Love & Support
Love and Support in the Research
- Modern scientific evidence confirms that social isolation and emotions, such as anger and stress, are risk factors for heart disease.
- First study to link social isolation to mortality was done in 1979 in Alameda County, CA.
- 7,000 people, ages 30 to 69, followed for 9 years
- The most isolated people were almost 3xs more likely to die of all causes during the study.
- 1977—First Study by Dr. Ornish
- Men who are socially isolated and report high levels of stress are more than 4 times more likely to die post-heart attack.
- Source: Gorkin et al. Am J Cardiology 1993; 71:263-67
- In an interview of 10,000 married men, those who answered “Yes” to the question: “Does your wife show you her love?” had less angina even with increase risk factors.
- Those with more family conflict with their wives and children had increased angina
- Source: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
The Stockholm Female Coronary Risk Study showed that women who perceive that they have low social and emotional support from their spouses are 2.9 times more likely to have disease progression.
Source: Orth-Gomer et al. Eur Heart Journal 1998
Group Therapy has been shown to prolong life by 2xs in women with Breast Cancer
Source: Spiegel and Standford