Q: What can bad stress do to your body? Things at work are really out of control because we're understaffed, and I have all sorts of weird symptoms I never had before. I have to get on top of this! -- Kevin G., Chicago
A: I can't stress this enough (lol) -- chronic stress affects every corner of your body, from your brain function to your sex drive and your pain level to your relationship with food. But let's look a little deeper at the various ways chronic stress can cause health issues.
We all know it can give you a headache or neck/backache. But excess negative stress may also affect your memory, make skin problems like psoriasis or acne worse, and most certainly shorten the length of your telomeres on your DNA -- causing accelerated aging! There are also studies showing that it can lead to overeating (comfort from food) and raise blood glucose levels, increasing the risk for prediabetes and diabetes. Blood pressure can go up as well and, although it's not conclusive, there's growing evidence that work-related stress increases the risk for cardiovascular disease.
Stress can also make pre-existing chronic conditions worse. For example, stress can trigger an asthma attack -- and even if you don't have asthma, strong emotions can increase your rate of breathing, increasing panic. IBS symptoms, such as pain, diarrhea, constipation and nausea, can worsen with stress, and stress can cause those upsets in anyone's intestinal tract.
Fortunately, just as you can make chronic stress a destructive force, you can also reduce its impact. Five ways to get a handle on chronic stress are:
--Aerobic activity, 30 minutes minimum five days a week.
--Mindful meditation, deep breathing, yoga and or tai chi.
--Call a friend every day -- even ones you haven't talked to in a while.
--Think of -- and strengthen -- your sense of purpose ... why you are needed by an individual and/or a group.
--Cognitive behavioral therapy, to learn new ways to react to stress.
-- Adopt an anti-inflammatory, plant-based diet.
-- Avoiding excess alcohol and no smoking. You only think they make you calmer -- they don't in the long run.
Q: I want to become an organ donor after my death, but my family says I'm too old (79) and it's risky. Is it safe to do it? -- Lou R., Lincoln, Nebraska
A: Organ donation is a generous and important act -- and the many myths and fears that people have about it are one reason that more than 100,000 Americas are on waiting lists for life-saving transplants. Although more than 42,000 transplants were performed last year, 17 people a day die while they are on one of those lists. For example, there are generally over 13,000 patients in the U.S. waiting for a liver, but only 7,400 to 8,300 deceased donors annually.
Why, despite the desperate need, are people "against" donation? Folks say that they don't trust doctors and "the system," or they claim there's an underground network that lets people bump themselves ahead in the waiting line. Sometimes it's thought that people whose "bad" behavior made them need a transplant don't deserve the new lease on life.
There is also the myth that doctors won't revive you if you are near death and they have permission to harvest your organs. That's not true and you can explore the regulations on the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network website. Doctors have ample time after you have died and they have extracted it, to provide a donated organ to someone in need. A heart can be transplanted four hours after death, a liver -- 24 hours. It's a full 14 days for corneas, and bone and skin are viable five years after death.
Also, there's no cost to you -- and as for your age, there's no absolute cut-off point. Whether your organ is used depends on your health and the condition of the organ involved.
You can find out more information at www.donors1.org or www.unos.org.
Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. His next book is "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow." Do you have a topic Dr. Mike should cover in a future column? If so, please email [email protected].
King Features Syndicate