Heart Health - Are You Good for Mine?

Our January newsletter looked at New Beginnings. With that our focus is often on the physical—losing weight, exercising more, perhaps reducing stress. By the time February arrives we focus on love—the relationships we’re in, the relationships we wish we were in, or the ways we wish the ones we are in were different. Have you ever considered how these parts of us—the physical and the emotional—might impact each other?

Recent studies support the idea that a healthy marriage provides health benefits to both men and women and may actually help you live longer. “Our research shows that having good long-term relationships provides as many physical benefits as being active or a nonsmoker,” says Teresa Seeman, PhD, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at UCLA (The Art of Aging, www.prevention.com, October, 2007). In a 13-year study of middle-aged women, researchers from San Diego University and the University of Pittsburgh concluded that women in satisfying marriages had fewer risk factors for cardiovascular disease than their less-satisfied or unmarried counterparts. Conversely, research also reports that marital strife and other bad personal relationships may raise your risk for heart disease.

A British study, released late in 2007 of 9,011 British civil servants done over a 12-year period, supports that theory. “’Those in a negative relationship were 34% more likely to have a coronary event in the 12 years of follow-up,’ says Roberto De Vogli, PhD, MPH, a researcher for the study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Even after taking into account other factors that could contribute to heart disease, such as depression, men and women with negative aspects in relationships still had a 25% increase in heart disease risk over the follow-up period, says De Vogli, an epidemiologist at University College London. ‘We found the effect is there not only for married people,’ he says, but also for unmarried people who have negative relationships with close friends.”

Does this mean that we should avoid all conflict in our relationships to stay healthy? Quite the opposite! One study actually shows that a constructive argument with your spouse can increase immunity. When “41 happy couples [were asked] to discuss a problem in their marriage for 15 minutes, the researchers detected surges in blood pressure, heart rate, and immune-related white blood cells, all of which were similar to the benefits seen with moderate exercise” (What to Do Every Week: Express Yourself, www.prevention.com, November 2006).

Human relationships do affect our health. Scripture is full of prescriptions about our hearts. Proverbs 17:22, for example, says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” If you are in a relationship with too much conflict, it may be time to get some help. It may not be just your feelings that are hurt, but your heart that is feeling the wear and tear as well.

©2008 Associates in Christian Counseling, all rights reserved.

If you are struggling with stress in a significant relationship,
call 336-896-0065, ext. 203, and help your heart.