The emotional world also impacts physical health, which is why there are so many cases of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Did you know that almost 95% of diagnosed cases are female? A shocking figure. Learn more about this disease.
Losing a loved one or suffering a harsh disappointment can break our hearts. We are talking about Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, broken heart syndrome, a type of pathology that rather than fracturing this organ, actually deforms it. A painful imprint that has little to do with poetry but does have a favorite gender: women.
Today, broken heart syndrome is still not well known. It is also unclear why almost 95% of diagnosed cases are female. However, the prevalence is there and we cannot close our eyes to an obvious reality. The emotional world sometimes strikes like a whiplash straight to the heart. Without mercy. It makes us believe that we are going to lose our lives, although fortunately, this is not usually the case.
It is estimated that between 1 and 2% of women diagnosed with a heart attack actually suffer from broken heart syndrome.
It is a condition that can be seen in diagnostic tests because the heart is temporarily deformed on its left side. It is the clear trace of that moment when stress becomes toxic in our organism and shapes the mark of pain in our organs, like a good craftsman. It is important to know its triggers and to delve a little deeper into Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. We invite you to discover it.
Broken heart syndrome, when the metaphorical becomes reality
If the sound of broken hearts were audible, it would probably become the sad soundtrack so common in our daily lives. However, although most people have experienced this sensation at some point, the cause of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is something more delicate, deeper, and more complex.
When we talk about heart problems, we almost automatically associate them with men. This is because of a very simple reason. Hormones protect – to a certain extent – women’s hearts for a large part of their lives, making them more resistant. Although not invulnerable. However, after menopause, this small defensive barrier falls and the heart begins to be less resistant to stress, and anxiety …
Many of these enemies silently installed in our mind and body weaken the emotional fabric. Until one day, all it takes is disappointment or bad news for that fabric to tear completely.
This is the sudden release of large doses of catecholamines, substances similar to adrenaline. The heart rate increases to the point of causing minor damage to the heart muscle. A deformity.
Our hearts are not broken, but almost. The metaphor becomes reality and we think we are going to die. The symptoms are similar to those of a heart attack, however, patients are usually discharged after 3 or 4 days. The heart shrinks and screams silently, but recovers. Treatment with beta-blockers is always effective and there are no after-effects. However, no one guarantees that we will not experience broken heart syndrome again…
Taking care of your heart is also taking care of your emotions.
As we pointed out at the beginning, broken heart syndrome still does not have much scientific documentation. It was first described in the 1990s in Japan. Hence its name refers to a type of bulging, narrow-necked vessel called “Tako-Tsubo” that the Japanese used to hunt octopus. It is also known that it is more common in the summer or spring in women who have already reached menopause .
Symptoms of broken heart syndrome
Symptoms of broken heart syndrome include:
- Takotsubo cardiomyopathy does not present any prior symptoms. It appears like a heart attack, with the same intensity and the same pain.
- It will always arise in the context of intense stress, upon receiving bad news, or when the person feels, literally, overwhelmed.
- We will notice arrhythmias, heart failure, dizziness, and severe and devastating pressure in the chest.
Managing emotions to take care of the heart
The female mind, in general, tends to have a small defect: it often prioritizes other people’s emotions over its own. In its desire for protection and attention, it will always focus its energies on the family, its children, its partner… Little by little, its worries and that delicate emotional world become a black hole that, sooner or later, implodes.
Therefore, we need to reflect on the following aspects:
- Don’t put off until tomorrow what worries you today. Drain emotions, day by day. Few exercises are as liberating as releasing what oppresses, as venting what burns us inside.
- We cannot and should not provide a solution to everything that surrounds us. Keeping everyone happy is a very destructive source of stress.
- Broken heart syndrome often occurs after a severe emotional shock. No one can be prepared to face a loss, a separation, a severe disappointment.
- However, what we can do is to establish a good “foundation” within ourselves so that this impact “does not break us.” It would be a matter of assuming it with the flexibility of those materials that first receive the impact and then can recover their original form.
Give yourself time, do moderate exercise, practice yoga, and prioritize yourself as what you are: the most important person in the theater of your life. Make your heart your best weapon in these complex times. In these environments where there is only one thing: joining forces to achieve our happiness, our inner calm.