How could a single, nonpharmacological intervention help patients deal with disorders ranging from high blood pressure, to pain syndromes, to infertility, to rheumatoid arthritis? That question may have been answered by a study finding that eliciting the relaxation response – a physiologic state of deep rest – influences the activation patterns of genes associated with [...]
Two veterans groups have asked a federal appeals court to force the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to expedite disability claims and treat troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The groups – Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth Inc. – filed a notice Monday with the [...]
The Stress Management Society have teamed up with British Airways to help the millions of British holiday makers and Beijing bound athletes prepare for summer travel on long haul flights by creating some useful tips to combat stress and jetlag. Neil Shah, Director of The Stress Management Society, and Dr Sleep, Chris Idzikowski, have collaborated [...]
Most people would agree that stress increases your risk for illness and this is particularly true for severe long-term stresses, such as caring for a family member with a chronic medical illness. However, we still have a relatively limited understanding of exactly how stress contributes to the risk for illness. In the August 15th issue [...]
PTSD linked to substantial functional impairment including difficulties returning to work. Suffering a traumatic injury can have serious and long-lasting implications for a patient’s mental health, according to the largest-ever U.S. study evaluating the impact of traumatic injury. Researchers from the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, the University of Washington, and the John Hopkins [...]
Enjoy the summer? Glad we’re all back at school or work? Well if you’re feeling a bit sluggish because you didn’t get a proper break (or if the thought of a new financial quarter is driving you to despair, or a new term is causing your children stress) we have some suggestions to help you [...]
Thanks to advances in critical care medicine, patients admitted to the intensive care unit today are more likely than ever to survive their stay. Yet outliving the physical trauma or illness that required ICU treatment often leaves long-lasting psychological scars, a new review finds. “The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and PTSD in patients [...]
Most elective angioplasties are performed without first conducting a noninvasive stress test to determine whether the procedure is necessary, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. For the study, researchers analyzed 23,887 Medicare claims and 1,630 private insurance claims. Researchers found that 45% [...]
The declining state of the Nation’s economy is taking a physical and emotional toll on people nationwide, yet it is women who are bearing the brunt of financial stress, according to data from the American Psychological Association’s newly released 2008 Stress in America survey. When asked about the recent financial crisis, almost half of Americans [...]
Relaxation specialists, Lifehut.com, have released their latest audio/visual message for people in stressful situations, entitled “Finding Joy During Challenging Financial Times.” Aimed at transforming negative emotions into positive ones, it is designed to allow people to enter an alpha state while focusing on a positive message. “With so much going on in our economy, job [...]
