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Coronary heart disease has been one of those diseases for which evidence of a
role of emotional and spiritual health has been accumulating for years. Along
with changes in diet and regular exercise, attaining emotional and spiritual
health by reducing stress and addressing emotional issues may not only slow the
coronary heart disease's progress, but even reverse its course.
Diet: Adopting a heart-healthy nutrition strategy is a powerful way to
help reduce total cholesterol, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugars, and
reduce body weight. While most dietary plans just tell you what you CAN'T eat
(usually your favorite foods!), the most powerful nutrition strategy helps you
focus on what you CAN eat. In fact, heart disease research has shown that adding
heart-saving foods is just as important as cutting back on others. Some
heart-healthy nutrition strategies include:
- Eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes.
- Choose fat calories wisely by limiting total fat grams and avoiding
saturated fats.
- Limit cholesterol consumption.
- Feed your body regularly: Skipping meals often leads to overeating. Eating
five to six mini- meals is the best way to control blood sugars, burn fat
calories more efficiently and regulate cholesterol levels.
Exercise: Regular exercise is essential to a more healthy lifestyle
and provides many benefits. These include:
- Strengthening your heart and lungs (efficiency)
- Aiding in weight loss
- Decreasing body fat
- Building energy levels
- Decreasing blood pressure
- Strengthening & building bones
- Improving muscular strength and endurance
- Decreasing stress, tension, anxiety, and depression
- Making you feel healthy
Before beginning any exercise program it is important that you speak with
your health care provider about what types of exercise are right for you. Your
health care provider can also help you get started on an exercise program if you
are unsure where to begin.
Emotional and spiritual health: Life stresses such as stressful
working conditions or emotional issues such as depression and/or loneliness have
been linked to a high risk of coronary heart disease. Likewise, for patients
with coronary heart disease, stress and emotional issues can play a key role in
accelerating the progression of the disease and increasing the likelihood of
heart attacks and strokes. What are alternative therapies?
Alternative therapies can be defined as practices not widely taught at
medical schools, normally available at hospitals or subject to reimbursement.
The term "alternative" suggests that these therapies substitute for
conventional treatments. However this is usually not the case, and the term
"complementary" is becoming more common. Another term that is becoming
more widely used is "integrative medicine." This describes a system in
which therapies once considered alternatives are being incorporated into
traditional medicine to create a new way of practicing. Many alternative
therapies are based on the belief that mind, emotions and spirit influence
physical health.
Alternative medicine views individuals as whole people with minds and spirits
in addition to bodies, and recognizes the interconnectedness among these
dimensions. As scientific evidence for the effectiveness of therapies that
acknowledge these interrelationships grows, the trend toward integration of
alternative approaches will continue to grow.
Mind/body/spirit approaches to wellness differ from traditional health care
in that patients need to take responsibility for choosing practices that aid in
their healing. It is ultimately only the patient who can heal emotional and
spiritual dimensions.
Practices commonly used to address emotional and spiritual
health
Imagery: Imagery is based on the assumption that individuals have the
ability to conjure up images that affect physiology (function of the mind and
body). Individuals can use imagery to affect their own well-being. Many audio
tapes that guide inner imagery are available. In the health care setting, visual
imagery is commonly used to induce relaxation or to encourage patients to
visualize healing in the bodies. A common use now involves providing audio tapes
before surgery. Several randomized trials have shown decreased anxiety,
decreased postoperative pain and decreased length of time spent in the hospital
when imagery was used. Studies of brain activity during imagery, as well as
hypnotic suggestion (see below) have shown that the same region of the brain is
activated whether a subject imagines an image of an object, or whether the
object is actually seen.
Meditation: Meditation is a practice of achieving a state of inner
calm. Most forms of meditation originated in Eastern spiritual philosophies.
Meditation typically involves focusing on one's breathing or on a single thought
or word as a tool for stilling the mind. Studies of brain activity have shown
that when people are meditating different changes take place than when they are
simply relaxing or sleeping. Likewise, meditation can lead to decreases in blood
pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension that are greater than those that occur
during sleep or simple relaxation. Because of this research, meditation or
"mindfulness" programs are becoming accepted, and are often used in
addition to traditional medical interventions. Many tapes and books are
available and can help you develop your own meditation or mindfulness program.
Yoga: Yoga is an ancient Indian practice that involves meditation,
spiritual discipline, stretching, diet, breath control and sound. There are many
scientific studies showing that yoga can decrease blood pressure, heart rate,
and anxiety and suggesting the benefits of yoga in a variety of medical
conditions. Yoga is becoming very popular and classes are widely available. It
is becoming increasingly common to find yoga classes being offered in medical
centers.
Prayer: Prayer is another practice, often used in the West to connect
with a spiritual source. A sizeable body of literature has demonstrated the
benefits of religious practice on health. Brain imaging studies have shown that
brain activity changes during prayer and research has shown that blood pressure
and heart rate can decrease.
Hypnosis: Hypnosis originated in the 18th century in Western Europe.
It leads the person into what is assumed to be an altered state in which
decreased perception of the external environment allows increased focus and
access to unconscious parts of the mind. Because evidence suggests its benefits,
hypnosis is frequently used to treat addiction, pain, anxiety and phobias.
Biofeedback: This method is widely used in traditional settings to
teach patients to use their mental powers to control bodily functions that used
to be considered involuntary, such as blood pressure, heart rate, muscle
activity, and brain wave activity.
Music therapy: Music therapy is based on the fact that music affects
emotional states. Its effectiveness in the clinical setting has been researched
for years, and a large body of evidence supports its benefits, especially for
pain and reducing stress and anxiety.
Art, journaling and dance therapies: These are all used to improve
emotional well-being. They are designed to aid in self-discovery and connection
with an inner self, or they can be used for self-expression.
Aromatherapy: Aromatherapy is the use of concentrated essential oils
extracted from flowers to improve health and emotional well-being. It has been
used for thousands of years in countries such as India and Egypt. Many people
find the use of these oils to be helpful in decreasing anxiety or inducing a
sense of calm and well-being.
Massage: Massage has been used in healing for thousands of years and
is based on the idea that body manipulation can be used to aid in movement of
energies. There are many forms of massage, and in recent years methods that
focus more on inducing relaxation have developed. Massage has claimed to bring
about such improvements as relaxation, relief of muscle tension, improved sleep
and improved blood circulation. Massage has also been shown to have beneficial
short-term effects in patients experiencing anxiety.
Practices based on belief in a "life-force": Acupuncture is
based on the premise that Qi flows through energy pathways or meridians in the
body. Research is showing that acupuncture can change brain activity and that it
is beneficial for several conditions, including nausea and pain. Qi-gong and
T'ai-Chi are practices used to enhance the flow of Qi in the body. Energy
healing is based on the belief that one individual can affect the flow of the
life-force in another. Common energy healing practices are Therapeutic Touch
that nurses often learn in nursing school, Reiki and Healing Touch. Although
researchers are still testing this, many people use energy healing treatments
because they find them helpful in decreasing stress and anxiety.
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