Published: October 31, 2007 12:09 pm            

Family feuds can break your heart - literally

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Fighting with a spouse or a family member can be a real pain - in more ways than one.

According to recent research conducted at University College London, fighting with family members can increase the risk of heart disease, heart attack or chest pain.

These findings, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, showed that "after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, biological factors, and other dimensions of social support, individuals who experienced negative aspects of close relationships had a higher risk of incident coronary events."

In other words, people in close relationships that have a high level of negativity and/or conflict are one-third more likely to experience some sort of coronary event than those in a more positive relationship.

Over an average course of 12.2 years, the study observed 6,114 men and 2,897 women, and found both sexes equally at risk for heart problems.

Lance Dickison, Bill Willis Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Center director of Outpatient Clinical Services, agrees that this kind of stress can have a detrimental effect - not just on physical health, but on mental health as well.

"Relational stress - which certainly applies to home and family, but also workplace stress and really any other interactions you might take seriously - over time can have a very distinct and detrimental effect on the neurological centers in the brain," said Dickison. "When people spend a long period of time under emotional stress, they begin to have a breakdown in the neo-cortex - which is the center of reason, logic and higher functions of the brain."

Dickison said the prolonged exposure to such chronic stress literally breaks down these pathways, eventually resulting in the loss of control over emotional response. This can even compound the person's problems.

"People trying to live in a non-supportive, reactive environment will take any sort of biological condition or problem and make it worse," Dickison said. "You've heard the phrase 'stress kills' - well, neurologically, it's true. It's really important for people to try to work toward a healthy and positive relationship. If they don't strive for this, invariably those problems will occur."

Echoing Dickison's sentiments is Joy Boren, clinic coordinating nurse with the Cherokee County Health Department.

"Stress in any form - be it from work or family problems - can cause numerous health problems, ranging from anxiety, stomach problems, even getting sick easier because it wears down your immune system," said Boren. "It just opens up a whole can of worms."

Boren said the Health Department urges clients to minimize their stress level as much as possible.

"We all have stressors in our lives, and there's no way to get rid of them all, but we always try to encourage clients to remove themselves from that stress as much as they can," Boren said. "Some people like exercise, or listening to soft music - maybe even some alone time or getting together with friends that make them feel good. Some do yoga or meditate, anything to make them feel more in control of their lives. Sometimes even just taking a bubble bath can help out at the end of the day."

Dickison also touts the benefits of slowing down.

"Look at human culture," Dickison said. "In every religion around the globe - whether it's Benedictine monks chanting or a Buddhist sitting on top of a mountain somewhere - everything that is considered good or positive and a symbol of good mental health begins by getting quiet, calming down and working on yourself from the inside out."



Garron Marsh writes for Tahlequah (Okla.) Daily Press.

        

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