RSD and Stress II

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From: byrd45 (Original Message) Sent: 9/22/2005 11:22 AM

Hi Everyone,
This week I thought it would be interesting to talk about how stress affects RSD symptoms. I know that personally any kind of stress can put my pain levels through the roof. Have you experienced this too? The question is though how does anyone live a life free of stress? That is an impossibility there are going to be some type of stress in everyday life. What we can do is try our best to alter our response to stress. It is impossible at times when the stress is heavy but I think that it does help with the smaller stresses we experience daily. Anything that you enjoy is a real good stress reliever. Favorite places,hobbies,hugging a loved one or snuggling with a favorite pet do help with smaller stresses. Calming breathing in through the nose and then slowly exhaling until you feel yourself calming does help alot. Meditation and visualation are also a great way to combat stress. Visualizing yourself in a favorite spot that calms you the beach a favorite getaway whatever works for you.Closing your eyes and adding visualazation to the breathing is the basic of meditation. This helps with stress and will also help with pain levels. When the body experiences stress it kicks in the flight or fright reaction which we having RSD are already experiencing so it is understandable why stress makes our symptoms so much worse. Here is a little information that might help about stages of stress and some different ways to help handle stresses:
Doctors call the body’s reaction to stress as General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). There are three stages to GAS.

In the first stage of GAS called alarm reaction, the body releases adrenaline and a variety of other psychological mechanisms to combat the stress and to stay in control. This is called fight or flight response. The muscles tense, the heart beats faster, the breathing and perspiration increases, the eyes dilate, the stomach may clench. Believe it or not, this is done by nature to protect you in case something bad happens. Once the cause of the stress is removed, the body will go back to normal.

If the cause for the stress is not removed, GAS goes to its second stage called resistance or adaptation. This is the body’s response to long term protection. It secretes further hormones that increase blood sugar levels to sustain energy and raise blood pressure. The adrenal cortex (outer covering) produces hormones called corticosteroids for this resistance reaction. Overuse by the body's defense mechanism in this phase eventually leads to disease. If this adaptation phase continues for a prolonged period of time without periods of relaxation and rest to counterbalance the stress response, sufferers become prone to fatigue, concentration lapses, irritability and lethargy as the effort to sustain arousal slides into negative stress.

The third stage of GAS is called exhaustion. In this stage, the body has run out of its reserve of body energy and immunity. Mental, physical and emotional resources suffer heavily. The body experiences "adrenal exhaustion". The blood sugar levels decrease as the adrenals become depleted, leading to decreased stress tolerance, progressive mental and physical exhaustion, illness and collapse.

The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) chain of command has served humans well as a means of survival for thousands of years. However, for those suffering from chronic anxiety and depression this process malfunctions. Continual stress early in life disrupts the cycle. Instead of shutting off once the crisis is over, the process continues, with the hypothalamus continuing to signal the adrenals to produce cortisol. This increased cortisol production exhausts the stress mechanism, leading to fatigue and depression. Cortisol also interferes with serotonin activity, furthering the depressive effect.

Continually high cortisol levels lead to suppression of the immune system through increased production of interleukin-6, an immune-system messenger. This coincides with research findings indicating that stress and depression have a negative effect on the immune system. Reduced immunity makes the body more susceptible to everything from cold and flu to cancer. For example, the incidence of serious illness, including cancer, is significantly higher among people who have suffered the death of a spouse in the previous year. Fortunately, this immune-suppression process can be corrected with psychotherapy, medication, or any number of other positive influences that restore hope and a feeling of self-esteem. The ability of human beings to recover from adversity is remarkable.



Some info on visualization:


Nature Walks and Imagery

We know the feeling when we sit in the beach and see the sun set or sit on the brink of grand canyon looking at the view. We are so much into appreciating the beauty and the awe of the god's creation, we forget about our other problems. It is like meditation. We are transported to a different world. This is a great way to get rid of stress from our system. Take frequent nature walks. Watch the magnificent sunset. Listen to good music and let it transport you to distant realms. Stop and smell the rose and marvel at its beauty. All of these that pleases the senses calms the mind as well. So give yourself time-and opportunity-to indulge your senses. Let your little pleasures bring relief from big problems!

Nature is one of the best soothers of stress. Taking a quiet walk in a park or watching a beautiful sunset can do wonders. Even reminiscing about such a scene from your past, or simply imagining one, allows your stress level to drop. Picture a trip to a palm-studded beach in Hawaii, whether you've been there or not. Or imagine a lush waterfall in Vanuatu. Or a trip to Malabar Coast

New Projects/Hobbies to Cope With Stress

Take up a different project everyday to complete. The projects or activity selected should be meaningful to you and completing them makes you feel a sense of accomplishment and makes you proud.

Some of my projects people have used include:

Organizing CD's and floppy disks.

Work on a web site.

Learning computer programs that you have installed on your computer by reading manuals, books, and practicing what you learn.

Read a chapter in the Bible a day. This has an additional benefit as some of the stories may help you cope with your stress making you realize that each person's problems belongs to them; not you.

Organizing the address list in your computer.

Do that painting project you had been postponing for some time.



You can come up with your own projects. These take your attention away from your stress causing situation.



Pet Therapy

Benefits of Pets

Research has shown that heart attack victims who have pets live longer. Even watching a tank full of tropical fish may lower blood pressure, at least temporarily. A study of 92 patients hospitalized in coronary care units for angina or heart attack found that those who owned pets were more likely to be alive a year later than those who did not. The study found that only 6 percent of patients who owned pets died within one year compared with 28 percent of those who did not own pets.

The therapeutic use of pets as companions has gained increasing attention in recent years for a wide variety of patients -people with AIDS or cancer, the elderly, and the mentally ill. Unlike people, with whom our interactions may be quite complex and unpredictable, animals provide a constant source of comfort and focus for attention. Animals bring out our nurturing instinct. They also make us feel safe and unconditionally accepted. We can just be ourselves around our pets.

Research has shown that pet ownership can:
Reduce stress-induced symptoms.


In a study people undergoing oral surgery spent a few minutes watching tropical fish in an aquarium. The relaxation level was measured by their blood pressure, muscle tension, and behavior. It was found that the subjects who watched the fish was much more relaxed than those who did not watch the fish prior to the surgery. People who watched the fish was as calm as another group that had been hypnotized before the surgery. Other researchers have found that:
Petting a dog has been shown to lower blood pressure.

Bringing a pet into a nursing home or hospital can boost peoples' moods and enhance their social interaction.



Requires Less Medical Care


A study conducted at UCLA found that dog owners required much less medical care for stress-induced aches and pains than non-dog owners.

Add years to your life


In a study conducted at City Hospital in New York, it was found that heart patients who owned the pets were significantly more likely to be alive a year after they were discharged from the hospital than those who didn't own pets. The presence of a pet was found to give higher boost to the survival rate than having a spouse or friends.

We should point out in this connection that pets can be a source of stress to some people. They may worry who will take care of their pets when they die. In most cases, however, the need to take care of the pets give a reason for living to many terminally ill patients, prolonging their life span.

What Type of Pet?

It is surprising that it does not matter what the pet is to get the therapeutic benefit. It could be a dog, a cat, parakeet, a gold fish or anything else. The only thing which matters is that the animal is of interest to you.

However, it is important that the pet you have selected fit your temperament, living space and lifestyle. Otherwise it will be additional source of stress. So, look over the pet and see whether the chemistry is compatible before you decide to adopt one.

How Does it Work?

It is possible that people who own pets may have different personality traits than those who do not. Research has found that complex, varied, and interesting daily activity is the strongest social predictor of longevity. Pet ownership may affect people physiologically through the soothing and relaxing effect of touch. And speechless communication with a pet, or simply watching a cat or fish, may produce a relaxation response with little demand on the patient.

Pet owners often feel needed and responsible, which may stimulate the survival incentive. They feel they need to survive to take care of their pets. (Many cancer patients with pets have lived longer because they felt that their pets need them!) Stroking a dog, watching a kitten tumble, or observing the hypnotic explorations of fish can be an antidote to a foul mood or a frazzling day.

Pets such as dogs and cats provide unconditional, nonjudgmental love and affection. And pets can shift our narrow focus beyond ourselves, helping us to feel connected to a larger world.

Reframing

Reframing is a technique used to change the way we look at things in order to feel better about them. The key to reframing is to recognize that there are many ways to interpret the same situation (ie. the situation such as is the glass half full or half empty). Learn to get rid of negative thoughts or feeling that can result in stresses. There are three simple things you can do.

Spend more time focusing on the positive things in your life - Accentuate the positive.
Spend less time thinking negatively - Eliminate the negative
Enjoy each moment - Latch on to the affirmative.
For example if you have got into an accident, you may thank God that you have escaped with only minor injuries. You could have been killed, or worse, you could have been maimed – lost eyes, feet, hands, etc. You could have been paralyzed. You could have been in a comma and become a vegetable.

Another way to rationalize is to believe in coincidences and what it can do. For example, Redfield in Celestial Prophecies talks about how you can learn from each event.

If you are religious or believe in spirituality, that can be a great coping mechanism. For example, religion teaches us that everything happens for a purpose and it is the will of God. You just leave the things to God to straighten out. The result is that your brain does not have to pump out adrenaline to your bloodstream constantly. You feel relaxed. There is no long tern stress any more.

How do you feel stress figures into your life? Have you tried any of the things we discussed and has it helped you? Do you have other ways of dealing with your stress that you have found success with? If you would like to add your feelings,opinions orexperiences with Stress and RSD just add it to this post. As always I would love to hear your views on this.

Love,

Robyn