Stress Reduction Health Article

Risks

All relaxation-based therapies to reduce stress are virtually free of serious risk.

Normal results

Learning how to manage stress has the short-term benefits of giving people some sense of control in their lives, providing them with positive coping strategies, and making them more relaxed and healthier. The long-term benefits can be a stronger immune system, proper hormonal balance, and reduced susceptibility to serious, life-threatening diseases like heart disease and cancer.

BOOKS

Alternative Healthcare. Ed. Nikki Bradford. San Diego: Thunder Bay Press, 1997.

The Burton Goldberg Group. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. Puyallup, WA: Future Medicine Publishing, Inc., 1993.

Chichester, Brian, and Perry Garfinkel. Stress Blasters. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press Inc., 1997.

Sherman, Carl. Stress Remedies. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, Inc., 1997.

The Stress Factor. New York: Reader's Digest Association, Inc., 1995.

PERIODICALS

Golin, Mark, Sharon Stocker, and Toby Hanlon. "Natural Tranquilizers: Stress Relief That Works Round the Clock." Prevention Magazine, Dec. 1995, 65-74.

Jaret, Peter. "Going for the Bliss: You Don't Have to Sweat to Reduce Stress." Health, Nov./Dec. 1995, 83-88.

Perlmutter, Cathy. "Take A Moment to Muse." Prevention Magazine, June 1991, 38-41, 121.

Rattenbury, Jeanne. "What? Me Relax?" Vegetarian Times, Mar. 1996, 74-80.

Sharp, Katie. "Get Ready.Get Set.RELAX!" Current Health 2 (Dec. 1996): 21-23.

ORGANIZATIONS

The American Institute of Stress. 124 Park Avenue. Yonkers, NY 10703. (914) 963-1200. <http://www.stress.org>.

Center for Mindfulness. University of Massachusetts Medical Center, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655.(508) 856-2656. <http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm>.

Leonard C. Bruno, PhD

KEY TERMS

Adrenal gland—A pair of glands that rest on the top of each kidney that produce steroids, such as sex hormones and those concerned with metabolic functions.

Amino acid—Organic acids that are the main components of proteins and are synthesized by living cells.

Antibody—A type of protein produced in the blood in response to a foreign substance that destroys the intruding substance; it is responsible for immunity.

Chronic—Long-term or frequently recurring.

Debilitating—Weakening, or reducing the strength of.

Dilate—To enlarge, open wide, or distend.

Endorphins—A group of proteins with powerful pain-killing properties that originate naturally in the brain.

Holistic—That which pertains to the entire person, involving the body, mind, and spirit.

Hydrocortisone—A steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands that provides resistance to stress.

Hypothalamus—A part of the brain that controls some of the body's automatic regulatory functions.

Immune function—The state in which the body recognizes foreign materials and is able to neutralize them before they can do any harm.

Impotence—The inability of the male to engage in sexual intercourse because of insufficient erection.

Insomnia—Inability to sleep under normal conditions.

Metabolic function—Those processes necessary for the maintenance of a living organism.

Neuromuscular—Relating to nerve and muscle or their interaction.

Physiological—Dealing with the functions and processes of the body.

Pituitary gland—A gland at the base of the brain responsible for growth, maturation, and reproduction.

Sympathetic nervous system—That part of the autonomic nervous system that affects contraction of muscles and blood vessels. Stimulation of this system by a stressor triggers the production of hormones that prepare the body for fight or flight

Therapeutic—Curative or healing.