Protect Yourself from High Stress Levels
By Marilyn Zink
High stress levels are affecting people with worries over the economic downturn and concerns over an impending Swine Flu pandemic this fall.
Now that vacations are over and children are back in school and there’s a greater focus on work and financial concerns.
A new poll done for the Canadian Medical Association shows that Canadians are losing sleep over their economic worries, with 57 % concerned about their financial security and 52 % concerned about their health.
It’s quite likely these concerns are deeper for Americans, where the recession has had a greater effect.
All of this as well as increased concerns over the Swine Flu can lead to greater stress levels.
Protecting yourself from stress and dealing with it before it becomes too much leads to better health and a stronger immunity.
That’s because too much stress always leads to a weakened immune system.
“Stress increases the levels of adrenal gland hormones, including adrenaline and cortico-steroids,” it says in the Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. “Among other things, these hormones inhibit white blood cell formations and function and cause the thymus gland to shrink. The effects of these hormones lead to a significant suppression of immune function, leaving the individual susceptible to infections, cancer and other illnesses.”
Naturally, the more stress you have, the greater the impact on your immune system.
When a person suffers stress for a long time, it can lead to adrenal exhaustion, with the person suffering from chronic fatigue, anxiety or feeling stressed out and a reduced resistance to allergies and infections.
The Social Readjustment Rating Scale ranks death of a spouse as the #1 for the most stressful event that affects people, giving it a mean value of 100. It’s followed closely by divorce, ranked at 73 for value and marital separation, ranked at 63.
Besides personal relationships, difficulties with finances or work are stressful as well. Getting fired ranks #8 on the scale, with a mean value of 47.
The standard interpretation of the Social Readjustment Rating Scale is that a total of 200 or more points in one year indicates a good chance of getting a serious disease. However, successfully managing the stress of major life events can go a long way to reducing that likelihood.
Marilyn Zink is the publisher.editor of the Herbal Collective magazine, www.herbalcollective.ca.
