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Stress is an epidemic in the western
world.–
The American Medical Association
states that:
-
•Stress
is the cause of 80 to 85 percent of all human
illness and disease.
-
•Over two-thirds of office
visits to physicians are for stress related illness.
-
•Stress is a major contributing
factor either directly or indirectly to coronary
artery disease, cancer, respiratory disorders,
accidental injuries, cirrhosis of the liver and
suicide; the six leading causes of death in the
United States.
–Every
week, 95 million Americans suffer some kind of stress
related symptom for which they take medication.
(holistic-online)
Cost of Stress
The stress epidemic is an
extremely costly one.
–The
medical costs alone have been estimated in the
United States at well over 1 Billion dollars per
year.
–Stress
costs industry approximately 150 billion dollars
per year in increased health insurance outlays,
burnout, absenteeism, reduced productivity,
costly mistakes in the office and on the shop
floor, poor morale, and high employee turnover.
(Rhodes)
What is Stress?
Stress is a condition
or feeling experienced when a person
perceives that demands exceed the
personal and social resources the
individual is able to handle.
–Fight or Flight:
•Stress
sets off an alarm in the brain,
which responds by preparing the body
for defensive action. The nervous
system is aroused and hormones are
released to sharpen the senses,
quicken the pulse, deepen
respiration, and tense the muscles.
–Stress
Hormone:
•Cortisol,
also known as the “stress hormone,”
is released in the body during
stressed states. Short-lived or
infrequent episodes of stress pose
little risk. But when stressful
situations go unresolved, the body
is kept in a constant state of
activation, which increases the rate
of wear and tear to biological
systems ultimately creating fatigue
or damage, and the ability of the
body to repair and defend itself can
become seriously compromised. As a
result, the risk of injury or
disease escalates.
The Impact of
Stress
Excesses or deficiencies
of cortisol can lead to
the following. These
issues are most likely
effecting many of your
patients or clients:
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Symptoms
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Health
Issues
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Moodiness
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Depression
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Trouble
sleeping
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Heart
disease
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Poor
emotional
control
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Stroke
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Chronic
fatigue
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Immune
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Change in
appetite
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Eating
problems
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Change in
sex drive
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Diabetes
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Weight gain
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Pain
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Feeling
helpless
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Sex/Reproductive
issues
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Feeling
dependent
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Memory
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A
stress
management
program provides
instant relief,
but more
importantly
retrains
an individual to
recover
from stress
triggers more
easily to keep
their hormone
levels in
balance.
In addition to a
reduced risk of
the health
issues mentioned
earlier, the
benefits of a
good stress
management
program include:
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Improved
quality of
life
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Improved
outlook on
life
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Improved
health
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Improved
concentration
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Improved
memory
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Increased
productivity
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Improved
morale
Stress
Management
Techniques
While
there
is
no
one
single
technique
or
therapy
for
everyone
to
use
to
relieve,
reduce
and
manage
stress,
relaxation
is
at
the
core
of
most
stress
reduction
methods.
–Relaxation is
not
something
that
everyone
can
achieve
without
assistance
and
guidance.
–The most common
categories
of
relaxation
techniques
are:
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•Biofeedback
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•Mind-body therapy (meditation, breathing, guided imagery)
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•Bodywork (massage)
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•Holistic medicine (acupuncture, naturopathic medicine, etc)
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•Lifestyle choices (exercise, nutrition, sleep, etc)
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