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.”
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?
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
“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.”
The Feb. 23rd issue of Time is a special mind-body issue with the cover story “How Faith Can Heal.” The main article is The Biology of Belief.
There is another article that includes a question and answer forum by three experts that discuss the role that belief should play in science.
A third “User’s Guide” article provides a listing of research institutes, books, websites and pilgrimages that may be a resource for people who want to know more about this topic.
Most interesting to me was the Biology of Belief article as it explores what happens in the brain as a person practices certain behaviors or thinking patterns.
I was bothered by one aspect of this issue however. A sidebar in the hard-copy of the magazine addressed how various religions view life after death. Concerning to me is that Christianity is misrepresented. In that light, I have written the editors of the magazine and asked that a correction be made in an upcoming issue. This is my email to the editors:
On Page 70 in the Feb. 23, 2009 issue you have a sidebar on “How Religions View the Beyond.” Under Christianity, you say the vast majority of Christians believe “that your destination depends on your deeds and faith during life.” This is not at all accurate. We believe in scripture that says:
Romans 10:9-10 – That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.(after death you will live eternally in heaven – my notes) For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
John 11:25 – 26- “Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.” ”
Romans 3:28 - “So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.”
The bottom line for the Christian faith is that to be saved and have eternal life all we have to do is believe that God loves us so much that He sent His son, Jesus, to die for our sins/wrongdoings. Jesus then was resurrected.
If we believe this in our heart and confess it, we will go to heaven. Our “deeds” do not determine our destination after death, it is our faith – whether we have accepted Jesus as our savior.I hope that you will make a correction of what you wrote in the Feb 23rd issue. What you printed is not true. It misrepresents the Christian faith and will mislead many people. Sincerely, Dale Fletcher – Founder, Faith and Health Connection
If you’d like to correspond with Time on this issue, they can be reached via email – letters@time.com.
Overall, these articles are very informative. You may want to run out to a book store and buy a hard copy for your further reading and use. Enjoy!
P.S. – Thank you Janice, my sweetheart, for alerting me about this issue of the magazine.
Reuters Health released an article on September 1, 2008, “Lack of Joy in Life Ups Early Death Risk,” about a research study conducted in Japan. It found that people who don’t think life is worth living are more likely to die within the next few years. The increased death risk was mainly due to cardiovascular disease and external causes — most commonly, suicide. The research is the largest to date to investigate how “ikigai,” or “joy and a sense of well-being from being alive,” affects mortality risk, and only the second to examine death from specific causes, according to Dr. Toshimasa Sone and colleagues from the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in Sendai.
In this study, the investigators looked at 43,391 men and women between the ages of 40 and 79. Each person was asked the question, “Do you have “ikigai” in your life?” The researchers found that those who did not have a sense of a “ikigai” were in worse health, more mentally stressed, and in more bodily pain. They were also more likely to have limited physical function. Overall, people with no sense of “ikigai” were 50% more likely to die from any cause during the follow-up period compared to those who did have a sense of life worth living.
The Bible speaks to the topic of joy and a life worth living in Psalm 119. Let’s look at the following five scriptures:
Psalm 119:1 Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.
Psalm 119:2- Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.
Psalm 119:74 – May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word.
Psalm 119:92- If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery.
Psalm 119:143 – As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands.
Similar to the blog post on happiness that I made on Saturday, living a life that is in line with God’s principles that are written about in the Bible can not only bring a life of happiness but of joy and a sense that life is worth living.As the researchers in this Japanese study have discovered, those with a deep sense of joy and a sense that life is worth living do have better health outcomes than those who do not have that sense of deep joy in their hearts.That’s how God designed us.And that’s why God inspired the writers of the Bible to give us the truth that can be found there.As I urged readers of my blog on Saturday, I will urge you again to read through Psalm 119 so that you can understand the value of living according to God’s principles.
Do you have deep inner joy and a sense that life is worth living? I hope so.If not, I pray that by reading Psalm 119 and spending more time reading about the truths of God and through developing a personal relationship with Jesus you’ll be enable to find true and lasting joy and a sense of meaning of life.
Today an article was released by Health Behavior News Service suggesting that happiness and life satisfaction might lead to better health. They refer to a study that was based upon research in Australia conducted in 2001 and 2004. The researchers looked at 10,000 adults who responded to items about health indicators in the presence of long term limited health conditions and physical health. They found that both happiness and life satisfaction might lead to better future health.
So the question is, how do we become happier and more satisfied with our life? The answer can be found in scripture. Psalm 119:2 says “Happy are those who obey his decrees and search for him with all their hearts. Verse 35 reads “Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. Finally, verse 56 reads “This is my happy way of life: obeying your commandments.”
These are only three versus of this very revealing chapter in the book of Psalm. I would urge you to take time to read the entire chapter of Psalm 119 so you can gain a full appreciation of the value of God’s principles and commandments. He gave us His truths in the Bible so that we could live a more full and happy life. I am convinced that the happier we are with our life and the more satisfied we are with our life that the better our emotional health will be. This improved level of emotional health will then lead to improved physical health.
Warren Wiersbe writes in his book, 5 Secrets of Living, that the secret of enjoying life is fruit bearing. The secret of fruit bearing is abiding in God. The secret of abiding in God is obeying Him. The secret of obeying God is loving Him. The secret of loving is knowing God. The abundant life that Jesus refers to John 10:10 is what happiness and true joy is all about. Scripture tells us that we can receive this happiness and true story through obeying God’s commandments. So, I urge you to spend time in his Word to get to know God and to try your best to live your life in accordance with his commandments. The resulting happiness and subsequent improved health will contribute to living the abundant life that Jesus died for us.
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I want to pass along a link that I also made available here a year ago at this time.
What the Research Says
The Feb. 23rd issue of Time is a special mind-body issue with the cover story “How Faith Can Heal.” The main article is 
I was bothered by one aspect of this issue however. A sidebar in the hard-copy of the magazine addressed how various religions view life after death. Concerning to me is that Christianity is misrepresented. In that light, I have written the editors of the magazine and asked that a correction be made in an upcoming issue. This is my email to the editors:
Reuters Health released an article on September 1, 2008, “
So the question is, how do we become happier and more satisfied with our life? The answer can be found in scripture. Psalm 119:2 says “Happy are those who obey his decrees and search for him with all their hearts. Verse 35 reads “Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. Finally, verse 56 reads “This is my happy way of life: obeying your commandments.”
