Having an Attitude of Gratitude Is Indeed the Way to Have a Healthy Heart

Showing gratitude towards people, appreciating their good work and having a thankful outlook towards life can result in an improved mental and physical health in patients with asymptomatic heart failure, suggests a new research.

"We found that more gratitude in such people was associated with better mood, better sleep, less fatigue and lower levels of inflammatory bio-markers related to cardiac health," explained Dr. Paul J. Mills, professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California, San Diego.

The study involved 186 men and women who had been diagnosed with asymptomatic (Stage B) heart failure for at least three months. Stage B consists of patients who have developed structural heart disease but do not show symptoms of heart failure.

Using standard psychological tests, the researchers obtained scores for gratitude and spiritual well-being. They then compared those scores with the patients' scores for depressive symptom severity, sleep quality, fatigue, self-efficacy (belief in one's ability to deal with a situation) and inflammatory markers. They found higher gratitude scores were associated with better mood, higher quality sleep, more self-efficacy and less inflammation.

"We found that spiritual well-being was associated with better mood and sleep but it was the gratitude aspect of spirituality that accounted for those effects, not spirituality per se," Mills noted.

It seems that a more grateful heart is indeed a more healthy heart, the authors concluded in a paper published in the journal Spirituality in Clinical Practice.

Source: IANS

38-year-old Man from Kerala With Hemophilia Undergoes Open Heart Surgery in Chennai

After the seven-hour surgery, doctors claimed that for the first time in the world, a patient with hemophilia had undergone an open-heart surgery.

Shorter People More Prone to Coronary Heart Diseases Than Taller Peers

Researchers have shown that for every 2.5 inches of change in your height, increases your risk of developing coronary heart disease by 13.5%.

Essential Mineral Nutrient, Selenide, can Protect Heart Muscles After Cardiac Arrest

In the wake of the cardiac attack, administering selenide, a form of the essential nutrient selenium, can reduce damage to heart muscle by nearly 90%.

I Have Recovered, I Want To Ride A Bike: France's Artificial Heart Transplant Recipient

The 69-year-old man was terminally ill with a heart condition when he received the transplant, exactly eight months ago in the western city of Nantes.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Find out more about the degenerative disease- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Anal Warts

Anal warts or genital warts are soft bumps caused by Human Papilloma Virus and are a sexually transmitted disease. Wart removal is done by surgical procedure or application of drugs.

Aortic Valve Stenosis

Aortic valve Stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the c valve. Symptoms include angina, and that of heart failure. Aortic valve replacement is effective therapy.

Healthy Gifting Ideas for Diwali

Diwali, the festival of lights is round the corner. Take a fat free route when it comes to gifting this Diwali. Go the untraditional way and gift your near and dear ones with the gift of health.