I simply typed “heart” into the archive search box, I was rewarded with nearly 240 free articles and books to dig into. Here are a just two of them that might get your curiosity piqued:
- How to Prevent Heart Attacks by Benjamin P. Sandler, MD. Written in 1958, this concise but wide-ranging book covers topics we’re still wrestling with today, including the toll that sugar consumption, fat intake, and even emotions and stress takes on our heart health. Sound familiar? In “Chapter VIII: The Diet,” Sandler shares simple, practical information about proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Did you know that protein is a Greek word meaning of first importance? You can read the entire book for free at SRP.com or get it as a downloadable pdf. Trust me, you’ll be referring back to it often, so it’s totally worth the little bit of space it will require on your computer
- “A Few Comments on the Relation of Abnormal Heart Sounds to Malnutrition” by Dr. Royal Lee. Surely you know by now that we’re pretty big fans of Dr. Lee around these parts. In this 1953 article, he details the common signs and sounds your heart makes when it’s struggling. Unsurprisingly, in cases of extra heart beats, murmurs, and shortness of breath, the culprit is vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
You’ll find invaluable advice on the SRP blog as well. Search for the word “heart” and you’ll see what I mean:
- “ Gaeta on Tachycardia” by Dr. Michael Gaeta. In this post discussing rapid heart rate, or tachycardia, you’ll learn what an optimal heart rate is, how anemia affects your heart rate, and what your automatic nervous system has to do with it. It’s an easy, short read that offers suggested resources for those who want to explore the topic a little deeper.
- “All the Things You Forgot About Your Heart.” I wrote this post a few years back as a way to help the layperson (aka, me) think about this essential organ again. If you’re like me, you probably haven’t given your heart much thought since passing health and biology class in high school a few years back. Writing for SRP has helped me get back into the swing of learning about all the fascinating aspects of our bodies and health.
If you’re more of a book-in-your-hands sort of a learner, go ahead and add these resources to the shelves of your self-health library:
- “Put Your Heart in Your Mouth” by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. This book examines how commercial interests dictate what the general public learns about heart health—and what the results have been. Find out what you really need to know from an impartial source.
- “Conversations in Nutrition” by Dr. Royal Lee. This collection of fireside chats from Dr. Lee will help you learn about cardiovascular health and so much more. A compilation on the very foundations of health that’s so fascinating you’ll return to it again and again.
Your heart and your overall health deserve the best self-health education you can find. With so many resources available for zero dollars, SRP is the perfect place to upgrade your knowledge. It’s where I always start, and I always walk away with a list of worthy topics to investigate or action steps to take.
Images from iStock/BrianAJackson (main), SciePro (post).
Paula Widish, author of Trophia: Simple Steps to Everyday Self-Health, is a freelance writer and self-healther. She loves nothing more than sharing tidbits of information she discovers with others. (Actually, she loves her family more than that—and probably bacon too.) Paula has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Public Relations and is a Certified Professional Life Coach through International Coach Academy.
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