Behind the Ink
How does science fit into all of this Heart Transplant PTSD? A very interesting study can give me insight into how the environment of where patients stay has a huge affect on their psychology after surgery. A group of patients were observed and environment had no art or photographs, i.e white walls and bland surroundings,
“Most patients complained about some degree of weakness and about half reported pain (generally mild or moderate); about 60% perceived sadness, anxiety, and were worried about their clinical condition or its evolution.”
Second group had images and and photographs on the walls,
“Most patients (72%) reported that viewing the photographs succeeded in making their stay in hospital more pleasant.” (Art in the Hospital: Its Impact on the Feelings and Emotional State of Patients Admitted to an Internal Medicine Unit, Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine)
Showing that environment has a huge after effect on patients during their time in hospitals. This conclusion can correlate to the Mental piece of your heart, pictures and photographs can create a synapse connection, reminding of the outside world and giving incentive to get better. Another article makes another great point about recovery environment,
Creative Thinking a Nursing Standard (2007) by Janet Smith, states “These gardens are an escape – and sometimes finding appropriate ways to escape is the healthiest option a person can choose.”
This creates another connection to the spiritual area of ones heart. To strengthen our bodies and environment we must become aware of nature and its therapeutical affects on our bodies. We learned in class from Richard Taylor that fractals create a feeling of calmness and went on to explain all of natures patterns are also fractals. This makes perfect sense to why patients responded better when allowed to roam the garden. A spiritually strong heart is no made up mumbo jumbo, some patients go through unexplainable recoveries and miraculous spikes in health. I believe these are due to spiritual connections with the world around us. This goes hand in hand with the mental area and how when interacting with loved ones, our heart rate slows and hormones like serotonin are released. This again can spark a miraculous recovery and goes statistically unexplained. Finally, we all know that cardio workouts and exercises can great increase your hearts health. There isn’t much science to it, your heart is a muscle, when muscles are used excessively, muscle microfibers are torn and slowly rebuild creating more and stronger muscle. This is very beneficial to your overall health and more specifically your precious heart.