Most well aware of controlling risk of CVD etc via cholesterol levels, LDL, exercise, and so forth, but don’t pay any mind (pun intended) to their psychological health for mitigating risk. Even main stream med now openly confirming the mind’s impact on heart health. The mind-heart connection so to speak. Not some woo woo article in a health rag, but just out from J. Circulation:
Psychological Health, Well-Being, and the Mind-Heart-Body Connection: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
Abstract
As clinicians delivering health care, we are very good at treating disease but often not as good at treating the person. The focus of our attention has been on the specific physical condition rather than the patient as a whole. Less attention has been given to psychological health and how that can contribute to physical health and disease. However, there is now an increasing appreciation of how psychological health can contribute not only in a negative way to cardiovascular disease (CVD) but also in a positive way to better cardiovascular health and reduced cardiovascular risk. This American Heart Association scientific statement was commissioned to evaluate, synthesize, and summarize for the health care community knowledge to date on the relationship between psychological health and cardiovascular health and disease and to suggest simple steps to screen for, and ultimately improve, the psychological health of patients with and at risk for CVD. Based on current study data, the following statements can be made:
There are good data showing clear associations between psychological health and CVD and risk; there is increasing evidence that psychological health may be causally linked to biological processes and behaviors that contribute to and cause CVD; the preponderance of data suggest that interventions to improve psychological health can have a beneficial impact on cardiovascular health; simple screening measures can be used by health care providers for patients with or at risk for CVD to assess psychological health status; and consideration of psychological health is advisable in the evaluation and management of patients with or at risk for CVD.
I agree with that. I had been a runner and exercise freak most of my life but ended up needing a triple bypass at 54.
Not overweigh, cholesterol below 190. I worked a high stress job on a rotating shift 3 on 3 off, day night schedule for 25 years prior to the bypass and went through a bad time in my marriage 8 years before the bypass.
I firmly believe those two things were the main contributing factors to my CVD. After the bypass I was assigned to a cardiologist, the first thing he said to me was, "When a patient walks in I know why they are here, I just have to look at them after reviewing their history. In your case I don’t know why you are here, you have no obvious risk factors.
Modern western med continues to view the mind as separate entity from the body. Per paper in the OP, etc, that’s slowly changing, but not quickly enough and it’s up to people to “get” that, and add account for it as part of their approach to prevention of CVD, and other diseases. That such a paper published in that journal is a great step forward, but how many med pros will read it and incorporate that info that gets passed on to their patients?