The Relationship Between Stress And Disease |
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Stress causes or influences all the diseases listed in the following Table through its effect on our diet and lifestyle habits. A person who can’t control stress in a healthy way uses alternative stress relievers, such as smoking, or omits beneficial activities, such as exercise, to alleviate its symptoms. These negative habits are not always obvious stress relievers, nor are they obvious causes of fatal disease. Compare the health problems they produce, listed below, to the modern causes of death listed in the Table
Each of the health problems listed in the chart on page xiii creates additional health problems, because each one complicates other diseases, many of which become apparent only as we age. For example, as people grow older, their bone calcium becomes depleted and they can develop osteoporosis. The risk of osteoporosis can be reduced by taking calcium supplements, but it is made worse by smoking, excessive alcohol intake, stimulants, incorrect food choices, and inadequate exercise-all of which are common stress relievers. The relationship between stress and osteoporosis is so indirect, however, that neither the sixty-five-year-old with osteoporosis nor her doctor will ever relate the disease to the lifetime of stress that preceded its onset.
We can expect our lives to be ever more enriched, and ever more complicated, by the marvels of technology, so we must face the dark side of progress and learn to deal with the stress it has helped to create. We must learn to cope with the myriad options the modern world offers in careers, lifestyles, entertainment, and so forth. We're often faced with more choices than we can effectively understand, let alone use efficiently. The complexity of modern life often means we have to do several things at once, each of which used to be done as individual activities.
The tips in this handy book help you deal with the stress that accompanies the abundance of our world today.
Stress Relievers That Detract from Health
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