According to a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, people who receive a diagnosis of cancer are 5 to 6 times more likely to suffer a heart attack or other cardiovascular complication within seven days after receiving the news (compared to people with similar backgrounds who are cancer-free). This is well before the disease or treatment has a chance to compromise health. Just hearing and interpreting information has an immediate impact on the cardiovascular system. This is a dramatic illustration of the relationship that exists between the mind and body [ link ].
Warning of a life-threatening event elicits conditioned fear. Conditioned fear depends on prior experience with a signal (hearing the term for an illness) paired with an adverse consequence. Once established, conditioned fear always involves blood pressure changes. In fact, practitioners of behavioral medicine can track fluctuations in blood pressure to fleeting psychological states ..in real-time. Blood pressure reliably follows the steps of a conditioned fear response. Changes can be observed when a signal arrives, while memories are retrieved, as the response is felt, and either panic or post-fear calm sets in [ link ].
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