Stress is the Monkey on Your Back

I watched this great show on PBS called "Killer Stress". It showed how stress affects the body in tangible ways. There was a group of monkeys that one man watched for 30 years. In the monkey group there was an alpha monkey male, who struck out at the other monkeys to keep them in line. The alpha male had good cholesterol, clear arteries and no diabetes. In a CT scan the pleasure centers of the brain were bright, meaning they enjoyed food and life. The subordinate monkeys had lighter pleasure centers, which means they enjoy things less. They also had lots of problems with cholesterol, clogged arteries and diabetes. These monkeys also gained weight around their midsection compared to the alpha monkeys.

After ten years, the alpha monkeys started to eat from a dump site. They ate first being the top monkey. They consumed meat poisoned with tuberculosis. All of the alpha males died. Then these laid back monkeys lived with the females. They didn't lash out at the females when they are angry. They lived together peacefully and raised their young. After twenty years, this new type of monkey didn't have any heart disease, weight problems and diabetes. It seems that living in a peaceful environment with some control over your destiny helps to keep one healthy. It is important to work with people you enjoy and have some control.

Another thing they found was that mothers who were stressed and pregnant during a famine in Holland, had children aged 60. These 60 years olds almost all had heart disease, diabetes and an inability to deal with stress.

Doing brain scans on stressed people found that they lost brain cells, their neurons shrank. There telomeres that connect dna strands also shrank. When they had a support group, friends and someone to laugh with, these telomeres actually grew back.
I found this work fascinating. So many of us are chasing the dollar and not enjoying our work. Having a job we love, takes a lot of pressure off us. We don't take regular breaks to stop and enjoy life. We must keep good company, supportive friends and those who have our best interest at heart.

Try some natural stress remedies, try ashwaganda, rhodiola, vitamin B5 and adrenal extract.

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