Circulatory System

What makes up a healthy Circulatory System?

Your heart is at the center of the human circulatory system, which delivers blood to all areas of your body via a network of blood vessels, such as arteries, veins, and capillaries. Your heart is vital to your circulatory system health and nearly everything that goes on in your body. Without the hearts pumping action, blood cant circulate within your body. Your blood carries the oxygen and nutrients that your organs need to function normally.

A healthy heart supplies the areas of your body with the right amount of blood at the right rate needed to function normally. If disease or injury weakens your heart, your bodys organs wont receive enough blood to function normally. The circulatory system is made up of four subsystems:

1. Arterial circulation is that part that involves blood vessels called arteries, like the aorta and pulmonary arteries. Healthy arteries are strong and elastic and carry blood away from your heart.
2. Venous circulation is the part that involves veins, which are blood vessels that carry blood to your heart.
3. Capillary circulation is the part responsible for moving oxygen, nutrients, and waste products through your body.
4. Pulmonary circulation is the movement of blood from the heart to the lungs and back to the heart again.

Healthy Heart & Circulation Tips:

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute for Health, if you eat a nutritious diet, engage in regular physical activity, maintain a consistent healthy weight, and stop smoking, you will improve your heart health. Currently, only 3 percent of U.S. adults practice these Big Four healthy heart habits. The good news is that its never too late to start.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), practitioners have typically used herbs to support health in key areas such as the circulatory system. TCM is a complete system of healing that dates back as far as 200 B.C. Korea, Japan, and Vietnam have also developed their own unique versions of traditional medicine based on practices originating in China. In the TCM perspective, the body is a delicate balance of two opposing and inseparable forces (yin and yang). A major philosophy of TCM is that health is achieved through creating and maintaining a balance state in the body and it is also believed that disease is due to an internal imbalance leading to a blockage in the flow of qi (or the bodys vital energy). When imbalance is present the goal is simply to use various herbs and techniques to attempt to bring the body back into balance, harmony and wellness.

Sources: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
http://nccam.nih.gov/health and http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health