Spirituality is good for the heart, says cardiologist
Mixing health with spirituality hasn’t always been well-received by the scientific community. Over the years, this has changed, and numerous studies have proven that this factor is crucial in the recovery and treatment of patients with certain diseases, especially heart-related conditions.
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To further explain the effects of spirituality on patients’ hearts, Iran Gonçalves Júnior, an intensivist cardiologist from the medical staff of Albert Einstein hospital, spoke about the differences between religiosity and spirituality and their impact on the population’s health.
“The difficulty of separating these concepts causes many authors either not to differentiate the terms rigorously in their research or to use them almost as synonyms. Regardless of methodological issues, the interest in researching this phenomenon arose from the observation that people described as spiritual cope better with their health condition and often live longer,” he said.
What’s most interesting is that spirituality enables people to be less stressed because they can deal with moments of tension in a more tranquil manner. “Studies show that individuals with higher spirituality or religiosity handle stressful situations better, being less exposed to the deleterious effects of hormones and other substances released by the body in these situations,” explains Iran.
An example of a situation that makes anyone nervous is the diagnosis of diseases such as cancer. “Chronic diseases, cardiovascular conditions, and cancer are situations of high organic and emotional stress, whether due to the diagnosis or prolonged, aggressive, and painful treatment.”
Therefore, spirituality or religiosity helps the patient cope with the feeling of anxiety or even the discomfort caused by the disease or treatment. “Being able to deal with these challenges in a calmer way leads to greater and better coping ability with the disease, assists in treatment adherence, and in joint decision-making,” continues the doctor.
Iran also emphasizes that people living this way tend to be more patient and develop fewer psychological problems. “They usually require less anxiolytic and analgesic medications, for example.”
The cardiologist also discusses alcohol and other substance consumption, which is generally lower in people who take the spiritual aspect more seriously. “These individuals make less use of alcohol and drugs, are more sociable, less prone to feeling lonely or abandoned, less anxious or depressed. It is believed that these characteristics can prevent or delay the onset of some diseases, such as cardiovascular ones,” he adds.
Iran also makes an appeal to doctors and hospitals to incorporate this type of spiritual practice into the treatment of patients with serious illnesses. “Hospitals should have programs that support and provide space for these manifestations, and doctors should be empathetic to this dimension of humanity that aids in facing difficult health problems,” he concludes.
