Chronic Anger, Your Heart, and Your Health How This Emotion Is Doing You Harm Anger is a common emotion. It’s natural, and it’s a part of how you respond to certain circumstances in your environment. It’s how you express extreme displeasure. However, new research suggests chronic anger can be detrimental to your health. Essentially, it comes down to this: If you are stressed, tense, easily irritable, angry, and “snippy” all the time, you may be doing serious harm to your well-being. Studies have already shown a link between anger and the heart. People who showed signs of feeling anger on a regular basis experienced higher rates of heart disease. The first studies on the impact of anger came out in the 1950s and have since been confirmed: Chronic anger physically harms the heart. Why? When you get angry or upset, your brain triggers the release of specific hormones, including cortisol and norepinephrine. These hormones are responsible for triggering the “fight or flight” response. When these hormones enter the bloodstream, your heart rate increases and arteries constrict. This helps to more effectively pump blood to the arms and legs for a fight or a flight. The problem is that when a person is constantly angry or upset, these hormones course through the body more frequently, stressing the arteries and internal organs. As a person ages, this stress can become more damaging. One study that appeared in the Psychology and Aging Journal looked into this phenomenon. Researchers found that there is a link between frequently experiencing anger and increased inflammation and chronic illness for people ages 80 and older. This equated to more instances of heart disease and dementia. The study also looked at other emotions, including sadness, which has also been linked to heart disease and other inflammatory diseases. Through a number of tests involving 200 participants ages 59–93, the researchers concluded anger was far more detrimental to a person’s health than sadness. Ultimately, if you regularly experience rage and frustration, properly dealing with your anger is one of the best things you can do for your health. Every person’s situation is different, and it comes down to getting to the bottom of what makes you angry so you can work through it, whether you work through it alone or with a mental health professional. Take the steps to prioritize your mental and physical health, and your efforts will pay off tenfold in the long run.
WHIPLASH: THE MOST COMMON AUTO INJURY What Is It and How Is It Treated?
With the passing of Labor Day and teen drivers heading back to school, the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer have officially come to a close, but, while the number of automobile collisions declines during these slower paced autumn months, accidents can still unfortunately occur. One of the most common injuries you might suffer if you’re in an accident is whiplash. Many drivers have heard of this ailment before, but few understand what it means from a medical standpoint. Here in the office, our experts regard it as an injury that occurs to a patient's neck following a sudden acceleration or deceleration force. According to recent studies, whiplash forces the lower cervical vertebrae into a position of hyperextension while the upper cervical vertebrae become hyperflexed. This abnormal movement creates an S-shape in the cervical spine which can cause issues in the surrounding ligaments and muscles. While this injury typically stems from motor vehicle accidents, the term morphed from a description of similar injuries sustained during train accidents in 1930 commonly known as “railway spine.” With the induction of whiplash, railway spine has since retired from our language register. Patients from all walks of life come to our office after suffering from whiplash due to a recent accident. While doctors of the past used to keep these patients in soft neck collars to ensure immobilization, recent studies have shown the benefit of early range of motion excersizes as long as there is no evidence of abnormal spine alignment. Here at Louisville Sports & Injury Center, we will work closely with you to create a list of rotational exercises to help strengthen muscles and reduce painful motions to get you out of the cervical collar and back on the road as soon as possible. Have you been in an accident? Do you still suffer from whiplash or any other type of injury you sustained? Don’t wait another minute in pain. Call us at 502-451-5959, so we can get you help immediately!
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