STRESS: THE SILENT KILLER

Humans are not adapted to the pervasive complex stress of modern times.

Our stress levels are doubling every 10 years. And it’s only getting worse. Recent research suggests that anywhere from 60 to 90 percent of illness today is stress-related. According to the American Medical Association, “We are in the midst of the worst degenerative disease crisis in the history of humankind.”

Stress increases production of the stress hormone, Cortisol.

Cortisol, also called the “death hormone” compromises your ability to fight off disease and infection, increases aging, can cause weight gain, insomnia, fertility problems, and can even stunt growth in children.

Everyone reacts to stress differently.

Each body sends out it’s own set of red flags. According to the American Psychological Association, some people may not even feel the physical or emotional warning signs until hours or days of stressful activities. But when you notice a stiff back or that you are snapping at your friends, pay attention to the signs and listen to what your body is telling you. The warning signs of stress are not to be taken lightly or ignored. By noticing how you respond to stress, you can manage it better and in healthy ways, which will help your body correct itself, reducing the high cost and care of chronic, long-term health problems.

75-90% of primary care physician visits are for stress related problems.

Time Magazine  covered a story called stress “The epidemic of the Eighties”, and referred to it as our leading health problem. There can be little doubt that the situation has worsened since then. Numerous surveys confirm that adult Americans perceive that they are under much more stress than a decade ago. A 1996 Prevention Magazine survey found that almost 75% feel that they have “great stress” one day a week with one out of three indicating that they feel this way more than twice a week.

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