Stress: America's #1 Health Problem

How different types of stress can affect your well-being.

An Overlooked Epidemic

In 1983 Time magazine declared that stress was "the epidemic of the '80s." What does that say about us now?

In the two decades since that declaration, we've welcomed into our lives cell phones, beepers, the Internet, 24-hour news, and self-managed retirement plans. The workplace has been revolutionized -- a few times. So have the financial markets. Shopping choices have proliferated (funny how tomatoes now come in grape, cherry, plum, and pear variations), meaning decision-making is harder than ever. Beyond our control are the more insidious concerns of terrorism, a one-world economy, and global warming. If someone asked you to describe life today in one word, it's a pretty good bet that word wouldn't be "calm," "serene," or "tranquil."

Given its profound influence on our physical and mental well-being, stress may well be America's No. 1 health problem. The American Institute of Stress estimates that 75 to 90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are for illnesses caused or made worse by stress. Included in that category are high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease. That's why the Live It Down Plan's stress-reduction component is so important. If you can learn how to relax and be more sanguine about the "24-7" world we live in, you can make major progress in lowering your heart attack risk and improving your life.

• Cholesterol
• • Mind & Body
• • Stress

• Stress: A Heart Disease Risk Factor on a Par With Smoking and Obesity
• An underlying problem that can have severe physical consequences.
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• How Stressful Is Your Job?
• Take these factors into consideration when evaluating your work.
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• Change the Way You React to Stress
• How you respond to stress can make all the difference.
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• Defuse Stress for a More Enjoyable Day
• 37 ways to calm down fast.
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• Learn the Art of Self-Massage
• Reduce tension in seconds -- anywhere
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“ Keep your summer fruit salad from browning by soaking the cut fruits briefly in a bowl of lightly salted water. ”

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Residents of a local nursing home loved our karate school's demonstration. We could tell because they gave us a big hand at the end. After the applause died down, everyone remained seated, so we showed off a few more moves. When our encore ended and again no one budged, we launched into our second encore. "I didn't expect karate to be so popular here," I whispered to one resident. "It's not," she said with a kindly smile. "We're waiting for you to leave so we can get on with our bingo game."

-- Duke Mercado