HEALTH CORNER

Psychological Stress And Sudden Death

Scared to Death: If the fear factor is strong enough and there is no escape route, anyone can be scared to death.

Scientific research suggests this happens when stress hormones or adrenaline released by the nervous system in preparation for "fight or flight" bombard the heart, causing a lethal toxic rush.

It is well known that mild stress or fright can cause shortness of breath and irregular heart rhythms, or arrhythmias. But the potentially lethal effect of the brain on the heart has remained on the fringes of medical research. Intense emotional reactions-including fear, anger, shock, grief, and even relief (or conditions such as brain hemorrhage)- can deluge the heart with adrenaline, causing cells to die and contraction bands to appear on the organ. In extreme cases, such a "nervous system storm" can trigger severe damage, leading to an abrupt cessation of life (sudden death).

Editor's Comment
Consult, get buy-ins first for 6 to 6 policy, Hon Minister

While the minister is of the view that the proposal would have significant positive economic impact, the entertainment industry players believe otherwise. The issue has over the weeks become a hot potato. But what is of essence right now is that the country needs liberal ideas to move in the right direction While opening up the economy may sound quite interesting to the ear, rolling out extended trading hours through pilot programmes without...

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