Mind/Body Resources

Physical activity: the health benefits outweigh the risks
http://journals.lww.com/co-clinicalnutrition/Abstract/2004/11000/Physical_activity__the_health_benefits_outweigh.9.aspx

Mind/Body Health: Heart Disease
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/heart-disease.aspx

You might think heart disease is linked only with physical activities - a lack of exercise, poor diet, smoking, and excessive drinking. While these habits do heighten the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular problems, your thoughts, attitudes, and emotions are just as important. They can not only accelerate the onset of heart disease, but also get in the way of taking positive steps to improve your health or that of a loved one.

Intimate Partner Physical and Mental Health After Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Receipt of an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator
Cynthia M. Dougherty, ARNP, PhD. and Elaine A. Thompson, RN, PhD
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2713812/?tool=pubmed

The purpose of this study was to describe the physical and mental health of the intimate partners of persons receiving an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). A prospective longitudinal repeated measures design was used, with data collected at hospital discharge, and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after implantation. Intimate partners’ physical health, symptoms, and depression significantly declined over the first year. Although anxiety was significantly reduced over time, it remained elevated in partners after 1 year. The impact of implantation of the ICD on the intimate relationship and care demands was most dramatic at hospital discharge. Health care use was low throughout the year. Intimate partners could benefit from an intervention that would assist in their psychological adjustment and provide strategies for dealing with caregiving demands at home.

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