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The Sugary Mind and the Burdened Heart : A View Point 43

Economic recession and financial stress is another shall in turn undo the effects of negative emotional
risk factor that has been implicated in the genesis factors and unhygienic lifestyle. Yoga and various
of these conditions. It is ironic that while economic types of relaxation training as well as mindfulness
recession may cause these disorders it also reduces is being incorporated into cardiac and diabetic recov-
healthcare utilisation due to financial costs involved ery programmes which ensure better recovery and
and causes a speedy rise in death due to reduction improvement in blood parameters that are raised due
in healthcare seeking for these conditions. Very often to these medical conditions.
months may pass during an economic downturn and The time has come for medical specialties to not shy
the medical illness may remain undetected. Depres- away from psychiatry but rather embrace it whole
sion and suicide that has been noted in economic heartedly as psychiatry and psychiatrists always
recession along with an increase in alcohol and nico- have a different perspective to offer and more so a
tine consumption may compound the clinical picture.
perspective that is very different from that held by
The relationship between psychiatric illness and heart physicians and medical doctors.
disease and diabetes is bidirectional. Both aggravate The cardiology field as a career is stressful and may
one another and a combined management of both need the help of psychological sciences to help them
conditions is essential for complete control of any maintain their mental health and wellbeing as well
one. Genetic factors play a key in the genesis of these as the well being of their patients. There is a need
conditions and psychological disorders may trigger for integration of the knowledge we possess to help
genetic pathways that shall cause an early onset of medical care blossom in this era of holistic health
the medical disease thereby increasing the overall care. Corporate hospitals and heart institutes must
disease burden at a young age. Many medications integrate psychiatry and psychology into mainstream
that are used in the management of diabetes and care and help remove the stigma that already de-
heart disease cause depression and sleep problems prives so many of mental health care.
as a side effect while many psychiatric drugs have
weight gain and hyperlipidemia along with raised
sugar as a side effect.

There is today a psychologist that forms an integral
part of cardiac and diabetes rehabilitation teams.
There are emerging fields like behavioral cardiology
and diabetology are taking over medical rehabilitation
and thus these specialties are realising the impor-
tance of the psychological sciences in the manage-
ment of their patients. Counseling and psychothera-
py for psychosocial factors involved are emerging as
vital tools in lifestyle modification programmes and
thus creates room for the holistic management of
patients with medical disease. The mind heart con-
nection is now being elucidated in many ways and
there is also an emerging role of psychoneuroendo-
crine factors in the genesis, maintenance and recov-
ery from diabetes.

One of the factors endemic in medicine is that med-
ical specialties do not speak often to each other
and know very little about the interplay of multiple
pathways that converge to lead to the development
of medical problems. It is important that treatment
teams complete themselves by equipping their ar-
mamentarium with psychological resources that
shall serve to improve the quality of life of the pa-
tient. Positive mental health which inculcates positive
values like optimism, generosity, gratitude and for-
giveness are vital for mental health promotion and
the release of positive chemicals in one’s body that

Cardio Diabetes Medicine