Feb
09
2010
Another article appearing in the Wall Street Journal this week is worth passing along. The author, Ron Winslow, writes that “Broken Heart Syndrome is typically triggered by acute emotion or physical trauma that releases a surge of adrenaline that overwhelms the heart. The effect is to freeze much of the left ventricle, the heart’s main pumping chamber, disrupting its ability to contract and effectively pump blood.”
“The phenomenon is a “concussion” of the heart, says Scott Sharkey, a cardiologist at Minneapolis Heart Institute. “It’s really a heart attack which is triggered by stress rather than by a blocked artery,” he says.
Triggers for broken-heart syndrome seem as varied as the number of people affected. While death of a spouse or other close family member or friend is a common cause, breakups such as a divorce or separation have also sparked the event, according to a study of 136 patients by Dr. Sharkey and his colleagues published Jan. 26 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
For others, being overwhelmed by new software at work, seeing a poultry barn burn down, or losing money at a casino all have brought the condition on, doctors say.”
Read the entire article.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23
Dec
01
2009
What the Research Says
Osteoporosis is the most widespread degenerative disease in the developed world, afflicting 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over 50.
Despite the accumulating evidence for a connection between depression and decreased bone density, official authorities, such as the US National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization, have not yet acknowledged depression as a risk factor for osteoporosis, due to the lack of studies in large samples.
A study of several research efforts including thousands of people by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers has shown a clear connection between depression and a loss of bone mass, leading to osteoporosis and fractures. The results, say the researchers, show clearly that depressed individuals have a substantially lower bone density than non-depressed people and that depression is associated with a markedly elevated activity of cells that breakdown bone (osteoclasts).
What the Bible Says
God inspired writers of the Bible to share his truth and principles about the connection between our emotional and spiritual health and our physical health. Take a look at the following verses related to this topic:
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22
“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones .“ Proverbs 14:30
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” Proverbs 3:7-8
“My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.” Psalm 31:10
What You Can Do
Seek to have a cheerful heart.
If you’re carrying bitterness towards someone, forgive them.
Have a reverential fear of God and his principles, and turn away from evil and sin.
If you’re jealous towards someone, ask God to take that nature away from you. Be content with what you have and trust God to provide for your most basic and deepest needs.
If you are a believer in Christ, turn to God in a more dependant and surrendered way and allow his Spirit to have more influence and control of your thought life and attitude. Ask him to change you… to transform you from the inside out. (Romans 12:2)
As we walk with God in a personal way, following his commandments and principles out of love, we are able to become more and more like his Son, Jesus. This transformation brings us greater inner peace, gentleness and joy. This often goes hand in hand with good physical health.
God seems to make it pretty clear in the Bible – the guidebook he has given us to live by. Perhaps this is the best explanation concerning the link between depression and bone health.
Questions to Reflect On
What has your experience been regarding depression and bone health? Can you personally see a link between the scriptures listed above and your health?
Related Resources
Article – Forgiveness
Article – His Instruction Manual … Our Guidebook for Healthy Living
Article – Spirituality and Your Health – Understanding the Connection
God’s Promises – Scriptures related to depression from InTouch Ministries
Nov
23
2009
I’ve started reading a new book, Prescribing Faith – Medicine, Media, and Religion in American Culture by Claire Hoertz Badaracco. Today I read the chapter titled Belief and Wellness: Medical Pluralism and Healing.
This chapter is one of the most concise writings I have read that explains the mind-body connection from a medical or scientific perspective. Among other topics, Badaracco discusses the following in the context of health and healing:
- The stress and relaxation responses
- Prayer, meditation and contemplation
- Mindfulness
- Habits of thinking
- Negative emotions – the anxiety pandemic
- Allostatic load
- Memories and remembered wellness
- Suffering
- Neurogenesis
- The role of physicians and practitioners
- Personal transformation
- Media’s impact
As I read this chapter, I was not surprised to read that most all of the principles she mentioned about the findings of many researchers in this field of religion/spirituality and health are also principles that the writers of the Bible captured thousands of years ago. These principles or spiritual truths were provided to us by our Creator, God, and science is beginning to get a handle on them – to understand them from a medical perspective. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Our role as believers in Christ or as seekers of the truth, is to believe and understand the truth that is recorded in the Bible… and then to apply it to our life… in the way we behave and the way we think.
More and more it is clear to me that our purpose in life is to be in a right relationship with God – to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength – and to love and serve others with the special gifts He has given us. (Mark 12:30-31) When we do this, God is glorified. This is our purpose for being on this earth.
As we practice the principles found in the Bible – as we obey God out of love (John 14:15,23), one of the outcomes, in general, is a high quality of life including good health. (John 10:10) This is how God designed things to work. Good health and well being should not be the motivator for practicing the Christian faith, but it’s often an outcome of putting into practice God’s principles that He’s provided us with in the Bible.
I’m looking forward to reading more of Badaracco’s book and to understand the impact that media, and in fact my writings, might have on people’s understanding and impression about the religion/spirituality-health link.
More Resources on the Spirituality/Religion-Health Link
Article - Spirituality and Your Health – Understanding the Connection
Article – Think Spiritual Thoughts/Renew Your Mind
Article – His Instruction Manual … Our Guidebook for Healthy Living
Poster Presentation – The Spirituality-Health Connection: Why It Exists A Christian perspective on this link supported by 194 scripture passages and 41 key principles.
Web Page – How God Designed Us
Web Page – Stress, Your Health and Faith
Sep
04
2009
If you’re a late night eater or snacker, it may be detrimental to your ability to manage your weight.
The study is said to be the first to show directly that there is a “wrong” time to eat. This was just reported in the current issue of the journal Obesity which showed that mice who ate at night gained more weight than mice who ate at normal hours.
Here is a summary article reported in the BBC News – “Eating Late at Night Adds Weight” and this following link is to the abstract of the article in the Obesity Journal – “Circadian Timing of Food Intake Contributes to Weight Gain.”
Just trying to keep you informed on issues affecting health.
Resources on Weight Management
Scripture List Related to Weight Loss and Weight Management
Aug
12
2009
Yesterday I found a great resource for those interested in the spirituality-health link.
Visit the University of Pennsylvania Health System’s Pastoral Care Department for a listing of articles published on this topic between 1999 and 2008.
Here is the link for the most recent year – Spirituality & Health: A Select Bibliography of Medline-Indexed Articles Published in 2008.
Thanks to Chaplain John W. Ehman for compiling the listings.
Spirituality and Health Research On My Website
Links to Articles and Presentations on the Research in Spirituality and Health
Aug
01
2009
Dr. Christina Pulchaski, Executive Director of the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health, is interviewed by Sally Quinn of the Washington Post’s On Faith column.
Topics addressed in the 5-minute video:
- Intercessory prayer
- The power of belief
- Research design
- Mechanisms of religious practices and health outcomes
View the video of the interview here.
Jul
21
2009
From PBS’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, the work of Andrew Newberg at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Spirituality and the Mind is explored and discussed in an interview. Here are a few excerpts:
DR. NEWBERG: We’ve learned that being religious or spiritual has a very profound effect on who we are, has a very profound effect on our biology and on our brain, and what we’ve found more recently is that not only does it have a profound influence on who we are, but it actually can change our brain and to change ourselves over times.
Dr. NEWBERG: The more you use a part of the brain the more blood flow it gets and the brighter or more red it looks on the scans.
Follow the link below to read the interview or view it in a video.
The Brain and Faith.
“For as he(a man) thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7 KJV
Articles I’ve Written on Faith and Health
Are Your Thoughts Causing Health Problems?
Think Spiritual Thoughts/Renew Your Mind – A Spiritual Exercise for a Healthier Life
Jun
17
2009
“When individuals, regardless of their faith, incorporate these powerful biblical principles of the Christian faith into their lives, the spirituality and health connection occurs and they will tend to enjoy better health and well-being.”
This is the conclusion to a recent presentation I made at Duke University. Read more of this article »
Jun
02
2009
A CNN article reports that a group of singers in London have formed a group called Sing for Joy. It’s a community choir for people with Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and others recovering from conditions including stroke or cancer. Many of their friends and caregivers are also members of the choir. What they have in common is an illness or that they care for someone with an illness. They believe that singing with others makes them feel better.
Doctor Wendy Magee, International Fellow in Music Therapy at London’s Institute of Neuropalliative Rehabilitation, describes music as a “mega-vitamin for the brain,” capable of influencing and improving motor function, communication and even cognition. “When neural pathways are damaged for one particular function such as language, musical neural pathways are actually much more complex and much more widespread within the brain,” Magee told CNN. “Music seems to find re-routed paths and that is why it is such a useful tool in terms of helping people with different kinds of brain damage because it can help to find new pathways in terms of brain functioning.”
It’s not surprising that researchers have documented the health benefits of singing songs of joy. In the Bible, there are countless exhortations for us to sing out songs to God.
“Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.”
“Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.”
“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” Psalm 100:2
“Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.” Isaiah 49:13
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16
God knows the impact that singing songs of joy has on our health. If you’re suffering from a health issue, lift up a song to God, thanking Him for who He is and what He’s done in your life. Sing out to him in praise. He wants your praises regardless of how you’re feeling.
Songs of praise to God glorify Him most importantly. A secondary affect may be that they have a positive impact on your health.
Be well!!
May
11
2009
Researchers on Friday made public a large study with a finding that we should not find surprising: Losing your job may make you sick.
In a study by a Harvard School of Health researcher, workers who lost a job through no fault of their own, she found, were twice as likely to report developing a new ailment like high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease over the next year and a half, compared to people who were continuously employed.
The following was reported in a NY Times article of May 8, 2009.
Only 6 percent of people with steady jobs developed a new health condition during each survey period of about a year and a half, compared with 10 percent of those who had lost a job during the same period.
David Williams, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health who was not involved in the research, said the study is a reminder that job loss and other life stressors have a tremendous impact on both mental and physical health and contribute to the development of chronic conditions.
“We know that stress affects health,” said Dr. Williams, director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America. “It causes changes in physiological function in multiple ways, and it can lead to alterations in health behavior. People no longer exercise, they eat more, they drink more. People who smoke, smoke more on high stress days.”
If you’ve lost your job recently, how are you handling your stressful situation? Are you excluding God in your “battle” or distress? Are you attempting to manage on your own by falling back into an unhealthy habit or an addictive behavior to cope? Or, are you turning towards God by asking and relying on His help?
God wants us to choose Him as our source of strength when times are tough.
Read one of my blog posts about finding strength in God during difficult times.
Read scripture affirmations about stength from God.
