MYTHS OF THE HEART
We take our hearts for granted and believe all sorts of things about them. Let us set you straight on affairs of the heart.
The expression "a broken heart" took on a brand new meaning in 1990, when Japanese doctors discovered that the hearts of patients suffering emtional trauma had changed shape. Research has made it clear that some people are affected by such grief following the loss of a spouse, that they suffer a type of heart paralysis. The pain is so intense that they experience the symptoms of a heart attack.
Scientists have named the condition "broken heart syndrome", and the pain occurs when the body reacts to a traumatic event by releasing the adrenaline and noradrenaline stress hormones into the blood, where they prepare the body to fight, if necessary. The heart beats faster, and blood vessels throughout the body contract. When blood vessels around the heart contract, they carry less oxygen to the heart, causing severe chest pain. Moreover, the heart grows slightly, losing some of its pumping power.
The broken heart syndrome usually passes after a week, but the disease is not harmless. People who already have heart problems risk suffering a blood clot during their grief.