Stress Can Be Deadly

Up to 90 percent of ALL health problems are related to stress, according to a report released recently by the American Holistic Medical Association.

How can stress be controlled?

Stress is the "wear and tear" on the mind and body in response to everyday tensions and hassles. When left unchecked, it can be quite detrimental to health and well-being. Stress affects people physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. According to the American Institute of Stress, up to 90 percent of all health problems are related to stress. It is, however, not the stressful events themselves that do the harm; it's how people perceive and respond to them. Chronic health conditions often evolve from persistent stress or, in other cases, are exacerbated by stress, which can impede recovery.

Research is continuing to show the important, bidirectional pathways by which stress, negative emotions, social and psycho-spiritual factors affect physiological events and processes, thus serving as important co-determinants of health and performance.

Increasingly, emotional self-regulation is being recognized as a key factor to balance health, recover from illness and improve performance. More than ever before, health professionals are aware of this reality - that the nature of almost all illness is best addressed both in mind and in body. The public is also increasingly aware of this and are seeking out health care options that are more congruent with this value. Educators also recognize the critical role of emotions to the learning process.

Emotions and feelings have a powerful impact on the human body. Negative emotional reactions mediate undesirable physiologic changes that can create or exacerbate a variety of health problems including heart disease, hypertension, headaches, stroke, depression and sleep disorders. Positive emotions on the other hand, such as appreciation, care, love and compassion, not only feel good, they are good for one's health.

A growing body of research is beginning to provide objective evidence that positive emotions may indeed be the key to optimal functioning, enhancing nearly all spheres of human experience. Positive emotions have been demonstrated to improve health, increase longevity, increase cognitive flexibility and creativity, facilitate broad-minded coping, innovative problem-solving, and promote helpfulness, generosity and effective cooperation.

This means the average person can control his or her own stress, as long as they have the proper tools and guidance.