From the category archives:
Pets a Boon for the Human Heart, Cardiologists Say THURSDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) — That four-legged friend of yours may be more than a companion — he also may be boosting your heart health, experts say. An official statement released Thursday by the American Heart Association says there is evidence that having a pet, [...]
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(Keep in mind that meditation reduces the risk of a heart attack by at least 50%) from www.MeditationOasis.com Walking Meditation How to meditate while walking Walking meditation can be just as profound as sitting meditation, and has the advantage of bringing the meditative experience into our activity. There are a number of different walking meditations. [...]
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Heart Chakra Meditation | Guided Meditation Practice The following is a dictation of the practice of a heart chakra meditation taught by Swami Sivajnanananda. This practice is designed to help open the heart chakra, stimulated emotional release and sensitizing the practitioner to the traits of love, compassion, and joy. This practice can be used by [...]
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from www.freemeditations.com Heart Centered Meditation Begin by finding a quiet spot where you will not be disturbed. Take the phone off the hook. Turn off your mobile phone, radio, and television, as well as any unnecessary electrical equipment in the area immediately surrounding where you will be meditating. Sit or lay down in a comfortable [...]
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[Emotional stress is often under-rated as major factor in heart disease.] from the article: When divided into three groups based on levels of the stress hormone, the third of study participants with the highest cortisol levels had a fivefold increased risk of dying from cardiovascular causes as the third with the lowest levels. High Cortisol [...]
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[Interesting study on how our expectations (eating out makes you happier) versus reality, that people feel better after eating at home.] from the article: The study looked at how food choices influence mood. 160 women reported what they ate for 10 days. They were contacted every two hours to report what they had recently eaten, [...]
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[Continuing with the theme of the limits and utilization of will power...] from the article: This helps explain why, after a long day at the office, we’re more likely to indulge in a pint of ice cream, or eat one too many slices of leftover pizza. (In fact, one study by researchers at the University [...]
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[In the 60's, when meditation become more mainstream. the phrase I would often here is: "If you are too busy to meditate, you are too busy." -- And today the phrase I came across was, "It is important to meditate twenty minutes a day.... If you are too busy to meditate, meditate for an hour [...]
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[There are many different styles and practices of meditation, and many of them have health benefits. Reduction of inflammation is particularly important for heart health...] Eastern and Western medicine unite for mind/body health January 4, 2010 Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi, PhD, senior lecturer in the Department of Religion at Emory, and Charles Raison, MD, in [...]
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Among hypnotherapists, this phenomena has been known for decades; this reality has essentially been ignored by the medical profession for a long time. And, even for those folks who don’t remember, the long-term effects on the psyche is usually under-rated, particularly for children… The experience is frequently dissociated from consciousness and memory, yet continues effect [...]
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From the article: Patients who begin an exercise program one week after their heart attack were found to have the best heart performance. For those who waited to begin their exercise rehabilitation program, the results showed that “for every week that a patient delayed his or her exercise treatment, he or she would have to [...]
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Although keeping a food journal is most likely an effective strategy to lose weight, the problem with the research cited below is that there is no control or differentiation over who keeps a food diary and who doesn’t. Of course anyone who has the focus and discipline to keep a food diary is going to [...]
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When I was at the Mayo Clinic last year, the day before I was to undergo major surgery, I found myself in atrium of the beautiful Gonda building. Playing the grand piano was a white-haired woman,who was at least in her seventies. Next to her sat a clearly disabled, elderly man who sang, in a [...]
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All the research–not to mention common sense–suggests that expressing positive emotions is good for your heart. So here is a top ten list of happy songs for your heart: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Whistle While you Work Frank Sinatra On the Sunny Side of the Street Walt Disney Productions Hakuna Matata Barbra Streisand [...]
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Face it, the Holidays can be depressing. You’re missing your family…you don’t have a family…you have a family… you’re mad at you family…your family is mad at you.. you’re out of money … you’re out of time… it’s winter and you live in Fairbanks…. It’s time to cry. The way out is through — get [...]
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Apparently, research suggests that music is good for the heart! (Obviously, no surprise here, but an increased brachial artery flow of 26% does sound good.)(Article is at end of this post,) So, in addition to singing along with your favorite Christmas tunes, here are ten heart healthy heart songs: Neil Young Heart of Gold Janis [...]
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Years ago, California had a 1-800 hotline you could call if you were trying to quit smoking. They asked the callers if they could check back on them to see what strategies of quitting smoking worked. It turned out that a large variety of strategies worked, except for the strategy of using willpower. The problem [...]
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… The idea of being asked who you are, why you are having surgery, and listening to a checklist sounds very empowering to me — an antidote to how helpless one feels before surgery… Ask for it at your local hospital… Patient Safety: Checklists And Teamwork Lower Number Of Surgery Deaths LINDSEY TANNER 10/19/10 CHICAGO [...]
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Yesterday’s post suggested that if you warm your hands by holding a cup of hot coffee, you will have “warmer” thoughts about the people you meet. Even more importantly, you can train your hands (and other parts of your body) to become warm and/or relaxed through a number of mental and physical techniques. Over the [...]
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Continuing on the theme that it is healthy for your heart to warm your hands… In an experiment, college students experiencing physical warmth perceived emotional warmth in strangers. Talk about getting in touch with your feelings. NPR Dan Charles October 23, 2008 If you’re going out on a date anytime soon, you may find this [...]
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One of the earlier and frequently cited studies on mind-body interactions is a 2003 article in psychosomatic medicine: Psychosomatic Medicine 65:564-570 (2003) © 2003 American Psychosomatic Society Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Richard J. Davidson, PhD, Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, Jessica Schumacher, MS, Melissa Rosenkranz, BA, Daniel Muller, MD, PhD, Saki [...]
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Yesterday’s post suggested that as one takes pills, it is a good idea to breathe deeply, relax, and visualize the expected effects of the medication/supplement/vitamin. This suggestion is based on the “placebo effect” — which is another way of describing how powerfully the mind can effect the body. As far as I know, no research [...]
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Exercise-based rehabilitation for coronary heart disease Cochrane Review October 23. 2000 Abstract Background The burden of cardiovascular disease world-wide is one of great concern to patients and health care agencies alike. Cardiac rehabilitation aims to restore patients with heart disease to health through exercise only based rehabilitation or comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation. Objectives To determine the [...]
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Edvard Munch The Scream 1893 As far as I can tell, there is no research or information on the Web (other than what has appeared in this blog) about using art therapy after a heart attack. None. Nada. What is the deal here? Vets with PTSD do art therapy. Kids with asthma benefit [...]
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As mentioned in previous posts, heart attacks are almost always traumatic (whether they meet the full criteria for PTSD or not). Art therapy is one way to approach the trauma in way without making it worse (which talking about the trauma can do.) The statement in the following article that “art therapy has been understudied [...]
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For me, one of the best metaphors for PTSD is the astronomical findings of “black holes” — they are so powerful that they suck up the light around them, so one can only infer their existence. For the most part, talk therapy is not effective with PTSD. The traumatized person much prefers to avoid talking [...]
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The following article is an excellent review of the original studies involving depression, anxiety and prognosis after a heart attack. (Note, however, that it is from 2003.) The conclusion of the article bears repeating: “Treating symptoms of anxiety and depression in MI patients is an abiding imperative.” Anxiety, depression, and prognosis after myocardial infarction Is [...]
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This is the most thorough review article I have seen on psychological interventions after heart events. One of the interesting findings was that it was more effective to have interventions two months after the event rather than immediately. According to this article, fewer than 50% of people who have a cardiac event (which was not [...]
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My own experience with cardiac rehab several years ago was mixed; it felt safer after a heart attack to be in a hospital setting and have my heart monitored, and it was good to have a schedule to stick to. However, there was absolutely no attention paid to the psychological factors associated with heart disease [...]
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