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| Harness Stress for Success
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By Arden Moore
STRESS KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES — striking anyone, anywhere, any time. It shows up in familiar ways: persistent, pain-in-the-eyes headaches; tense, achy shoulder muscles; and churning stomach acid.
But much of the damage caused by stress occurs at chemical and cellular levels. How well you respond — or how badly you react — to stressful situations plays a significant role in your risk for disease, your memory, and how well you age.
Two recent studies demonstrate how stress causes forgetfulness and accelerates the aging process. In the first study, published in the journal Science, researchers discovered that chronic stress impairs a brain enzyme called protein kinase C. This enzyme affects the part of the brain that regulates the ability to concentrate, make judgments, and control impulsive reactions.
In the second study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers identified how psychological stress can speed up aging at a cellular level. They were able to view the wear and tear of the protective tips of chromosomes inside cell nuclei known as telomeres. The more worn down the telomeres were, the quicker the cell became weak or died and the stronger the invasion of diseases.
“Telomeres are much like the plastic tips on shoelaces,” says co-author Richard Cawthon, a geneticist at the University of Utah at Salt Lake City. “Inside chromosomes, telomeres protect our genetic data. When the telomeres become shortened, they can trigger the cells to execute a suicide program and die or cause other cells to stop dividing and not work right anymore.”
Cawthon says there is a direct correlation to aging and telomere length.
“We have found that people with longer telomeres live longer, while people with shorter telomeres die at younger ages from heart disease, infectious diseases, and other health causes,” he says. “These findings certainly make me take stress more seriously.”
“You need to pay attention to your body, because every system in the body reacts to stress.”
— Karen Stewart
director of nursing education at
Eisenhower Medical Center
We can’t escape pressure — not in today’s hectic-paced, ever-so-connected world. But we don’t need to feel stressed out. Understanding how stress impacts various parts of the body and how we handle stress can influence our quality of health, says Karen Stewart, director of nursing education at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.
There is direct connection between stress and muscle tension, high blood pressure, headaches, and a weakened immune system. The list goes on. Stress can aggravate a wide range of woes — from dandruff, hair loss, and acne to diarrhea, constipation, and hives.
“You need to pay attention to your body, because every system in the body reacts to stress,” says Stewart, who also has a master’s degree in psychology and pre-vious experience as a lifestyle counselor. “Everything from your cardiovascular to your neurological to your endocrine system can show signs of stress. The key is to identify these signs early and take corrective steps.”
An overly stressed cardiovascular system can provoke hypertension, anxiety attacks, and even heart attacks. The brain may perceive danger and release chemicals from the adrenal glands that can lead to clammy palms, increased heart rate, and shallow breathing. Stress can cause your esophagus to tighten and lead to heartburn. Or it can prey on your digestive system and lead to stomachaches and irritable bowel syndrome.
Stewart works with Eisenhower’s nursing staff, offering ways to keep stress from taking tolls on their minds and bodies. She promotes taking slow, deep breaths from the diaphragm, meditation, and eating balanced meals.
“Avoid junk food or foods containing refined sugars,” she suggests. “Try not to skip meals.”
Exercise is also essential, says Danielle Meglio, a certified occupational therapist assistant at Eisenhower who coordinates community classes for people diagnosed with lupus, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and other health conditions. She teaches the stress-melting benefits of tai chi, swimming, water exercises, and yoga.
When clients arrive late or come with aggravated moods, Meglio always addresses the stress first.
“Some have come right from work and rushed to class, and you can see that their stress levels are high,” Meglio says. “So I allow them to relax for a few minutes and become calm. I start treatment after I can see that their blood pressures and heart rates have returned to normal. If muscles are tense, … the classes won’t be as beneficial.”
The biggest weapon against stress lies in attitude.
“The key to stress management is to feel a sense of some control and not allow yourself to take on a victim’s role in which you feel powerless,” Stewart says. “I’ve been a nurse for over 30 years. If I feel that I have some control in my day, my levels of stress are greatly reduced.”
Stressbusting strategies
Harness Stress for Success.“We can’t escape pressure not in today’s hecticpaced, ever-soconnected world”
Laugh off stress. Fake those giggles and guffaws — doctor’s orders.
Dale Anderson, a physician and author from Roseville, Minn., travels coast to coast coaching people on how to use method acting and therapeutic humor to combat stress.
“People who positively script, stage, costume, direct, and act happy, healthy, and stress-free can actually change their body chemistry for the better,” says Anderson, a Mayo Clinic-trained surgeon who is also board certified in holistic medicine. “Every mood has its own identifiable physiology. When you feel sad, pessimistic, and lethargic, or simply overwhelmed, your body chemistry is different than when you are happy, upbeat, energetic, and in control.”
Anderson, author of Never Act Your Age: Play the Happy Childlike Role Well At Every Age (Beaver Bond Press, 2002) offers the following ways to get our cells to release goodfeeling chemicals to improve our moods and make us less susceptible to stress-induced health woes:
Stand in front of a mirror and
laugh out loud for a minute.
“Laughter, whether real or fake, creates a chemistry that makes people happy and thereby promotes good health,” Anderson says. “There is a definite mind-body connection at play here.”
Stand and sit tall.
“Poor, slouched sitting and standing, over time, can lead to a host of woes, including back pain, neck aches, headaches, and breathing difficulty,” Anderson says. “I tell my patients that instead of sitting or standing with the posture of being in, down, and back, sit and stand so that they are up, out, and forward. Remind yourself to arch your lower back whenever you sit, especially when using a computer. By doing so, you will improve your posture and lessen pain significantly.”
Cuddle your canine or your cat.
“You can get out of a blue mood with what I call a ‘fur fix,’” Anderson says. “Dogs, cats, and other pets give you unconditional love. You can elevate your mood by petting and cuddling with them. Studies have shown that dogs and cats are natural calmers. They can help people lower blood pressure and heart rates while helping raise our levels of serotonin, endorphins, and other feel-good body chemicals.”
Catch some afternoon zzzzs.
“Many creative people, including inventor Thomas Edison, were power nappers,” Anderson says. “Taking a 10- or 20-minute mini-nap in the afternoon can help to recharge and revive you. You will get up feeling less stressed and more focused.”
Tune in to classical, instrumental,
or New Age music.
“Music can promote health and serenity, and there is even a name for the science of music: cymatics,” Anderson says. “Playing music can help you with your memory and concentration. Music with a 60-beat-per-minute rhythm matched to a person’s resting heartbeat can promote sound sleep. If you want more energy, play faster tempo music to get you into an upbeat mood.”
Put the “E” back in your life.
Find an exercise program you enjoy. Tai chi, water aerobics, and walking help improve balance, tone muscles, and release feel-good body chemicals. Or be creative: Dance in your living room, marching around like a music conductor waving a baton. “The key is to get up and get moving,” Anderson says.
Skip schedule-filled vacations.
Chartered trips require you to always be go-go-go and to always be at certain places at certain times,” Anderson says. “When you get home, you find you need a vacation from that vacation. Instead, be good to yourself and treat yourself to a truly stressfree vacation. It could be as simple as spending an afternoon on a beach chair and reading a book in the sunshine.”
Moving from the fast lane
Danielle Meglio, an occupational therapist assistant at Eisenhower Medical Center, teaches patients tai chi movements as a form of relaxation.Jody Landerman’s resume would bring envy to most corporate climbers. Before moving to Palm Desert, she conquered sales territories in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles for a major clothing manufacturer. She also traveled overseas regularly as president of a toy company that made teddy bears.
No one could stop her — but something did: stress-induced lupus. She was diagnosed 18 years ago.
“I was physically and mentally fatigued,” Landerman says. “Lupus can affect each person differently. I knew I needed help.”
She enrolled in a stress-management class taught by Danielle Meglio, a certified occupational therapist assistant at Eisenhower Medical Center not once, but twice. She learned to trade power suits for power naps.
“A 20-minute nap stimulates my body and gets me back up mentally where I was before I took a nap,” she explains. “With lupus, if you don’t take a step back every so often, the disease can stress your body out.”
Meglio taught Landerman the therapeutic benefits of deep breathing, meditation, aerobic exercise, and a biggie: not over-committing herself. Landerman now has the energy to lead a lupus support group and volunteer for an organization that raises money to provide scholarships to college-bound high school girls. She exercises each morning and works on a daily to-do list in the afternoon. She has learned to politely decline more obligations than she can handle. She has learned to be good to her body.
“Danielle is fantastic,” Landerman says. “I’ve learned so much about lupus and about how to control stress. I even get my husband, Bob, to see the value of taking power naps.”
Occupational therapy
To ease the pressures of working in the intensive care unit at Eisenhower Medical Center, Wade Little spends his breaks feeding ducks.With a stethoscope draped around his neck and donned in dark blue surgical scrubs, registered nurse Wade Little walks the halls of the intensive care unit at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage with quiet confidence.
In his first year as a registered nurse, Little has encountered dying patients, demanding doctors, and grieving families. His nursing classes taught him what to expect clinically, but he needed help to cope with the unexpected emotional aspects of his chosen profession.
When he responded to his first Code Blues, he became nauseous; his heart rate accelerated, and levels of adrenaline surged inside him. He recalls sleepless nights, fretting if he made the right decisions concerning critically ill patients.
“I cared for this wonderful woman in her 60s for weeks and got to know her and her family,” Little says. “Then one day, she made a downward dive in her health. I tried to do everything I could to head it off. After my shift was over, I was at home and unable to sleep. I was sweating and feeling emotionally drained.”
Little turned to Eisenhower’s director of nursing education, Karen Stewart, for guidance on managing his mounting levels of emotional stress. Knowing that working in ICU does not allow for much time to collect thoughts, Stewart taught him deep-breathing techniques and guided imagery. Now when he feels stress accelerating, he takes an available minute to dash into a bathroom to close his eyes; take a few deep, deliberate breaths; and visualize one of his favorite places: the snow-filled mountains of Utah.
And instead of dashing into the nurses’ break room during a scheduled break, he heads outdoors to feed the ducks gathered around the hospital’s small pools of water.
“I feed the ducks and look at the mountains, and I’m amazed how much these actions center me and recharge my batteries,” Little says. “I return to the floor mentally ready for the next case.”
Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, but this is not necessarily a comprehensive representation this field. Appearance on this list does not imply endorsement or recommendation by Desert Publications Inc. In the case of plastic/reconstructive and cosmetic surgery, a listing here does not imply the completion of formal training in a board certifiable plastic surgery training program.
Unless otherwise noted, all telephone numbers are in the 760 calling area. |
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