What Is a Broken Heart?

Recently I had a patient who saw me in my cardiolgy practice who had recently suffered a heart attack. She was a 58 year old woman, thin, with auburn hair and fine thready streaks of gray.

Although she possessed some minor risk factors for heart diease, her mother had passed away just a year ago and three weeks before her heart attack her husband had died.

She was certain that her intense grief had helped cause her heart attack. And I agreed with her.

It's well know that our emotions can help to cause actual heart disease. It got me thinking about "Broken Hearts." Although people often think of love relationships going sour as the cause of broken hearts, I think of "Broken Hearts" as hearts damaged by more than love relationships.

I believe that hearts are cracked and strained by many things. Loneliness, anger, fear, anxiety and many other challenging life problems can injure hearts in such a way as to be considered "broken."

My own experience with thousands of heart patients has confirmed this idea.

I once had a patient whose only risk factor for having a major heart attack was having his dog die. I've seen anxiety cause irregular heart rhythms, and have witnessed a man dying suddenly because of a violent argument.

Hearts get twisted and stretched to such a degree that their inner support starts to creak and tremble. Eventually something inside snaps and real disease happens.

Thomas Moore writes about a "dark nights of the soul": he says,"most people go through a period of sadness, trial, loss, frustration, or failure that is so disturbing and long-lasting that it can be called a dark night of the soul." He suggests that these periods of trail are not just issues to be overcome, but rather may be gifts for personal growth and transformation.

Thomas Moore's description of "Dark Nights"- equates with the idea of a broken heart.

A "Broken Heart" doesn't always have to be a bad thing. It can be the catalyst for growth and inner freedom.

take care,

Kirk Laman, D.O.
www.drlaman.com

Broken Heart's Need Help

Broken heart's need help it's true. Just ask Dean Ornish, M.D. In his book, "Love and Survival," he chronicles all the medical conditions (particularly heart trouble) that is affected by a lack of love.

More specifically sadness, anxiety, depression, fear, loneliness, social isolation- everything which contributes to a "broken heart" can lead to heart disease.

We'd all like to think we're immune to the negative effects of our emotions. Yet, they can indeed affect us not just emotionally, but physically as well.

Broken Heart's do indeed need help.

Luckily there are ways to heal your heart. Many methods are out there, you just have to look around.

As a physician who has also been trained as a pastor/healer, I've seen some remarkable turn arounds with in physical illness through yoga, meditation, and prayer.

We're more than just a body. Healing our spirit is very important to our overall health.

It doesn't take that long to see results. I've taught a technqique called "practicing remembrance" to hundreds of patients. It's a combination of breath, sound, and prayer that works.

But you don't have to use my methods. Many effective tools are out there if you look around.

take care,

Kirk Laman, D.O., F.A.C.C.
www.drlaman.com

Eating Your Way to Heart Health

Did you know that what you eat plays a big role in determining your heart health? It's true, for many people what they eat plays a critical role in whether or not they get heart disease.

Studies from native cultures in Africa, Australia, and the Amazon, show that native people rarely get heart disease. In fact their cholesterol levels are significantly lower than Americans! While the typical American will have a bad cholesterol level (LDL) of 120 mg/dl, the LDL cholesterol levels of native people are much lower. (They often are in the 40-60 mg/dl range).

It is a misconception that as we age heart disease is "natural."

Yet, there is a fairly natural way to eat and be heart healthy. It's called the Mediterranean Diet. What is the Mediterranean Diet and how is it useful. The Mediterranean Diet is an eating style that is practiced by people who live around the Mediterranean Basin. It has been observed in numerous research studies that people who follow this diet have a very low incidence of heart disease. It's been shown that following a Mediterranean Diet can reduce your chances of getting heart disease by 75%.

The foods are tasty, and varied. The diet discourages the eating of saturated fat in the form of red meat. Participants are asked to eat fish 3-4 times a week, use olive oil for their fat source, and load up on plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

If a person doesn't like fish, they can take a fish oil supplement.

Eating in this way can dramatically reduce your chances of having a heart attack and cal also reduce your chances of worsening of heart disease.

In the next month I'll be publishing a short pamphlet, "Improving Your Heart Health with the Mediterranean Diet" where you can find out how to start eating the Mediterranean Way. Look on my website at www.drlaman.com

I hope this is helpful.

take care,

Kirk Laman, D.O., F.A.C.C.

Emotional Trauma and Your Heart Health

Have you ever wondered if our emotions can cause real heart damage? Often we assume that our feelings and emotions are separate from what happens to us physically, but this isn't the case.

It has been proven clinically that what we think and feel does indeed directly influence our heart health. People who suffer with severe emotional trauma are particularly at risk.

The "Broken Heart Syndrome" is a real medical condition in which excessive worry and fear can actually lead to a major damage of the heart muscle. Researchers in Japan were the first to describe a medical condition in which high levels of adrenaline and other "stress hormones" create a weakening of the heart muscle.

Often experienced by middle-aged women, the "Broken Heart Syndrome" may be misdiagnosed as a heart attack. Shortness of breath, chest pain, and sometimes lightheadedness are the main symptoms that people experience.

It's not clear how the "stress hormones" actually weaken the heart muscle, but what is clear is the link between our emotions and actual illness.

To learn more about the "Broken Heart" syndrome go to my website: www.drlaman.com and look for the September article.

take care,

Kirk Laman, D.O., F.A.C.C.

Heart Disease- More than meets the eye!

Many people think that if they work on the physical aspects of their heart disease they'll become well, but it's not always that simple.

Heart disease affects people on more than just the physical level. Even as a cardiologist using all the latest and most sophisticated tools, we can't always see the cause of heart disease.

It's more than meets the eye. Besides the physical causes of heart trouble we also have emotional, mental, and even spiritual heart issues that can affect our developement of actual heart disease.

I'm creating this blog to be a resource for people who want to find out more about working with these other aspects of heart disease.

You can go to my website: www.drlaman.com to learn more about Healing Your Heart.

take care,

Kirk Laman, D.O., F.A.C.C.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Michigan State University-College of Osteopathic Medicine.