Your Vibrant Heart by Cynthia Thaik

You can't really live without your heart.  I'm sure you know that.  So it's a good thing to take care of it.  However, reality is that most people do not take care of themselves the way they should. 

We get an overview of the heart in this book through a variety of perspectives.  Thaik is a cardiologist, but also a practicing Buddhist, so while there is a Western perspective in this book in regards to medicine, there is also an Eastern perspective. 

Chapter 1 covers the physical heart itself and how it develops and works, it also covers the emotional aspects that work on the heart as well.  Chapter 2 talks about what happens to hearts in terms of illnesses and how different diseases weaken the heart.  Chapter 3 is all about food and what is healthy and what is not.  Chapter 4 is the fitness section and all about exercise.  Chapter 5 talks about how to rejuvenate the heart through cleansing, massage, and other activities.  Chapter 6 talks about reviving your emotional heart through activities and positivity.  Chapter 7 is to reinvigorate the mind and has sections on crystal healing, acupuncture, meditation, and other therapies.  Chapter 8 is to restore the soul and it has a section on death, a section on dreams, and creating the life you want.  Chapter 9 gives the ABC's of a Vibrant Heart; Affirmations, Behavior and Commitment.  Chapter 10 goes Beyond the Vibrant Heart and is a conclusion to the book. 

This is not an in-depth book.  It may be three hundred pages but it covers such a multitude of topics that it is more of an overview.  I think my favorite section was the first and the diagrams really helped with making me understand how the heart is developed and the illnesses that can damage it.  I enjoyed the other sections, but they weren't as thorough as the first part. 

There are some controversial aspects to this book.  Nothing that screams in your face, but the section on smoking was certainly a take I had never heard before.  It made sense to me, but I can see it making a lot of smokers upset.  The Eastern medicine may throw some people off too if they're looking for something more surgery based or medicinal based.  There are studies and research that back it up though so it's well worth taking a look at though. 

An interesting book about the heart.  If you have heart problems (or not) this is a good way to get some information on the heart and how to take care of it.

**This book was received as a Free Advanced Reviewer's Copy**

Your Vibrant Heart
Copyright 2014
298 pages