Over the past two years, there's been a spate of studies about the occurrence of catastrophic health events that are tied to the calendar. Apparently, birthdays affect seniors over age 70 -- especially those with high blood pressure -- in a bad way too.
Based data collected over two years from ambulatory care facilities, vascular events -- strokes, heart attacks and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) -- prompted more birthday visits by seniors to the ER by an amazing 27 percent than those on holidays, like Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Taking birthdays into consideration, the average incidence of stroke (87 versus 67), TIA (58 versus 44) and heart attack (97 versus 80) were higher during a typical day at the ER than researchers expected.
Although scientists failed to learn why birthdays and vascular problems among seniors are so intertwined, they suggested an extra load of stress may be the problem. You certainly can't control where your birthday falls on the calendar, but you can take steps to treat the stress that damages your life and health.
One of the best tools for treating emotions, without a drug, used in my practice daily, is the Emotional Freedom Technique, a proven form of psychological acupuncture, based on tapping the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture, but without the needles.
And, don't forget the short-term benefits making basic lifestyle changes can mean for your health.
Neurology, Vol. 67, No. 2, July 25, 2006: 300-304
Medpage Today August 1, 2006 Registration Required
Yahoo News July 28, 2006