Heart Attack Recovery

Staying Positive During Heart Attack Recovery Could Save Your Life

If you've recently had a heart attack and are going through heart attack recovery you should know that staying positive and having the right attitude is not just something people say to you to make you feel better. There is actually science behind it that proves that a positive attitude does indeed aid in heart attack recovery success. Check out the following findings from the Mayo Clinic.

Heart Attack Recovery Finding

"Taking care of both mental and physical health is vital in the first 30 days after a heart attack. A Mayo Clinic study of 3,000 people found that failure of heart attack recovery is four times higher in that first month, while a German study determined that not being depressed is a key factor in surviving after your heart attack recovery period.

Scientists are still debating the value of incorporating depression screening into a patient’s heart care, so you’ll have to take matters into your own hands and call your doctor if you experience a major downshift in mood or other symptoms of depression. Roughly 15 to 20 percent of patients suffer from depression after a heart attack, according to the Mayo Clinic."

Longevity and Positive Attitude

It’s widely known that some of the oldest living people in the world are typically high spirited people. A good outlook on life can generally be expected to increase human longevity so it seems to me to be of no surprise that a good mood helps for successful recovery from heart attacks.

In fact; considering the underlying generality that good moods make people live longer, I wouldn’t be surprised to see similar statistics of mood and recovery from other conditions. My gut tells me that a good mood free from depression likely increases the odds of recovery from any major sickness, not just heart attacks.  Stroke risk factors are probably improved and stress is likely lower.

Source
This quote originated from the March 2009 issue of Best Life magazine.