Ten MIllion Hearts Broken
20 million people currently suffer from heart failure. Half will
die within five years of diagnosis. Their hearts are, in effect,
permanently broken.
The beginning doesn't seem optimistic, but let us not be afraid
to find out the truth about ourselves. Why do people suffer from
heart attacks, arrhythmia, pains in chest? Is it only because of
smoking, consuming alcohol, sudden shocks or something else?
Scientific researches have shown that chronic emotional states
such as stress, anxiety, hostility and depression take far
greater toll than sudden shocks. The risk from psychological and
social factors is almost as great as that from obesity,
ineradicable smoking and hypertension. Researchers are starting
to learn why. And a growing number of clinics are putting that
insight to work in programs that tackle heart disease at one of
its most unlikely sources: in the mind.
Doctors are finding that psychosocial factors pose far greater
risks than they previously realized. Depression at least doubles
an otherwise healthy person's heart attack risk. Hostility is an
increasingly important risk factor, too. It increases the
chances of dying from heart disease by 29 percent, and by more
than 50 percent in people of the age 60.
Even childhood trauma seems to have an impact on heart disease
later in life. Heart attack risk is up to 59 percent higher in
people who reported adverse childhood experiences such as
physical, sexual or emotional abuse, domestic violence or having
family members who abuse drugs or alcohol.
Why do this stressors have such a potent effect? On the most
obvious level, emotional states affect behavior. Depressed or
angry people are less likely to stick with diet and exercise
regimes and are more likely to smoke. One study showed that the
most hostile patients consumed 600 more daily calories than the
least one. But behavior is only the beginning. [...]
Find full article: Ten
Million Hearts Broken