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Health Awareness - for fun...
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1. A little stress in our life is good for us - it keeps us active and alert
TRUE
FALSE
2. The only beneficial exercise is 30 minutes of vigorous exercise five days/week
TRUE
FALSE
3. Estrogen Replacement Therapy can reduce the risk of heart disease for postmenopausal women with a history of heart disease
TRUE
FALSE
4. People with more religious involvement are
a) almost 30 percent more likely to live longer than those who were less involved
b) appear to have improved recovery from serious medical illness
c) have slightly lower blood pressures than those who are not as
religiously active
d) all of the above
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1. Well, true and false! Without our stress hormones we would not be able to react reflectively to the challenges of life. However, years of unresolved stress can damage the immune system and other systems as well. It is known to be linked to the development of insulin resistance (a risk factor for diabetes) as well as hypertension, heart disease and osteoporosis. Dr. Bruce McEwan of the Rockerfeller Institute in New York believes that the two most important causes of unresolved stress are lack of social support and lack of control. While it is not possible to simply drop all your stress by the side of the road, you might try reaching out. Join a volunteer or church group (the Health Ministry!). Eating a healthy diet is another way to confirm that you care about your own well being. Regular exercise helps too. The hard lines between mental, physical and emotional health seem to be vanishing.
UC Berkeley Wellness Letter
2. False. Studies are showing that several 10-minute periods of physical activity per day are just as beneficial as a solid half-hour. This validates all the advice you might have heard about incorporating activity into everyday routines: take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible, park the car in a far corner of the parking lot, or better yet, walk instead of drive. But that doesn't mean all the fun runs and workouts with Jane Fonda videos are useless. By and large, the data shows that as the level of activity increases, so do the benefits.
Harvard Health Letter
3. False. Studies no longer prove this true. Now the story may be the same for women with a history of stroke. In a October 2001 study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers report that estrogen replacement therapy does not reduce the risk of a second ischemic stroke (the type caused by a clot lodging in an artery supplying the brain) in post-menopausal women.
HealthNews from the Massachusetts Medical Society
4. all of the above. The Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter confirms these findings with several studies. How can the matters of the spirit translate into improvements in health? There are several plausible explanations, including healthier habits, social bonds, stress reduction and better coping with adverse events. However, you can't plop yourself in church and expect to get healthy. The kind of faith that may prove healthful must come from within; it needs to be deeply held. It's the deep personal commitment and devout practice, combined with the regular activity of attending religious services or study groups, that's the most powerfully connected to health benefits.