The Mind-Heart Connection: How Emotions Impact Heart Health

Heart is an important organ of body and negative emotions like stress, fear, anger, sadness, depression and anxiety could invite many heart diseases. Although we might think that heart ailments affect just the physical body, new medical research has proven that our thoughts and emotions play an important part in the development of heart disease. In fact, studies have shown that certain emotional states - social isolation, anxiety, depression, and anger are actually risk factors for heart disease. For many years Dr. Laman has recognized the important role that our thoughts and emotions have upon our heart health. His book, “How to Heal Your Broken Heart - A Cardiologist’s Secrets for Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Health” published by Advantage Press, offers readers a simple and easy way to begin the process of healing the psychological and emotional issues that trouble their hearts. Drlaman.com - Heart Disease Prevention by Dr. Laman suggests that the heart Disease prevention can be done with the help of the virtues of following the Mediterranean Diet as far as reducing your risk of getting heart disease or suffering a heart attack. Dean Ornish, M.D. a prominent cardiologist from the University of San Francisco has shown that healing our emotional and psychological state is critical for preventing and reversing heart disease. What can be called “An Open Heart” is a way of living that can be learned. It’s my experience and belief that learning to live with a more open heart can have a profound affect on heart disease. An open heart is a heart that is willing to give and receive love. It is a heart that is willing to be intimate and open. Although we might think we can do without love, countless medical studies have shown that love is one of the keys to healing heart disease. Love in all of its forms: kindness, compassion, and even friendship are extremely important for overall heart hearth. Many methods are available for learning this skill. Counseling, psychotherapy, yoga, deep relaxation, and meditation have all been shown to be helpful. A method that I have found particularly helpful is a skill called “Practicing Remembrance.” Practicing Remembrance is a technique for learning how to open the heart to greater love. It is a form of meditation that teaches a person how to bring more love into their hearts. People who lack friends and are socially isolated have a much greater chance of having a heart attack or a stroke when compared to people who have a broad circle of friends. They are even more likely to die when compared to people are not socially isolated. As a friend of mine, Philip Schmucker, has said, “Love is the magic ingredient. If you have love you have everything.” It’s very clear that we all want love. I’ve never met a person who hasn’t wanted to be loved. People have an actual physical need for love. Studies of babies have shown that if a baby doesn’t receive love (if it isn’t stroked and touched) it cannot thrive and grow. Yet, sometimes we look for love in things that really can’t give us what we want. We seek money, security, sex, a good job, reaching the top- all things that on the outside make us believe we should be getting love, but in reality lead us to something else. This is not to say that these things aren’t enjoyable, but they don’t really give us love.