Stress and Heart Disease

Yesterday, many of us were shocked to learn that Tim Russert died at the age of 58, at work, from a heart attack. He will be greatly missed. (You can read more about Tim Ressert here.)

This really hits home for me because I came very close to losing my father to a heart aneurism when he was close to the same age--my heart goes out to anyone who experiences such a loss. When we lose a respected public figure like this, it reminds most of us of the dangers of heart disease, and makes us want to do whatever we can to reduce our chances of developing it or facing a heart attack. It brings up questions like, 'How are stress and heart disease linked?' This post brings important information for heart health.

Heart Health Resources:

• Does Stress Really Cause Heart Disease?
  This excellent resource, from About.com's own Dr. Richard Fogoros, explains what we know about the stress-heart disease link.

• 9 Risk Factors for a Heart Attack
  According to Dr. Rich, "The risk of heart attack for individuals who had all 9 of these factors, amazingly, was almost 130 times higher than for somebody with none of them." These are definitely worth a look.

• Resources for Preventing Heart Disease
  From assessing your own risk, to knowing what to do if your risk factors are high, here is more information for staying heart-healthy.

Be well, and stay healthy!

--Elizabeth Scott