Few stressors are as powerful as the loss of a cherished family member or relative. Every doctor has several stories to tell about the effects on a patient.

My most dramatic two stories involve the loss of a husband leading to a visit to my office. In the first, a previously very healthy 60 year-old woman awoke to find her husband dead in bed next to her. Over the next several days, and through the wake, she had begun to feel palpitations and dizzy spells along with profound "heartache" along...