Human Heart, Cosmic Heart by Thomas Cowan MD

A deeper and more accurate understanding of what makes our heart tick and what we need to do to keep it healthy

Hi, I’m Sue and I write about the beauty and ingenuity of Nature, and how we can deepen our connection for our optimum health and wellbeing. Discover more Nature-inspired content on Spiral Leaf, Twitter and my video Nature Channel.

There are few books written with such integrity and honesty than those that present hitherto unpublicised scientific research and findings, especially when they go against the grain. When we are told there is a consensus on certain unresolved scientific matters, this cannot be true. Science is a constantly evolving body of study, discovery and comparison that builds on fundamental truth that cannot be disputed. Human Heart, Cosmic Heart is a testament to the fact that such truths are out there waiting to be discovered and will eventually always come to light.

Thomas Cowan started out in life with a curious mind that became more curious the older he grew, he says: It came to me early that adult explanations often make no sense. This is often the case for many children who are dismissed with their persisent why's. I was always looking for answers and it resonates with me when Thomas says: I couldn't make sense in my mind of the way American history had unfolded, driven as it so often was, and is, by greed over money, land, possessions and power - all in the context of liberty and justice for all.

As a young man, Thomas was not convinced with what he was being taught about the heart through his medical training nor, as a qualified medical doctor, with contradictions he found in his practical experience. This dichotomy became the focal point for a journey of discovery that unfolded over time with the help of further study and practice in nutrition, homeopathy, anthro-posophical medicine and herbal medicine.

Thomas set out to uncover bona fide scientific research (and carry out his own) on the workings of the heart and he found a great deal that goes against mainstream consensus. He knew that proper science is founded on systematic observation, measurement (against a control) and fastidious experiment, and that it must record the process of formulation, testing and modification used to reach findings. The resulting hypotheses can then be carried forward until it is discredited, improved, superceded or confirmed and incorporated as a fundamental truth in itself or as part of a bigger whole.

This is not the same as Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) which is used by the pharmaceuticals to sell the efficacy of their products. EBM is described as: the best available science combined with the healthcare professional's clinical experience and the patient's values to arrive at the best medical decision for the patient. The issue here is that using only the best available science means that by definition, it is selective - ie, chosen to be the best available as it confirms the current consensus. This is measured on a Hierarchy of Evidence determined by a collaboration of methodologists, guideline developers, biostatisticians, clinicians, public health scientists and other interested members.

When it comes to matters of the heart, it is a travesty that we have been sold another lie - similar to those sold to us about salt, sugar, low-fat diets, vegetable oils, the food pyramind, pharmaceuticals, cigarettes and so many other mass-produced goods that are creepingly harmful to us. We have gone along with the consensus that the heart is a pump and that heart attacks are caused by blocked arteries and so on. This is based on a hypothesis from research carried out a long time ago which has never been openly questioned and which can now be fully discredited.

Try to imagine your heart having the power to pump your blood hard enough to travel through all your arteries, veins and capillaries three times every minute - that's all the way down to your fingers and toes and back again. It becomes obvious that there must be other powers at play. Our blood travels seamlessly through our bodies covering a distance of 12,000 miles a day - so what is really going on?

A journey of discovery

There is no doubt that this book is written by someone who for their entire life, as Thomas says: have been in awe of the heart, both in the medical, physical and anatomical sense and in the broader, spiritual and sacred sense. Driven by the knowledge that the heart can be as much a wellspring of health as a source of disease, Thomas strives to find a deeper and more accurate understanding of what makes the heart tick.

The journey starts with the mainstream view, based on the work of an English physician, William Harvey, published in 1628, describing the heart as a pump. This was considered a seminal work in the field of cardiology which dealt, as Thomas says: a deathblow to the theory of vitalism.

It was Rudolf Steiner who convinced Thomas that the heart is not a pump, as in 1920, he pointed out in lectures to medical doctors that the heart did not force inert blood to move with pressure but that the blood was propelled with its own biological momentum. He also stated that the pressure does not cause the blood to circulate but is caused by interrupting the circulation.

This idea intrigued Thomas for decades and drove him to question everything he had learned about the heart and the circulation of the blood through the body. As mainstream scientists continued to reject any suggestion of other forces at play, Thomas was only just getting started.

The heart is not a pump

The only way to fully understand and appreciate the intricacies of the heart research and observations written so beautifully and carefully in Human Heart, Cosmic Heart, is to read the book. In just 139 pages, it packs a punch and could be a life-changing read for you or someone in your family.

I wanted to share something I found remarkable to give you an idea of what awaits you. It's incredible how we have allowed ourselves to be hoodwinked for so long, especially as the treatments and pharmaceuticals continue to make matters worse in increasing prescriptions of harmful cocktails of Evidence Based Medicine.

In brief, when you measure the relative velocity of the blood at various stages of circulation, the blood moves the fastest in the largest arteries and veins, and it moves slowest in the capillaries. It makes sense because this can be compared to how water moves in a river. It is fastest when the river is narrow, slower when it flows out into tributaries and slowest when it flows out into a wetland area.

As Thomas says, what's amazing is that the blood actually stops moving in the capillaries, which is necessary for the efficient exchange of gases, nutrients and waste products. After the blood stops moving, it oscillates slightly, and then begins to flow again as it enters the veins.

I don't know about you but that gives me tingles. It is as if the blood has a mind of it's own and I am not far wrong. Everything works together to get the job done and the heart is an essential part of that. The way it is designed is mesmerising and the role it plays in creating vortices and spirals - the same to be found in rivers - is further confirmation that everything is connected and that Nature is exquisite in every way.

Real causes of disease

I have written about the problems with manufactured, mass-produced foods that introduce unhelpful and unwanted toxic chemicals and trace elements into our system. A constant bombardment of this harmful non-food and unfiltered water, which are both devoid of any nutritional value, means our bodies have to continually work on filtering, cleaning things out and making allowances for the nutrients we are failing to provide on a daily basis.

The build-up of harmful things inside us that our bodies are unable to process, coupled with the lack of nutrients required to do the cleaning efficiently, is a double-edged sword that over time results in all kinds of disease. The pharmaceutical companies jump on the symptoms and design medicine that suppresses the very warning signs needed to get to the cause of the problem.

As with any health condition, there is no one size fits all and we know by now that a symptom is the body telling us something has to change. This is not something to be falsely removed, suppressed or disregarded. For Thomas, the symptoms are a starting point for further investigation together with an understanding of medical history, diet, living and work environments, personal experience and so on.

In every case, disease can be traced back to the cause which ultimately stems from unquestioned beliefs, unresolved trauma, unhealthy lifestyle and incorrect information that has been accepted in good faith but has never materialised into a healthy solution. Thomas provides evidence that disease can be healed from source when we understand the true cause of the problem.

Care for your heart

In the Appendix there is an entire programme with principles for maintaining a healthy heart and healthy blood circulation which ties in exactly with all we have been talking about here on Spiral Leaf, especially in my post Going Organic is a Journey.

Here are some tips from the book which include being in Nature and experiencing the world through our sense and sensitivity, with touch being so important to keep our bodies charged, grounded and vital.

Nutritional quality matters

Make sure your food and water are as fresh, organic and as nutritious as possible

Eat more vegetables and fruit

Learn how to prepare and cook vegetables (and fruit) so that they taste delicious

Fast intermittently

Learn how to give your digestive system a break and how to do it safely

Start a balanced diet -

Ditch the food pyramid and learn what your body really needs to protect you and thrive

Drink filtered water

Drink filtered (structured) water (little/often) with a pinch of Sea Salt through the day

Trust your instincts

Connect with your heart as it will be the first to tell you what you need to know

Sample recipes are provided so that you can start nourishing your heart, mind and body in the best ways for your ongoing heart health and overall wellbeing.

Listen to your heart

I have barely touched on the significance of this remarkable book that deserves our attention. I have not mentioned anything about the Cosmic Heart aspect which I will talk about in an additional post together with my findings from Intelligent Heart by the team at HearthMath Inc where the synchronicities are profound.

In addition to understanding the true nature of the heart as part of an intelligent and interconnecting circulatory system and how best to care for it, we need to also understand the nature of any external factors that are often the real cause.

As Thomas says: If we are to revise our undersanding of why and how the heart gets sick and how to heal an ailing heart, we need to do this in the context of society and its injustices, and our ecosystems and the damage we have done to them, in much the same way we must treat the heart, not in isolation, but within the context of the body.

My thanks to

Damon Bunce

for his comment on The Salt Fix recommending this book for me to read. It has been a pleasure and I am more than happy to pass on the recommendation.

I hope you enjoy delving deeper into the exquisite human (and cosmic) aspects of your heart and look forward to seeing you again soon.

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Human Heart, Cosmic Heart by Thomas Cowan MD

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