So what can savvy nutritionally-conscious consumer do about this? Go with a term that is clearly defined and regulated by FDA: organic. In next issue we’ll delve into intricacies of organic foods, including basic regulations and differing levels of organic production. In meantime, avoid foods that are only labeled as “natural” and go for those labeled “organic” or “natural and organic.” It’s real stuff.

Anyone suffering from any kind of illness, injury or decreased ability already knows this. I am guilty of ignoring my body on most important level—recognizing its power over me. In my continuing effort to connect body, mind and spirit, I’ve forgotten that three don’t always share equal billing.

Empedocles, a philosopher and scientist who lived in Sicily in 400s BC, was first to state in any sort of medical way that heart was origin of human emotions. I guess we’re supposed to believe, based on current research, that this is completely inaccurate. Our emotions are actually connected to our brains.

But really, it just isn’t as satisfying to think of love as being a head thing. Our hearts seem more poetic, more romantic, more likely to be swept away by sheer force of nature that is love. We understand what it means and how it feels to be brokenhearted. We feel an ache in our hearts in quite a literal way. A headache is nothing like a heartache.

We use a lot of language that calls attention to this link between our hearts and all that is good, true, beautiful, and just. Whether we’re listening to our heart, opening our heart, connecting to our heart, trusting our heart, or simply living to our heart’s content, we regard it as seat of soul and source of tremendous compassion and tenderness.

Women are supposed to have a pretty good handle on all this, and that’s why I believe that we haven’t really considered women as being susceptible to heart disease. We’re great at picking up on importance of being aware of breast cancer, but when it comes to heart, we want to believe that we are somehow protected from what we have come to think of as stressed-out man’s disease. Or fat person’s disease. Or don’t-pay-any-attention-to-your-health disease. We hope that by simply being aware of our emotions, our habits and their effect on our bodies that we’re somehow immune.

I guess what I’m trying to say is this: if you have a heart, then you are at risk. It’s that simple. It’s terribly important to do all right things, but even then, you’ve still got this ticker that needs tending. You need to know your risks, and you know to know how to reduce them.

I’m not sure what I’m going to learn about my heart when all is said and done, but I’ve already learned an extremely valuable lesson. My heart may be open, it may be full of love, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect.

I’m hoping for some seriously good news for Valentine’s Day this year. I’ll be waiting, and wearing red.