It is common knowledge that high blood cholesterol levels can increase your risk for heart attacks and strokes. Other risk factors include smoking, lack of exercise, obesity and high blood pressure. New studies have identified some additional risk factors for heart disease that might surprise you.
     We have known for a long time that mental stress can cause higher blood pressure and cause higher blood sugars for those with diabetes. Harvard researchers have been studying the effects of anger on heart health. The scientists studied 1300 men with an average age of 62 who had no heart disease at the beginning of the study. The men completed a personality inventory to rate their anger levels in certain situations. Over the first 7 years, 110 men developed heart disease.  The men who scored the highest on the anger scale were three times more likely to develop heart disease than the mild-mannered men in the study.  There were no real differences in high blood pressure or smoking that could explain the development of heart disease in this group.
     Dean Ornish is a cardiologist famous for his research in low-fat, low-cholesterol diets. Dr. Ornish conducted a study with men who had suffered their first heart attack.  These subjects were evaluated by a psychologist during this hospital stay.  The psychologist identified the men who were angry and held a grudge.  The men who were unwilling or unable to forgive someone who made them angry were twice as likely to end up back in the hospital with complications and chest pain.  The men who received counseling for anger management and forgiveness stayed out of the hospital and saved the insurance company an average of $30,000 each over the next year.
     The mind-body connection is very strong when it comes to stress, anger and heart disease. Doctors know that anger increases levels of the hormone adrenaline which increases pulse rate and blood pressure. Adrenaline can also cause abnormal heart rhythms and it activates platelets which make the blood clot. All of these can lead to a heart attack. Experts are now recommending that doctors include psychological evaluation with conventional treatment for cholesterol and blood pressure.
      You know you should floss your teeth daily, but most of us wait until the week before a dental appointment to really stick to daily flossing.  Doctors have now linked higher levels of bacteria in the mouth and gum disease with heart disease. These studies suggest an unhealthy mouth with chronic infections may lead to inflammation or irritation of the lining of the arteries throughout the body. Inflammation of the lining of the blood vessels is believed to be the first step in the process of clogging arteries. Gums that bleed easily may be a sign of chronic gum disease. Flossing and brushing only takes a few minutes daily, but it might be one of the most important things you can do to protect your heart. For more information about heart disease and periodontal disease you can visit www.perio.org or call 1-800-FLOSS-EM (800-356-7736).