• Extra white blood cells can cause inflammation in people whose arteries are already thickened with plaque
• These inflammations can lead to ruptures which can cause heart attack in minutes

 

Stress has been scientifically proven to cause heart attacks and strokes, according to ground-breaking new research.

The link between stress and cardiovascular problems has been a long-held belief among medical experts but, until now, there has been little physical evidence.

Now a US study has found that as well as increasing adrenaline, stress sends the immune system into overdrive by increasing the number of white blood cells that fight disease. White blood cells search the blood for viruses, bacteria and fungi and are a key part of the body¿s immune system For people whose arteries are already thickened with plaque, extra white blood cells worsens inflammation and can lead to ruptures. Platelets and clotting proteins then rush to fill the open wound – and if the clot fills the artery, it will cause a heart attack in a matter of moments.

Professor Matthias Nahrendorf, of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, working with colleagues from Harvard Medical School, analysed 29 medical staff exposed to chronic stress while working in an intensive care unit and found white blood cell counts rose in all of them.

The ‘challenging and fast paced environment’ was chosen as it frequently required life or death decisions to be made and the participants reported feeling their stress levels rose whenever they were on duty. The researchers then looked at how chronic stress in healthy mice, induced by social or environmental factors such as isolation or tilting their cages, activated nerve fibres in their bone marrow. This led to stem cell proliferation and increased white blood cell production.

Increased white blood cells appeared to induce hardening in the arteries, known medically as atherosclerosis, of the laboratory animals. These resembled the ‘vulnerable lesions’ found in humans that are prone to rupture and cause heart attacks.

via Proof that stress really does cause heart attacks | Daily Mail Online.

 

• Unfortunately, Holidays Bring High Risk for Heart Trouble

Most heart attack deaths tend to occur on three specific days during the holiday period. So what causes heart disease complications during the holidays?

In a national 2004 study published in Circulation, researchers at the University of California at San Diego and Tufts University School of Medicine found that there are 5 percent more heart-related deaths during the holiday season. The biggest days of the year for heart attacks are Christmas Day, Dec. 26 and New Year’s Day.

Family get-togethers are inevitably known to cause stress. The study in Circulation found that people may feel stress from having to interact with relatives, absorb financial pressures such as purchasing gifts, traveling expenses, entertaining, decorating and having to travel. You need to know what causes your stress to limit these factors.

Loneliness and sadness is also a big stressor. If you know someone is sad or alone or recently lost a love one, call them and comfort them during the holidays.

• Here’s some helpful tips

Dr. Arathi Rao has a tip sheet on dealing with holiday stress: How to Navigate Thanksgiving Without Family Drama & Stress

A “must have” powerful tip sheet to get you through this Holiday season without stress & anxiety. Plus a valuable tip that has helped many to vaporize stress in 1 minute (hint: this effective strategy can be used all year round)