HOPELESSNESS RAISES STROKE RISKS FOR WOMEN: STUDY

'HOPELESS' WOMEN AT RISK OF STROKE: STUDY
STROKE STRIKES CHRONICALLY HOPELESS WOMEN HARDEST

CHICAGO (Reuters) – For women, feelings of hopelessness are not just unfortunate, they are a stroke risk, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. They said otherwise healthy women who are chronically hopeless are more likely to have a buildup of plaque in their neck arteries that can trigger a stroke. "These findings suggest that women who experience feelings of hopelessness may have greater risk for future heart disease and stroke," said Susan Everson-Rose of the University of Minnesota Medical School, whose study appears in the journal Stroke. Many studies have linked depression with heart disease, and recent studies have suggested that optimism may protect women from heart disease. However this latest study, by Susan Everson-Rose.

Researchers looked at 559 women with an average age of 50 who had no clinical signs of heart disease, such as elevated blood pressure. To measure hopelessness, they asked questions about the future and personal goals. They also measured symptoms of depression using a 20-item assessment scale. And they took ultrasound images of the women to measure the thickness of their neck arteries. "What we found is, those women who reported feeling hopeless about the future or their personal goals had more thickening in the neck arteries - more atherosclerosis - which is a predictor of stroke and subsequent heart attack," Everson-Rose said. The difference was measurable. Women who scored high on the hopelessness scale had neck arteries that were 0.0008 of an inch (0.02 mm) thicker than their more hopeful counterparts. The difference was significant even after adjusting for other heart risk factors including age, race, income, heart disease risk factors, and even depression. Nevertheless, women should be aware that feelings of hopelessness may have physical consequences. "If women do have these strong feelings, it is potentially a predictor of cardiovascular disease and they should seek help," she said.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The guru's business is to see that no human being suffers in this material world. No one can claim that he is not suffering. That is not possible. ... No one can say that he is completely free from suffering. We may then ask why the living entity is suffering. The answer is: out of ignorance. He does not think, "I am committing mistakes and am leading a sinful life; that is why I am suffering." Therefore the guru's first business is to rescue his disciple from this ignorance. We send our children to school to save them from suffering. If our children do not receive an education, we fear that they will suffer in the future. The guru sees that suffering is due to ignorance, which is compared to darkness. How can one in darkness be saved? By light. The guru takes the torchlight of knowledge and presents it before the living entity enveloped in darkness. That knowledge relieves him from the sufferings of the darkness of ignorance.

Srila A.C. BV Swami Prabhupada:
"The Science of Self Realization - Chapter 2 - Choosing a Spiritual Master - What Is a Guru?"