Science of the Heart, IHM Research Center

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EMOTIONAL BALANCE AND HEALTH

Science of the Heart, IHM Research Center: "The studies reviewed in this section continue to illustrate the direct and profound impact that emotions exercise on overall health. They also provide data demonstrating how emotional management and intentional shifts to sincere positive feeling states achieved via HeartMath techniques can cause substantial favorable changes in a number of key indicators of physiological and psychological well-being.

Several important physiological parameters were measured in these investigations. The first study examines the impact of different emotions on secretory immunoglobulin A (S-IgA). S-IgA is the predominant antibody class found in mucosal secretions and is the first line of defense against pathogens in the upper respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal system and the urinary tract. Because cells that produce this antibody (B-lymphocytes) are a major component of the immune system, S-IgA levels are also viewed as an indicator of overall immune function.

"Another study in this section assesses changes in the levels of two essential hormones, DHEA and cortisol, in a group of people who practiced a HeartMath emotional management intervention over one month’s time. DHEA, known as the 'anti-aging hormone,' is the precursor to the human sex hormones estrogen and testosterone. Its varied physiological effects include enhancing the immune system, stimulating bone deposition, lowering cholesterol levels and building muscle mass. DHEA has been found to be deficient in individuals who suffer from many diseases, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, Alzheimer’s, immune deficiency, coronary artery disease and various autoimmune disorders. Cortisol, a glucocorticoid hormone, is involved in protein, carbohydrate and fat metabolism and is widely known as the 'stress hormone' because it is secreted in excessive amounts when people are under stress."

"Separate studies showed that the risk of developing heart disease is significantly increased for people who impulsively vent their anger as well as for those who tend to repress angry feelings.
A. Siegman et al. J Behav Med. 1998; 21(4) D. Carroll et al. J Epidemiol Comm Health. 1998; Sept."

"In a groundbreaking study of 1,200 people at high risk of poor health,those who learned to alter unhealthy mental and emotional attitudes through self-regulation training were more than four times more likely to be alive 13 years later than an equal-sized control group.
R. Grossarth-Maticek & H. Eysenck. Behav Res Ther. 1991; 29(1)

"'We are coming to understand health not as the absence of disease,but rather as the process by which individuals maintain their sense of coherence (i.e. sense that life is comprehensible,manageable,and meaningful) and ability to function in the face of changes in themselves and their relationships with their environment.

"In recent years a number of investigators have proposed the DHEA/cortisol ratio to be an important biological marker of stress and aging. When individuals are under prolonged stress, a divergence in this ratio results, as cortisol levels continue to rise while DHEA levels decrease significantly. The effects of DHEA/cortisol imbalance can be severe, and may include elevated blood sugar levels, increased bone loss, compromised immune function, decreased skin repair and regeneration, increased fat accumulation and brain cell destruction.

That effective emotional management can have such profound positive effects on the cardiovascular, immune, hormonal and autonomic nervous systems may provide a basis for the improved physical health and vitality reported by many individuals who regularly use the HeartMath tools. These effects may also help explain the health improvements and symptom reduction experienced by individuals suffering from diverse diseases and disorders after using the techniques (results described in Clinical Research section)

"Key findings: Heart-focused, sincere, positive feeling states boost the immune system, while negative emotions may suppress the immune response for up to six hours following the emotional experience.

"Summary: Secretory IgA (measured from saliva samples), heart rate and mood were measured in thirty individuals before and after experiencing the emotional states of either care and compassion or anger and frustration. Two methods of inducing the emotional states were compared: self-induction versus external induction via video tapes. Anger produced a significant increase in total mood disturbance and heart rate but not in S-IgA levels. On the other hand, sincere positive feeling states of care and compassion, self-induced via the Freeze-Frame technique, produced a significant decrease in total mood disturbance and a significant increase in S-IgA levels. Examining the effects over a 6-hour period, we observed that a 5-minute experience of anger produced a significant inhibition of S-IgA from one to five hours after the emotional experience. In contrast, a tendency toward increased S-IgA levels was observed over the six hours following a 5-minute experience of care (Figure 21).

"Results indicate that self-induction of positive emotional states using Freeze-Frame is more effective in stimulating S-IgA levels than previously used external methods. In a previous study, 'The effects of emotions on short-term power spectral analysis of heart rate variability' (Entrainment, Coherence and Autonomic Balance section), we observed that feelings of appreciation self-generated by the Freeze-Frame technique shift autonomic nervous system balance towards increased parasympathetic activity. As salivary secretion is primarily activated by parasympathetic nerves, autonomic regulation offers a possible mechanism to explain the immediate increases in S-IgA following the experience of positive emotions. The results of this study indicate that the Freeze-Frame technique may be an effective method to improve mood and minimize the long-term immunosuppressive effects of negative emotions.

"The Impact of a New Emotional Self-Management Program on Stress, Emotions, Heart-Rate Variability, DHEA and Cortisol

"Summary: This study examined the effects on healthy adults of a new stress reduction and emotional management program consisting of two key techniques, Cut-Thru and the Heart Lock-In. These techniques are designed to create and sustain shifts in dispositional orientation toward stressors by changing interpretive styles, breaking negative thought loops and extinguishing unhealthy emotional patterns. It is postulated that recurring negative emotional patterns may lead to adverse effects on physiology and well-being through unnecessary and inappropriate activation of the autonomic nervous system and glucocorticoid secretions. This research therefore examined the effects of the Cut-Thru and Heart Lock-In techniques on participants’ emotions, stress, cortisol/ DHEA levels and autonomic nervous system balance.

"Forty-five healthy adults participated in the study, fifteen of whom acted as controls. DHEA and cortisol levels were measured from saliva samples, autonomic nervous system balance was assessed by heart rate variability analysis, and emotions were measured with a psychological questionnaire. Individuals in the experimental group were assessed before and four weeks after receiving training in the stress management techniques. To facilitate the heart focus and emotional shifts, participants practiced the Cut-Thru technique during a Heart Lock-In with the music Speed of Balance five times a week during the study period. Participants also used Cut-Thru any time they felt out of balance emotionally.

After one month, the experimental group experienced significant increases in Caring and Vigor and significant decreases in Guilt, Hostility, Burnout, Anxiety and Stress Effects, while no significant changes were seen in the control group. There was a mean 23% reduction in cortisol and a 100% increase in DHEA levels in the experimental group. A positive shift in autonomic nervous system balance was measured in 80% of the sample during the use of the techniques. Some of the participants developed the entrainment mode of heart function while using the Cut-Thru technique during a Heart Lock-In (Figure 23).

"DHEA and cortisol values before and after subjects were trained in and practiced the Cut-Thru technique for one month. There was a 100% average increase in DHEA and a 23% decrease in cortisol.

"The significant increase in subjects’ DHEA/cortisol ratio was in accordance with the psychological results, which showed a significant reduction in stress, burnout and negative emotion experienced by participants as a result of using the techniques. Reduced stress diminishes the system’s cortisol demand, and can result in the diversion of pregnenolone, a common precursor of DHEA and cortisol, from cortisol production into DHEA synthesis. Additionally, the entrainment mode achieved by many of the participants during the use of the techniques is characterized by increased baroreceptor activity. Baroreceptor stimulation has been demonstrated to cause a reflex decrease in plasma cortisol levels, believed to be due to inhibition of ACTH at the pituitary gland. Given that the normal physiological variability of DHEA and cortisol levels from month to month is nonsignificant, the exceptional average increase in subjects’ DHEA/cortisol ratio measured after one month of practice of Cut-Thru is noteworthy and consistent with our hypothesis that Cut-Thru facilitates the release and reprogramming of draining mental and emotional memory traces at the level of the brain’s neural circuitry.

"This study advances our understanding of stress and emotional responses in several ways. First, it establishes that interpretive styles associated with stress and negative emotions can be changed within a short period of time. Second, it illustrates that these changed perspectives do influence stress, emotions and key physiological parameters. The substantial changes observed in the neuroendocrine measures support the concept that perceptions and emotions can affect health, as these hormones are significantly correlated to health outcomes. Finally, results suggest that people have greater control over their health than previously recognized, as participants who learned to ’reprogram’ their conditioned emotional responses experienced significantly lower stress levels, less negative emotion and increased positive emotion, all vital building blocks to a healthier lifestyle."

http://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart-emotional-balance.html