Can You Die of a Broken Heart?

Nearly everyone has experienced the death of someone that they know and love. And for many, the loss is so overwhelming that they feel the physical effects of grief. For some, it may come in the form of an upset stomach, loss of appetite, sleepless nights or a prolonged headache. And yet for others, they feel a tightening in the chest, difficulty breathing and believe they are experiencing a heart attack. They may actually go to the emergency room. Their grief manifests itself in what some call "broken heart syndrome." The Mayo Clinic defines it as this: "Broken heart syndrome may be caused by the heart's reaction to a surge of stress hormones. The condition may also be called takotsubo cardiomyopathy, apical ballooning syndrome or stress cardiomyopathy by doctors." For myself, I didn't end up in the emergency room complaining of chest pain, but within days of my husband's funeral, I did find myself at a medical clinic. I was diagnosed with bronchitis, a double ear infection, and a sinus infection. In other words, I needed a medical intervention in the form of antibiotics. Although, I was only 33 at the time, and a distance runner, I still suffered from the physical effects of grief. Over three years ago, I began to do research for my forthcoming book, "A Widow's Guide to Healing." I wanted to know and understand how other widows coped with grief, so I interviewed dozens of widows. Their age, financial, educational, religious backgrounds varied. One widow, Julie, 34 said,...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news