Ideally, with the tremendous economic growth that India has seen over the years one would assume that the country would grow emotionally too; but sadly, we have failed to grow our EQ (emotional quotient) at the same rate.

Somewhere in our race to become economically and financially strong, we’ve put emotional growth on a back burner; an example being our acceptance of people who are different from us or are specially-abled which is abysmal; so while we should be talking about rehabilitating this group and giving it its proper place in society, we are unfortunately still stuck at the ‘acceptance’ stage.

We continue to shun transgenders, homosexuals and bisexuals while in practice these people have the same rights to live and work with dignity as everyone.

Thus, this news deserves its page 1 status; hopefully others will follow the lead and incidents such as these will be a norm and not the exception.

At the very grass-root levels, we could start by being more accepting and tolerant of people and things around as; after all, Rome wasn’t built in a day

While the effort must be lauded, it needs tackling at the very root. 

First, we must acknowledge that stress amongst students is not a phenomena linked with time (i.e. just before exams); while it’s true that this stress peaks around exams, the stress felt is all-year round and needs addressing accordingly.  Stress management has to be part of our routine lives and not an incident-based, one-time exercise.

Second is the pivotal role that the parents play in the creation of this stress; don’t get me wrong, there is no parent in the world who would intentionally add to his child’s stress hence the fact that the parent group is creating and adding stress without even knowing it is worse.

It is a competitive world out there and we’ve seen and experienced it up close, so as parents we want our kids to succeed and thus avoid life’s struggles and failures, BUT at what cost?

Should the goal be, “success at any cost” or should it be that your child work towards being the best that he or she can be?

Besides what good can pressure do? Forget excelling, kids are unable to optimise even their basic potential under undue stress.

We inadvertently compare our kids with peers, give them examples of how things are different from our ‘times’; these actions on our part inculcate fear in young minds and does nothing to boost their confidence.

Till about the age of maturity, kids mostly do things to get parental approval and hence as parents we have a huge responsibility.

Whatever our kids do should be in sync with trying to discover their hidden talents and optimising their potential and not for our approval.

Besides, isn’t it a known fact that if you make a career out of what you love, you not only make a success out of it but happiness and contentment happen as corollaries?

Mind you, am not saying you molly cuddle or cushion them from the realities of life; all I’m saying is that you allow your child to discover her potential, offer unconditional love and support and encourage her to be the best that SHE can be.

After all, imagine if Tendulkar went to IIT or Madhuri Dixit became a microbiologist?

Wouldn’t the world have lost some rare talent?

China’s tremendous financial growth and prosperity would obviously come at a price. But this – ‘hiring’ partners (‘especially’) during holiday season to please your parents is in my opinion, is plain alarming.

Alarming because we’ve taken consumerism too far by hiring ‘love interests’ like one would do a car or some other utility.

And the need to please the parents instead of coming clean indicates the tussle between old values and new.

Chinese youth by ambition are perhaps finding no time for love or delaying dating or settling down; the older gen probably thinks that in the need to run the growth race, the youth are not focussing on what actually makes our race tick – RELATIONSHIPS!!

In that case, wouldn’t it be simpler to explain to the older generation that times have changed and our priorities and needs are not the same as yours?

‘The need to please’ defies meaningful, true relationships, no?

Am also thinking, if your parent found out about the ‘hire’, would the hurt caused to them be worth the money spent and the risk taken?

Is balance really so difficult to find or are we unwilling to pay the price for balance?

Will we reach a point where even intangibles like love, companionship and friendship will be E-bought and sold?  Well, I hope not; and I earnestly believe that it’s never too late to reprioritise.

So before you buy that loved one a gift the next time, think about replacing that with quality time and listening instead.

It will be time well invested:)

And the Indian employer scene is worse; where even being ‘seen’ outside a ‘shrink’s office’ is a huge taboo; such disclosures would be seldom forthcoming.

What happened in Pune should be a reminder that stress does kill and the question we need to ask ourselves is that “are we ready to face consequences of disasters such as these?”

One would argue that what happened with the said bus driver was a result of being in a high stress job but stress doesn’t just come in one form or from one source; stress is attacking our lives from all angles.

Even toddlers are being diagnosed with stress induced illnesses so one can only imagine the stress that grownups and even teens face?

So then what is the solution?  Do we just stand by and just let incidents like these shake our very core? Or do we have a preventive plan.

It’s desirable to seek disclosures from employees but is it practical? Perhaps not.

What employers can do is ensure that the pre-employment medical examination includes tests to assess the candidate’s mental fitness; while this is a good first step, it’s not enough because the results of this test would be at a ‘point-in-time’ and what we need to understand that ALL of us can be maladjusted at some points in our lives and hence (temporarily) unfit to carry out our regular chores and roles.

In fact, this should surprise you – people who have meltdowns are often able to perform routine jobs easily thereby not showing any signs of meltdown or stress.

What we need is a more robust system to identify stress in employees and means to deal with the same.

Step 1 to accept that it’s ok to be maladjusted and a person acknowledging this is not crazy or mad; this will help people come out and seek help, which currently is our biggest problem; we do not want to acknowledge that being maladjusted is an innate part of our humanness and we don’t need to be super-human.  That It’s ok to seek help and knowing that we will not be judged harshly by peers and society in general will encourage people to come out and seek timely help and avert disasters.  We need to ACCEPT and ACKNOWLDEGE maladjustment as part of our stressful lives.

Step 2 is to make available a counsellor to the employee group; discretion and independence being key to such an initiative.  Employees should feel safe seeking help from a professional who although is provided by the employer but is at the same time independent of him.

Step 3 is to regularly conduct programmes whereby employees are made aware of the various symptoms of stress and its management.  Human beings have an immense capacity to help themselves and can be taught valuable life coping skills that can help them deal with stress.

Happy employees are far more productive than their stressed-out counterparts; hence the employer should consider the financial benefits of having the above processes in place.  Besides corporate social responsibility, taking care of the mental health of its people has strong financial benefits as well.

The bottom line is if one is just having great time with friends or family, sharing a drink (one for women, up to two for men) can be a healthy pleasure. It eases risk of heart attack and stroke but if one is stressed to the maximum level (And experience says alcohol bites back when we are more tensed) then alcohol is not a smart way to unwind.Walk. Just a 30-minute outing cuts stress and anxiety by 30 per cent. In addition one burns calories rather than drinking them!!!

Reference: http://www.thestar.com/living/article/1042501–alcohol-can-make-stress-worse

Stress can affect the immune system and weaken the body’s defense against infection and disease - has been confirmed by various studies across the world.

In Cancer Patients

-      Stress can also affect a tumor’s ability to grow and spread.

-      However, the biological mechanisms that underlie such associations are not well understood.

-      Now, researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center (One of the leading cancer research and treatment centers in the United States) find that poor psychosocial functioning is associated with greater vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression––a signaling protein that not only stimulates tumor growth, but is also associated with shorter disease-free survival in head and neck cancer patients.

 Other Research

-      “There is research showing that high VEGF expression in other cancers, such as ovarian, is associated with psychosocial factors,” says Co-Leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase.

-      “This information coupled with what we already know about VEGF promoting tumor aggressiveness and poorer prognosis in head and neck cancer patients, certainly gave us a reason to look at this biomarker.”

-      VEGF not only plays a pivotal role in angiogenesis, but it is also regulated by stress hormones and key cytokines––a category of signaling molecules used extensively in intercellular communication.

-      In the current study, Fang and colleagues looked at 37 newly diagnosed, pre-surgical head and neck cancer patients, to see if psychosocial functioning, such as perceived stress and depressive factors, was associated with VEGF, a biological pathway relating to patient outcomes.

-      The patients were predominantly male (70.3%), and approximately 57-years-old, with primary tumor sites of the oral cavity (65.9%), larynx (19.9%), and oropharynx (13.5%). Over 40% of them were classified as having early-stage disease.

-      Each patient was given a psychosocial questionnaire to complete prior to treatment, which required them to answer questions about social support, depression, and perceived stress. In addition, VEGF expression in tumor tissue obtained during surgery was evaluated using immunohistochemistry––a process that helps detect the presence of specific proteins in cells or tissues.

-      Analysis indicated that higher levels of perceived stress and depressive symptoms were associated with greater VEGF expression in the tumor tissue of these patients.

-      Greater VEGF expression was, in turn, associated with shorter disease-free survival among patients.

-      The associations between psychosocial functioning and VEGF were strong among early-stage patients, but were less apparent among late-stage patients.

-      “It’s possible that in early stage disease, psychosocial stress makes patients more susceptible to cancer-related death, while in patients with advanced disease, other factors become more important in determining outcome,” says Medical Director of Speech Pathology Service and Attending Surgeon in Head and Neck Oncology at Fox Chase.

-      “In patients with advanced cancers, psychosocial interventions may have less of an impact since these cancers are inherently more aggressive.”

-      In the near-term, Fang and her colleagues hope to expand the study to look at a larger sample of patients and to incorporate other signaling pathways that are relevant to cancer, like EGFR, which researchers involved in Fox Chase’s Keystone Program in Head and Neck Cancer are already exploring.

-      The next step is to conduct a longitudinal study that would allow us to examine patient psychosocial functioning in conjunction with biomarkers of disease aggressiveness and survival from pre-treatment through post-treatment and beyond, which would give us a more complete picture of how these factors may contribute to patient outcomes.

Reference: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-04/fccc-sad042011.php

Recognize stress and learn how to manage it especially before the holiday season sets in and the daily life commitments start to multiply.

Dr Denise McGuire PhD (works at The Center for Integrative Medicine at University of Colorado Hospital uses facility both of conventional and alternative therapies for prevention and treatment of various health issues, including stress).

In a seminar Dr. McGuire, showed off a portable biofeedback machine which works in the same way as larger machines at The Center for Integrative Medicine.

• The biofeedback machine is used to help tense clients learn to relax through proper breathing techniques.
• Another way to monitor stress comes through the form of Biodots which are available online.
• The inexpensive technology is much like that of a mood ring.
• A Biodot is placed on the tip of a finger and measures body temperature.
• The dot will change color depending on the temp.
• Colder hands indicate someone is under stress and tense.
• Warm hands reflect someone is relaxed.

For more information Visit: http://www.uch.edu/conditions/integrative-medicine/.

Heart disease facts:

-      Mental health disorders and heart diseases are two major causes for disability in a person.

-      Heart disease is related to two conditions, which are myocardial infarction (heart attack) and angina pectoris.

-      Exercise is the best potential way to improve mental health and they can slow down the risks of heart disease.

-      It can cause adverse cardiovascular outcomes in the patients with the history of heart disease.

-      The symptoms of depression like fatigue, loss of interest in work and activities, loss of appetite, weight loss and restlessness interfere with the normal functioning of the heart thus leading to heart disease.

Symptoms and signs of heart diseases:

-      Chest pains or breathlessness are the early signs of heart diseases when the person feels tightness, burning pain, heaviness and pressure behind the breastbone.

-      Mental health disorders can be treated under the supervision of skilled professionals like any other diseases depending totally upon the circumstances and symptoms exhibited by the person.

-      Mental health disorders are very closely associated with coronary heart diseases.

-      When the blood supply is cut off, the unfortunate result is the heart attack.

Treatment:

-      It has been established that risks of heart diseases is 2-6 times more common in patients having mental health disorders.

-      Heart disease or cardiac disease is a general term used to cover all the malfunctions of the heart.

-      They are more likely to resort to smoking and drinking and thus leading to hypertension.

-      Exercise relieves stress, strengthens muscles, gives confidence and strengthens the cardiovascular system.

-      However, symptoms of depression should not be confused with symptoms of cardiac failure or heart attack.

-      There are several mechanisms which link stress and depression with cardiovascular diseases.

-      High levels of insulin and cholesterol also increases the risks of heart diseases like heart attacks and cardiac failure.

-     A healthy nutritional diet with regular fluid intake, fruits and vegetables, limiting sodium, avoiding foods with high saturated and trans fats like red meat, whole milk should be avoided.

Strategies for promoting a healthy heart:

-      The diagnosis of heart disease in relation to other mental health disorders are the wakeup call alerting to view habits that might be harmful or worsen the disease.

-      Mechanisms that link heart diseases to mental health disorders:

• Psychosocial factors like stress, depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders are the stronger risk factors associated with heart diseases when compared with other health defects.
• Smoking and drinking which are normally taken to combat stress should be avoided since they lead to increase in heart rate and blood pressure.
• Mental health disorders lead to physiologic changes such as cardiac rhythm disturbances, hyper-cogulability and inflammation.
• These signs usually call for immediate medical intervention.
• If the oxygen rich blood does not reach the heart the person develops a pain called angina.
• When the arteries carrying nutrients and oxygen to the heart become narrow and clogged, it results in coronary heart disease.
• One of the possible mechanisms is that patients with depression and stress are less likely to comply with medical advice.

-      Prescribed medication under proper supervision, cognitive behavioral therapy which promotes adherence and behavior change, can increase the impact of pharmacological and behavioral approach to both the diseases.

-      The support of family and friends you in the transition to a healthy lifestyle.

-      Hence, preventing mental and heart diseases plays a vital role in improving the chances of survival.

-      Several measures can be adopted to reduce the symptoms of heart diseases.

Please note: Only the health professionals can evaluate the heart diseases after conducting intensive tests.

Reference: http://www.jzmc.org/how-stress-depression-and-anxiety-can-cause-mental-and-heart-disease.htm 

The study leader said that it was possible people might be using the term stress as a catch-all for other factors more directly related to cancer. 

Smoking was mentioned less than half as often as stress among possible causes, even though there is little evidence linking psychological stress with cancer.

-      Smoking was mentioned by only 6 per cent of people

-      And poor diet by 5 per cent

-      While lack of exercise was nominated by fewer than 2 per cent of the respondents.

-      In contrast with Australian Institute of Health and Welfare analysis which suggests lifestyle factors account for 33 per cent of cancer cases.

The Study

-      Epidemiological research suggested smoking was responsible for at least 70 per cent of lung cancer and one in five of all cancers.

-      Although its role was poorly acknowledged across the entire group of cancer patients, smoking was cited by 40 per cent of the 109 lung cancer patients who mentioned any possible cause for their disease.

-      Overall, lung cancer patients were more likely to express a belief that their cancer had at least one specific cause, with about three-quarters detailing possible factors versus about half of people with other forms of cancer.

-      This might be because, ”the message out there [about tobacco] is so pervasive,” that lung cancer patients were obliged to accept the link.

-      Among the 59 per cent of breast cancer patients who attributed their disease to any cause, a quarter nominated stress while another quarter mentioned genetics, reproductive history, age, or other factors they could not change.

-      Fewer than 20 per cent suggested diet, exercise, alcohol or other lifestyle choices might have influenced their cancer.

-      The score was similar for bowel cancer, and even more pronounced among men with prostate cancer, nearly half of whom blamed genetics, age or other things they could not change.

Reference: http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/cancer-patients-in-denial-over-poor-lifestyle-choices-20110821-1j4su.html

Previous studies have shown that long-term elevated cortisol levels lead to increased abdominal obesity, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular risk.

Findings:

- Show that cortisol might play an important part in the development of obesity and increased cardiovascular risk for those working in shifts.

- Unraveling the role of cortisol in the health problems found in shift workers could result in new approaches to prevent cardiovascular damage in this specific group.

- This is the first study that shows that working in shifts leads to changes in long-term cortisol levels, suggesting that the stress hormone cortisol might be one of the factors contributing to the increased cardiovascular risks of shift workers.

- The study will run in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Reference: http://www.massagemag.com/News/massage-news.php?id=11624&catid=stress-hormones-may-increase-cardiovascular-risks-for-shift-workers&title=

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