Stress And The Heart

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death throughout the world. Chronic negative emotions such as depression and anxiety place cardiac patients at greater risk for death and recurrence of cardiovascular disease. In 2008 the editor published a book related to this topic, titled Psychotherapy with Cardiac Patients: Behavioral Cardiology in Practice (American Psychological Association). Aside from that book, there are very few resources specifically written for clinicians who treat psychologically distressed cardiac patients. Unlike other medical specialty areas such as oncology, the field of cardiology has been slow to integrate behavioral treatments into the delivery of service. Perhaps because the field has been largely defined and dominated by researchers, mental health clinicians are only starting to recognize behavioral cardiology as a viable arena in which to practice. There is a large void in the practitioner literature on behavioral cardiology. In a review of Psychotherapy with Cardiac Patients, Paul Efthim, Ph.D. wrote, "Her new book goes well beyond previous works by giving specific and detailed guidance about how to tailor psychological interventions with this variegated population." He added, "It would benefit from even more details about treatment approaches." This proposed volume goes beyond the editor’s previous volume by providing in-depth descriptions of behavioral treatments for distressed cardiac patients written by eminent leaders in behavioral cardiology. This book describes a wide range of behavioral treatments for the common psychologically based problems encountered by clinicians who treat cardiac patients. The book is organized as follows: Part I focuses on the most psychologically challenging and common presentations of cardiac diagnosis; coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, and heart failure. This section also includes a chapter on heart transplantation, which is a treatment, not a diagnosis, but a treatment that incurs profound psychological impact for the individual. In Part II, behavioral interventions for the general cardiac population are described. Mainstream therapies such as stress management, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and medical family therapy are described, along with approaches that have less empirical support but considerable practical significance such as personality-guided therapy and interventions aimed at altering type D personality traits. The literature in behavioral cardiology has a rich history of investigating maladaptive personality traits and thus it is important to include behavioral approaches that target personality in this volume. Part III focuses on common behavioral problems encountered by clinicians who work with this patient population. Most patients who seek psychological help do so because they perceive themselves to be stressed due to their job or overextended in all areas of their life. Other people with heart disease present with sleep problems and/or an inability to motivate themselves to exercise or quit smoking. There are many practical behavioral approaches that can be helpful for patients with these difficulties and these are detailed in this section of the book. The conclusion of the book focuses on how to integrate the behavioral treatments described in the preceding chapters into a comprehensive treatment model.

This is the seventh edition of a long-selling book (first edition 1991) that was translated into Italian, French, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, English. In the last ten years, stress echocardiography has exploded in its breadth and variety of applications. From a one-fits-all approach (wall motion by 2D-echo in the patient with known or suspected coronary artery disease), the field has progressed to an omnivorous, next-generation laboratory employing a variety of technologies (from M-Mode to 2D, from pulsed, continuous, color and tissue Doppler to lung ultrasound) on patients covering the entire spectrum of severity (from elite athletes to patients with end-stage heart failure) and ages (from children with congenital heart disease to the elderly with aortic stenosis). This new edition is enriched with over 300 figures, 150 tables and video-clips. In a societal and economic climate of increasing pressure for appropriate, justified and optimized imaging, stress echocardiography offers the great advantages of being radiation-free, relatively low cost, with minimal environmental impact, and with a staggering versatility: we can get more (information) with less (cost and risk). The volume will be a tremendous aid to current best practices for all health operators who intend to use stress echocardiography and ultrasound for diagnosis and guidance of optimal management in their patients.

This book bridges the gap between fundamental and translational research in the area of heart disease. It describes a multidisciplinary approach, and demonstrates biochemical mechanisms associated with dysregulation of redox signaling, which leads heart disease. Presenting recent studies on improved forms of ROS scavenging enzymes; specific inhibitors for different ROS generating enzymes; and oxidant induced signaling pathways and their antagonists that allow subtle modulation of redox signaling, it also discusses the spatial and temporal aspects of oxidative stress in the cardiovascular system, which are of vital importance in developing better strategies for treating heart disease. Each chapter offers researchers valuable insights into identifying targets for drug development for different types of heart disease.

This book's groundbreaking Cardiac Wellness Program uses relaxation response techniques, nutrition, and exercise to reduce cholesterol, blood pressure, and other risk factors for heart disease.

The main aim of this book is to evaluate the concept of stress and provide tools for physicians to identify patients who might benefit from stress management. This will incorporate a detailed description of the physiological and pathophysiological consequences of acute and chronic stress that might lead to cardiovascular disease. The book will aim to critically evaluate interventional research (behavioural and other therapies) and provide evidence based recommendations on how to manage stress in the cardiovascular patient. Our intentions are to define and highlight stress as an etiological factor for cardiovascular disease, and to describe an evidence based "tool box" that physicians may use to identify and manage patients in whom stress may be an important contributing factor for their disease and their risk of suffering cardiovascular complications.

Is stress hurting your heart? Do you want to live longer, feel better, and protect your health? A stress-proof heart is immune to the physical impact of unrelenting stress. Diet and exercise play an important role in preventing heart disease, but the most insidious, under-addressed risk factor of all is the one that many of us find the hardest to manage—stress. We can’t alleviate all stress, and we wouldn’t want to even if we could. Some stress is natural and necessary; it is what gives us the zing of energy to get things done. Trouble comes when that zing becomes a constant thrum, continually triggering the stress hormone cortisol to pump into the body rather than allowing it to ebb and flow as we need it. This book provides tools to power a fulfilling life by efficiently processing cortisol out of the body and nurturing a heart resilient enough to withstand high stress, change, crisis—and to bounce back from illness. Author Eliz Greene knows that protecting your heart from stress isn’t a “nice-to-have.” The strategies in this book are essential, life-or-death skills. When she was 35 years old and 7 months pregnant with twins, Eliz survived a massive heart attack, causing her heart to stop for 10 minutes. To reduce her heightened risk of having another heart attack, she’s spent the last 17 years honing practical and implementable strategies to manage stress for herself and the thousands of audience members and readers she reaches each year. Stress-Proof Your Heart contains these strategies and the fruits of her international research study on job stress. Engaging assessments and actionable principles and tools will enable you to evaluate the physical impact of your stress and then offset that impact to protect your heart. Find out how to: Protect your heart from the stress hormone cortisol and avoid countless other unpleasant symptoms such as weight gain (especially in the belly and face), insomnia, muscle weakness, mood swings, and reduced cognitive function. Use everyday activities to help your body efficiently process cortisol of your system, so you can to feel better and function at a higher physical and mental level. Motivate yourself to commit to a healthier life. Includes bonus content to address emotional stress from Eliz’s book Stress-Proof Your Life.

A scientifically proven program to alter the body's physical baseline response to stress--working specifically with heart rate--to fine-tune reflexes and perform at maximum potential.