6 replies to this topic

[travelthomas]

Stress management is an important tool to keep the body free of disease. With the likelihood of terrorist attacks in our future, stress management is an important topic for people dealing daily with health issues.

After growing up in Los Angeles during the cold war, I realized that I suffered from terror attacks during thunder storms and from hearing sonic booms. After contemplating where these terror attacks stemmed from I realized they came from watching TV (movies and news reports about nuclear war). I used this knowledge to protect my health after 9/11 and avoided all mass media for six months after the event. It worked so well that after one year, while watching TV, I surfed right by the old boring footage of 9/11.

Knowledge and being prepared are two important tools to prevent excessive stress. After the Chernobyl accident they found that stress was killing people and not the small doses of radiation they were being exposed to. My suggestion to combat the possible stress of a dirty bomb would be to keep something around to look at the levels of pollution, and things to clean the pollution out of your body, like sea weed and iodine pills. If such an event occurs it will be a while before the demands for these products are met, and during that time the stress levels would be extreme.

I was in Hong Kong during the SARS out break. Because of my knowledge of how disease is spread, and being prepared I did not stress out at all. I simply washed my hands, avoided touching hard surfaces, and NEVER touched my face. Touching ones face is the quickest way to pick up a virus, especially through the eyes.

I drive down to the Yucatan every year. Because of all the check points I have to go through the stress levels go up concerning theft. To combat this stress I don’t bring anything with me that can’t be easily, and cheaply replaced. After five years in Mexico I have never lost one possession, so my fears may be completely unfounded, but the stress is still real.

[GEF]

I agree.. stress is hard enough on a healthy body. Remembering that we've got to be aware of what we allow ourselves to be subject to is important... that's a great reminder, Thomas. You can add me to the ranks of whose intolerance was triggered by stress. They say stress will kill you and I believe it!

[GEF]

Thomas,

I'm here in Richmond, VA... the day after the flood and thought of this posting of your's in regards to stress. Here's my mini-recount of the experience:

We really didn't know we'd be getting 11" of rain in one day, so I was on a return trip from the airport returning a rental. Seriously, I'm stuck in a car on the same street for 4 hours with no food, no water, no bathroom, people's cars are flooding, they're walking & falling in the street, fire hydrants are submerged and I'm looking right at them, cars are running out of gas and I'm wet, tired and frightened... on the only road that will take me home. Talk about stress. I happened to catch up with my brother on his way home from his college class (that was a miracle) and switched from riding with my associate. After we drove through a huge intersection that had 1.5 feet of water in it, my brother and I rejoiced (literally). We stopped at a donut shop and got hot cocoa and donuts (I ate one), filled up on gas and continued our journey home. A 15 mile drive took 5 hours, which is not too bad as some never made it to their homes. There was a river of water flowing through our yard, but our home is undamaged and dry. My fiance had dinner ready (pasta) for us when we got home. I'm in much need of rest, even today... and my body's in "laalaa land" from all the gluten. I'm sure it will take a few days to recover from that.

It might have helped being more prepared during times of stress, but sometimes you've just got to do what you've got to do and eat what you've got to eat. Then when it's all said and done, give your body the rest it needs. A day like yesterday was enough stress to trigger an autoimmune!

Sorry for the long post, I can't help it ... I'm stressed

Gretchen

[celiac3270]

Wow......all the gluten? So did you have regular pasta when you got home?

[GEF]

Yes, it was regular. I'm not gluten-free yet, since I have some tests to run.. but, still it was a lot of gluten!

[celiac3270]

Oh, okay........sorry, I didn't realize that you were running tests....

[travelthomas]

Hi Gretchen,

I don’t drive without food in my car, even if it’s just a can of fish or anything that is easy to get into my stomach, and will get me through to a good meal.

I’ve been through a few disasters, including a hurricane in Murtle Beach, flood in Ashland, OR, where we didn’t have running water for two weeks, and a major flood in Veracruz, Mexico, where people were living on the high ground of the highway. I stock piled food and water for the hurricane, didn’t see the Ashland flood coming at all and was unprepared, and in Veracruz I had plenty of food and water for my travels through Mexico.

I watch and listen to the smallest details to be prepared for the future. Like at my winter home in Mexico I heard that the Mexicans were chanting “Bin Laden” at a Mexican/US soccer match, and in Playa del Carmen I saw an Arab man touching all the fresh fish and licking his fingers each time in a super market. To still enjoy myself in Mexico I don’t take anything that I can’t just walk away from, and fully insure what I do take. In India, when the latest “Bush War” (the Bush’s sure like to create hate and wars) started up, I told everyone I was Canadian and dyed my hair. I also take time to remember my dreams because who knows what comes through the subconscious mind. My dreams kept me out of Manhattan for 9/11.