Blowing Off Steam May Be Fatal for Men

[Guest guest]

Hotheaded men who explode with anger seem to be at greater risk of a stroke

or dying, new research shows. Their risk is even greater than for

stressed-out Type A personalities.

Angry women, on the other hand, do not run as high a risk of having a

stroke or heart problems, according to a study yesterday in the journal

Circulation.

The study showed that men who express their anger have a 10 percent

greater risk than nonhostile men of developing an atrial fibrillation, a

heart flutter that 2 million Americans have. It is non-threatening for

many, but it can also increase the risk of stroke. Men who unleashed

their anger were also 20 percent more likely to have died from any cause

during the study.

" There has been a perception that you can dissipate the negative health

effects of anger by letting anger out instead of bottling it up, " said

Elaine Eaker, lead researcher and president of Eaker Epidemiology

Enterprises in Chili, Wis. " But that was not the case in this study. "

It also found that men who are generally hostile and contemptuous are 30

percent more likely to develop the irregular heart rhythm than men with

less hostility.

The study analyzed more than 3,000 adult children of the original

participants of a landmark study begun in 1948 in Framingham, Mass.,

and followed up for 10 years.

[Guest guest]

I think we could couch that in the area of high blood pressure. HTN tends to make people more irritable and I think those that "blow off steam" might be higher pressured. Rather than attacking the idea that people get mad, IMO, we should attack those things that make us unreasonably angry. Measure the BP every day several times per day, even if you don't have "high" BP, just to get data. Losing weight helps to get it down. Some foods raise it,

Regards.

----- Original Message -----

From: Francesca Skelton

support group

Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 11:35 AM

Subject: [ ] Blowing Off Steam May Be Fatal for Men

Hotheaded men who explode with anger seem to be at greater risk of a strokeor dying, new research shows. Their risk is even greater than forstressed-out Type A personalities.Angry women, on the other hand, do not run as high a risk of having astroke or heart problems, according to a study yesterday in the journalCirculation. The study showed that men who express their anger have a 10 percentgreater risk than nonhostile men of developing an atrial fibrillation, aheart flutter that 2 million Americans have. It is non-threatening formany, but it can also increase the risk of stroke. Men who unleashedtheir anger were also 20 percent more likely to have died from any causeduring the study. "There has been a perception that you can dissipate the negative healtheffects of anger by letting anger out instead of bottling it up," saidElaine Eaker, lead researcher and president of Eaker EpidemiologyEnterprises in Chili, Wis. "But that was not the case in this study."It also found that men who are generally hostile and contemptuous are 30percent more likely to develop the irregular heart rhythm than men withless hostility. The study analyzed more than 3,000 adult children of the originalparticipants of a landmark study begun in 1948 in Framingham, Mass.,and followed up for 10 years.

[Guest guest]

I always thought hypertension was asymptomatic.

>From: " jwwright " <jwwright@...>

>Reply-

>< >

>Subject: Re: [ ] Blowing Off Steam May Be Fatal for Men

>Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 11:52:06 -0600

>

>I think we could couch that in the area of high blood pressure. HTN tends

>to make people more irritable and I think those that " blow off steam " might

>be higher pressured. Rather than attacking the idea that people get mad,

>IMO, we should attack those things that make us unreasonably angry. Measure

>the BP every day several times per day, even if you don't have " high " BP,

>just to get data. Losing weight helps to get it down. Some foods raise it,

>

>Regards.

>

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: Francesca Skelton

> support group

> Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 11:35 AM

> Subject: [ ] Blowing Off Steam May Be Fatal for Men

>

>

>

> Hotheaded men who explode with anger seem to be at greater risk of a

>stroke

> or dying, new research shows. Their risk is even greater than for

> stressed-out Type A personalities.

>

> Angry women, on the other hand, do not run as high a risk of having a

> stroke or heart problems, according to a study yesterday in the journal

> Circulation.

>

> The study showed that men who express their anger have a 10 percent

> greater risk than nonhostile men of developing an atrial fibrillation, a

> heart flutter that 2 million Americans have. It is non-threatening for

> many, but it can also increase the risk of stroke. Men who unleashed

> their anger were also 20 percent more likely to have died from any cause

> during the study.

>

> " There has been a perception that you can dissipate the negative health

> effects of anger by letting anger out instead of bottling it up, " said

> Elaine Eaker, lead researcher and president of Eaker Epidemiology

> Enterprises in Chili, Wis. " But that was not the case in this study. "

>

> It also found that men who are generally hostile and contemptuous are 30

> percent more likely to develop the irregular heart rhythm than men with

> less hostility.

>

> The study analyzed more than 3,000 adult children of the original

> participants of a landmark study begun in 1948 in Framingham, Mass.,

> and followed up for 10 years.

[Guest guest]

As long as you don't consider the high BP measurement a symptom.

Many people report feeling ok, but don't realize they are more irritable. Simple things can irritate them.

Some say they can feel something but most more readily report side effects from the drugs. I might add that those that think they feel good are not tracking their BP and comparing with things like migraines. Guarantee you if my wife sees me spouting off, she'll bring me my HTN pill.

This is the only formal ref I could find:

Articulating silences: experiential and biomedical constructions of hypertension symptomatology.Schoenberg NE - Med Anthropol Q - 01-DEC-2002; 16(4): 458-75

NLM Citation ID: 12500617 (PubMed), 22389034 (MEDLINE)

Full Source Title: Medical Anthropology Quarterly

Author Affiliation: Departments of Behavioral Science, Anthropology, and Internal Medicine, (Cardiology) and -Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, USA. nesch@...

Authors: Schoenberg NE; Drew EM

Abstract:In this article, we explore the flexible configuration of a local knowledge system about hypertension symptoms, foregrounding it against prevailing biomedical assertions regarding the asymptomatic or "silent" nature of hypertension. The complex and coherent knowledge system held by older African Americans living in a southern, rural community stands in contrast to the current scientific discourse and local biomedical perspectives on hypertension symptomatology. The older African American participants in this study apply local knowledge of hypertension symptomatology to make health decisions nearly every day. Despite this, most biomedical practitioners maintain a distance from these lay sources of knowledge, often remaining stalwart in their refusal to recognize the existence or influence of symptoms. We conclude that authoritative knowledge ultimately lies in the minds and bodies of the elders, who have encountered symptoms as guideposts that direct action, rather than with a biomedical "reality" that is yet unresolved.

{I might add that I've met people who never bother to report their BP to the Dr, but treat it with Alt means, gotten by word of mouth. The knowledge that a patient has HTN has consequences - like insurance cost and passing flight physicals. The first time I was told my BP was high was from a friend not the dr.}

Regards

----- Original Message -----

From: Dowling

Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 12:23 PM

Subject: Re: [ ] Blowing Off Steam May Be Fatal for Men

I always thought hypertension was asymptomatic.>From: "jwwright" <jwwright@...>>Reply- >< >>Subject: Re: [ ] Blowing Off Steam May Be Fatal for Men>Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 11:52:06 -0600>>I think we could couch that in the area of high blood pressure. HTN tends >to make people more irritable and I think those that "blow off steam" might >be higher pressured. Rather than attacking the idea that people get mad, >IMO, we should attack those things that make us unreasonably angry. Measure >the BP every day several times per day, even if you don't have "high" BP, >just to get data. Losing weight helps to get it down. Some foods raise it,>>Regards.>