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Stress is defined as a response by your body to any demand made upon it and a ‘demand’ means a change. Did you know different stress levels have names? For example “Neutral” stress is the amount of work it takes to maintain normal body function. If we give stress a scale of 1- 10 where Neutral stress would be 1. Lets take a look at Success and what it implies. Believe it or not success is a stressor, called “Eustress”, which stems from the word euphoria. We can give eustress a quantitative number like 5 because it is a high intensity feeling and brings many ramifications and changes. Now we’ll take a brief peak at failure. Failure means challenge, or worst of all defeat. So failure can generate what is called “Distress”, which, we’ll give a number of 5 because it’s implications for change are compound and also intense. I’m relinquishing the good and bad judgements on stressors and trying to quantify them based on the change from homeostasis-the norm perspective. If our highest stress level is 10 this is when we experience all of the classic “fight and flight” signs of our body preparing for action. Hormones, like adrenaline, surge. 6 Your heartbeat and blood pressure soar. Your palms sweat. 7 Your short of breath. Your hair stands on end. 8 You’ve got a flock of geese flapping in your belly. Your blood sugar rises and your muscles tense. 9 Your mind is focused on fighting or flighting. If you get to 10 you’ll probably mess your knickers because your system has gone berserk from over stimulation and your body will surrender. Though the odors may stop your adversary from taking that first bite. These effects, up to 9.9 unchanged for thousands of years, helped prehistoric humans survive! The problem here is that the physical and emotional manifestations of the stress response are designed to dissipate when the immediate physical threat is over. But when they don’t, over time, these over used hormones cause heart disease, hypertension, suppressed immunity, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and even depression. The greatest defense against these physical manifestations is to realize they are caused by your hard wired prehistoric emotions. For instance, if you’re late for work and you’ve just missed the last subway. What do you do? You can either panic, or you can just accept the situation. Relax, take a deep breath and wait for the next one. If you can change a situation, do it, if you can’t, then you adapt. Understanding stress and its effects can help you use it to your own advantage, and turn potential “stressors” into positive challenges. Something I have always believed and now seems to be coming to light with scientific evidence is the fact that stress can actually be good for you! The Latest Study on Stress This is a study done recently with mice in a stressful situation. What the researchers did was they take a bunch of mice that were bullied repeatedly by a nasty mouse for a couple of hours for six consecutive days. At the end of that period the researchers infected the picked on mice with a strain of influenza that also infects humans. Other mice, not subjected to the bullying, were also infected so the scientists could measure the effects of the stress. The bullied mice were actually better able to ward off the virus than the ones that had not had to deal with an aggressive foe. So the scientists changed the name of the stress test to “repeated defeat.”. By whatever name, the stress apparently improved the memory of the special “T cells,” that run the immune system. Low levels of stress produce hormones that help us meet various challenges, so a little of a bad thing can be good. Of course, there’s still some question about whether humans will react the same as mice, but the mouse immune response is comparable to that of the humans and that’s why they chose the mice.

Did we need this experiment to prove our point? Hardly. But the scientists do and here we are with more proof of what we already knew. Since the fight-or-flight response is designed for physical action, regular exercise is the best way of dissipating the physical manifestations of stress hormones in the body. Exercise, even stretching, can relieve tension in the muscles. While fight-or-flight taxes the immune system moderate physical activity can bolster the immune response. Exercise can also counteract the anxiety adrenaline and cortisol may cause when they flood the bloodstream for prolonged periods. Most obviously, exercise is an outlet for excess adrenaline, and has been shown to blunt cortisol production. But another way it achieves this is by releasing serotonin, a neurotransmitter that stimulates the brain’s “happy centers.” This occurs most dramatically within the first 30 minutes of physical activity, then tapers off. Exercise also induces the release of endorphins, which block pain messages and can enhance mood. There are peripheral benefits to physical activity as well. The sense of self-control that comes with overcoming the anxiety provoking stress, of course the weight loss that comes with the exercise and the improved body image affects our outlook, and so our interactions with others, which in turn improve our mood. So empower yourself and make friends with stress. What Stress Can Do For YOU! New research is telling us that stress should be welcomed. Increasing evidence is pointing to how stress can: Prevent cancer from returning Reduce the chance of heart attack Increase life expectancy Boost the immune system Increase brain power Well, do you feel any better now?

Deborah Caruana RN, MES, CPT. CALL 212-677-3185 EMAIL deb@vitalsignsfitness.com WEB www.vitalsignsfitness.com

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Do allergy products really make a difference? Plenty of specialty products exist, and if you are looking, you can you find products for every room in the home and practically every part of your body. HEPA air filters and filters for your vacuum cleaner; 100% pure cotton bedding and pillows; masks that you can wear at work, at play and at home; cleaning supplies; cases to stuff your mattresses in; throat moisturizers; cosmetics; dehumidifiers; toys that can be washed; the list goes on and on.

Take a peek on the Internet and you’ll find pages of websites offering allergy products of all sorts and all price ranges. Allergy products are big business and to allergy sufferers, these products look to be the answer to all of their suffering.

If you suffer from allergies, you too might be tempted to jump on the allergy products bandwagon. Before you do, it’s important to realize that the answer to whether any of these products work or not is a bit more complicated than it seems on the surface.

Several allergy-related issues need to be addressed before you whip out your credit card. Otherwise the allergy products you select might not be the great deal you had expected. First of all, be certain you know what it is you are allergic to. Are you allergic to pet dander, dust mites, food, grass, or what? If you know, that’s great. If you don’t, you might want to first go through a round of allergy tests to determine your nemesis.

Once you know what it is you are allergic to you then need to spend some time reading the descriptions of the allergy products before you purchase any. Why? Because the allergy products you may be interested in might not be designed to alleviate the allergens that cause your problems. For example, the purpose of an air filter is to remove airborne allergens, the ones that spend the majority of their time suspended in air, like pet dander.

Dust mite droppings are only in the air a short time, when they’re first released or when a vacuum cleaner stirs them up from their resting place on the ground. An expensive air filter won’t benefit you if you are sensitive to dust mites. However, a casing to enclose your mattress or your pillows will, as these are designed to keep the allergens from coming into contact with you.

Getting back to air filters, most are not effective for dealing with plant-based allergens, even though these are considered airborne allergens. In the case of ragweed, grass clippings and other such irritants, it is better to keep these from entering the home in the first place by closing doors and windows and running an air conditioner.

Are you beginning to understand what is involved with selecting the right allergy products? When in doubt, the best advice is to discuss the subject of allergy products with your allergist. You’re more likely to get an accurate, unbiased answer to your questions about allergy products.

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