03 Mar Just Another Word or Two
I was thinking that it might be interesting to offer some more evidence of what I said in my last post about finding “study after study supporting the effects of one’s mindset on health and well being.” One of the doctors here at Family Practice Associates, Dr. John Reesor, shared with me some information from a seminar he attended recently. The seminar was titled Transforming Stress and was lead by Mimi Guarneri, MD. In the interest of space, I will not give the sources of the quotes and data but will be happy to share with anyone who would like to have them. Here are a few of the highlights of her seminar.
- “Of the ten leading causes of illness and death in the U.S., seven could be greatly reduced if the following lifestyle habits were modified – alcohol abuse, lack of exercise, poor diet, smoking, and unhealthy maladaptive responses to stress and tension.”
- 75 to 90% of all visits to health care providers result from stress-related disorders.
- Chronic stress = excess cortisol = accelerated aging.
- “You see things not as they are but as you are. Your perception is shaped according to your previous experiences, your faith and according to where you are in consciousness. More important than changing the things out there is changing the way you see them.”
- Analysis of effects of Transcendental Meditation on physical health
- Decreased blood pressure
- Decreased anxiety
- Decreased cigarette smoking
- Decreased alcohol use
- Decreased insulin resistance in heart disease patients
- The Power of Positive Emotions
- Increased longevity
- Reduced morbidity
- Increased cognitive flexibility
- Improved memory
- Improved decision making
- Increased creativity and innovative problem solving
- Improved job performance and achievement
- Improved clinical problem solving
There are more where this came from but I suspect you get the point. The bad news is that stress and a negative mind-set can wreak havoc on our bodies. The good news is that these are things we can actually do something about!