It has long been recognized that heart function is a reliable indicator of the state of an individual’s health. A major breakthrough occurred with the invention of the stethoscope in 1816 by Dr. Rene Laennec. Dr. Laennec invented the stethoscope because he was uncomfortable placing his ear on women's chests to hear heart sounds. Since that time the stethoscope has become an incredibly useful instrument for evaluating heart function. It was discovered that the heart responds slowly to long term changes in health and quickly to short term changes in emotion, temperature, activity, metabolism, and environment.
The heart beats approximately 72 times a minute, which means each beat takes less than one second. Because the heart beats so fast much information can be lost when listening through a stethoscope. Not to mention the difficulty in comparing the characteristics of heart beat to what iy was days, weeks or months earlier.
A breakthrough occurred in 1937 with the invention of the Endocardiograph by Dr. Royal Lee, the founder of the Standard Process vitamin company. Utilizing a special microphone and vacuum tube technology the Endocardiograph recorded and graphed heart sounds. The Endocardiograph was designed to provide a means to measure nutritional status. Dr. Lee and others determined that the heart almost instantly reflected changes in the body chemistry. Thus, the Endocardiograph provided an objective evaluation and a permanent record for charting progress.
In 1996 the Acoustic Cardiograph was introduced. This updated Endocardiograph featured advanced“solid state” electronics. More portable and durable than the Endocardiographit is still manufactured and in wide use today.
In 2017 a digital version, the Heart Sound Recorder, was introduced. The Heart Sound Recorder is a state-of-the-art instrument with a specialized microphone that is placed over each of the four valve areas of the heart. It digitally records and displays heart sounds and graphs these specific sounds and movements. Comparison graphs can help determine the effectiveness of actions taken to improve health and wellness.
A Heart Sound Recording is easy to do and takes about 15 minutes. We are currently offering a
free Heart Sound Recording
to anyone who is interested, especially those over 50 or who have any other risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
