posted August 21, 2006 01:03 AM         

quote:

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Last month, when 33--year--old Sameera Narwal went through a rather messy divorce after eight years of marriage, she never realised that love could hurt so much. So much so that, she would have to be hospitalised for what doctors are now calling 'stress cardiomyopathy' also known as 'broken heart syndrome' in lay parlance.

Recently, a study in the UKbased medical journal, The Lancet has shown that stress and other psychological factors were found to add more to the risk of heart disease than even diabetes. Moreover, researchers from The Harvard Medical School have found that bad or shocking news really can break your heart. They found that after a trauma like this, people can suffer surges in adrenaline and other stress hormones which 'stun' the heart. So, can one die from a broken heart?

"If we can love with our hearts, we can die from a broken heart as well," avers cardiologist Dr Shyamsunder Tripathi. "There are documented cases of sudden cardiac arrest following powerful emotional distress. What happens is that ongoing stress, following a traumatic event or loss, adversely affects the cardiovascular system."

Experts add that brought on by intense stress, stress cardiomyopathy sufferers can have levels of adrenaline 30 times higher than normal. Says Dr Vandana Asgekar, a consulting cardiologist, "After a break up or loss of a partner, there is a tendency for hostility to build up which is a very toxic emotion." Dr Asgekar adds that this coupled with rise in both adrenaline and cholesterol levels makes it very hard to relax.

So what is the solution to 'intolerable heart ache'? According to specialists, learning to recognise the broken heart syndrome, and by dealing with it optimistically. But bouncing back from a breakup isn't all that tough, says 26--year--old Yash Khemka, who, though devastated to the point of depression after his stressful breakup with his fiancee, has now managed to move on.

"I realised that life goes on no matter what," says Yash highlighting the importance of a supportive family and friends circle. "They were by my side through it all and I think in some way it was them who made my life worth living again."

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posted August 21, 2006 05:57 AM         

I have been seeing an accupuncturist for a while and he says to me "i am not saying ye are gonna have a heart attack...but....".....

I knew what he meant......its exactly as your post describes...

Thankyou Mannu.

posted August 24, 2006 01:59 AM         

I wonder if the two conditions are related? I know PTSD raises adreneline.

posted September 04, 2006 04:24 AM         

Intense emotional pain affects the 4th chakra, the Heart... Don't we feel a huge weight on our heart when heartbroken, as if we couldn't breathe??? That's blocked energy...

When energy doesn't flow normally through a chakra and becomes stagnant, after a time, it could build up in a physical disease or problem.

It'd start giving us warnings: pain in the chest, tachycardia... But if the 4th chakra remains severely blocked for longer... why not a heart attack???