Health Essentials
Is broken-heart syndrome real?
I am sure Cupid is often amazed at the extent some of us go when it comes to the affairs of the heart, but maybe the adage “it is better to have loved and lost than to never love at all.” Love is a good thing but it may also come with its unique challenges.
When love goes bad or one’s expectations in a relationship are not met, some people may suffer what we refer to as broken-heart syndrome. We may think this is purely an emotional phenomenon BUT there is evidence that the heart literally breaks and even the best heart doctors may struggle to differentiate it from a Heart Attack.
The good news is that when your heart breaks from love gone bad, loss of a loved one, financial challenges and even strangely extreme happiness such as winning a huge amount of money or even a surprise mega party, all the changes are reversible from a few days to a maximum of two to three months. Women seem to bear the brunt of this syndrome especially after menopause.
I remember years ago whenever any of my team members at the emergency prompted me that a young lady had just been brought in with “hysteria” you could bet your last crumpled Ghana cedi that there was love in the mix. The story will often unfold slowly and the “unconscious” lady will promptly sit up in bed and spend a significant time being counselled; maybe we should have run more tests on their hearts at the time.
Broken Heart Syndrome may have symptoms that feel like a heart attack and may include chest pain and shortness of breath BUT unlike a heart attack it is not caused by clogged arteries, instead it may be precipitated by an emotionally stressful event such as hearing or seeing on social media that your ride or die partner has other plans.
It appears that stress hormones overwhelm the heart causing heart vessels to go into spasm and instantly reducing oxygen to the heart muscle and mimicking a heart attack. This “stunning” of the heart may be associated with dizziness, fainting, nausea, irregular heartbeat and low blood pressure. These symptoms may start from a few minutes to hours after the stressful event.
Fortunately you will rarely die from broken heart syndrome and you are not more likely to suffer from broken heart syndrome if you already have heart disease but some risk factors do exist:
• Being female
• Age 50 years and above for both males and females
• Your genes may predispose you
• Having a head injury or seizure disorder
• Having anxiety or depression
Some blood tests and ECG (not the company that plays games with our hearts through agonising dumsor) may show heart injury but other heart tests may make the picture clearer though the first few hours can be difficult to tell and one will need to be started on medication to protect the heart.
Fortunately the heart changes from Broken Heart Syndrome are easily reversible and people recover much quicker than someone who has suffered a heart attack. Rarely someone may have complications from this such as heart valve damage or heart failure.
Did we have a surge in Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy (aka Broken Heart Syndrome) about two months ago when we marked Valentine’s Day? “I cannot know, I cannot tell” but the emotional challenges people go through on this single day may be enough to precipitate Broken Heart Syndrome and taking care of our health holistically including mental, social and physical health will go a long way to speed up our recovery when we happen to be hit by this bug.
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials Ltd/ Medics Clinic
(dressel@healthessentialsgh. com)
*Dr Essel is a Medical Doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is an ISSA Specialist in Exercise Therapy, Fitness Nutrition and Corrective Exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
Thought for the week – “For heart health you need to relax and have fun as well; schedule time for leisure, sing praises to God, laugh often, learn to breathe deeply and maybe get a pet. Avoid toxic relationships as much as possible.”
References:
1. Broken-Heart Syndrome- Mary Jo DiLonardo, WebMD
2. Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy – Harvard Health Publishing
By Dr Kojo Cobba Essel
IF you truly love yourself, you had better read this piece while standing!
The other “inactivity” that rivals sitting for long periods when it comes to poor health and untimely death is LONLINESS! Sitting and Loneliness are the new Smoking.
It is often common to hear a parent tell a child, “Sit quietly and watch television and I will make a quick dash to town.” Well, this harmless and well-meaning statement is now being vilified. That parent could have said “smoke a few sticks of cigarettes while I dash off to town.” Yes “sitting is the “new” smoking.”
Scientists: they keep coming up with many weird findings and unfortunately, we realise after much ado that they may be right. People with sitting jobs have twice the rate of cardiovascular (heart & blood vessel) diseases as those with standing jobs – the bankers are cringing in their seats I bet.
It appears that compared to sitting,
• Sitting continuously brings similar challenges that smoking poses a gossip team. After an hour of sitting, if you walk for a minute or two.
Standing is hard work. Imagine that you need to engage many muscles to stand upright, and this burns energy. Sitting on the other hand is extremely relaxing.
When we sit, the “physiology of inactivity” kicks in and when we think we are relaxing in a chair made from heaven, our body instead rewards us with many bad things; enzymes that break down fat may drop by about 90 per cent calorie burning drops to frightening low levels and soon good cholesterol that protects us also drops. If you sit long enough even your insulin effectiveness drops and you will be courting diabetes in the long run.
I sincerely believe in getting a workout during the day, but you should not think that it gives you a license to sit at your desk for hours on end. We should ensure that we get up from our desk to walk briefly or even stretch. I am not giving you an excuse for loitering around your office or forming ings. When you have a meeting with a handful of people you could lace your boots and start walking while you talk. Who knows being out of a box (office etc) could help you think “out of the box” or even think like “there is no box”. The best aspect of such a meeting is people are more attentive since they are unable to fidget with their smart phones and other gadgets.
All lectures and classes (children are really suffering in school these days) should have a “Heart Preserving” five-minute break after every hour. Spend that time walking and stretching.
All long movies should have commercial breaks that should be used to at least stand
Whenever in doubt, at least stand for a while.
Well some people are trying innovative ways of even having small treadmills at their desk that keeps them moving, others are adopting a new chair design that essentially makes you stand at your desk, a few others sit on exercise balls that forces them to adjust their positions all the time but for the rest of us simply taking breaks and using every opportunity to move is just what the doctor prescribed.
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERY DAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials/Medics Clinic
(www.healthessentialsgh.com)
Dr. Essel is a medical doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
Thought for the week – For good heart health; exercise often, eat healthy, do not smoke, minimise alcohol and sit less
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
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I have on several occasions referred to laughter as the “best medicine” just as many others do and over the years, I have expanded my knowledge on the benefits of laughter. We all need to laugh daily and that’s the prescription given by the best doctors all over the world.
I came across the quote “Laughter is the best medicine. Unless you’re laughing for no reason….then you need medicine.” It sounds great and will get you laughing or at least smiling yet I beg to differ. My advice: find a reason to laugh no matter what and if you find none laugh anyway.
A few years ago, I decided to spend my first three hours of being awake laughing or smiling no matter what. It set the tone for a successful day. I did not bother about the early morning traffic, neither did I scream or honk at careless drivers but I guess as the years dragged on and the reality of fuel price hikes, electricity challenges and an ailing Ghana economy among many others hit home, the smile and laughter faded but I ALWAYS get back once I realise I am “short-changing” myself. No matter the struggles you may be facing, remember laughing or smiling will surely make your day so much better.
My prescription for you and myself is “Laugh at least five minutes in the morning and five minutes at the end of the day” no matter what. Do it even if you have no reason to.
Now what does science say about laughter?
1. It helps make the world a better place
a. Laughter is contagious so set the ball rolling by laughing and many others will join in the fun.
2. You learn better
Well, no need to get all serious and mean while you learn something new. A good dose of laughter while you learn may actually make the process more efficient. Word of caution, DO NOT distract others by laughing in an annoying way.
3. You get a health boost
a. We know this, right? I found out that laughter may actually increase good cholesterol while lowering inflammation. We do need more data on this but really, keep laughing, it can’t possibly harm you.
4. Makes you more robust
a. A nervous laughter when your back is against the wall? Laughter helps regulate your emotions in a difficult situation. Crying or frowning is unlikely to have positive returns.
5. Lowers stress and improves memory
a. Stress hormones, especially in the elderly, is reduced by laughter and one’s ability to remember gets a much-needed spike.
6. Makes you more attractive
a. People are always attracted to a “smiling face” or someone who laughs often. They make the party come alive.
7. Improves your relationship
a. Whether you are negotiating a deal at work, interacting with family or friends; laughter creates stronger bonds leading to better outcomes and building stronger relationships.
8. May help burn off some calories
Now I may be pushing this too much, but truth is laughter does raise your energy expenditure and heart rate. Though the calories you burn may be fewer per bout of laughter, every positive thing adds up for our good.
9. Boosts immune function and enhances sleep
a. Say goodbye to frequent common colds and laying in bed for long hours listening to the dogs in the neighbourhood “chitchatting”, a leaking tap dripping or worse still a snore within earshot that will compete with Louis Armstrong on the trumpet.
b. Combine laughter with your daily dose of exercise, and your winning combination is a reality.
10. May improve blood pressure and relax muscles
a. I will not advise you to drop your medication for all day laughter but I am sure laughter will play a positive role in reducing stress, giving you a feeling of wellbeing, relaxing your muscles in the process and your blood pressure may be sending you a thank you beat sooner than later.
Good health, improved learning ability and an enviable memory packaged with an attractive personality and a penchant to build strong relationships sounds like a team player who is destined for success in all fields. That you may agree will make your trips to the bank exciting and of course cause you to laugh all the way to the bank. The cycle repeats itself.Have you had your daily dose of laughter yet?
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials Ltd/Medics Clinic
(www.healthessentialsgh.com)
*Dr. Essel is a Medical Doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is an ISSA Specialist in Exercise Therapy, Fitness Nutrition and Corrective Exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
Thought for the week – “laughter is contagious – Laugh and the whole world laughs with you.”-
References:
1. Fulfillment Daily -7 science-backed reasons why laughing is good for you (2016)
2. Stanford Business
3. Someecards
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
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