It's The Stress, Stupid

Politicians are quite fond of saying,"It's the economy, stupid." This is a phrase to describe why people vote the the way they do. Until the Iraq war it held up pretty well as a truism.

Recently the American Medical Association in a commentary in its Journal said that stress is a "powerful risk factor".

... stress is not “just” some benign complaint. Instead, it’s a powerful risk factor for disease, notes a recent commentary in The Journal of the American Medical Association. The article focuses on evidence showing that stress is linked to an increased risk for heart attacks, depression, cancer and the progression of H.I.V. and AIDS. Notably, an accompanying article in JAMA notes that workplace stress may be as bad for your heart as smoking and high cholesterol. And marital strife also poses a major risk to your heart health, the Archives of Internal Medicine reported this week. Tara Parker-Pope, Giving Stress More Respect, New York Times October 24, 2007.

So why aren't we saying "It's the Stress, Stupid." when confronted with the skeptics that question why rubbing feet and hands or many other "alternative therapies" can have an effect on a wide variety of disorders and yes, even diseases.

Reflexology is frequently put down as a "feel good" services. But "feeling good" is important because it means your stress level has been interrupted and the stress is lower than it was before.

Wellness is about feeling good. Feeling good lowers the risk factors that weaken our bodies and threatens our health.

It is interesting that you can't feel good and be depressed at the same time. There are a myriad of things that cannot thrive when you feel good.

So next time you feel stressed look for the things in your life that make you feel good and go for it. You might just save your life.

Kevin Kunz