Coronary artery disease, or heart disease, is all
too common among some of the acquaintances I have. It seems that exactly why the
body decides to store extra fatty material in the arteries to the heart is less
concrete than the fact that it can. When it does happen, the amount of
oxygenated-blood flow to the heart is restricted. I am particularly interested
in how it affects blood pressure. Unfortunately one does not usually sense the
build-up. What one gets instead are symptoms only very close to having a heart-attack.
With that in mind, I wanted to look at the preventative information concerning
this issue.
The University of Minnesota has a site that explains
that there are two main ways to treat heart disease. One method is through the
use of medications, and the other is through changes to one’s lifestyle. The
preventative measures the article lists include no smoking, maintaining a
healthy weight, get three to four hours of intense exercise every week, and eat
at least five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day (http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/conditions/heart-disease).
This article also suggested a book by Dr. Dean Ornish
who has founded a preventative medicine center and written a good bit about the
challenges of heart disease. One of his books is Love & Survival: The Scientific Basis for the Healing Power of
Intimacy (1988). “Ornish
presents startling scientific evidence from researchers from many parts of the
world on the important role of social support in healing all kinds of diseases”
(http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=941).
Two items that he mentions in particular are touching and becoming aware
of what/how you say things. That really touched me and resonated with my
current readings in psychoneuroimmunology.
At JayMan’s blog, I found a discussion about the
correlation of both genetics and temperature to heart disease. The blogger
feels that genetics and the average temperature in which you live are
determining factors for heart disease, greater than those of life style. So I
asked him what he thought about the relaxation response. I was thinking that if
one lived in a colder place they might not relax as much. His response is
complex but interesting.
Barbara /
Sep 26 2013 1:30 PM
What a
fascinating conversation. I am studying arts in medicine. We look at happiness,
relaxation response, and how doing art positively influences the immune system.
I wonder if one could study heart disease and those who sing? heart disease in
those who consider themselves happy? Perhaps these studies are being or have
been done. I’ll look. Otherwise, I agree that there is much more to learn about
most things.
@Barbara:
We look
at happiness, relaxation response, and how doing art positively influences the
immune system.
Well, that would be an awfully hard thing to study, because
you’d have to perform a very long randomized controlled trial…
I
wonder if one could study heart disease and those who sing?
Sure,
but it would be simply an academic inquiry. It wouldn’t be able to help anyone
since the ability to sing is something you have or don’t have…
References
Ann Louise: At
the Heart of Your Health. http://www.annlouise.com/blog/2013/02/15/at-the-heart-of-your-health/comment-page-1/#comment-58106
Centers for
Disease Control. http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/
How Stuff
Works. http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/cardiovascular/heart/heart-attack.htm
Ornish, DD. http://www.pmri.org/dean_ornish.html
University of
Minnesota. http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/conditions/heart-disease.
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