Sabrina Cuddy • November 22, 2023
Gratitude

The HCMA theme for December is Gratitude

Why practice gratitude?

Gratitude has benefits for both mental and physical health as well as our relationships with those around us. When we’re thankful for anything positive in our lives, it leads to a shift in mindset that helps us feel better and take action to stay as healthy as possible. What can you think of that’s been good for you this month? What about this year? Who are the people in your life you appreciate? What in your life makes you feel grateful?

Being grateful can help us manage stress. It can even help keep blood pressure from rising in response to stress if we have recently felt grateful. 

Gratitude can help improve mood and stave off depression. Robert Emmons is a researcher who has studied gratitude and well-being. His research shows that happy people are more likely to take steps to stay healthy, such as exercising, eating right, and seeing their doctor or dentist regularly. People who write a few things they’re grateful for in a journal every evening sleep better, and we all know how much better we feel when we have a good night’s rest!

We at the HCMA talk a lot about resilience. Gratitude helps you to be more resilient when something bad happens to you, and it can give you some insulation against all the things happening in the world. Instead of focusing on what’s wrong, someone who practices gratitude can see what’s going right.

A study in Massachusetts of those with acute coronary syndrome found that patients had more improvement in health-related quality of life as well as less depression and anxiety when they showed gratitude and optimism during recovery. Now, this isn’t HCM, which we know is a chronic condition, but it also applies to us. ( Millstein, Celano, Beale, et al., 2016 )

People who practice gratitude regularly are more likely to act socially thoughtful and empathetic. They are more sensitive towards other people. They also feel less competitive and often have higher self-esteem. It’s one of the easiest ways to improve your satisfaction with your life. Remember, if you’re happy, you’re more fun to be around, which can benefit your social and professional life.

Ways to practice gratitude

  • Try keeping a journal of times you feel grateful each day. 
  • If someone gives you a gift this holiday season, be sure to express your thanks to them because this can strengthen your relationship, make them feel good, and make you feel good! If you didn’t want that ugly sweater, that’s ok – regift it next year (or donate it next week), but allowing yourself to feel grateful that someone cared to give you a gift is the most important thing because of the mental and emotional boost it provides. 
  • Thank someone who served you in some way – genuinely saying thank you to them can make up for past customers who were rude and put a smile on both your faces.

HCMA Blog

Lisa's Letter - July Newsletter

By Lisa Salberg • July 3, 2025
Summer, greetings to all our big-hearted friends As July approaches, our focus is already on the fall and preparing for some major events, including our annual meeting coming up in October. July will also find us on the west coast in Seattle conducting a regional patient education meeting as part of our big-hearted warrior tour. We have been following the generic drug quality issue in the United States very closely and encourage you to watch the series starting with our Hill briefing in April and following with the additional webinars with our partners at Medshadow and the People's Pharmacy, and of course the ProPublica series of articles. See them all here . We are happy to have a new team member on board - we welcome Pam as our coordinator of both our All Hearts Collaborative and Hearts and Minds project. Over the next few months, you're going to be learning more about these two amazing initiatives and how we are working to provide better services for big hearts regardless of where you live, so we are meeting all of our big-hearted friends where they are. Please stay tuned for updates from these projects coming soon. We are also creating new volunteer opportunities and engagements that we hope will make it easier for you to participate in spreading the message of the importance of diagnosis, the importance of community readiness related to CPR and AED use and, of course, helping patients get to their ultimate diagnosis and getting them on the proper treatment pathways. This July I would like to recognize all of the special birthdays in my family, including HCMA Center of Excellence coordinator, Stacey Titus-brown and my daughter Rebecca Salberg. It's a milestone birthday for Becca - it’s hard to believe I have a 30-year-old child. Wishing you all a happy and healthy summer. Go build some memories!
An official seal in black & red with white letters that say HCMS Recognized Centers of Excellence

July's Topic is COE Care at the HCMA

By Sabrina Cuddy • July 3, 2025
Getting HCM care at a HCMA Recognized Center of Excellence has a positive impact on patient's outcomes. Find out why in the post by Health Educator Sabrina Cuddy

Pro Publica Releases Results of FDA Investigation

By Erica Friedman • June 26, 2025
Investigative journalists Debbie Cenziper, Megan Rose, Brandon Roberts and Irena Hwang from Pro Publica and NPR have concluded a 14-month long investigation into the quality of generic drugs coming into the United States from overseas. Among the many voices that spoke up for American patients was HCMA Founder and CEO, Lisa Salberg who has felt the effects of low-quality drugs personally. Salberg believes that fixing this problem is something we can do, even in this time, when even health care is highly politicized. Read the key takeaways from ProPublica’s 14-month investigation into the FDA’s oversight of foreign drugmakers in Threat in Your Medicine Cabinet: The FDA’s Gamble on America’s Drugs .
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