Chicken Soup For The Heart

How can you prevent heart disease? I'm sure you can think of several ways - exercise regularly, have a low-fat diet, don't smoke, don't consume alcohol in excess. We've been very well-educated in this area. But what you may not realise is the health of our hearts is also intimately connected to the way we think and feel and the quality of our relationships.

Scientists at Yale University looked at the degree of blockages in coronary arteries of 119 men and women and found that those who felt the most loved and supported by significant people in their life, had substantially less blockage in the arteries of their hearts. The researchers discovered that the quality of the relationships in the sense of feeling loved and emotionally supported was a more important predictor of the severity of coronary artery blockages than was the number of relationships a person had.

Here are some ways you can improve the quality of your thoughts and emotions, and accordingly, the health of your heart.

Have a close confidante with which to share your innermost dreams, hopes, worries and fears. This person ideally would be your partner, but it can also be a good friend or relative. Sharing is incredibly freeing; don't let your heart accumulate unspoken burdens.

Give to the community. We all need social contact and caring to survive, and when you share your time and love, your heart is strengthened by feelings of warmth, compassion and goodwill.

Slow down. Society attaches increasing significance to speed - we're taught that we must be faster, leaner, meaner in order to survive in a "dog eat dog" world. While this might bring you more corporate success, it can be detrimental to your heart. So regularly take time to shut out the world, relax and be with yourself. Take time to marvel at nature. Learn to listen, instead of always having your say.

And of course, cultivate mutually-rewarding relationships. Love is not only good for your heart in the emotional sense, it can very well save you from heart disease.