Today there are two interesting articles - one about a study showing that anger and hostility raise the risk of diabetes; another a commentary about relaxing.Well, when one is angry or feeling hostile, a negative force does build up and one generally feels negative about things and people around one. Perhaps that can arouse and build up negative forces in the body.
And when one is overly hyper, well, more stressed and definitely less relaxed.
~~A~~
Anger and hostility raises risk of diabetes...
...heart disease and high blood pressure, a decade-long study of US war veterans shows
Anger and hostility raises risk of diabetes...
...heart disease and high blood pressure, a decade-long study of US war veterans shows
Researchers studying 313 healthy Vietnam war veterans in the United States have found that anger and hostility may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Over a period of 10 years, the men had regular physical examinations involving a wide variety of medical tests. They also underwent psychological examinations using well-established questionnaires to determine their levels of hostility, anger and depression.
The researchers measured blood levels of a protein called C3, a marker for the inflammation that is a risk factor for cardiovascular illnesses. After controlling for other variables, the scientists found that those in the highest one-quarter in hostility, anger and depression showed a steady and significant increase in C3 levels, while those in the lowest one-quarter had no increase.
'This may put those men at increased risk for hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease,' said Dr Stephen H. Boyle, the lead author of the study and a researcher at Duke University Medical Center.
Why these increases in C3 levels happen is unknown, but the authors speculate that anger in hostile and depressed men initiates a series of chemical responses in the immune system that lead to inflammation.
Taking steps to control hostility may be helpful.
'There are interventions that appear to be useful in lowering levels of anger,' Dr Boyle said. 'I don't know if their long-term effects on physiology have been tested, but if you're less angry and hostile, that in itself is a worthy goal.'
Over a period of 10 years, the men had regular physical examinations involving a wide variety of medical tests. They also underwent psychological examinations using well-established questionnaires to determine their levels of hostility, anger and depression.
The researchers measured blood levels of a protein called C3, a marker for the inflammation that is a risk factor for cardiovascular illnesses. After controlling for other variables, the scientists found that those in the highest one-quarter in hostility, anger and depression showed a steady and significant increase in C3 levels, while those in the lowest one-quarter had no increase.
'This may put those men at increased risk for hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease,' said Dr Stephen H. Boyle, the lead author of the study and a researcher at Duke University Medical Center.
Why these increases in C3 levels happen is unknown, but the authors speculate that anger in hostile and depressed men initiates a series of chemical responses in the immune system that lead to inflammation.
Taking steps to control hostility may be helpful.
'There are interventions that appear to be useful in lowering levels of anger,' Dr Boyle said. 'I don't know if their long-term effects on physiology have been tested, but if you're less angry and hostile, that in itself is a worthy goal.'
- NEW YORK TIMES/ST Mind Your Body
~~B~~
Learning to let go and relax
There are two kinds of people in the world - those who can relax, and those who can't.
Okay that's a sweeping attention-seeking statement, but seriously, some people are better designed to cope with inactivity than others.
I think I first realised that I was not good at being still when I took up yoga 10 years ago, during my first pregnancy.
I had wanted something to help me de-stress. Yoga had the opposite effect, especially during the 10-minute relaxation exercise at the end of the class.
That's the one in which the teacher helps you relax mind and body through some guided imagery. I had to fight a constant furious need to wriggle or move my arms and legs out of turn. In the end, I usually distracted myself into stillness by thinking about shopping...
Perhaps it's not altogether correct to equate hyperactivity with the inability to relax but it can be torture for someone always on the go to be forced to sit still.
I was reminded of this over the weekend when talking to a friend who had hurt her foot a couple of weeks ago.
She was going out of her mind having to stay at home and recuperate, she said. She'd never read so many books in her life and she'd watched all her DVDs several times over.
She chafed at knowing there were things to be done which she couldn't get done.
My friend is one of the busiest and most efficient people I know. Being unable to discharge her many responsibilities felt nearly like being bereft of the raison d'etre for living.
Of course she knows there's more to life than doing chores. But she had a hard time accepting that she had to be still for a while.
I know my friend has her own ways of relaxing, mostly through physical exercise. Not being able to run was another blow.
Everyone needs to recharge, even the very driven, or risk burning out sooner or later. That's what weekends and vacations are for.
Many people also have hobbies outside of work and responsibilities (unless you are one of those lucky few who find your work is also play).
That carving out of time for play is something most can do. But that's still being active. What I find much harder is achieving stillness and calmness in the midst of activity.
I'm talking about conscious mental relaxation, taking a deliberate breather from work or worries to recharge the mind and thus the body.
There are many techniques one can use to get some downtime from a busy mind. Yoga is one of the ways to get one into an expanded meditative state.
The good thing is that such conscious relaxation can apparently be learnt. There is hope yet for me. The challenge is finding the time and inclination to do it. Perhaps a sprained ankle is just the thing for a lesson in patience.
Okay that's a sweeping attention-seeking statement, but seriously, some people are better designed to cope with inactivity than others.
I think I first realised that I was not good at being still when I took up yoga 10 years ago, during my first pregnancy.
I had wanted something to help me de-stress. Yoga had the opposite effect, especially during the 10-minute relaxation exercise at the end of the class.
That's the one in which the teacher helps you relax mind and body through some guided imagery. I had to fight a constant furious need to wriggle or move my arms and legs out of turn. In the end, I usually distracted myself into stillness by thinking about shopping...
Perhaps it's not altogether correct to equate hyperactivity with the inability to relax but it can be torture for someone always on the go to be forced to sit still.
I was reminded of this over the weekend when talking to a friend who had hurt her foot a couple of weeks ago.
She was going out of her mind having to stay at home and recuperate, she said. She'd never read so many books in her life and she'd watched all her DVDs several times over.
She chafed at knowing there were things to be done which she couldn't get done.
My friend is one of the busiest and most efficient people I know. Being unable to discharge her many responsibilities felt nearly like being bereft of the raison d'etre for living.
Of course she knows there's more to life than doing chores. But she had a hard time accepting that she had to be still for a while.
I know my friend has her own ways of relaxing, mostly through physical exercise. Not being able to run was another blow.
Everyone needs to recharge, even the very driven, or risk burning out sooner or later. That's what weekends and vacations are for.
Many people also have hobbies outside of work and responsibilities (unless you are one of those lucky few who find your work is also play).
That carving out of time for play is something most can do. But that's still being active. What I find much harder is achieving stillness and calmness in the midst of activity.
I'm talking about conscious mental relaxation, taking a deliberate breather from work or worries to recharge the mind and thus the body.
There are many techniques one can use to get some downtime from a busy mind. Yoga is one of the ways to get one into an expanded meditative state.
The good thing is that such conscious relaxation can apparently be learnt. There is hope yet for me. The challenge is finding the time and inclination to do it. Perhaps a sprained ankle is just the thing for a lesson in patience.
~~ ~~ ~~
Gardening is another form of relaxation. It gives a great sense of satisfaction to see plants growing (especially from weak seedlings), to see plants flowering and blossoming.
Or to watch the fish swim so gracefully, and co-existing so peacefully.
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