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Natural Awakenings South Central Pennsylvania

Heart Sound Recorder

Mar 28, 2019 12:06AM ● By Gisele M. Siebold

The heart is more than a muscular organ that pumps blood through the circulatory system. According to Dr. Christopher Gouse, owner of Gouse Chiropractic, located in Mechanicsburg, “The heart is an indicator of wellness. It is vital that the heart has the proper nutritional balance in order to keep the correct rate, rhythm and tone.”

In 1983, scientific research at several universities and laboratories prompted a discovery that the heart produces hormone-like chemicals that react with hormones produced by the endocrine system. In 2003, J. Andrew Armour, M.D., Ph.D., published his pioneering research on the anatomy and function of the heart’s intrinsic nervous system, indicating that the heart possesses “its own little brain”, capable of complex computational analysis on its own.

In the late 1930s, Dr. Royal Lee developed the endocardiograph, a tool for graphing heart sounds that provides practitioners with a means of measuring nutritional status. The endocardiograph was the forerunner to the Heart Sound Recorder (HSR).

The HSR, a computer-based, low-risk, general wellness monitor, acquires, displays, records and saves the sounds of the four valves of the heart. It allows clinicians to see what they cannot hear, because many heart valve sounds are too subtle and below the audible range. The sensor is unique because it does not detect other sounds in the body.

Trained in the use of the HSR, Gouse explains that clinicians use it to observe function, rather than as a pathological tool to diagnose disease. While using the device, a graph is created showing the heart’s rate (speed), rhythm (beat) and tone (strength). In this way, the heart’s reaction to nutritional, chemical and emotional stressors can be observed. Findings from the device may be used to support medical therapies and recommendations.

Gouse says, “Psychological stress and the production of stress hormones can adversely affect the heart. When clients reduce stress by attending to self-care and the heart gets the nutrition it needs, patterns can change.”

Gouse Chiropractic is located on the second floor of the West Shore Tennis Club, 150 Silver Springs Rd., in Mechanicsburg. For more information, visit HeartSoundsNutrition.com.