Matters of the Heart for American Heart Month and Valentine's Day

Two things this month put the heart at center stage: Valentine's Day and American Heart Month. Here’s a Brandon Patch guide to matters of the heart.
______________

HEART-RELATED QUOTES

As Buddha would have it, "The way is not in they sky, the way is in the heart."

In concluding her famous diary, Anne Frank writes, "I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are still truly good at heart."

As for constructive civic discourse, Abraham Lincoln cuts to the chase: "He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help."

______________

THE HEART IN OUR VERNACULAR

We have a heart for loving, a heart for giving, a heart for giving and a heartfelt concern for others. We update our statuses with the symbol of a heart, to signify a relationship of merit.

Our hearts are full of joy in times of achievement; they break in the face of loss. Our hearts stand still with strong emotions; they race in times of distress. Hearts burst with pride, skip a beat and sadly, too, they congest and fail.

______________

RISKS OF HEART ATTACKS

officials note that while some risks of heart attacks cannot be controlled, such as gender, genetics and age, many other risks can be controlled.

Risks you can address include obesity, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, stress, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Also, a poor diet.

"See your doctor, stay active, eat healthy, take prescribed medications and keep chronic health problems under control," advises the Web site.

For more, visit Brandon Regional Hospital online.

______________

AMERICAN HEART MONTH

February is American Heart Month, so designated by the American Heart Association to educate people about the steps they can take to prevent heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women.

"The facts are clear," states the association's "Go Red for Women" Web page. "More women die of heart disease than all forms of cancer combined. Uncover the truth and make ending heart disease a reality."

______________

HEART DONORS AND TRANSPLANTATION

Help to prolong a life by becoming an organ donor. Tom and Stephanie Dye can attest to the merits of that choice, as both father and daughter each have received heart transplantations. (See, )

Visit Donate Life Florida and register to become an organ, tissue and eye donor. As of Feb. 7, 2012, the site noted 6,403,402 registrants.

______________

VALENTINE’S DAY AND THE HEART

Why has the heart come to symbolize St. Valentine’s Day?

One report says it might have something to do with a now-extinct plant, the “silphium,” used mostly for seasoning but also reputed to be a form of birth control in the  seventh century B.C. The plant’s seedpod, in the shape of a heart, was depicted on coins used in the ancient Cyrene economy.

The same report, posted in 2007 at Slate.com, by Keelin McDonell, notes the Catholic Church’s influence with the 17th century emergence of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,  a heart surrounded by thorns, as seen in a vision reported by Saint Margaret Mary Alocoque.

Also postulated in that report are “less romantic ideas about the heart-shape’s origin,” including that it was simply the result of “botched attempts to draw an actual human heart,” given that the ancients, including Aristotle, believed in the heart were contained all human passions.

Fast forward to today and the search “heart shape valentine’s day” rustles up some 53.5 million hits on Google, offering news to know, crafts to make and delicacies to both bake and buy as the day approaches.

For more on this topic, check out the post of our blogger, Dr. Lori, the star appraiser on the TV hit show, "Auction Kings" on Discovery Channel airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Her first blog for Patch, Loving Antiques: Valuable Valentines.

_____________

LOCAL TREATS AND GIFTS 

Locally, there is no loss for hearts in the days leading up to St. Valentine's Day, and we offer below a list of treats and gifts to consider:

• The chocolate-heart donut is being offered at , with vanilla buttercream filling and chocolate icing and chips. The chocolate yeast-raised donut's light and airy texture" sets it apart from other chocolate donuts, according to a company report. Also in the shape of heart is a Bavarian cream filled yeast shell donut, with strawberry icing and a mix of pink, white and red heart-shaped sprinkles to boot.  These "Cupid's Choice" selections represent the company's "first-ever shaped donut" and will be offered through the end of February. Use your American Express card throughout the month of February and you will automatically be entered in the Dunkin' Donust "SweetLife Sweepstakes." Rules and prizes are posted online.

• Also from , the recipe for a "Cocoa Donut Grilled Cheese" taste treat, using six cocoa donuts, 6 ounces of reduced-fat cream cheese, one package of strawberries and cooking spray. At about 330 calories per serving, the recipe by Stan Frankenthaler, executive chef for Dunkin' Donuts, is online; a video of his preparation is attached to this posting.

• "From Our Heart To Yours" is the slogan that welcomes visitors to restaurants, promising that 100 percent of the proceeds from the purchase of each Valentine's Day cookie sold in February will be donated to the St. Joseph's Children's Heart Center at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital. The heart-shaped, shortbread cookie is frosted with pink icing and dusted with sugar.

• At Things Remembered, a classic, silver pendant, "reinterpreted in two pieces," with one cut-out heart sitting against another, sells for $29.99 (was $50). Engrave one message on the front, "for the world to see," and "a secret message on the back, near her heart."

•  Through Feb. 14, diamond-heart jewelry savings at at Westfield Brandon include $90 earrings, retail value, for $24.99. Also, $80 black diamond pendants, retail value, for $19.99. Terms and conditions posted are posted online.
   
• Pay $10 for a $24.99 sequin-heart T-shirt when you spend $50 or more at   clothing and accessories, in Lake Brando Village off Causeway Boulevard.