By Jeannette Andrade
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Fall in love, have only one spouse—and be faithful.
That piece of advice didn’t come from a priest or from a love guru but from a renowned cardiologist.
“Those who live longest have only one wife,†former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral said at Kapihan sa Diamond Hotel, a weekly media forum where the topic Monday—Valentine’s Day—was the effect of being in love on the human heart.
Cabral advised people to spare their hearts of “negative stress.â€
“The negative stress comes about when you are compelled to lie everyday to your partner. That’s very bad for the heart,†she remarked, pointing out that falling in love gives a person “positive stress.â€
“When you see the person you love, the reaction of the body is like it is undergoing a kind of positive stress,†Cabral said.
“It means your heartbeat is a little faster, your blood pressure goes up a little bit, your pupils dilate, and you feel flushed. But it gives a feeling of well-being.â€
Longer, happier life
Cabral said positive stress was not bad for the heart.
“It is like exercise. The state of being in love is good for you. People who have stable emotional relationships live longer and are happier than those who live alone,†she stressed.
Cabral also said that a person’s reaction to stress was important. “You cannot control the things that are happening to you but you can control how you react to them,†she said.
“A positive outlook that things will be better†would also help, she said.
Too much TV
Cabral said that negative stress was among the factors that led to heart ailments. The other factors included smoking, drinking too much and lack of physical activity.
“For a healthy lifestyle, a person should not be smoking, [should be] moderately drinking, and observing a healthy, well-balanced diet. Physical activity is also necessary,†Cabral emphasized.
She also has an advice for parents.
“Kids are at risk of having heart ailments because of the lack of exercise or physical activity,†she said.
“Children nowadays hardly do anything else but stay indoors to watch TV, play computer games or portable play stations.â€
Parents should encourage their kids to play outside and engage in physical activities.
“Our kids could be taught the outdoor games we used to play as kids,†Cabral suggested.
Stressful sex
Asked how a person’s faithfulness was related to longevity, Cabral pointed out that men who were loyal engaged in “less stressful sex with their wives in the house than with their mistress in a motel, where there is the risk of getting caught.â€
“Plus there is the guilt or conscience factor,†she added.
According to Cabral, when a spouse is faithful, his or her partner enjoys a good family life.
“They take good care of each other and ensure that they get a healthy, well-balanced meal and make sure that they get medical checkups,†Cabral said.
“It is more of giving a positive influence to the other, which is good for the body and healthy for the heart.â€
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