But after he had a second bout of heart problems two years ago, which was temporarily with medication, the owner of Tradewinds Construction began to shift gears a little. He has made a sizable dent in his stress by following the multi-pronged strategies offered during his classes at the Wellness Center at Mercy Medical Center. I don't have that problem now, pretty much. And I feel much more energy. I feel really good about myself and my health now.
Stress is a culprit in many health problems.
It's been well known for years that stress can undermine the heart and the immune system. Research results reported in 1999 indicated that stress also can play a part in problems such as osteoporosis, prostate disease and brain damage. You can't separate them, although medicine has tried to do that for a long time. When the mind recognizes a need to respond to a physical or mental stress, it triggers a cascade of events that jumpstart the body. But when it happens all the time, it can lead to hypertension, high cholesterol, arterial calcium deposits, digestive disorders, damaged immune systems and many other problems, Rhoads said.