Exercising, eating well and living a happy-stress free life are the cornerstones of good health. Any one of these cannot function well without the others. Your organs, especially your heart, need you to work out and keep them active. An active lifestyle ensure your heart is healthy enough to sustain you. Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to fitness. Some people chose to go the traditional route, going to the gym, joining an organized sport, etc. While other pick non-traditional exercises like trekking, hiking and dancing.

Although many people do not recognize the benefits of these alternative exercises, cardiologists do. In fact, they believe one of these exercises is better than the usual cardio people always go for, which is running: dancing.

How Does Dancing Help Your Heart Health?

As mentioned above, good exercise and good food are essential for health. If you are at risk for high cholesterol or have high cholesterol, you must take extra precaution for your heart health. While diet changes are often recommended for people with high cholesterol, and exercise is equally crucial. The National Health Services (NHS) advises most adults to aim for around 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of physical activity each week, emphasizing that this doesn't necessarily require strenuous gym workouts, as many enjoyable forms of exercise exist.

When choosing an exercise routine, it's essential to consider your personal physical abilities and, importantly, your enjoyment of the activity. Ideally, selecting an activity you find pleasurable will make exercising feel less like a task and more like a positive part of your lifestyle, increasing the likelihood of sticking with it consistently over time. The health service often recommends walking, swimming, and cycling as good starting points for incorporating more physical activity into your routine.

Unique benefits of Dancing

Experts at the Cardiovascular Health Clinic highlight that dancing could be an exceptionally effective and enjoyable way to boost heart health.

They explain that the heart, being a muscle, benefits from exercise just like any other muscle in the body.

Engaging in just 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise daily can significantly improve the heart's function and dramatically reduce the risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease.

So, a simple dance session, whether on a dance floor or in the comfort of your own living room, might be precisely what's needed to improve your heart's well-being. Dancing offers a fun way to break a sweat without the intense exhaustion sometimes associated with gym workouts.

According to a 2021 study in the Open Access Government portal dancing could effectively lower cholesterol levels and overall fitness and body composition in postmenopausal women. This study highlighted that a simple intervention like a dance class three times a week helped with their health, self-esteem and self-image issues.

According to the Health Clinic, the varied movements involved in dancing, including changes in direction and pace, can burn up to 300 calories every half-hour, which can be more than running, swimming, or cycling at a moderate intensity. Furthermore, the release of dopamine and endorphins during dancing can contribute to improvements in mood, mental clarity, and overall emotional health.

Can It Be A Long Term Solution?

Beyond its effectiveness as a calorie burner and fitness enhancer, dancing offers significant long-term benefits for individuals managing high cholesterol. Many healthcare professionals advocate for its ability to help manage body weight and reduce the likelihood of cholesterol levels increasing.

“Heartbreaks happen to many people, it’s ok” or “You’ll move on, it’s a heartbreak, not the end of the world” and similar phrases as these are ones we have all heard. However, how much truth these sentences hold has been questioned. Many people experience mental health issues after experiencing heartbreak like depressive episodes and anxiety symptoms. However, did you know that heartbreaks can actually affect your heart?

The pain associated with heartbreaks is often thought of as psychological, but it can actually weaken the ability to pump blood effectively. This is a condition known as the broken heart syndrome, or Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy.

According to the Harvard Health Publishing, it is a sudden change in the shape of the heart's left ventricle, which is its primary pumping chamber. This is a concerning issue as it weakens the heart’s ability to effectively circulate blood throughout the body.

The British Heart Foundation explains that some people, like women over 50s are more susceptible to getting this issue. It could also be an issue if you have other mental health issues like anxiety or depression.

Symptoms Mimic A Heart Attack

Harvard explains that most cases of this syndrome occur in the age frames of 58 to 75. 5% of these women thought they were having a heart attack. The symptoms can indeed be very similar to those of a heart attack and may include:

• Sudden, intense chest pain
• A feeling of pressure or heaviness in the chest
• Difficulty breathing
• Heart palpitations (irregular or forceful heartbeat)
• Feeling faint or lightheaded
• Nausea

Can Stress Cause This Issue?

While the precise cause of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy remains under investigation, medical experts believe that a sudden surge of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, triggered by intense emotional distress, plays a significant role. The syndrome often occurs following significant emotional events like bereavement, serious illness, or trauma, which is why it's commonly referred to as 'broken heart syndrome'. But that is not the only reason why you may experience this, other causes may include sudden drop in blood pressure, severe pain, asthma attack, intense fear, serious illnesses or surgery, etc.

When doctors are diagnosing this syndrome, they look for things like, no evidence of blockages in the angiogram, which helps them rule out heart attacks, they also use imaging techniques like echocardiogram, that will show abnormalities in the left ventricle.

Fortunately, it is temporary. The condition is typically managed with medications aimed at reducing the strain on the heart and minimizing the risk of complications. These medications can include:

• Diuretics (to reduce fluid buildup)
• Beta blockers (to slow heart rate and lower blood pressure)
• Blood thinners (to prevent blood clots)

Can You Prevent Broken Heart Syndrome?

While most people recover fully, approximately one in ten patients may experience a recurrence of broken heart syndrome. Additionally, some individuals may have persistent symptoms or lasting changes to the shape of their heart, potentially requiring long-term medication.

Once a person has fully recovered from broken heart syndrome, it is advisable to focus on managing stress levels, adopting a healthy diet, and maintaining regular physical activity to help prevent future episodes.

Misleading signs are often worse than no signs, you may be working on the symptoms when the disease is already doing damage to your body. When something goes wrong in our body, most of us can catch onto it. However, we almost always tackle the most obvious issue, not knowing there could be something worse going on.

A similar issue happens to a UK-based woman, named, Loise who was suffering with high blood pressure and dismissed it as a symptom of menopause. Soon she found out that it was in fact not menopause that she was going through, rather she had been battling kidney cancer and did not know about it.

Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide with nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. Cancer is a generic term for many different diseases that affect parts of one's body, according to the World Health Organization. Kidney cancer is the sixth most common cancer in UK adults and 14th most common cancer worldwide. According to Cancer Research UK, the average number of cases reported for kidney cancer in 2017-19 UK was 13,834. It is also more common in the elderly, aged 80-84, and there has been a 92% rise in the incidence rates of kidney cancer since the 1990s.

Misleading Symptoms and Important Warnings

In the Kidney Cancer UK's TikTok page, Louise's highlights the critical importance of recognizing that not all symptoms in middle-aged women are solely due to hormonal changes. In her case, the elevated blood pressure was an indicator of an aggressive form of kidney cancer.

Often, kidney cancer doesn't manifest with clear and distinct symptoms, and it is frequently discovered incidentally during tests conducted for other health concerns. Louise emphasized the challenge of diagnosis, "Symptoms are unfortunately vague, especially for women, as it includes high blood pressure, night sweats, blood in your urine and flank pain. GPs often relate these to menopause symptoms." She strongly advises everyone to "regularly scan your body" and to pay attention to persistent discomfort. She urged, "How long have those niggling pains been there? Get them checked - always better to be safe than sorry!"

What To Expect After The Diagnosis?

Reflecting on her own diagnosis, Louise recounted having "high blood pressure but unseen blood" in her urine. She explained how her cancer was detected, "I was lucky routine bloods picked up an issue with my liver, prompting ultrasound."

Her treatment journey involved significant surgical interventions, "I have now had two major surgeries to remove cancer and my kidney within the last 15 months. I'm three weeks post open surgery and recovering well." The outcome of recent tests brought encouraging news, "The news that all the biopsies came back as not cancer has been amazing."

Currently, Louise is managing side effects from her immunotherapy treatment. Looking ahead, Louise remains realistic but hopeful "My cancer was the most aggressive at grade 4 so there will always be a high chance of it coming back, but medications and research is changing all the time and I have faith that the surveillance scans will help us nip anything untoward in the bud!"

Kidney Cancer Symptoms You Should Look Out For

While kidney cancer often progresses without noticeable symptoms, the NHS indicates that when they do appear, they can include:

• Blood in your pee
• A lump or swelling in your back, under your ribs, or in your neck
• Persistent pain between your ribs and waist
• Unexplained loss of appetite or weight loss
• Persistent fatigue or lack of energy
• A recurring high temperature
• Excessive sweating, particularly at night

Throughout the first week of April, the state of Kentucky witnessed flooding, due to heavy rains, specifically in the Franklin County. The reason being, it is located on the Kentucky River for over 200 years. While such natural disasters can cause distress in terms of physical safety, expert also reveals that such natural disasters could impact one's mental health too.

Natural disasters like Kentucky's recent flooding can have serious impacts on victim's mental health, reveals Christal Badour, associate professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky and a trauma recovery research.

As reported in Weku NPR, the UK psychologist explains that reactions to traumatic events typically fall into short-term and long-term symptoms. These include people feeling overwhelmed, anxiety, and difficulty communicating. While most people eventually recover without lasting effects, some may struggle for a longer duration.

These long-term issues include depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Badour also notes that people who already had a mental health difficulty before the natural disaster could also further feel isolated. Along with that, individuals with fewer financial resources could be at more risk of long-term problems.

Are These Long-term Symptoms Common?

According to a report from Clinical Psychology Review, 20 to 80% of people will experience long-term symptoms after a disaster. These rates could vary depending on the type of disaster one faces. PTSD symptoms often improve after the first year, however, depression and anxiety are more likely to linger.

What Do Other Experts Say?

There have been previous studies too that confirm the same. As per a 2024 study, titled Impact of Natural Disasters on Mental Health: Evidence and Implications, by Eamin Z Heanoy and Norman R Brown, notes: "Natural disasters are large-scale catastrophic events, and they are increasing in frequency and severity. Converging evidence indicates that the mental health consequences of disasters are extensive and are often associated with trauma and the disruption of personal and socioeconomic factors in people’s lives."

However, the study also notes that although most individuals who experience disaster-related traumatic events do not develop mental illnesses, some could experience adverse psychological effects of the disaster.

Another expert, Nomy Levy-Carric, MD, MPhil, writes for Mass General Brigham, which is an institute dedicated to serving the community and enhancing patient care, teaching, and research, notes that natural disaster can indeed leave a lasting impact on individuals, families, and often an entire community.

Levy Carrick notes: "A person’s reaction depends on many factors, including their past experiences, what is happening in their life at that moment, the nature of their exposure, and the support available to them as they rebuild. The sudden loss of control and uncertainty can be overwhelming, making it harder to cope in both the short and long term."

What Are The Types Of Natural Disasters?

• Hurricanes and tropical storms
• Earthquakes
• Tornadoes
• Wildfire
• Floods
• Blizzards and winter storms
• Drought and extreme heat
• Landslides and mudslides

The doctor notes the Psychological First Aid or PFA provides a structured way to support emotional recovery immediately after a disaster.

However, notes Badour, there is still a major gap in treatment. Most disaster relief services only last up to one year.

“After that year has passed, a lot of people feel like there's no one there to help them, especially if you're in a community that was already lacking in mental health support and resources,” she said.