Spirituality is good for the heart, says cardiologist
Mixing health with spirituality has not always been well regarded by the scientific community. Over the years, this has changed, and numerous studies have proven that this factor is very important in the recovery and treatment of patients with some diseases, especially cardiac ones.
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To explain more about the effects of spirituality on the hearts of patients, Iran Gonçalves Júnior, an intensive care cardiologist at the clinical staff of Albert Einstein hospital, spoke about the differences between religiosity and spirituality and the impact of this on the health of the population.
“The difficulty in separating these concepts means that many authors do not differentiate the terms rigorously in their research, or they use them almost synonymously. Regardless of methodological issues, the interest in researching this phenomenon arose from the observation that people who are spiritualized deal better with their health condition and often live longer,” he said.
The most interesting thing is that spirituality helps people to be less stressed because they are able to handle moments of tension more calmly. “Studies show that individuals with higher spirituality or religiosity cope better with stressful situations, 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 like cancer. “Chronic diseases, cardiovascular and cancer are high organic and emotional stress situations, whether due to diagnosis, prolonged treatment, aggressive, painful.”
Therefore, spirituality or religiosity helps the patient to deal with this feeling of anguish or even with the discomfort caused by the disease or treatment. “Being able to handle these challenges in a calmer way leads to a greater and better capacity to confront the disease, assists in adherence to treatment, and in joint decision-making,” continues the doctor.
Iran also emphasizes that people who lead this way of life tend to be more patient, not developing psychological problems. “They usually need less anxiolytic and analgesic medication, for example.”
The cardiologist also speaks about the consumption of alcohol and other substances, which is generally lower in people who take the spiritual part more seriously. “These individuals make less use of alcohol and drugs, are more gregarious, less prone to feeling alone or abandoned, less anxious or depressed. It is believed that these characteristics may prevent or delay the onset of some diseases, for example, cardiovascular ones,” he completes.
Iran also appeals to doctors and hospitals to incorporate this type of spiritual practice in the treatment of patients with serious diseases. “Hospitals should have programs that support and provide space for these manifestations, and doctors should be empathetic with this dimension of the human that aids in coping with difficult health problems,” he concludes.
