Pride 2022
Happy Pride Month from all of us at Harboring Hearts!
Every June, Americans celebrate Pride Month to honor the Stonewall Uprising and work to advocate for equal justice, rights, and opportunities for LGBT+ Americans.
Heart Health disparities have been well documented between LGBT+ individuals and their cis-gendered and heterosexual peers of the same demographic. This is likely due to the Minority Stress Effect, a term referring to the sustained anxiety that comes from consistent stigmatization, causing increased cholesterol, blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels.
The good news is research by the American Heart Association has found that love and healthy relationships can decrease a person's risk of heart disease as well as increase the likelihood of full recovery following a heart attack or stroke. Acting as an opposite to the Minority Stress Effect, loving relationships decrease stress hormones, and blood pressure, increase serotonin levels, and are often a source of encouragement for self-care and healthier behaviors. Love in all its forms can counteract the negative effects of stress and become a resilience factor for heart health, making healthy relationships especially salient for LGBT+ Americans fighting minority stress.
Harboring Hearts supports the needs of patients and their loved ones when they need it the most, decreasing financial stress and providing emotional both patients and their loved ones. Together, we all can have pride and give hope to hearts everywhere!
Photo by Jack Lucas Smith on Unsplash
