You vs. Stress & Illness: 5 Secrets for Winning the Wellness Battle
By Jed Diamond, Ph.D.Contact: Jed@MenAlive.comWeb: www.MenAlive.com
www.freedigitalphotos.net
They say that stress is a killer. But most of us don't interpret that literally. Weknow that stress is bad for our health, but few of us are aware of the role it canplay in producing such real killers as heart attacks and strokes."A critical shift in medicine has been the recognition that many of thedamaging diseases of slow accumulation can either be caused or made far worse by stress," writes Robert M. Sapolsky, author of the critically acclaimedWhy Zebras Don't Get Ulcers. "Stress can wreak havoc with your metabolism,raise your blood pressure, burst your white blood cells, make you flatulent, ruinyour sex life, and if that's not enough, possibly damage your brain."What's important to remember, writes Sapolsky, a professor of biologicalscience and neuroscience at Stanford University, is that effectively managingyour stress can be a powerful weapon against serious illness.In a landmark study,psychiatristsThomas Holmes and Richard Raheexamined the medical records of over 5,000 medical patients as a way todetermine whether stressful events might cause illnesses. A positive correlationwas found between their life events and their illnesses.Results were published as the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS),known more commonly as the
Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale
. Subsequentvalidation has supported the links between stress and illness.To measure stress according to the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, thenumber of "Life Change Units" that apply to events in the past year of anindividual's life are added. The final score will give a rough estimate of howstress affects health. This scale has been updated to add in new stresses thatwere not addressed in Holmes and Rahe’s original studies in the 1960s.Place a check beside any changes that have occurred in your life
in the lastyear
, circle the associated life-change units, and add up your score.
Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale
Life Changes Life change units
1.Changes at work
Change:( ) Change to a new type of work - 25( ) Change in your work hours or conditions- 20( ) Took a course to help your work - 18
Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale (Continued)Responsibilities:( ) More work responsibilities - 29( ) Fewer work responsibilities - 29Trouble at work:( ) With your boss - 23( ) With your coworkers - 23( ) With those you supervise - 23( ) Other work troubles - 20( ) Major business readjustment - 39Status:( ) Promotion - 40( ) Transfer - 38( ) Demotion - 40( ) Being laid off - 42( ) Retirement - 45( ) Being Fired - 47
2.Changes at home or in your family
Move:( ) Move within same city or town - 20( ) Move to another city or town - 28Major changes:( ) Major changes in living conditions - 25( ) Change in family get-togethers - 15( ) Change in health or behavior of family member - 44
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You vs Stress and Illness: 5 Secrets for Winning the Wellness Battle
They say that stress is a killer. But most of us don't interpret that literally. We know that stress is bad for our health, but few of us are aware of the role it can play…
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