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Monday, 01 August 2005 |
Early researchers John and Beatrice
Lacey noted in the 1960s and 70s that the heart appeared to be
sending meaningful messages to the brain that it not only understood,
but obeyed. And it looked as though these messages could affect
behavior.
Other researchers in psycho-physiology
and cardiovascular activity have since converged with neurophysiologists to create the
discipline of neurocardiology. One of its pioneers, Andrew Armour, introduced the concept of a
functional "heart brain" in 1991. A growing body of
scientific evidence is now demonstrating the link
between mental and emotional attitudes, physiological health and long-term wellbeing:
Men who complain of high anxiety
are up to six times more likely than calmer men to suffer sudden
cardiac death
Over one-half of heart disease
cases are not explained by the standard risk factors such as high cholesterol, smoking or sedentary
lifestyle
An international study of 2,829 people between the
ages of 55 and 85 found that individuals who reported the highest levels of
personal "mastery " feelings of control over life
events had a nearly 60% lower risk of
death compared with those who felt relatively helpless in the face of life's challenges
According to a Mayo Clinic study of individuals with heart disease,
psychological stress was the strongest predictor of future cardiac
events, such as cardiac death, cardiac arrest and heart attacks
Three 10-year studies concluded
that emotional stress was more predictive of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease than
smoking; people who were unable to effectively manage their stress had a 40% higher death rate than
non-stressed individuals
In a study of 5,716 middle-aged
people, those with the highest self-regulation abilities were over 50
times more likely to be alive and without chronic disease 15 years
later than those with the lowest self-regulation scores. |
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