In developed countries coronary heart disease is the biggest killer, causing approximately 35% of deaths. Within the next 15-20 years, cardiovascular disease is projected to surpass infectious diseases to become the leading cause of death worldwide.
In a world where intentions of regular exercise are often hard to realize, ready meals and takeaways are a welcome option after a long day at work, and rhythms of sleep and rest are often disrupted, heart and circulatory conditions are a real danger for many.
Severe illnesses like heart disease and cancer are accompanied by pathological changes in biological rhythms in their early preventable state. These changes in biological rhythm include disturbances in sleeping and waking as well as changes in breathing and circulation (heart rhythms). Such rhythmic disruption is the concern of chronobiology defined as the effect of time in living systems.
The cutting edge advances in chronobiology research, notably researches on Heart Rate Variability, has led to the development of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches which are of value not only in effective health promotion but also in the treatment and prevention of disease. Heart Rate Variability measures the changing intervals between two heart beats. Today, heart rate variability is a scientifically well recognized tool to measure autonomic nervous system function.
The autonomic nervous system regulates the function and rhythm of all organs, particularly the relationship between breathing and circulation or heart function. It comprises of two opposite players: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems. The sympathetic autonomic nervous system is responsible for the well-known “fight or flight” response, when we have to be alert as in an emergency situation. The parasympathetic autonomic nervous system as its corresponding counterpart is responsible for relaxation, regeneration, nutrition and sleep.
The autonomic nervous system also has a close connection to our endocrine and immune system, for example through the function of the suprarenal glands by releasing adrenalin, cortisol or DHEA.
If our autonomic nervous system is in a functional balance then we are capable of recovering from any stress or strain without suffering any ill effects. If the system is out of balance, we will start to become susceptible to ill health like hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, infectious diseases and possibly even cancer and premature aging.
One factor that strongly influences the balance of our autonomic nervous system is our emotions. We know now that a vast number of medical conditions are caused by the influence of strong negative emotions on our biorhythms and our autonomic nervous system. We also know that in turn positive emotions have a harmonising and thereby health promoting effect on our body. Measuring Heart Rate Variability gives an accurate picture of the ability of the organism to recover from stress and strain and allows the measurement of the impact of life style and emotions on our general health. Scientific research has shown that Heart Rate Variability is an accurate predictor of the likelihood of sudden cardiac and even non-cardiac death and of the risk of accidents as in construction industries.
As we grow older, Heart Rate Variability or the variability in speed of the heart beat reduces naturally and is an indicator of the relative youthfulness of our organism. It further reduces with negative chronic stress. Thus, a low level of Heart Rate Variability indicates that an individual is at risk of developing a serious illness or is aging prematurely.
Research has shown that maintaining a high level and good coherence of Heart Rate Variability has a beneficial effect on performance. This means that the heart has the capacity to vary its heart beat given different conditions of stress and strain and recovery. With a high level and coherence of Heart Rate Variability, the autonomic nervous system is in a balanced state thus enhancing cognitive function which includes concentration, focus, memory, flexibility of response, intuitive insight, judgment and decision making.
We measure Heart Rate Variability in our clients through the Heart Balance technology called HeartMan. The HeartMan is a 24 hour ECG holster that measures and registers fine changes within the heart and breathing rhythm. The result of this investigation is a so called auto-chronic image that can be interpreted in cooperation with the health professional and gives an accurate picture of the ability of the organism to recover from stress and strain. The result also indicates sleep quality and vitality. It is therefore an accurate predictor of the risk of developing serious heart disease.
From a preventive and wellness angle, this technology is used to monitor the progress in health of an individual while pursuing HeartSpheres exercises or a wellness program.
The HeartMan technology was developed by Professor Dr. Max Moser, human physiologist at the University of Graz, Austria and is widely used in research, executive coaching, rehabilitation and sports medicine.
Based on the above researches on chronobiology and Heart Rate Variability, a wellness approach to balance the autonomic nervous system and protect the heart was developed by Dr. Peter Grunewald. This approach is called The HeartSpheres Technique. The HeartSpheres techniques were developed to promote physical and emotional health and to enhance performance in a stressful environment. Although it is fully acknowledged that stress and extreme emotions can have a positive impact on enhancing performance, this is only a short term advantage. Prolonged and high levels of stress eventually take its toll on the workforce. Eventually, this will undermine the health of the individual, leading to poor performance and bad judgement in decision making.
Vast amounts of money are lost through ill health, absenteeism, poor job satisfaction and poor performance.
Furthermore, negative extreme emotions impact negatively on professional and private human relationships. Although we can manage our exposure to stress, often to a very limited degree, the main question remains: How do we change the way we process stressful events and activities so that we can utilize the energy behind extreme emotions, such as anxiety, fear, frustration etc., without being affected negatively in health and performance?
The HeartSpheres approach has developed very effective and easy to learn techniques that can profoundly change our ability to cope with extreme life circumstances and extreme emotions. These exercises do not only enhance our skills and our performance but also have a profound health promoting and illness preventing effect on our physiology. As we learn to manage our emotional response and our breathing process, we learn to balance our autonomic nervous system, restore and enhance the regenerative power of our organism, and learn to prevent serious illness despite being exposed to extreme circumstances. This is achieved by applying easy to learn and powerful self-help techniques mainly centred on a medically developed balanced breathing technique. Once mastered, the balanced breathing technique can then be applied in conjunction with effective mental techniques such as focused relaxation, visualization techniques, positive self-talk, and creating and sustaining positive feelings.
The very powerful techniques are easy to learn and to practice within a busy and challenging working environment.