THE MIND HAS EMOTIONAL CONTROL OVER THE HEART. NONA WALIA REPORTS HOW HIGHS AND LOWS CAN WEAKEN THE HEART
A broken heart is more vulnerable to a heart attack. If you are having a negative thought every nanosecond, you're more likely to get a stroke! Truth is emotional highs and lows make the heart vulnerable. The heart is the seat of emotion and moods - every sad thought and angry word weakens it.
At a fit 110 pounds, 43-year old Grammy winner Toni Braxton is a poster girl for heart disease. It all began when she felt tired, short of breath with 'tightness' in her chest. When she sang Unbreak my heart, little did she know that a broken and tired heart made her vulnerable to heart disease? In an interview after her heart problem, she said,' I always heard older people saying,' when you sing a songs they become your life'. A broken heart, emotional trauma made me vulnerable, I was just always feeling crazy tired, especially with my younger child," said Braxton.
Emotional exhaustion can be fatal. It's foolish not to listen to the body's warning. According to Mona Lisa Schultz, MD, a neuropsychiatrist and author of Awakening Intuition, women inherently know when something is amiss in their health. "Don't keep your emotional issues within, discuss them, or they can be fatal for you."
A healthy heart is about happy people. Those who are optimistic and friendly will have a healthier heart and less chances of heart trouble. Dr. Avdesh Sharma, psychiatrist says," A negative thought makes your heart beat faster and the vessels of the heart become smaller not because of high cholesterol but negativity as they increase activity of the sympathetic nervous system, which gears the heart into fight-the-danger mode. Whenever you're angry, jealous or competitive the blood going to the heart decreases when it should increase. Type A personalities, who are competitive and jealous, are known to have heart problems because they're always in this defense mode."
He adds, " A recent study by AIIMS indicates changes in the arteries can be reversed by positivity. Try to surround yourself with laughter and cut out toxic people."
Why, even a Harvard study indicates that an emotion like hopelessness is associated with heart disease. Scientifically, not everyone with heart disease has an emotional trigger, but such triggers make the heart problem almost fatal. Psychological distress is an alarm, don't ignore it. Emotional trauma can be a high risk factor, says Dr Niraj Kumar, consultant interventional cardiologist, Artemis Health Institute. "Emotional turbulences lead to hormonal fluctuations and may precipitate a heart problem, particularly in a vulnerable person who already is exposed to other risk factors like diabetes, bad cholesterol. An emotionally rough patch, a breakdown of a relationship or a loss, can cause precipitate plaque rupture and lead to angina or heart attack. Type A people, who are over-ambitious, perfectionists and always want to outperform, have more heart problems."
A bad marriage, an angry spouse, and exposure to a murder or an ugly street fight - all increase the risk of heart disease. According to a study, Psychology Today reports, it's not only stress but also work-related monotony and boredom - often referred to as burnout - that puts us at risk. Says Dr Umesh Gupta, cardiologist, " Chronic stress and events with certain emotional themes can kick off an inflammatory process that leads people to both depression and cardiovascular disease."
Says Dr Anil Bansal, cardiologist, "The heart takes a beating because of emotional trauma, especially a young death or end of a marriage. It can precipitate high BP and a severe emotional condition can make the valve rupture. Emotional balancing is the key to a healthy heart."
Your mind dictates your heart, medically at least!
Cardiac checklist!
Cardiologist Naresh Trehan warns us of the factors that put the heart at risk
Risk factors that can't be controlled:
Heredity: Having a family history of heart ailments almost doubles the chances of a person facing similar health problems.
Age: Most people affected by coronary heart disease are in their 60s. However, those in their 30s also suffer from heart attacks now.
Sex: Men are usually more at risk. Usually, women encounter heart disease after menopause, between 40-45 years of age.
Risk factors that can be controlled:
High blood sugar: It affects the functioning of blood vessels in the heart.
High blood pressure: Increases the load on the heart and can result in a stroke or heart attack.
High cholesterol: It results in fatty deposits, which block the arteries.
Obesity: If your weight is above 10 percent of your ideal body weight, you are heading for trouble.
Smoking: Compared to a non-smoker, a smoker stands double the chances of developing heart disease. Smoking can also cause sudden heart failure.
Alcohol: Excessive consumption of alcohol causes irregular heartbeats and can lead to a stroke.
Inactive lifestyle: Regular exercise keeps obesity, diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure under control. The intensity of workout may vary person to person.
Stress: Relaxation after every 24 hours is a must. Cumulative stress is an extremely harmful thing for physical and mental health.
Prevention
Regular check-ups: A person with a family history of heart ailments should go for regular check-ups after the age of 30. Early detection of the disease makes it easier for medics and there is a possibility of restoring 99 percent of that person's lifespan.
Intelligent eating: Basic knowledge of diet helps a person opt for healthy options. Don't overeat, have your meals on time and avoid eating late at night. Limit the consumption of white sugar, white bread and oil.
Regular exercise: Brisk walking for 45 minutes, five times in a week, in necessary for for every one. One can opt for yoga or other high intensity workouts too. The basic idea is to be fit and attain an ideal body weight.
Avoid smoking: Consumption of tobacco in any form is a great health risk and should be avoided.
Quick Fact
Laughing is a great workout for your heart. It increases the blood flow to the arteries.
Quick Fact
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in diabetics.
Eat healthy!
Take to a healthy food that fight cholesterol and keep the heart healthy, urges dietician Ishi Khosla
1 Oats: Dietary fibre plays an important role in maintaining our health and protecting us against many diseases like diabetes, heart disease. Oats, oat bran, and oatmeal contain a specific type of fibre known as beta-glucan. It is a soluble fiber that helps in decreasing LDL (bad cholesterol). One of the special things about the way oats work unlike other fibers is that it lowers only bad cholesterol while levels of good cholesterol (HDL) remain unchanged. This means an even better ratio between total cholesterol and HDL, ensuring increased protection against heart disease. Oatmeal is the only wholegrain food recognized by the FDA to lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease, thereby allows its claim as a heart protective ingredient in food labels. Studies also show that in individuals with high cholesterol (above 220 mg/dl), consuming just 3 grams of soluble oat fiber per day (an amount found in a bowl of oatmeal) typically lowers total cholesterol.
2 Soya bean: Soy protein protects against various heart diseases and hypercholesterolemia as it decreases LDL (bad cholesterol) significantly, increases HDL (god cholesterol) and prevents oxidation in blood vessels.
3 Green tea: Several studies have suggested that drinking either green or black tea may lower blood cholesterol concentration, blood pressure and inhibit clothing of blood, providing some protection against cardiovascular disease. While green tea benefits arise from catechins, black tea benefits arise from theaflavins, both of which inhibit oxidation of bad cholesterol LDL.
Tea contains significant amounts of folic acid. Folic acid helps reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. A person could obtain up to 25 per cent of RDA for folic acid by drinking five cups a day.
4 Barley ('jau'): Several scientific researches have found that barley has some unique health-promoting effects, particularly for the heart. Its cholesterol fighting effects seem to be even more promising than oats. Studies suggest that barley can lower cholesterol levels as much as 15 percent in individuals with elevated cholesterol levels.
Like oats, barley too is a good source of "beta-glucan", a water-soluble form of fiber, which seems to retard fat and cholesterol absorption by the intestine. The fiber tends to bind bile salts, thus increasing cholesterol removal from the body, and fat-soluble substances, tocotrienols (vitamin E) appear to suppress cholesterol synthesis by the liver.
5 Psyllium husk: The good old 'Isabgol' is high in insoluble fiber (hemi-cellulose) and soluble fiber. Psyllium has also been known to exhibit cardio-protective role as it helps in lowering blood cholesterol, especially the undesirable fraction of serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides, apo-lipoprotein B and reducing inflammation. Cholesterol lowering properties of psyllium can be attributed to its high fiber content and presence of beta-sitosterol (a phyto-chemical).
