Stress and Heart Disease: Par... Video Transcript

Webcast Transcript

And when Mommy said, years ago: Don't get upset; it's going to get you sick, she was absolutely right. And that's a very important point.

Physicians who, unfortunately, sometimes make the mistake, for many reasons that are certainly unintentional, when they tell people: You have x-amount of time to live. That's probably one of the serious mistakes that we make as healthcare professionals. We have no idea of how long people will live or the quality of life that they have. And if, as a patient, you're confronted with it, you need to realize that the physician meant well. But, of course, they really have no idea whatsoever.

And the reason I say that is, if we fix something in our mind, we're learning more and more now that there's a physiologic, a biochemical apparatus, that helps us meet the time clock of what we've fixed. Intentionality. Our intentions, our optimism, makes a difference. And there are numerous studies to support that.

NATE LEBOWITZ, MD: I would add that social supports have been shown to be very, very beneficial. Humans were made to be social animals.

LISA CLARK: So you're talking about things like group therapy?

NATE LEBOWITZ, MD: People that have loving families, friendship networks, even pets, have been shown to do better with exactly the same disease state, than people who are loners, who do not have these social supports.

LISA CLARK: I can't thank you enough for being with us here tonight, Nate Lebowitz and Sam Benjamin. Thank you both so much for your input. And also, thanks to you for joining us for this webcast. I'm Lisa Clark.

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