How coronavirus shutdowns could HARM your HEART
By Alice Jacob
It was supposed to be just a couple of weeks. We all stay in, and the virus will slip away.
Sadly, it didn’t work out that way and now many of us are in the fifth month of the shutdowns. We’re still hunkering down as much as possible… limiting trips away from the house… and avoiding friends and loved ones.
And it’s not JUST frustrating. It turns out it could be WRECKING your health too.
New research reveals an unexpected toll of all this isolation.
It’s not just driving us stir-crazy as we long to go back to our pre-pandemic socializing (and even just the ability to go to a store without having a panic attack).
In some cases, it’s literally causing DAMAGE to the HEART.
But there’s a way to fight back against this “side effect” of seclusion. As one all-natural solution can deliver powerful heart protection.
Pandemic linked stress could trigger heart problems
It’s like a recipe for trouble.
Take two cups of pandemic stay-at-home orders, sprinkle in a few tablespoons of civil unrest, and toss in a dash of ugly politics. And what do you get?
One stressed out nation.
That’s leading to a surge in stress hormones. Which, in some cases, with no place to go end up headed straight for the heart.
The result is a temporary weakness in the heart muscle called stress cardiomyopathy. It can FEEL a heck of a lot like a heart attack, but, fortunately, isn’t one.
Doctors in Ohio report they’re seeing a surge in folks with this damage. And it’s almost certainly because of all the stress, fear, and anxiety of living life in a pandemic.
In March and April as the COVID-19 shutdowns began doctors say the number of patients with stress cardiomyopathy jumped by up to FIVE TIMES. And while the coronavirus itself is known to cause heart damage, the docs say these patients had NO signs of the infection.
Shield your heart with this spicy solution
In other words, the culprit behind the heart damage is almost certainly stress. But that’s not the only way your mood can have a direct impact on your heart.
A study a few years back found that depression can also take a toll on your ticker. And if you’ve had four or more episodes of the big time blues your risk of cardiovascular events and death jumps by 20 percent.
But there’s a natural approach that could help turn your risk around. It’s a single solution that works on TWO levels…
- ENHANCING your mood
- PROTECTING your heart
Curcumin, a natural inflammation-fighter found in the spice turmeric, could be the key. In fact, curcumin is so good at fighting depression and other mood problems that in one study it MATCHED the effectiveness of the drug fluoxetine (aka Prozac) in patients battling major depressive disorder.
And better still, this same natural compound can also help improve something the scientists call flow-mediated dilation. That’s a measurement of how well your arteries open up so the blood can rush though them providing your heart with life-saving protection right where and when it matters most.
Don’t let stress do YOUR heart in. Fight back with curcumin.
From healthiertalk.com