People with Type A personalities are generally ambitious, competitive and hard working. They strive for sucess. Although many people who have some or all of these traits aren’t necessarity susceptible to coronary heart problems, and not all heart attack victims have Type A personalities. The Real Culprit While numerous researchContinue Reading
Prolonged stress can result in physical illness. Your body’s immune system, which is regulated in part by the brain, mobilizes defenses – such as white blood cells – against invading microbes and diseases. Upsetting emotions and stress can affect the immune system and this increases susceptibility to disease (Miller, CohenContinue Reading
Hundreds of experiments and studies done over many years reveal how the nervous and endocrine systems influence the immune system (Sternberg, 2001). Two forms of white blood cells called Lymphocytes are part of this system. B Lymphocytes fight bacterial infections and are formed in the bone marrow. T Lymphocytes formContinue Reading
Before 1900, Coronary Heart Disease was an infrequent killer, but by 1950 it became the leading cause of death throughout North America, and remains so today. In addition to hypertension and family history, many behavioral and physiological factors, such as smoking, obesity, a high fat diet, physical inactivity and anContinue Reading
Pessimism is toxic. A 2001 study of 1,306 men showed that after ten years, pessimists were more than twice as likely as optimists to develop heart disease. Depression Is Dangerous Depression can be lethal as well. The cumulative evidence from 57 different studies suggests that depression substantially increases the riskContinue Reading
Numerous studies show that stress and negative emotions have been linked to the rate of progression for cancer. Researchers have implanted tumor cells into lab rodents, which were then exposed to uncontrollable stress, making them more prone to cancer (Sklar & Anisman, 1981). In the rodents with immune systems weakenedContinue Reading
Our emotions, the way we feel, are important natural warning signals that often start before our conscious mind is even aware of them. They are actually the most powerful determinant of a person’s attitudes and decisions. They can over-ride some of our most fundamental drives. For example, disgust, a basicContinue Reading
Our lives are filled with stress. Everyday living confronts us with a continuous stream of potentially stressful situations. From driving, school work, driving to work during morning rush hour, harsh weather, the daily struggle, relationships, to watching the latest terror attack, school shooting or lock-down on the nightly news. WhetherContinue Reading
Stress is an everyday fact of modern life and difficult to avoid. It attacks us environmentally through bad weather, pollution, traffic, noise and lockdowns. Stress is present in our schools (bullying), on the job, in our relationships, in our mailbox, in our personal economics, and in illness or loss ofContinue Reading
Throughout our articles about stress and anxiety we point out how important an exercise program is to our well-being. Exercise relieves stress, even if you only do it fifteen minutes a day, or just take the dog out for a walk and hopefully a jog around the block. Daily exerciseContinue Reading