It is possible to have a broken heart, though not in the way people typically think. While many people think of a broken heart on an emotional level, Gregory Chapman, M.D., a cardiologist in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cardiovascular Institute, says a broken heart can impact the body on a physical level, causing temporary cardiac episodes or, in rare cases, even death. 

refers to a group of diseases affecting the heart muscle, causing it to become enlarged, thick and rigid. It usually begins in the heart’s lower chambers (the ventricles), but as it progresses, it can affect the upper chambers, or atria. In some cases, muscle tissue within the heart is replaced with scar tissue. Cardiomyopathy […]