Friday, December 28, 2007
Empathy: Could It Be What You’re Missing?
A Washington Psychotherapist Suggests How to Tell . . . and How to Treat the Symptoms
Brain • Emotions • Psychology • Relationships • (0) Comments • Permalink
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Downtime: It’s Enough to Make Some People Sick
Some Research Suggests Illness Goes Up When the Stress of Work Goes Down. Skeptics Are Immune to This Theory.
Burnout • Health at Work • Hormones • Immune System • Productivity/Performance • Stress • (0) Comments • Permalink
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
A Hospital that Truly Cares
When so much of the news we hear about the US health care system is what’s breaking or broken, it’s inspiring to hear the story of a hospital that is transforming stress and transforming lives. Delnor-Community Hospital in Geneva, Illinois recently received two awards from HeartMath®, an innovative research, technology and training organization which is helping hospitals across the US create healthy environments for both staff and patients.
Health at Work • Healthcare • HeartMath • Nurse Retention • Organizational Climate • Productivity/Performance • (0) Comments • Permalink
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Workers’ Mental Health and Stress Affecting Business Results in Canada
The 2007 Staying@Work Canada report found that mental health issues are the leading cause of both long- and short-term disability claims (72 percent and 82 percent respectively). Despite the prevalence of these claims, only 15 percent of responding companies conduct mental health risk assessments and less than 20 percent say that addressing the stigma associated with mental illness is a priority.
Health at Work • Organizational Climate • Productivity/Performance • Stress • (0) Comments • Permalink
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Institute of HeartMath Introduces New HeartSmarts Program
The Institute of HeartMath®, a leading research and education organization in Boulder Creek, Calif., recently released a new supplemental learning program called HeartSmarts™ to help students get their hearts and brains focused on learning. HeartSmarts is a social and emotional intelligence program for grades 3-5 that is based on HeartMath’s many years of research into the physiology of learning. The HeartSmarts program, designed for classroom use, helps students transform stress, improve learning and strengthen relationships. Students learn about their emotional physiology, how to identify their emotions and how different emotions affect them, their schoolwork and others.
Children • Education • HeartMath • Stress • (0) Comments • Permalink
Monday, December 10, 2007
Osteoporosis ‘link to depression’
Depression may increase the risk of the bone disorder osteoporosis in premenopausal women, a study suggests. A US study found 17% of depressed women but just 2% of those not depressed, had thinner bone in a part of the hip. It found depressed women had overactive immune systems, making too many chemicals that promote inflammation including one that promotes bone loss.
Proof broken hearts can be fatal
Experts know psychological stress can cause physical changes in the body - stress hormones can disrupt body processes. One study found men were 21% more likely to die after the loss of their wife. Widows had a 17% increased risk of death. Dr Stroebe’s team said: “The patterns are quite consistent, enabling the conclusion that the mortality of bereavement is attributable in large part to a so-called broken heart, the psychological distress due to the loss.”
Stress makes us depressed, fat, sick - and we do it to ourselves
Chronic stress has been linked to depression, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, premature cell aging, and obesity and diabetes. It can cause hives and numbness, gastrointestinal problems and acne. It can make people more susceptible to the flu. The really frustrating part for doctors is that much of the stress patients experience is manufactured - the result of an increasingly connected society that has everyone expecting instant gratification, and instant results. Very few people are making the time to unplug and relax, even for just a few minutes every day.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Depression Linked To Death Following Heart Attack
Depression triples the risk of death following a heart attack, even when accounting for other heart attack risk factors, according to research presented today at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) annual meeting, which showed that among 360 depressed, post myocardial infarction patients followed for more than six years, those who did not recover from their depression in the first six months were more than twice as likely to die.
Article (Adobe Acrobat required)
Cardiovascular Health • Depression • (0) Comments • Permalink